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The Agency Law Origins Of The Necessary And Proper Clause, Robert G. Natelson

Faculty Law Review Articles

In this article the author suggests that the meaning of the Necessary and Proper Clause has seemed unclear to modern commentators because they have not been looking in the right place. In Part II the author subjects the Necessary and Proper Clause to textual analysis, incorporating in that analysis the eighteenth century definitions of words and shows why textual analysis alone cannot clarify some uncertainties. Part III examines the drafting history of the Clause at the federal constitutional convention, concluding that the primary drafters intended it to incorporate concepts from contemporary agency law, specifically the doctrine of implied incidental agency …

The Constitutional Contributions Of John Dickinson, Robert G. Natelson

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article explores the contributions of John Dickinson to the Constitution and as a member of the Continental Congress. Part II provides a brief biography of John Dickinson through the ratification debates. Part II discusses Dickinson's political philosophy. Part IV examines Dickinson's philosophy in action at the Constitutional Convention.

The Enumerated Powers Of States, Robert G. Natelson

Faculty Law Review Articles

In this article, the author distills the essence of the federalists' enumeration of state powers for the benefit of the ratifying public. The article concludes that the listed items strongly suggest that a guiding principle of American federalism is a Coasean one: externalities and/or interdependence, without more, generally do not serve as constitutional justification for further centralization.

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 …

"No Armed Bodies Of Men" -- Montanans' Forgotten Constitutional Right (With Some Passing Notes On Recent Environmental Rights Cases), Robert G. Natelson

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article discusses whether Article II, Section 33 of the Montana Constitution is targeted at importations of "armed bodies of men" by the government, by private parties, or by both. The article also reviews recent "environmental rights" decisions by the Montana Supreme Court to illustrate some problems in judicial review of a constitutional right against private parties.

What Spending Clause? (Or The President's Paramour): An Examination Of The Views Of Hamilton, Madison, And Story On Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 Of The United States Constitution, Jeffrey T. Renz

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article tests three interpretations of the General Welfare Clause that persisted prior to the U.S. v. Butler decision against the text of the Constitution and discusses historical conditions that add to the understanding of that clause of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the author examines: the "strong" Hamiltonian interpretation, the Madison interpretation, and the "weak" Hamiltonian or Story interpretation. The author concludes that in the course of testing each hypothesis, a surprising conclusion was reached: all interpretations failed to survive.

Sacrificing Legislative Integrity An The Altar Of Appropriations Riders: A Constitutional Crisis, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

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