The Law: Voiding Vagrancy

The way the tide of the law is flowing, it is likely that local vagrancy and similar statutes will soon fall under the disapproving glare of the courts. The contention is that such laws are unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, violate the First and 14th Amendments, and lend themselves to misuse by law-enforcement officials. Last month, a three-judge U.S. District Court struck Kentucky's vagrancy laws a heavy blow. By so doing, it put similar laws in other states in jeopardy.

The court acted after a group of open-housing demonstrators in Louisville had aroused the ire of local citizens. To prevent trouble, the police...

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