U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office "overstepped its bounds" in pursuing federal charges, the ruling said.

Instead of the familiar story of flappers, jazz clubs and gangsters, Harvard historian McGirr argues that Prohibition's greatest legacy was an expansion of government crime fighting. She sees in Prohibition the roots of an expanded prison system, a more aggressive F.B.I. and a more powerful state.

Its vague wording often leads to outlandish maximum sentences for hackers -- and some lawmakers want them to be even stricter.

At the heart of the Muzzles is a simple but powerful idea: "Congress" -- and all levels of government, thanks to the 14th Amendment -- "shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."