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Held V. State, Alec D. Skuntz

Public Land & Resources Law Review

On March 13, 2020, a group of 16 Montana children and teenagers filed a complaint in the First Judicial District, Lewis and Clark County against the State of Montana and several state agencies. These young Plaintiffs sought injunctive and declaratory relief against Defendants for their complicity in continuing to extract and release harmful amounts of greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change. Plaintiffs premised their argument on the Montana Constitution’s robust environmental rights and protections. The Defendants filed a motion to dismiss which the District Court granted in-part and denied in-part. Held provides a roadmap for future litigation by elucidating …

The Constitution And The Public Trust, Robert G. Natelson

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article explores whether the recurrent references to the public trust were merely empty phrases or whether it really was a "general purpose" of the founders to impose fiduciary standards on the federal government. Part II lists some fiduciary duties potentially applicable to government. Part III summarizes the process by which the Constitution was drafted, debated, and ratified. Part IV examines works by some of the founder's favorite authors and who, the author finds, frequently advocated imposing fiduciary standards on government officials. Part V discusses the role of public trust concepts in the drafting, submission, and ratification of the Constitution. …

The General Welfare Clause And The Public Trust: An Essay In Original Understanding, Robert G. Natelson

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article examines the three traditional interpretations of the General Welfare Clause -- first, that it is a plenary grant of regulatory and spending power to Congress; second, that it is a plenary grant of spending power only; and third, that it is not a grant of power at all. The author finds severe textual problems with the first and second interpretations and his historical analysis confirms that those interpretations have little basis in original understanding. The third view, says the author, is the most textually sound.

Part II of the article addresses prior studies of the General Welfare Clause …