Wesley Snipes leaves Pa. prison after tax sentence

LEWIS RUN, Pa. (AP) ? Wesley Snipes has been released from a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

Snipes was convicted in 2008 on tax charges. He was released Tuesday and placed under home confinement. A Bureau of Corrections spokeswoman said Friday he'll be overseen by the New York Community Corrections Office until July 19.

Snipes has appeared in dozens of films, from "White Men Can't Jump" and "Demolition Man" in the early 1990s to the "Blade" trilogy. He entered the McKean prison in December 2010 to begin a three-year sentence for failure to file income tax returns.

Snipes belonged to a group that challenged the government's right to collect taxes. Prosecutors say he failed to file returns for at least a decade and owed millions of dollars in back taxes.

Snipes had appealed in an Atlanta court, saying he didn't get a fair trial.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wesley-snipes-leaves-pa-prison-tax-sentence-225858429.html

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Michigan downs Syracuse 61-56 in NCAA semifinal

Michigan players react after the second half of the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Syracuse, Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Atlanta. Michigan won 61-56. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Michigan players react after the second half of the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Syracuse, Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Atlanta. Michigan won 61-56. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Michigan's Trey Burke, right, and Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. walk down the court during the second half of the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Syracuse, Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Michigan's Trey Burke (3) and Glenn Robinson III, center, defend against Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams during first-half NCAA college basketball game action in the NCAA Final Four, Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Julian H. Gonzalez ) DETROIT NEWS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

Syracuse's C.J. Fair (5) heads to the hoop against Michigan's Mitch McGary (4) during the second half of the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/NCAA Photos, Chris Steppig, Pool)

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim watches play against Michigan during the second half of the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

ATLANTA (AP) ? Michigan is more than just five fabulous players.

No, this is quite a team ? all the way down the roster.

Fearlessly attacking Syracuse's suffocating zone in the first half, getting big contributions off the bench, and hanging on for dear life at the end, the Wolverines advanced to the national championship game with a 61-56 victory over the Orange in the Final Four on Saturday night.

So put away those comparisons to the Fab Five.

This group of young stars is determined to leave its own legacy.

"We've been a team all year," said coach John Beilein, whose Wolverines were playing in the Final Four for the first time since 1993, when the Fab Five lost for the second straight time in the national title game. "It was great."

Michigan (31-7) will be going for its first national title since 1989 when it faces Louisville on Monday at the Georgia Dome. Syracuse (30-10) failed to complete an all-Big East final in the fabled league's last season before a major overhaul.

Louisville was established as a 4?-point title game favorite.

Don't expect that to bother the brash young Wolverines a bit. They showed they could win even when their best weapon, Associated Press player of the year Trey Burke, was having a really ugly night.

He scored just seven points on 1-of-8 shooting.

"We know Trey is our leader, and sometimes he's not going to have a game like he's had all season," said Tim Hardaway Jr., who led Michigan with 13 points. "That's when our team stepped up."

Trailing 58-56, the Orange had a chance to force overtime. But Brandon Triche was called for a foul when Jordan Morgan stepped in to take the charge with 19.2 seconds left.

"Jordan is our best charge-taker," Beilein said. "He stood in there and took a good one."

After Jon Horford made only one of two free throws, Syracuse called timeout and set up a play. Curiously, the Orange didn't attempt a tying 3-pointer. Instead, Trevor Cooney drove the lane looking to put up an easier shot. But the ball was swatted away, Michigan saved it from going out of bounds and Morgan wound up taking a long pass the other way.

He threw down a thunderous slam with just over a second remaining to cap the triumph.

Triche blamed himself for driving the ball recklessly into the lane when Syracuse had a chance to tie it.

"I was just trying to make a play for the team," he said. "I probably should have made a better decision, probably should have pulled up for the jump shot. ... I did see him, but I figured, I was already in the air jumping."

With Burke struggling to get open looks and misfiring even when he did, Michigan got an unexpected contribution off the bench from freshmen Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht.

LeVert scored eight points and Albrecht chipped in with six ? all of them crucial after the Wolverines went cold in the second half and struggled to put away the Orange.

"We had a lot of guys in there," Beilein said. "You never know who the outlier is, you never know who's going to come in and get that done."

Of course, there's nothing unusual about Michigan getting big performances from first-year players. This team starts three freshmen ? Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas ? which, of course, rekindles memories of the great Fab Five teams.

These kids want nothing to do with the comparisons, saying they haven't done nearly enough to be mentioned in the same breath with a team that changed the face of college basketball.

Well, if the Wolverines can win their next game, they'll accomplish something that eluded the Fab Five: a national title.

Syracuse was looking to give 68-year-old Jim Boeheim another title, a decade after the Orange won it all in their last trip to the Final Four. Boeheim has no plans to retire, but his quest for a championship is on hold for another year.

"I told you I'm not going to answer that question unless you ask that of every coach," Boeheim snapped at a reporter when asked about his future. "I never indicated at any time that I'm not coming back."

Michigan won this game in the opening 20 minutes, doing exactly what it needed to do against Syracuse's suffocating 2-3 zone: knock down open 3s, crash the boards, and work the ball inside and out with crisp, rapid-fire passes.

"I thought we got off to a really bad start defensively in the first half," Boeheim said. "We just didn't have the movement that we've had, and Michigan took advantage of it. Our offense was not good in the first half or the second half. Second half, we got our defense going a lot better, and got back in the game in spite of our offense."

When Syracuse started extending its perimeter defense, looking to cut off the long-range shots, Michigan created an open look late in the half with a nifty bit of ball movement. Robinson ? like Hardaway, the son of a former NBA star ? took a pass, whipped it ball to LeVert, who dribbled a couple of times and fed the ball back to Robinson for an open 15-footer.

Nothing but net.

The Wolverines began to pull away from Syracuse even without much of a contribution from Burke. He finally scored his first points with just under a minute remaining in the first half, swishing a 3 from nearly the same spot on the court where he made the long shot that stunned top-seeded Kansas.

It would be Burke's only basket of the night.

"At the end of the day, it wasn't offense," he said. "A lot of us didn't have good shooting nights, but it was defense that allowed us to advance."

Burke came up huge in the South Regional, leading Michigan back from 14 points down with less than 7 minutes remaining against Kansas. He forced overtime with a long 3-pointer at the end of regulation, and Wolverines finished off the 87-85 upset in overtime.

Syracuse, meanwhile, had taken its trademark defense to new levels of stinginess in the NCAA tournament.

The Orange arrived in Atlanta having surrendered a paltry 45.75 points over four games, holding Montana (34), top-seeded Indiana (50) and Marquette (39) to their lowest scoring totals of the season. Overall, Syracuse's tournament opponents had combined to shoot just 28.9 percent from field (61 of 211) and 15.4 percent from 3-point range (14 of 91).

Syracuse was brimming with confidence heading into the Final Four, believing its zone could shut down the Wolverines and its more experienced lineup would take advantage of Michigan's youth.

But the Wolverines had more points by halftime than Montana, and nearly as many as Marquette managed in the regional final. Even though Hardaway missed a trey just before the buzzer sounded, Michigan sprinted off the court with a commanding 36-25 lead.

Syracuse didn't have enough offensive firepower to come all the way back, shooting just 42 percent (23 of 55).

C.J. Fair scored 22 points, doing his best to rally the Orange all by himself. But Triche, with 11 points, was the only other Syracuse player in double figures.

With Michigan's starters also struggling, the guys off the bench picked up the slack.

LeVert, who seemed headed for a redshirt early in the season and was known more for defense than offense, made a couple of 3-pointers in the opening half. He had connected just 11 times from that range coming into the Final Four.

Albrecht was another surprise. He, too, buried a couple of shots beyond the arc ? one of them going through from the corner while he was sliding on his backside toward the Syracuse bench. Coming into Atlanta, he had made only a dozen 3-pointers the entire season.

There's still another game to go.

"It's going to be a great matchup," said McGary, one of those Michigan freshmen. "They're a team like Syracuse that also plays in Big East and they remind me of VCU the way they trap and can turn over the ball, so it should be a great matchup."

The Wolverines routed VCU 78-53 in the second round of the tournament.

If they can win one more time, they'll have bragging rights on the Fab Five.

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-07-Final%20Four-Syracuse-Michigan/id-89113b302aa949afaa10eeda75aa16dd

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Jobs report paints a dreary picture

Poor job growth and a large exodus of unemployed workers last month stifled weeks of upbeat economic data and marked a sobering reality check, signaling that hiring was likely to remain weak in the coming months.

Employers added a paltry 88,000 net new jobs in March, the smallest number since June and just one-third of the gain in February.

Retailers, manufacturers and finance companies shed jobs over the month, an indication that consumer spending may be softening as workers grapple with higher payroll taxes and sluggish wage growth.

Normally such a weak job number would push up the jobless rate, but the unemployment figure fell a notch in March to 7.6% as hundreds of thousands of people left the labor force and were no longer counted as jobless.

In fact, the share of working-age Americans who have jobs or are looking for work sank to a 34-year low of 63.3% last month.

"It says job opportunities are so weak, hiring is so low and demand for workers is so depressed that we're just having people drop out or otherwise not enter the labor force," said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington.

President Obama's chief economic advisor, Alan Krueger, suggested the automatic federal spending cuts under the so-called sequestration had already begun to hurt the job market, though there was little evidence of that in the March report. The federal government lost 14,000 jobs over the month, but almost all of those came at the U.S. Postal Service.

"While the recovery was gaining traction before sequestration took effect," Krueger said, "these arbitrary and unnecessary cuts to government services will be a head wind in the months to come."

He and other economists cautioned against reading too much into a single month's data. The weather and other special factors may have affected the statistical calculations, analysts said, and the job numbers have bounced up and down in the past.

Yet even after averaging the last three months, the latest jobs report was a big disappointment.

Analysts had hoped that the economy was kicking into higher gear and they had forecast, on average, that 190,000 jobs would be created in March. On Friday, many were worrying out loud that the recovery may be reverting to its past pattern of slumping in the spring and summer.

Some economists predicted that job growth would now hover around 100,000 a month in the second quarter, down from an average of about 170,000 monthly in the first quarter and over the last year.

At that pace, it would barely be enough to keep up with the growing population, let alone absorb the nearly 12 million who are officially unemployed.

Other economists were more optimistic, noting that recent economic indicators showed the housing market growing again, business investment remaining solid and global economic prospects looking better than last year. In addition, some of the domestic political uncertainty has eased with the elections and fiscal cliff battles over.

Even so, these analysts were questioning their assumptions because the labor market has yet to feel the brunt of sequestration and the recent job-growth momentum is now lost.

"The job gain is not only smaller, it's narrower," said Patrick O'Keefe, a former Labor Department official who directs economic research for CohnReznick, an accounting and advisory firm in New York.

Earlier in the week, O'Keefe spoke encouragingly about how the job market had progressed from a crawl to a jog. On Friday, he said, "the jogger tripped on the curb."

Among the positive details in Friday's report, the construction industry hired more workers. Healthcare firms and restaurants continued to bulk up, and accounting businesses also added a healthy number of workers.

Overall, workers' average weekly hours in the private sector rose slightly, but their average hourly earnings were essentially flat. The underemployment situation improved in March, but there were still 7.6 million part-time workers who wanted full-time work.

The disappointing jobs report made perfect sense to Marchella Hall of Hollywood. Early Friday morning, she was one of dozens of jobless workers who crowded into a federally funded labor resource center in downtown Los Angeles.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/business/~3/53oCW5cEMQI/la-fi-jobs-20130406,0,5481757.story

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UK's FTSE takes biggest weekly fall since Nov on U.S. jobs tally

Britain's top share index posted its worst weekly loss since November after falling for a third straight session on Friday when weak U.S. jobs data dampened expectations of steady recovery in the world's largest economy.

But traders said future market falls could be limited by sustained monetary stimulus from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which has been a key driver behind a 25 percent rally in the FTSE 100 since last summer.

The index of Britain's 100 largest shares, which derive around a quarter of their earnings from North America, fell 1.5 percent to 6,249 points, taking its weekly loss to 2.5 percent, on news that U.S. employers hired at the slowest pace in nine months in March.

The 88,000 new jobs created fell short of the lowest estimate in a Reuters poll of economists and of bearish trader expectations before the release.

"At first sight, it's very disappointing but with the Fed determined to keep (its stimulus programme) going until unemployment goes quite a lot lower, that should provide support," Richard Griffiths, associate director at Berkeley Futures, said.

The FTSE, which traded as low as 6,214 points after the data, cut losses in late trade. Traders said the Fed would have to keep pumping out money through its bond-buying programme, or quantitative easing (QE).

The Fed, which is buying $85 billion of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities each month to boost growth and hiring, has said it will keep interest rates near zero until the unemployment rate falls to at least 6.5 percent, as long as

... contd.

Source: http://financialexpress.com/news/uks-ftse-takes-biggest-weekly-fall-since-nov-on-u.s.-jobs-tally/1098467/

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Bob Wojnowski: 'Why not us?' becomes Michigan's mantra en route to NCAA Final Four

$160,000

3 Bedrooms, 1 Full Baths, 1447 Sq. Ft.

Nancy Barbour

(586) 917-0054

Three bedrooms, possible fourth in bonus room above attached 1.5 car garage. Bonus room can also be den or playroom at 24 x 12 ft. Maple kitchen, 2003, with 20 custom cabs, + 6 ft of 84" pantry cabs + utility cab. Mudroom off kitchen has heated porcelain floor. All kitchen appliances stay. Refinished oak floors,new paint. New concrete driveway. Other upgrades since 1995 include gas furnace, central air, humidifier, air filter, hwh, 100 amp service panel, tilt-to-clean windows, steel exterior doors, vinyl siding, gutters, trim, glass block vented windows in basement and garage, updated bathroom, extra insulation, concrete porch, classy alluminum fencing, insulated garage door and opener. You must see this home! Mt. Clemens qualifies for low-interest MSHDA loans for incomes below $72,250. Gerald T. Klebba, broker.

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130406/OPINION03/304060330/1131/rss17

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Commercial Real Estate Advice That Puts You Bank Account At ...

TIP! Commercial loans require a higher down payment than your typical residential loan. Shopping for the best lending rates and looking at many investments is the surest way to find a property that matches your goals and budget, which makes obtaining the loan needed much more likely.

When thinking of a commercial real estate investment, it is wise to decide exactly what kind of commercial property is best for your investment. You could wind up losing your shirt if you don?t invest wisely. Keep reading for tips to help you make informed decisions in your commercial investments.

TIP! Conduct tours of potential properties. It?s a good idea to hire a building contractor to come with you and do on-the-spot inspections of properties you are considering.

Think larger when you?re thinking about two commercial properties that are viable. Acquiring enough money to finance a 10 or 20 unit apartment complex can be huge undertaking. This just reflects the general advantage of buying anything in bulk; when you buy a property with more units, you get a lower average price for each one.

TIP! Identify any necessary improvements before you sign on a new space. It could be something simple, such as paining walls, rearranging appliances or furniture or hanging things.

Find out how any firm you have under consideration defines success. Ask them how they estimate your needed space, what criteria they use to vet potential properties and how they intend to get you the best price. It is important to know these answers before you engage them to work for you.

TIP! Consult with your tax adviser prior to purchasing any property. Such an expert can inform you of what a building will cost you, and the tax impact of your income from a property.

Make sure you understand how much space is really available. It is common for commercial properties to be described in terms of usable square feet in which an enterprise would actually operate, or in terms of total square feet, which encompasses walls and non-usable area. Know how many square feet for both, so that you can can make the process run smoothly.

Pro Forma

TIP! There are many tax benefits available for commercial investors. Investors typically receive interest deductions in addition to depreciation benefits.

The key terms will include the pro forma and the rent roll. If you don?t do this verification, you won?t notice any term not considered by the rent roll, and the pro forma could be changed.

TIP! The Internet contains a lot of information for those interested in investing in real estate, whether they be experienced investors or novices. It is always best to work with as much information as possible, so take the time to absorb everything you can when working with commercial real estate.

Your first step is to find financing. Loan products and commercial lenders are different than that of home loans. They can be better for you as a borrower. Commercial loans have larger down payments, but you may avoid any personal blame if it?s a bad deal, and the bank won?t mind as much about you borrowing money for the down payment from friends and family.

TIP! Those who invest in commercial real estate should be aware that higher-than-usual inflation can wreck and otherwise-good investment. In the past, many leases had built-in clauses that made adjustments according to the Consumer Price Index, which protected signers from inflation.

It is necessary that you have financial statements for yourself and for your business handy if you want to finance a commercial real estate property. Without proof of your and your business? financial stability, most banks will be hesitant to lend to you.

TIP! Before you begin your search for the perfect commercial property, have a clear picture of your needs. You should write down the features you are looking for, such as size or settings.

Whether you are buying or selling, don?t shy away from negotiation. Protect your interests by standing up for yourself regardless of who is on the other side of the table. Negotiate a fair price rather than accepting one that is too high or too low.

TIP! You should take numerous, high-quality photographs of the property. Make sure your pictures clearly show any damage or defects, including carpet stains, holes in the walls or discoloration of plumbing and counter tops.

Create an online presence for your company before you start investing. You can start a new website, or utilize social media websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to create profiles. Look into search engine optimization so that your website will rank higher in internet searches. You want people to find the information you provide just by searching your name.

TIP! When having your real estate inspected (as you should), always ask for the qualifications of the inspectors. Many people in certain fields are not accredited, including pest and insect removal services.

There are many factors to consider as you view available properties. For example, you should take note of statistics regarding local employers, workforce availability and the accessibility of skilled labor. Properties located near major employers, like hospitals, schools or distribution centers, are often more in demand at every price range.

TIP! Make sure you partner with a reputable attorney before tackling commercial real estate financing. If something does not go correctly in your real estate deals, you are going to need the right person working for you in order to keep your name clean and unblemished.

Address any environmental issues or hazards before you sign the final purchase paperwork. Hazardous waste on the property is a large area of concern. As a property owner, it is your responsibility to handle these issues, regardless of their origin.

TIP! As you view prospective commercial properties, it pays to think on a larger scale. You may only have planned to buy a five-unit building, but managing 10 or even 50 units will not be any harder.

Be careful to choose commercial properties that are solidly and simply constructed if you plan to use them as rental properties. Tenants will be attracted to these spots because they are maintained well. Such buildings also usually need fewer repairs, which is an advantage for the tenants, as well as the landlord.

TIP! Keep an eye out for motivated sellers. Finding them should be your goal, particularly the ones most ready to offer you a below market deal.

Closely check the surrounding environment of your property. It?s up to you to clean up any damage or environmental waste associated with your property. Are you thinking about buying property in a flood-prone area? Take the time go think things over before taking action. Call some agencies that assess the enviornment and find out what is up with the area your property is in.

Real Estate

TIP! Assemble a group of financial backers consisting of fellow professionals, family members, friends, and colleagues. In this way, you will always have someone to turn to when you are in need of financial support.

When dealing in commercial real estate, it is important to stay patient and calm. Do not be hasty about making a investment decision. If the property turns out to be wrong for you, you will regret your decision. It may take more than a year to get the right investment in the real estate market.

TIP! When purchasing commercial real estate, always keep your goals in mind. Are you going to use it to run your business, or are you going to lease it? As you prepare to seek out a new commercial property, you should first set very specific goals and requirements.

You should try to purchase property which has a significant number of units. The more units that are in your building, the more money you will get from renters. Some buyers won?t even consider properties that contain fewer than ten units, because they believe that more units means more income to be made.

TIP! Initially, your investment will take up a great deal of your time. It can take a little time to find a property worth purchasing, and you also may have to make necessary repairs.

Ensure that the amount of money you want for your commercial property makes sense, given local market conditions. There are a lot of factors that determine the value of the lot.

TIP! Don?t feel scared to investigate your broker?s personality! For example, ask them what they consider to be success, and what constitutes failure. You need to know how they will measure results.

Always include emergency maintenance on your list of need to know things. Inquire with your landlord about who handles the emergency repairs in the space you rent. Keep the phone numbers in a convenient place, and know how long it will take them to respond if needed. In case a maintenance emergency should happen, you can use the information provided to lay out an emergency business and customer service plan to save your company?s reputation in case your business is interrupted.

Commercial Real Estate

TIP! One way to do this is to use the internet. Either send out a monthly commercial real estate newsletter, or be active on social media related to commercial real estate.

As you can see from these tips, a successful purchase of commercial property is definitely possible. The qualities you need to do well in commercial real estate are skill, research and a good dose of luck. Of course, not everyone who enters the commercial real estate market will strike it big, but if you do your homework and adhere to the advice of this article, you have a pretty good shot.

Learning all you can is the best way to have financial markets news success. For real success, you need real knowledge. Use the information presented here to help you make an informed choice about financial markets news.

Source: http://www.sonipa.net/commercial-real-estate-advice-that-puts-you-bank-account-at-ease/

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APNewsBreak: Convicted Amish fight for release

CINCINNATI (AP) ? Attorneys for a group of Amish men and women found guilty of hate crimes for cutting the hair and beards of fellow members of their faith in eastern Ohio are arguing that the group's conviction, sentencing and imprisonment in separate facilities across the country violates their constitutional rights and amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, according to recent court filings.

The filings in federal court in Akron seek the release of seven of 16 Amish convicted in September in the 2011 attacks that were meant to shame fellow Amish they believed were straying from strict religious interpretations.

Although six of the requests were denied by the trial judge, one is still pending, and the judge could at any time order any of them released as they await the outcome of their appeals, expected to be filed this summer. Defense attorneys may also appeal denials of the release requests to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

The Amish group's leader, Samuel Mullet Sr., was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while the rest of the group got sentences ranging from one to seven years.

The Amish have been sent to different prisons across the country, placing an overly harsh burden on their families who ? because of their religion ? cannot travel by plane and have to hire drivers for car travel, the group's attorneys argue.

For instance, in order for Mullet's wife to visit him and three sons convicted in the case, she'd have to travel to Oklahoma, Louisiana and two different prisons 160 miles apart in Minnesota.

The Amish "are being treated much more harshly than the typical federal prisoner, including those with much worse criminal histories and offense conduct," Mullet's attorney, Edward Bryan, wrote in a March 29 filing. "The manner in which their sentences are being carried out by the Bureau of Prisons is cruel and unusual."

Michael Tobin, a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio, declined to make prosecutors in the case available for comment and declined to talk about the filings except to say: "We'll respond to them in our response filed with the court."

Other arguments in the filings from the defense are far broader, largely uncharted territory in the courts and could eventually land in the U.S. Supreme Court, according to attorneys in the case and constitutional law professors contacted by The Associated Press.

Defense attorneys for the Amish are attacking the group's prosecution under the federal hate crime statute, passed in 2009. The statute stipulates that to constitute a federal violation, the crime has to involve crossing state lines or using "an instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce."

In this case, government prosecutors successfully argued that the scissors and hair clippers were an instrumentality of interstate commerce.

That argument is an abuse of federal power and is unconstitutional, the defense attorneys argue.

Bryan pointed to last year's landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court over President Barack Obama's federal health care law. The court found that the individual insurance mandate at the heart of the law was not enforceable under Congress' power over interstate commerce but rather as a tax.

Bryan said that case, decided after the Amish were indicted, shows a willingness by the nation's highest court to narrow Congress' authority over interstate commerce, and could guide the 6th Circuit in its consideration of the Amish group's appeal.

Bryan and the other defense attorneys in the case also argue that the assaults didn't amount to a hate crime under the federal statute, arguing that the law wasn't meant to prosecute a given religious group's dispute among its own members.

Two constitutional law professors agree that the new filings contain interesting arguments that could eventually make it to the Supreme Court.

Vikram Amar, a constitutional law professor at the University of California-Davis, said that largely depends on how prosecutors argue that taking scissors across state lines to commit a crime amounts to a violation of the federal hate crime statute.

For instance, if the scissors were bought 20 years ago, "I could see a lot of appellate judges and Supreme Court judges say, 'That's too loose a test and gives Congress too much power.'"

Noah Feldman, a professor of international law at Harvard Law School, said the defense's argument is plausible, although he "wouldn't put the odds in their favor."

The argument that Feldman finds most interesting is one that the defense isn't even making: that the prosecution of the Amish for a hate crime is an overly broad interpretation of the federal statute.

"If you accept the interpretation that this is a hate crime, then any dispute within a religious group could be called a hate crime," Feldman said. "If I think my wife should obey me and my religion teaches me so and I take a swing at her, then I've committed a hate crime," rather than domestic violence.

Before trial, the Amish all rejected plea agreements that offered leniency, with some young mothers turning down a chance to avoid prison altogether.

Prosecutors argued that the group cut the beards and hair of other members because hair carries spiritual significance, hence the hate crime. The Amish argued that they're bound by rules guided by their religion and the government should never have gotten involved in what amounted to a family or church dispute.

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-convicted-amish-fight-release-161126686.html

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