Riverwood Presbyterian Church

Politics

Statutory Construction

by Clay Staggs

Barack Obama’s campaign has created a seal, of sorts. Here it is, compared to the real presidential seal (hat tip to CNN for the graphic):

Now, from the US Code, 18 U.S.C. 713:

(a) Whoever knowingly displays any printed or other likeness of the great seal of the United States, or of the seals of the President or the Vice President of the United States, or the seal of the United States Senate, or the seal of the United States House of Representatives, or the seal of the United States Congress, or any facsimile thereof, in, or in connection with, any advertisement, poster, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publication, public meeting, play, motion picture, telecast, or other production, or on any building, monument, or stationery, for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably calculated to convey, a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States or by any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

In law school, one of the things the student should learn is to take a statute and construe whether it applies to a given set of facts. Obama’s seal presents exactly such an exerciase. What say you all, guilty of the crime, mere bad taste, both, or neither?

BTW, the Latin on the logo means “Truly, We Can.” Si se puede.