Following is question that might be asked of aspiring lawyers when taking their examination to be admitted to their State bar. This question is so ridiculous that it could never be confused for depicting an actual situation.

The president of Fractonia, a world superpower, orders missile strikes against fishing boats off the shores of Valdonia, an oil-rich country. The order specifies that there are to be no survivors. Thus, in at least one case, a second missile strike kills two men whose lives were not extinguished by the initial strike. The missile strikes were carried out through the chain of commend, from Fractonia's president, his Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the admiral of the fleet, the captain of the carrier, and down to the navy sailor who pushed the buttons that launched the missiles. The official rationale for these strikes is to protect the citizens of Fractonia from the drugs that these fishing boats would have imported. No evidence of such drugs was ever provided. The actual reason was the president's hope that continued strikes would ultimately provoke some kind of retaliatory action by Valdonia. Alternatively, if no retaliatory action were forthcoming, a missile strike from a Fractonian asset would be falsely attributed to Valdonia. Thus retaliatory action, real or imagined, would serve as the basis for a full-scale military invasion of Valdonia, ultimately securing oil riches for the Fractonian corporations whose political contributions enabled the president to be elected in the first place. Before ultimately leaving office, the Fractonian president issues a full pardon to all participants in his murderous scheme. His pardon thus covers everyone from the Secretary of War to the individual who carried out the strike. The president himself was immune from prosecution on account of a Fractonian Supreme Court decision granting absolute immunity to presidents for all of their official actions. Discuss what prosecutions could result from this totally totally invented completely unimaginable scenario, defenses, and likely outcomes.

One suggested answer to this ridiculous question is presented on a different page.