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MDLEA Jurisdiction Debate 2018

The debate over whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act requires a fact-specific nexus to the United States before prosecuting defendants who never set foot on the high seas, with the Ninth Circuit and Second Circuit having different approaches.

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Jan 15, 2026

What do the original 1986 congressional roll-call and bill text for the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) show about authorship and votes?

The Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) emerged in 1986 as part of larger anti‑drug legislative packages rather than as a freestanding, single‑sponsor bill, and the provided congressional record...

Jan 11, 2026

How have U.S. appellate courts differed on the nexus requirement for MDLEA prosecutions since 2018?

Since 2018, federal appellate courts have split over whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) requires a fact-specific “nexus” to the United States before prosecuting defendants who never...