Legal Jurisdiction
The entire park is within the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, causing it to be the only federal court district that includes portions of more than one state (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming). Law professor Brian C. Kalt has argued that it may be impossible to impanel a jury in compliance with the Vicinage Clause of the Sixth Amendment for a crime committed solely in the unpopulated Idaho portion of the park (and that it would be difficult to do so for a crime committed solely in the lightly-populated Montana portion). One defendant accused of a wildlife-related crime in the Montana portion of the park attempted to raise this argument. He eventually pleaded guilty.
Read more about this topic: Yellowstone National Park
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