Slate has just posted my new Jurisprudence column.  It begins:

Let’s begin with an unassailable fact: John Edwards behaved very badly.

He cheated on his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, who was suffering from a debilitating cancer that eventually killed her. He repeatedly lied about his affair with photographer Rielle Hunter,
including on national television. He got one of his key aides, Andrew Young, to falsely claim he was the father of Edwards and Hunter’s baby. He used donations from wealthy political
supporters, Bunny Mellon and Fred Baron, both to support his lavish affair (including private jets to California and stays at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara) and to support his mistress and
baby after the child was born.

What’s less clear, however, is whether Edwards should go to jail for his behavior. Specifically, does it amount to a violation of federal campaign-finance laws?