ABSTRACT
In 2011, the New York City government passed a new law banning smoking in municipal parks, beaches, and plazas. The law was aimed at reducing public exposure to secondhand smoke and litter. Earlier, the New York City government also had considered banning the purchase of soda drinks using food stamps as part of a national effort to combat obesity and diabetes in children. State laws regulating and criminalizing undesirable behavior remain popular, and government claims behind such laws are that they protect citizens from immoral or dangerous behaviors. Such laws also have their share of critics. Social libertarians and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) have traditionally fought in court any laws regulating and criminalizing certain social practices and lifestyles. These groups argue that such laws violate the rights of Americans and are often arbitrarily enforced.
