‘Ruan v. United States’ Reinforces Importance of Mens Rea in Federal Criminal Law

November 3, 2022  |  New York Law Journal

White-collar criminal cases commonly boil down to disputes over mental state: what did a defendant know and intend?  Federal criminal statutes specify what the government must prove in regard to mens rea, but not always with clarity. In our latest article for the New York Law Journal, “Ruan v. United States Reinforces Importance of Mens Rea in Federal Criminal Law,” we analyze the Supreme Court’s majority and concurring opinions and discuss how the outcome of the case highlights the centrality of mens rea in federal criminal cases.

‘Ruan v. United States’ Reinforces Importance of Mens Rea in Federal Criminal Law (pdf | 242.34 KB)