Law Commons^™

Muskrat Textualism, Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Northwestern University Law Review

The Supreme Court decision McGirt v. Oklahoma, confirming the boundaries of the Creek Reservation in Oklahoma, was a truly rare case in which the Court turned back arguments by federal and state governments in favor of American Indian and tribal interests. For more than a century, Oklahomans had assumed that the reservation had been terminated and acted accordingly. But only Congress can terminate an Indian reservation, and it simply had never done so in the case of the Creek Reservation. Both the majority and dissenting opinions attempted to claim the mantle of textualism, but their respective analyses led to …

Cheers To Central Hudson: How Traditional Intermediate Scrutiny Helps Keep Independent Craft Beer Viable, Daniel J. Croxall

NULR Online

Independent craft breweries contributed approximately $68 billion to the national economy last year. However, an arcane regulatory scheme governs the alcohol industry in general and the craft beer industry specifically, posing both obstacles and benefits to independent craft brewers. This Essay examines regulations that arguably infringe on free speech: namely, commercial speech regulations that prohibit alcohol manufacturers from purchasing advertising space from retailers. Such regulations were enacted to prohibit undue influence and anticompetitive behavior stemming from vertical and horizontal integration in the alcohol market. Although these regulations are necessary to prevent global corporate brewers from dominating the craft beer market …

The Inaugural Abraham Lincoln Lecture On Constitutional Law: Electoral College Reform, Lincoln-Style, Akhil Reed Amar

Northwestern University Law Review

This Inaugural Abraham Lincoln Lecture was delivered at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law on April 6, 2017.

The Abraham Lincoln Lecture On Constitutional Law, Steven G. Calabresi

Northwestern University Law Review

These introductory remarks to the Inaugural Abraham Lincoln Lecture on Constitutional Law were delivered at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law on April 6, 2017.

Does Institutional Design Make A Difference?, Steven G. Calabresi

Northwestern University Law Review

This Essay argues that there are two unappreciated aspects of U.S. constitutional design that have contributed to our country’s success. The first is the fact that the United States is divided into fifty rather than four states. This greatly strengthens the national government and renders secession almost impossible. The second is the formidable set of checks and balances set up on presidential power that makes it impossible for U.S. presidents to become dictators. The fact that thirty-nine of the fifty state governors are elected in off-year or midterm elections, elections in which the incumbent president’s party almost always loses ground …

Creating A Self-Stabilizing Constitution: The Role Of The Takings Clause, Tonja Jacobi, Sonia Mittal, Barry R. Weingast

Northwestern University Law Review

The U.S. Constitution has survived for over two centuries, despite the Civil War and numerous other crises. In contrast, most national constitutions last less than two decades. Why has the Constitution sustained a largely stable democratic system while so many others have failed? A self-stabilizing constitution creates incentives for all relevant actors to abide by the rules. Drawing on earlier work, we argue that, to be self- stabilizing, a constitution must (1) lower stakes in politics for both ordinary citizens and powerful elite groups; (2) create focal points that facilitate citizen coordination against transgressions by government officials; and (3) enable …

The Intratextual Independent “Legislature” And The Elections Clause, Michael T. Morley

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Intratextual Independent “Legislature” And The Elections Clause, Michael T. Morley

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

Mini-Domas As Political Process Failures: The Case For Heightened Scrutiny Of State Anti-Gay Marriage Amendments, Steve Sanders

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Curious Case Of Legislative Prayer: Town Of Greece V. Galloway, Ian Bartrum

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Purpose And The Anti-Corruption Principle, Zephyr Teachout

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Dog Days Of Fourth Amendment Jurisprudence, Kit Kinports

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Definite Article: The D.C. Circuit's Redefinition Of Recess Appointments, Jeff Vandam

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

Chief Justice Roberts's Individual Mandate: The Lawless Medicine Of Nfib V. Sebelius, Gregory P. Magarian

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

Resolving The Qualified Immunity Dilemma: Constitutional Tort Claims For Nominal Damages, James E. Pfander

Faculty Working Papers

Scholars have criticized the Court's qualified immunity decision in Pearson v. Callahan on the ground that it may lead to stagnation in the judicial elaboration of constitutional norms. Under current law, officers sued in their personal capacity for constitutional torts enjoy qualified immunity from liability unless the plaintiff can persuade the court that the conduct in question violated clearly established law. Pearson permits the lower courts to dismiss on the basis of legal uncertainty; it no longer requires the courts to address the merits of the constitutional question. This essay suggests that constitutional tort claimants should be permitted to avoid …

Phony Originalism And The Establishment Clause, Andrew M. Koppelman

Faculty Working Papers

The "originalist" interpretations of the Establishment Clause by Supreme Court Justices William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas are remarkably indifferent to the original purposes of that clause. Their arguments are a remarkable congeries of historical error and outright misrepresentation. This is not necessarily a criticism of originalism per se. However, the abuse of originalist scholarship that these judges have practiced raises questions about what originalist scholars are actually accomplishing.

Forced Labor, Revisited: The Thirteenth Amendment And Abortion, Andrew Koppelman

Faculty Working Papers

Many recent works on the Thirteenth Amendment break new ground, deploying the amendment in new and creative ways. This is not one of them. I here restate an argument I made twenty years ago, defending abortion rights on the basis of the amendment. I then consider how the work was received, offer some amendments to the argument, and conclude with some reflections on how, perhaps, it can have more influence in the future.

Corruption Of Religion And The Establishment Clause, Andrew Koppelman

Faculty Working Papers

Government neutrality toward religion is based on familiar considerations: the importance of avoiding religious conflict, alienation of religious minorities, and the danger that religious considerations will introduce a dangerous irrational dogmatism into politics and make democratic compromise more difficult. This paper explores one consideration, prominent at the time of the framing, that is often overlooked: the idea that religion can be corrupted by state involvement with it. This idea is friendly to religion but, precisely for that reason, is determined to keep the state away from religion.

If the religion-protective argument for disestablishment is to be useful today, it cannot …

The Worldwide Banning Of Schmiergeld: A Look At The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act On Its Twentieth Birthday, Stanley Sporkin

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Many cynics viewed the United States' attempt to ban all forms of cor- porate bribery as another example of the federal government's taking on the role of Don Quixote and tilting at windmills. While the law may not have been taken seriously when it was first enacted, it is clear that it has assumed a prominent place among our federal criminal laws. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the FCPA remains "the world's toughest law against foreign bribes."9 This article will provide background as to how the law was conceived and will discuss the law's present …

Designing An Fcpa Compliance Program: Minimizing The Risks Of Improper Foreign Payments, Daniel L. Goelzer

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Every U.S. company, public or private, that conducts operations out- side of the United States should devote serious consideration to creating and implementing an Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA" or "Act") compli- ance program. In this context, an "FCPA compliance program" means a single, documented, corporate plan designed to reduce the likelihood that the company will engage in violations of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA, and to detect such violations and bring them to the attention of sen- ior management, if they occur.' A well-designed compliance program has obvious importance in educating employees concerning their responsibili- ties in this …

Globalizing Sanctions Against Foreign Bribery: The Emergence Of A New International Legal Consensus, David A. Gantz

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Part I of the article begins with a review of the rationale and key legal ele- ments of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Part II describes recent efforts by the United States to convince other governments and firms of the need for binding, enforceable and universally accepted rules against corrupt payments to foreign public officials. Parts III and IV survey the activities of various governmental organizations and major private sector groups that support international efforts to effectively discourage foreign bribery, re- spectively. The key sections, Parts V and VI, describe, analyze and critique the two major international conventions, the …

The Development Of Compliance Programs: One Company's Experience, Patrick J. Head

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Though the FCPA is only a small portion of the coverage of corporate compliance programs, this perspective will focus on the FCPA and, to a certain extent, on other collateral impact statutes, such as securities and in- ternal revenue laws. It will not delve into related statutes, such as the over- seas reach of antitrust laws.

Why Has The Fcpa Prospered, Lee C. Buchheit, Ralph Reisner

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The international reaction to the Helms-Burton Act has been fierce.7 But even while the Helms-Burton debate has been raging, an earlier iece of U.S. legislation, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA or Act), has garnered unexpected flattery from some of the same countries that have been so vigorous in denouncing the Helms-Burton Act. There are two pos- sible explanations for these different reactions.

The Problem Of Corruption: A Tale Of Two Countries, Kimberly Ann Elliott

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This perspective provides an introduction to the problem of corruption, focusing on two questions: * What causes corruption? * Where is corruption most serious? The perspective concludes with a brief discussion of two countries - Kenya and Uganda - that seem to be going in opposite directions politi- cally and economically, as well as in their attitudes toward corruption.

Defending Sec And Doj Fcpa Investigations And Conducting Related Corporate Internal Investigations: The Triton Energy/Indonesia Sec Consent Decree Settlements, Arthur F. Mathews

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article will summarize the foreign bribery/corrupt foreign pay- ments provisions of the FCPA, briefly survey the related books and records and internal accounting controls provisions, analyze available defenses to civil and criminal FCPA charges, and explore sensitive substantive and strategic issues that arise in the defense of SEC and DOJ/grand jury investi- gations and in the conduct of related corporate internal investigations. This article will also analyze the recent SEC consent decree settlements in the Triton Energy/Indonesia case, and explore the types of defenses that might be pursued if an FCPA foreign payments case like Triton were litigated rather …

International Financial Institutions Face The Corruption Eruption: If The Ifis Put Their Muscle And Money Where Their Mouth Is, The Corruption Eruption May Be Capped, James P. Jr. Wesberry

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article addresses what IFIs are doing, are not doing, and hopefully might do to help cap the corruption eruption sweeping our world. The article primarily relates the efforts of the World Bank in this area and briefly discusses efforts by other major IFIs.