Changes

'''Treason''' is the act of betraying one's country. Someone who commits an act of treason is known as a '''traitor''', and he has further committed the sin of [[treachery]]. The definition of traitorous "betrayal" is a thorny problem for any free society. Politics in a [[representative democracy]] have been understood in modern times to require a loyal opposition, which means that the concept cannot be too expansive or debate and the life of the mind generally will be chilled. By contrast, a [[totalitarian]] state can simply designate all opposition to the philosophy of the ruling party or the policies of the leader as "treason".<ref>For example, gathering opposition research or "dirt" on [[Hillary Clinton]] is not treason. Hillary Clinton is a private citizen. Hillary Clinton is neither the government of the United States nor the American people.</ref> However, in order for the [[executive branch]] to be able to fulfill its duty to protect the polity, it must retain the possibility of pursuing criminal sanctions against domestic enemies of the existing order, at least to the extent they use [[violence]].

'''Treason''' is the act of betraying one's country. Someone who commits an act of treason is known as a '''traitor''', and he has further committed the sin of [[treachery]]. The definition of traitorous "betrayal" is a thorny problem for any free society. Politics in a [[representative democracy]] have been understood in modern times to require a loyal opposition, which means that the concept cannot be too expansive or debate and the life of the mind generally will be chilled. By contrast, a [[totalitarian]] state can simply designate all opposition to the philosophy of the ruling party or the policies of the leader as "treason".<ref>For example, gathering opposition research or "dirt" on [[Hillary Clinton]] is not treason. Hillary Clinton is a private citizen. Hillary Clinton is neither the government of the United States nor the American people.</ref> However, in order for the [[executive branch]] to be able to fulfill its duty to protect the polity, it must retain the possibility of pursuing criminal sanctions against domestic enemies of the existing order, at least to the extent they use [[violence]].

In the [[United States]] treason is a federal crime, the only crime provided for in the United States [[Constitution]]. It is defined as levying [[war]] against the United States, adhering to their enemies, or giving their enemies aid and comfort. <(U.S. Const. art. 3, section 3, cl. 1). <ref>https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiii</ref> <ref>https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2381 </ref> Where treason is made a crime under [[state]] statutes, the definitions often emphasize action directed against state government. ( Cal. Penal Code section 37---treason consists of levying war against the state, adhering to its enemies, or giving enemies aid and comfort)

In the [[United States]] treason is a federal crime, the only crime provided for in the United States [[Constitution]]. It is defined as levying [[war]] against the United States, adhering to their enemies, or giving their enemies aid and comfort. <(U.S. Const. art. 3, section 3, cl. 1). <ref>https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiii</ref> <ref>https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2381 </ref> Where treason is made a crime under [[state]] statutes, the definitions often emphasize action directed against state government. ( Cal. Penal Code section 37---treason consists of levying war against the state, adhering to its enemies, or giving enemies aid and comfort). Should a current or future president commit treason, they must first be [[Impeachment|impeached]] by the House, then indicted by a vote of the Senate to be removed from office, and then prosecuted under the statute. Any holder of political office who is removed from office through the impeachment process is then barred from running from political office. <ref> https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-2/section-4/impeachment </ref> <ref>https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-2/section-3/the-president-as-law-enforcer </ref> <ref> https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-2/ </ref>

It is generally understood that treason is a crime that threatens all citizens and calls for the harshest penalties, typically [[capital punishment]].  In medieval [[England|English]] law, 'high treason' was defined as the murder or attempted murder of the reigning monarchy, or attempts to usurp or overthrow them or pervert the natural succession of the throne.  'Petty treason' was the murder of a social superior, such as a servant killing his master or a knight murdering the lord he was expected to serve, but this term gradually fell out of use after the decline of the feudal system, and because such cases could also be tried simply as murder.  Before the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 (which ejected the [[House of Stuart]] and made the English government truly limited), high treason carried a penalty of [[beheading]] for the nobility and [[hanging, drawing and quartering]] for others, a process vividly depicted towards the end of the 1995 film [[Braveheart]].  A famous example of such an execution was that in 1605 of [[Guy Fawkes]], a member of a failed conspiracy of [[Roman Catholics]] who sought to assassinate the [[Protestant]] King [[James I]] and his parliament.  The British hanged traitors as late as the mid-[[20th century]].

It is generally understood that treason is a crime that threatens all citizens and calls for the harshest penalties, typically [[capital punishment]].  In medieval [[England|English]] law, 'high treason' was defined as the murder or attempted murder of the reigning monarchy, or attempts to usurp or overthrow them or pervert the natural succession of the throne.  'Petty treason' was the murder of a social superior, such as a servant killing his master or a knight murdering the lord he was expected to serve, but this term gradually fell out of use after the decline of the feudal system, and because such cases could also be tried simply as murder.  Before the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 (which ejected the [[House of Stuart]] and made the English government truly limited), high treason carried a penalty of [[beheading]] for the nobility and [[hanging, drawing and quartering]] for others, a process vividly depicted towards the end of the 1995 film [[Braveheart]].  A famous example of such an execution was that in 1605 of [[Guy Fawkes]], a member of a failed conspiracy of [[Roman Catholics]] who sought to assassinate the [[Protestant]] King [[James I]] and his parliament.  The British hanged traitors as late as the mid-[[20th century]].