1、CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i Congress and Law Enforcement Reform: Constitutional Authority June 4, 2020 Nationwide protests in response to the publication of video footage of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into the ne
2、ck of George Floyd leading to his death have generated renewed interest in the issue of reforming the policing practices of state and local officials. As discussed in more detail in this companion sidebar, several existing federal laws seek to prevent and redress constitutional violations by state a
3、nd local law enforcement officials. However, because the Constitution generally grants states the authority to regulate issues of local concernwhich includes policing and criminal lawCongress is limited in its ability to legislate on matters related to state and local law enforcementlimits that may
4、inform any new laws Congress seeks to enact on this evolving issue. This Sidebar begins with an overview of Congresss authority to enact legislation and the limits on those powers. It then discusses in more detail two of the enumerated powerscongressional powers that are found within the Constitutio
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