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Another question for the lawyers

tuttle88tuttle88
edited April 2007 in Everything Else
I had a dream the other night about a girl who is driving me insane at the moment. Long story short in the dream we were going into space, she was being annoying and I was trying to figure out if I could kill her in space without getting in trouble.

So lawyer people: Can you commit crimes in space without getting in the troubles? Who's laws cover space?

Comments

  • Josh BytesJosh Bytes
    Eventually you are going to have to dock at some space station for supplies. And when they check the ships logs and find you are short one passenger, there will be some kind of investigation. Space I imagine itself will be treated like international waters or something like that.
  • AprecheApreche
    I imagine it would be the same as killing someone at the South Pole.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    edited April 2007
    A crime only requires an actus reus and a mens rea. To be complete, there are strict liabilty crimes as well, but you're asking about murder, which is never a strict liability crime.

    The only real question here is criminal jurisdiction, and Ebb and Scott are essentially right. Here's another bit about space jurisdiction.

    Interestingly, there is a space law moot court competition. I'll bet someone can find the competitor's briefs somewhere.

    For further reading try

    1999, 22 B.C. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 323, Note, Establishing the Extraterrestrial: Criminal Jurisdiction and the International Space Station, Stacy J. Ratner.

    and

    1999, 22 B.C. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 249, Citizens Without a Forum: The Lack of an Appropriate and Consistent Remedy for United States Citizens Injured or Killed as the Result of Activity Above the Territorial Air Space, James A. Beckman.

    You might have to go to a library unless you have Westlaw. I'd link to it, but I can't access Westlaw on this computer.

    Actually, that leads me to a question: Would a link to a paid subscription service work?
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • AprecheApreche

    Actually, that leads me to a question: Would a link to a paid subscription service work?
    Only if their website is coded improperly. If their site is indeed coded so improperly, then nobody should, or would, pay for the service because you could access it without paying.
  • JasonJason
    requires anactus reusand amens rea
    I had those yesterday, but I took some Pepto-Bismol and it cleared right up.
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