Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Precedent, Non-Universal Injunctions, And Judicial Departmentalism: A Model Of Constitutional Adjudication, Howard Wasserman
Precedent, Non-Universal Injunctions, And Judicial Departmentalism: A Model Of Constitutional Adjudication, Howard Wasserman
Faculty Publications
This Article proposes a model of constitutional adjudication that offers a deeper, richer, and more accurate vision than the simple “courts strike down unconstitutional laws” narrative that pervades legal, popular, and political discourse around constitutional litigation. The model rests on five principles:
1) an actionable constitutional violation arises from the actual or threatened enforcement of an invalid law, not the existence of the law itself;
2) the remedy when a law is constitutionally invalid is for the court to halt enforcement;
3) remedies must be particularized to the parties to a case and courts should not issue “universal” or “nationwide” …