Multistate Bar Examination Practice Question

Both State A and State B may have jurisdiction because the effects of the defendant’s action (the fire and subsequent damage) extended into State B. In criminal jurisdiction, it is not only where the act was committed that matters but also where the results of the act occur. Since the fire caused damage in State A and smoke damage in State B, this gives both states a valid claim to jurisdiction. Other answers are incorrect as they overlook the principle of effects jurisdiction or misunderstand the constitutional constraints on jurisdiction. For example, asserting that only a single state has jurisdiction ignores the fact that jurisdiction can exist in multiple locations when effects cross state lines. Similarly, the notion that neither state has jurisdiction fails to account for the direct connection of the crime to both states.