Newby v. United States

GLICKMAN, Associate Judge:

In this appeal, appellant Jacqueline Newby contends that a parent may not be convicted of the offense of simple assault for using excessive force to discipline her minor child, at least not unless the government proves that the parent acted with malice. Although this proposition suggests broader questions concerning the limits placed by the criminal law on the use of corporal punishment in parental discipline, we are not persuaded by the specific arguments that appellant presents. We hold that the government may prosecute parent-child assaults as violations of the…