Watson v. United States

De minimis non curat lex1

I

In my opinion, Watson’s conduct as found by the judge — -as distinguished from the scenario described by the wife, but rejected by the court as unproved — was, at most, a de minimis and inconsequential violation of the assault statute. Surely husbands, wives, lovers and friends have snatched or grabbed objects from each other on innumerable occasions without the notion occurring to anyone that a crime has been committed or that the criminal justice system should become involved. Cf. State v. Cabana, 315 N.J.Super. 84, 716 A.2d 576, 578 (1997), aff’d, 318 N.J.Super.…