Law Commons^™

Rulemaking Vs. Democracy: Judging And Nudging Public Participation That Counts, Cynthia Farina, Mary Newhart, Josiah Heidt

Cynthia R. Farina

This essay considers how open government “magical thinking” around technology has infused efforts to increase public participation in rulemaking. We propose a framework for assessing the value of technology-enabled rulemaking participation and offer specific principles of participation-system design, which are based on conceptual work and practical experience in the Regulation Room project at Cornell University. An underlying assumption of open government enthusiasts is that more public participation will lead to better government policymaking: If we use technology to give people easier opportunities to participate in public policymaking, they will use these opportunities to participate effectively. However, experience thus far with …

Statutory Interpretation And The Balance Of Power In The Administrative State, Cynthia Farina

Cynthia R. Farina

Better Inputs For Better Outcomes: Using The Interface To Improve E-Rulemaking, Cynthia Farina, Claire Cardie, Thomas Bruce, Erica Wagner

Cynthia R. Farina

We believe that e-rulemaking does indeed have potential to increase both the transparency of, and participation in, regulatory policymaking. We argue in this paper that this potential can be realized only if the public interface at www.regulations.gov is substantially redesigned.

Achieving The Potential: The Future Of Federal E-Rulemaking, Report Of The Committee On The Status And Future Of Federal E-Rulemaking, Cynthia Farina

Cynthia R. Farina

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Words: Narrative As Evidence In Policymaking, Dmitry Epstein, Josiah Heidt, Cynthia Farina

Cynthia R. Farina

Policymakers today rely primarily on statistical, financial, and other forms of technical data as their basis for decision-making. Yet, there is a potentially underestimated value in substantive reflections of the members of the public who will be affected by a particular piece of regulation. We discuss the value of narratives as input in the policy making process, based on our experience with Regulation Room–a product of an interdisciplinary initiative using innovative web technologies in real-time online experimentation. We describe professional policymakers and professional commenters as a community of practice that has limited shared repertoire with the lay members of the …

Striking A Balance: When Should Trade-Secret Law Shield Disclosures To The Government?, Elizabeth Rowe

Elizabeth A Rowe

In 2010, Toyota issued recalls on over eight million vehicles because of faulty acceleration. Assume that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requests that Toyota allow the government access to the data in black boxes on the recalled cars. The black boxes are operated by proprietary software and can only be accessed with special codes by Toyota. Assume further that Toyota refuses to provide the Black Box data to the government, claiming that it would reveal its trade secrets. How should courts approach what I coin these refusal-to-submit cases? There is a void in the literature and the case …

Famigration (Fam Imm): The Next Frontier In Immigration Law, Kari E. Hong

Kari E. Hong

The recently published article, Immigration’s Family Values by Professor Kerry Abrams and R. Kent Piacenti, and the forthcoming Removing Citizens: Parenthood, Citizenship, and Immigration Courts by Kari Hong examine how, when, and why immigration law uses a different definition of family than the one used in state courts. Despite their differences, in conversation, these two pieces highlight how the Department of Homeland Security likely is either following misguided policies or pursuing improper objectives when creating a federal family law. Crimmigration (Crim Imm) scholarship successfully identified the ways in which the (purported) civil proceedings of immigration law needed the extra constitutional …

Dynamic Federalism And Wind Farm Siting, Brendan Burke

Brendan Burke

An “all-of-the-above” energy policy has led to the emergence of wind power as an energy resource of choice. But despite their considerable environmental and economic advantages, wind energy systems do have drawbacks. Among these, the mechanical and electromagnetic properties of wind turbines encroach on U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”) military installations and activities. These encroachment concerns, including interference with air traffic control and other radar systems, create tension between national security and the development of renewable energy sources. Because utility siting decisions are made at the state and local level, the federal government’s ability to guard against encroachment by wind …

A Response To Professor Camp: The Importance Of Oversight, Leslie Book

Leslie Book

In past writings and in an upcoming article by Professor Bryan Camp, The Problem of Adversarial Process in the Administrative State, 83 IND. L. J. ### (2008), Professor Camp criticizes the procedural protections Congress added in the tax collection process, noting the limitations of adversary proceedings in the IRS’s tax collection process. In particular, Professor Camp strongly criticizes the collection due process (CDP) rights that were part of the landmark IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. Given the size of the tax gap, and likely increasing calls for the IRS to do a better job in reducing that tax …

The Gale Of Removal Of Governors, Borderline Legislators And Legislative Terrorism, Jideobi Chukwukasi

JOHNMARY CHUKWUKASI JIDEOBI Esq.

For far too long,shocking and unmitigated impunity has been blossoming in the Nigerian polity. From one end of the ountry to another, the wind of removal of State Chief Executives has become the pastime of State Legislature. The section 188 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution has to this been enjoying prominence recently. It is now the cynosure of all stakeholders being the governing section that dictates the removal proceedings. However, the drama that has been playing out from the Nassarawa State House of Assembly with respect to the invocation of this section is becoming nightmarish. There are palpable apprehension that …