Digital Commons Network^™

Former Presidents And Executive Privilege, Laurent Sacharoff

Laurent Sacharoff

'This Right Is Not Allowed By Governments That Are Afraid Of The People': The Public Meaning Of The Second Amendment When The Fourteenth Amendment Was Ratified, George A. Mocsary, Nicholas James Johnson, Clayton E. Cramer

Faculty Articles

This prepublication version of the article has been cited by the petitioner's brief and an amicus brief in iMcDonald v Chicagoi 081521 S Ct argued Mar 2 2010 Please see the final publication version here a hrefhttpssrncomabstract1585461httpssrncomabstract1585461a If the Fourteenth Amendment is found to incorporate the Second Amendment against the states what meaning of the Second Amendment does it include This paper examines judicial and popular understandings of the Second Amendment in the period between ratification of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment

Brief Of Eleven Law Professors And Aarp As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondent, Bilski V. Kappos, 130 S. Ct. 3218 (2010) (No. 08-964), Joshua Sarnoff, Lori Andrews, Andrew Chin, Ralph Clifford, Christine Farley, Sean Flynn, Debra Greenfield, Peter Jaszi, Charles Mcmanis, Lateef Mtima, Malla Pollack

Amicus Briefs

This is the brief filed by Joshua Sarnoff and Barbara Jones on behalf of various law professors and AARP in the Bilski v. Kappos case, discussing constitutional limits to the Patent power.

F09rs Sgb No. 16 (Budget), Compagno, Sellers

Student Senate Enrolled Legislation

No abstract provided.

F09rs Sgr No. 6 (Constitution Revision Committee), Palermo, Parker, Prestridge

Student Senate Enrolled Legislation

No abstract provided.

A Step Too Far - Posthumously Conceived Children And Social Security Entitlements In Vernoff V Astrue, Mel Cousins

Mel Cousins

This case note examines a recent decision of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concerning the entitlements of posthumously conceived children under social security. In contrast to its earlier (expansionary) decision in Gillett-Netting, here the Court set out the limits to how far it is willing to push the interpretation of the (convoluted) legislation and refused to find a right to benefit where there was no evidence that the father had consented to (or even considered) having a child post-mortem.

Zach's News, Georgia Southern University, Zach S. Henderson Library

University Libraries News Online (2008-2023)

• Constitution Day Tomorrow

Zach's News, Georgia Southern University, Zach S. Henderson Library

University Libraries News Online (2008-2023)

• ID’s needed at the Georgia State U Library
• Constitution Day

The Internal Political Geography Of States And Intra-State Conflicts, Vikas Kumar

German Working Papers in Law and Economics

The internal political geography of a state represents the trade-off between the efficiency of rent-seeking and territorial stability. We examine the constraints imposed by non-state actors, ranging from extortionists to secessionists, on the internal design of states. We show that the states facing secessionist threat are more decentralized and the degree of federalism of a state shares an inverted-U relationship with the size of the state. We also show that both very weak and strong states tolerate extortion and that there can be stable states with limited control over parts of their territory.

A Rational Choice Model Of Secularism, Vikas Kumar

German Working Papers in Law and Economics

This paper breaks down secularism into analytically tractable strands. We distinguish among innate, instrumental, and principled secularisms and also between passive and active secularisms. We show that the acceptability of secularism within a society is contingent on the level of aggregation, the reference group and the dimensions of religion under consideration, the cost of contest, and the relative strength of non-secular actors. We then relate the establishment policy of the state to the acceptability of secularism among the various sub-sets of the society and show that the ruler does not establish his own religion either when he is absolutely tolerant …

Characteristics Of Contemporary Gag Order Requests In Media Law Reporter Volumes 19 Through 33, Brad Leavitt Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The conflict between the First Amendment and the Sixth Amendment is not new nor is it easily decipherable. Both amendments appear to have absolute priority, yet they appear to conflict (Erickson, 1977). The First Amendment declares unequivocally, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press[,]" while the Sixth Amendment states with equal force, "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed..." (U.S. Constitution, Amendment I, Amendment VI). Free speech and an unrestricted …

Executive Branch Contempt Of Congress, Josh Chafetz

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

After former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten refused to comply with subpoenas issued by a congressional committee investigating the firing of a number of United States Attorneys, the House of Representatives voted in 2008 to hold them in contempt. The House then chose a curious method of enforcing its contempt citation: it filed a federal lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that Miers and Bolten were in contempt of Congress and an injunction ordering them to comply with the subpoenas. The district court ruled for the House, although that ruling was subsequently stayed …

Ink Blot Or Not: The Meaning Of Privileges And/Or Immunities, Richard Aynes

Akron Law Faculty Publications

This article examines the meaning of the terms privileges and immunities as used in Article IV of the U.S. Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment. It begins by tracing the American use of the terms to April 10, 1606 in the first Charter of Virginia. Building upon the work of other scholars and citing original documents, it concludes that these words has a well-established meaning as “rights” well before the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted. The article notes that in Justice Miller’s decision in the Slaughter-House Cases he refers to the privileges and immunities of Corfield v. Coryell as “those rights which …

Ink Blot Or Not: The Meaning Of Privileges And/Or Immunities, Richard Aynes

Richard L. Aynes

This article examines the meaning of the terms privileges and immunities as used in Article IV of the U.S. Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment. It begins by tracing the American use of the terms to April 10, 1606 in the first Charter of Virginia. Building upon the work of other scholars and citing original documents, it concludes that these words has a well-established meaning as “rights” well before the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted. The article notes that in Justice Miller’s decision in the Slaughter-House Cases he refers to the privileges and immunities of Corfield v. Coryell as “those rights which …

The Constitutional Right To A Treaty Preemption Defense, David Sloss

Faculty Publications

The Constitution includes several provisions specifically designed to protect criminal defendants. For example, the Fourth Amendment prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures," the Sixth Amendment guarantees that criminal defendants have a right to legal representation, and the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments. The Constitution' s Founders recognized that state power is at its apex when the state threatens individuals with criminal sanctions. Accordingly, they adopted special constitutional rules to protect "the individual defendant from the awesome power of the State."

The Due Process Clause provides critical protection for criminal defendants; it stipulates that no State shall "deprive any person …

Constitutional Flaw?, Carl E. Schneider

Articles

Do terminally ill patients have a constitutional right "to decide, without FDA interference, whether to assume the risks of using potentially life-saving investigational drugs that the FDA has yet to approve for commercial marketing, but that the FDA has determined, after Phase I clinical human trials, are safe enough for further testing"? In Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs v. McClellan, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia said "no." In Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs v. von Eschenbach, a panel (three judges) of the United States Court of Appeals …

Trust Or Profit: How Military Officers Are Bound By The Constitution, Michael C. Mcnerney

Michael C McNerney

This paper examines the ability of reserve and active duty military officers to serve in certain political offices, such as Congress and the Electoral College. The seminal case on this issue, U.S. v. Lane, dealt with a U.S. senator who served as a reserve military judge. In deciding the case, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces only stated that a member of Congress may not also serve as a judge, but did not reach the ultimate issue of concurrent military service. This paper will attempt to show in exactly which political offices military officers may serve. In making …

A Conservative In Lincoln's Cabinet: Edward Bates Of Missouri, Mark Alan Neels

Theses

After Lincoln's election, Bates's diary entries began to acknowledge rumors that secessionist were preparing to lead the South out of the Union. Whereas Bates's rejection of offers to join the Taylor and Fillmore Cabinets had occurred during periods of relative tranquility on the national scene, this time Bates found himself a political leader during a time of crisis unlike any previously facing a United States President. His acknowledgement of the disturbing precedent of secession in mind, Bates answered a telegram from Lincoln in early December. Lincoln had originally intended to come to St. Louis, where he would call on Bates …

The Power Behind The Constitution: The Supreme Court., Sallie Raye Trudden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The framers of the Constitution designed a document to be the "Supreme Law of the Land" and within its pages a branch of government, a federal judiciary, never before envisioned. The Constitution, along with the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789, set the framework for building the strongest branch of government, the Supreme Court. Historical events and court decisions with few exceptions strengthened the power of the judiciary contributing to its authority. The Supreme Court Justices, by interpreting the Constitution and judging the legality of laws instituted by both state and federal legislatures, solidified its superior position in the government hierarchy. …

Will The Supreme Court Send The Vra's Biggest Sunset Provision Into The Sunset?: Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One And The 2006 Reauthorization Of Section Five Of The Voting Rights Act, Cameron W. Eubanks

Cameron W Eubanks

The D.C. Circuit correctly decided Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Mukasey. The court subjected the 2006 reauthorization of § 5 of the Voting Rights Act to the rational and appropriate test announced in South Carolina v. Katzenbach. Under this test the court found that Congress had a rational basis to extend § 5 based on evidence of continued racial discrimination in voting. On review, the Supreme Court will uphold the § 5 reauthorization in spite of the congruent and proportional test announced in City of Boerne v. Flores which is used to review enactments passed pursuant to …

Unmasking Judicial Extremism, Carl Tobias

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Constitutionality Of Mandates To Purchase Health Insurance, Mark A. Hall

O'Neill Institute Papers

Health insurance mandates have been a component of many recent health care reform proposals. Because a federal requirement that individuals transfer money to a private party is unprecedented, a number of legal issues must be examined.

This paper analyzes whether Congress can legislate a health insurance mandate and the potential legal challenges that might arise, given such a mandate. The analysis of legal challenges to health insurance mandates applies to federal individual mandates, but can also apply to a federal mandate requiring employers to purchase health insurance for their employees. There are no Constitutional barriers for Congress to legislate a …

Book Review: The Constitution In The Supreme Court: The First Hundred Years, 1789-1888., David S. Bogen

David S. Bogen

No abstract provided.

The Rule Against Scandal, Marci A. Hamilton

Schmooze 'tickets'

No abstract provided.

Toward A Judeo-Christian Constitutional Interpretation, Henry L. Chambers

Schmooze 'tickets'

No abstract provided.

Is There A Paradox In Amending A Sacred Text?, Beau Breslin

Schmooze 'tickets'

No abstract provided.

Like A Hole In The Head, Lief H. Carter

Schmooze 'tickets'

No abstract provided.

Religion And Constitutionalism: Indigenous Societies, David S. Bogen

Schmooze 'tickets'

No abstract provided.

The Market Participant Doctrine And The Clear Statement Rule, David S. Bogen

David S. Bogen

This paper argues that the market participant exception to the dormant commerce clause reflects the same concerns that led to the clear statement doctrine for application of general legislation to the operations of state governments. The genius of the Constitution was to make federal law directly applicable to individuals instead of through state governments – this made enforcement easier and avoided confrontation between the state and nation. Confrontation in which the federal authorities order the state to act in a particular way should be a result of consideration of the need to do so. But the dormant commerce clause by …

"Taxnapping": How Murphy V. Irs Used Direct Taxation To Steal The Tax Reform Debate, Jason A. Derr

Jason A Derr

Suppose someone asks you, “You know, I’m fed up with the tax policy of United States, what can do I change it?” Although some may respond with ideas of protest, one of the most common responses will likely be, “Call your Congressperson.” However, after the D.C. Circuit’s decision in Murphy v. IRS, a new response is called for: “If you want to change tax policy, call the judge’s chambers.”

In Murphy v. IRS, the D.C. Circuit considered whether the taxation of emotional injury damages violated the “direct tax clauses” of the United States Constitution. The direct clauses are a mysterious …