Summary of State v. Young, Supreme Court of New Jersey (1970)

Defendant: Young; the defendant was indicted for entering the campus of a public high school with an intent to disrupt classes therein. The defendant was fined $500 under a statue which made it a misdemeanor for a person to enter a public school with the purpose of disrupting the educational environment. Now the defendant appeals and argues that him entering the public school was not a criminal act and it is unconstitutional to make a legal act illegal just because of the “forbidden purpose” behind the act.

Issue: Can the legislature make an otherwise leal act illegal if there is criminal purpose involved in the mind of the actor?

Holding: Yes

Legal Reasoning: The court gave the examples of many statues (e.g. possession of burglary equipment, possession of counterfeits) which are not illegal in themselves, but they only become illegal when they are intended to be used for the purposes of a crime. So the court held that the legislators have the power to make legal acts illegal if these acts are acted upon with the intent to commit a crime.