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Tluee of these 'katc11-all" provisions are in: (1) tire h ~ e Career dCrin~hal Act (MU) at 18 U.3.C g 924(e)(Z)(B)(ii), (2) the agpatedfelony enl~ancen~eut for aliens convicted of illegal reentty under 8 U.S.C. S.1326(b) (Z), the pylior aggrawtcd felony being partly dehed at 18 U.S.C. 5I6(b), and (3) the "tlrree strikes" Iaw for prior convictions for "serious ~iolentfelony" at 18 U.S.C. g 3559(c)fZ)(F)(ii).These are strrtuto~y enl~;mcements affecting maxhnom sentences, notgmdelines. Tile federal Sentencing Guidelines do not affect statutouy maximumsentences md have no defuitior~ for any of these three statutory termsofart. See, e.g., U.S.S.G. $9 ZLl.2,4B1.4. Simtlarcatclr-dl provisious existelsewhere ie Title 18 but are beyond the scope of this article.'Tl~cse three enhanceroeut laus use three labels that beg the question:"\fiat are "violent felonies," "agg~xmlc~l felonies," and "se~ious violentfelonies?"This sounds like a quuestion oflau~, but the labels and catch-aU provisionsare misleatling The bnsic flaw in all three catch-aU provixo~~srs tlwt theydo not rely on "elements" defined by law and fo~md by ju~rics. Elements are"[those wnstitumt pats of a c ~be which must bc p~wed by the proseci~tionto sustain a conviction." B1flck.v law Dictjo~rfl~j: 5" ~IL, p. 467.Rather, they rely on judicial fact ti~ding (or subjective opl~~ioos) about anoffense's alleged risks, apart finm its elementsAs this article explxins, the th~ee catch-all pluvis~ons present a questionof fxt for sentenciogcout~. Fiuuther, it is afact q~uestion that is never a&-dicflted before a jmy. The courts .IIISUW the fact q~~estion and then converttheir anmas into 11de.s of sentelm cnhancernent law fhat are new legislatedby Congress or stnte legislatt~res.This article e\plaius how the catch-all enhancement provisions violate(1) the 'Wegorical app~vaclu"baditiomUy~ toapply olhane01lent lans;(2) PIWI Amendment due p m and SMI Ameodmcnt juiytrial rigl~fs,(3) Fundamental hm of p~oeedural due p m ;(4) Sep-dtion of Porms Doctrine of Mcle I of the CoRFwuti011; mtl(5) Patr na~htg quimment of the Due Rwes clause.The three ree~cl-all provisions and the~r stahltoly context nre similarACCAThe XU increases the sfatutoly rn%\iru11u1 sentence from 10 years to life,with a rnandato~y nunimu~m 15 yeas, for a felon convicted of possessing afiream in ~olation of 8 922(g)(l) with three quxalir,iug pnor wo~ictionsfor a 'Wolent felony" or "seriou~s tl111g offense."2The ACW "violent felony" inch~des any fclony that otberluise i18uoI~8~condnct that presents a senous potential risk of physical mjmy to mother.I8 U.S.C. 9 924(e) (2) (B) (ii) (emplusis added).IntroductionTitle18, US. Codc, hke evely penal code, conlains laus tht use priorconvictions to enhance statutory rnaumum~ senta~ce% T~xditionaUy,such laws specify t11e prior offenses that trigger tlleir application.Ilowe\n; se\.eidlaus in Title 18 do not. Til~ic scope depends on ivlbat I u,ill call,for lack of a bettor term, "catcil-dl" provrsions.Aggravated felonySec. 1326(b) (2) of 'Iitle 8, US. Code, increases the statuto~y n~axirnutrn selltenccfrom trvo to 20 yeas for an alien convicted of illegal reently afterremod with a prior conviction for an "agpmted feloliy" as dehed nt 8U.S.C. 9 llOl(a)(43) md 18 U.S.C. 5 16.3 Sec. 16 isT1tle 18's "crime ofviolence," wluh is iocmpo~;lted by 8 1101(a) (43) (F).For aliens co~~vicled of illpl reenhy, "awavilted lelo~i)~' includesflly other offense tl~at is a fclony md Illat by 11s nahure,i~~clElw a substantla1 risk tl~at physical force a@inst the personor properly of mother may be used in the collrse of conlmilti~~gthe offense. 18 U.S.C 5 16(b) (emplmsis added).12 VOICE FOR THE DEFENSE W.TCDLA.COM SEPlEMBER 2001