Legal History Commons^™

Religious Liberty That Almost Wasn't: On The Origin Of The Establishment Clause Of The First Amendment, Gregory C. Downs

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

The purpose of this article is to briefly examine the origin of the Establishment Clause in the event sometimes referred to as the "Virginia Experience," and to consider the possibility that the significant "leading roles" in the First Amendment's creation were not limited to Jefferson and Madison. Further, Madison's leading role in the actual sponsorship of the First Amendment may not have been entirely voluntary. With the ever-present litigation and controversies revolving around the extent and meaning of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, the overlooked history of the creation of the First Amendment is both interesting and instructive in the …

Constitutional Law—Equal Protection & Due Process—Is The Arkansas Supreme Court Abandoning Judicial Federalism?, Alexander Justiss

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

This note examines the history of judicial federalism by discussing the history of its use, as well as the analytical models that have been produced by its various adoptive jurisdictions. The development of these models has given courts much authority in determining the scope of individual rights within their respective jurisdictions. Further, a discussion follows that explores the criticisms directed at the use of such authority.

This note also examines the Arkansas Supreme Court's adoption and use of judicial federalism as a necessary safeguard against governmental infringements on individual rights, particularly those involving the right to privacy. Although such cases …