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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 204 _ Filed 04/16/21 Page 61 of 239
much violence is done to our instinctive feelings of justice and fair
play. For the state to assure a man that he has become safe from its
pursuit, and thereafter to withdraw its assurance, seems to most of
us unfair and dishonest. But, while the chase is on, it does not shock
us to have it extended beyond the time first set, or, if it does, the
stake forgives it.
Falter v. United States, 23 F.2d 420, 425-26 (2d Cir. 1928). The distinction between statutes that
revive expired prosecutions and those that extend existing limitations periods has deep roots in
established jurisprudence. It is well-settled that the Ex Post Facto Clause prohibits laws that revive
time-barred prosecutions, but permits laws that retroactively extend limitations periods. Stogner
v. California, 539 U.S. 607, 632 (2003) (holding that the Ex Post Facto Clause does not “prevent
the State from extending time limits for . . . prosecutions not yet time barred.”); United States v.
Morgan, 113 F.3d 1230, 1997 WL 268712, at *7 (2d Cir. 1997) (unpublished opinion) (“The long-
standing rule in this circuit is that Congress has the power to extend the period of limitations
without running afoul of the ex post facto clause, provided the original period has not already
run.”’) (citing Falter, 23 F.3d at 425-26). And other circuits have emphasized this distinction in
the context of Section 3283. Leo Sure Chief, 438 F.3d, at 922-25; Jeffries, 405 F.3d 685.
Read together, the Second Circuit’s decisions in Weingarten, Vernon, Enterprise, and
Falter establish that Congress may retroactively extend the limitations period for still-viable
prosecutions. That is precisely what has occurred here, because the charges in the Indictment were
still timely when the 2003 amendment extended the limitations period. As a result, applying
Section 3283 in this case does not create impermissible retroactive effects. Therefore, step two of
Landgraf is satisfied, and Section 3283 applies retroactively.
Resisting this conclusion, the defendant asserts that, in the criminal context, Landgraf’s
second step provides protections beyond the Ex Post Facto Clause. But that is not the law. See
Nader, 425 F. Supp. 3d at 630 (rejecting the argument that “there is ‘daylight’ between the Ex Post
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00002995.jpg |
| File Size | 777.9 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.0% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,357 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 16:29:28.627251 |