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The Amicus Machine, Allison Orr Larsen, Neal Devins
The Amicus Machine, Allison Orr Larsen, Neal Devins
Allison Orr Larsen
The Supreme Court receives a record number of amicus curiae briefs and cites to them with increasing regularity. Amicus briefs have also become influential in determining which cases the Court will hear. It thus becomes important to ask: Where do these briefs come from? The traditional tale describes amicus briefs as the product of interest-group lobbying. But that story is incomplete and outdated. Today, skilled and specialized advocates of the Supreme Court Bar strategize about what issues the Court should hear and from whom they should hear them. They then “wrangle” the necessary amici and “whisper” to coordinate the message. …
Supreme Court Norms Of Impersonality, Allison Orr Larsen
Supreme Court Norms Of Impersonality, Allison Orr Larsen
Allison Orr Larsen
No abstract provided.
Factual Precedents, Allison Orr Larsen
Factual Precedents, Allison Orr Larsen
Allison Orr Larsen
Lawyers and judges speak to each other in a language of precedents—decisions from cases that have come before. The most persuasive precedent to cite, of course, is an on-point decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. But Supreme Court opinions are changing. They contain more factual claims about the world than ever before, and those claims are now rich with empirical data. This Supreme Court factfinding is also highly accessible; fast digital research leads directly to factual language in old cases that is perfect for arguments in new ones. An unacknowledged consequence of all this is the rise of what I …
Legal Scholarship Highlight: The Amicus Machine, Allison Orr Larsen, Neal Devins
Legal Scholarship Highlight: The Amicus Machine, Allison Orr Larsen, Neal Devins
Allison Orr Larsen
No abstract provided.
Legal Scholarship Highlight: Confronting Supreme Court Fact Finding, Allison Orr Larsen
Legal Scholarship Highlight: Confronting Supreme Court Fact Finding, Allison Orr Larsen
Allison Orr Larsen
No abstract provided.
Do Laws Have A Constitutional Shelf Life?, Allison Orr Larsen
Do Laws Have A Constitutional Shelf Life?, Allison Orr Larsen
Allison Orr Larsen
Times change. A statute passed today may seem obsolete tomorrow. Does the Constitution dictate when a law effectively expires? In Shelby County v. Holder, the 2013 decision that invalidated a provision of the Voting Rights Act, the Court seems to answer that question in the affirmative. Although rational and constitutional when written, the Court held that the coverage formula of the law grew to be irrational over time and was unconstitutional now because it bears “no logical relation to the present day.” This reason for invalidating a law is puzzling. The question answered in Shelby County was not about whether …
Constitutional Law In An Age Of Alternative Facts, Allison Orr Larsen
Constitutional Law In An Age Of Alternative Facts, Allison Orr Larsen
Allison Orr Larsen
Objective facts—while perhaps always elusive—are now an endangered species. A mix of digital speed, social media, fractured news, and party polarization has led to what some call a “post-truth” society: a culture where what is true matters less than what we want to be true. At the same moment in time when “alternative facts” reign supreme, we have also anchored our constitutional law in general observations about the way the world works. Do violent video games harm child brain development? Is voter fraud widespread? Is a “partial-birth abortion” ever medically necessary? Judicial pronouncements on questions like these are common, and— …