For discussion purposes, the definitions of "assault" and "battery" ->

[msongs]

assault is considered the threat of violence or attack, intimidation with threats:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault

battery is actual physical contact (perhaps related to the term battered as in battered and beaten):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_%28crime%29

Mitt Romney allegedly committed both assault followed by battery. Verbal bullying appears to be assault.

[rocktivity]

1. Swinging at someone is assault

Swinging at someone and hitting them (or someone else) is assault and battery.


rocktivity

[RandySF]

2. Assault, battery and more.

False imprisonment (holding the kid down), conspiracy and (at least now in CA) a hate crime enhancement.

[jberryhill]

3. A lot of state codes have dropped the common law terminology

And will use some form of "menacing" or "terroristic threatening" instead of "assault" for the act of putting someone in fear of harm. You can go crazy on DU when people don't get that different states apply different labels to various things.

Another winner is when people get upset that a rapist was charged with "sexual assault" of some degree, in a state which doesn't use the term "rape" in its criminal code.

[Zoeisright]

4. I learned in jury duty that if you lay a finger on a person without their consent.

It's assault and battery.

[provis99]

5. frankly, he committed aggravated assault.

aggravated assault means using a weapon (the scissors) to do bodily damage against the kid (by cutting his hair off).

In Texas, you can get up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 dollars. I don't know what the penalty is in the state where Romney committed the assault, but it's likely similar.