Which statement best describes crime against the sovereign?

• A. It is a public wrong.
• B. It is a civil wrong.
• C. It is a private dispute.
• D. It is always a felony.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how criminal law classifies offenses from the standpoint of who is harmed and who prosecutes. Crimes against the sovereign are offenses against the state or society as a whole, not just against a private individual. Because they threaten public order and the welfare of the community, they are treated as public wrongs, with the government prosecuting on behalf of society. That’s different from civil wrongs or private disputes, where the harmed party seeks compensation from another private party through civil litigation. The fact that some offenses against the state can be felonies or less serious offenses in different contexts doesn’t change the underlying classification—they’re still public wrongs.