Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Law
Avoidance Strategy: Same-Sex Marriage Litigation And The Federal Courts, William C. Duncan
Avoidance Strategy: Same-Sex Marriage Litigation And The Federal Courts, William C. Duncan
Campbell Law Review
This brief article examines the strategy of avoiding federal court review and federal constitutional claims for same-sex marriage. It first surveys the history of same-sex marriage litigation in the federal courts. It then turns to the question of why federal courts and claims have been avoided, identifying the most obvious explanation - a conscious strategic aim. The conclusions discussed in that section are exemplified in recent litigation in the Ninth Circuit. The article concludes with some comments on the policy implications of the strategy it describes.
Sherman's March (In)To The Sea, Andrew S. Oldham
Sherman's March (In)To The Sea, Andrew S. Oldham
ExpressO
This Article argues that the Sherman Act is unconstitutional. At the very least, scholars and jurists must not take for granted Congress's ability to statutorily deputize the federal courts with common-lawmaking powers. The federal antitrust statute—which has been described as the Magna Carta of free enterprise—raises serious constitutional questions that have heretofore gone unexplored and unanswered. Specifically, it is difficult (if not impossible) to reconcile the Sherman Act with the separation of powers, the nondelegation doctrine, and the Supremacy Clause.
International Law And Rehnquist-Era Reversals, Diane Marie Amann
International Law And Rehnquist-Era Reversals, Diane Marie Amann
Scholarly Works
In the last years of Chief Justice Rehnquist's tenure, the Supreme Court held that due process bars criminal prosecution of same-sex intimacy and that it is cruel and unusual to execute mentally retarded persons or juveniles. Each of the later decisions not only overruled precedents set earlier in Rehnquist's tenure, but also consulted international law as an aid to construing the U.S. Constitution. Analyzing that phenomenon, the article first discusses the underlying cases, then traces the role that international law played in Atkins, Lawrence, and Simmons. It next examines backlash to consultation, and demonstrates that critics tended to overlook the …
John Paul Stevens, Human Rights Judge, Diane Marie Amann
John Paul Stevens, Human Rights Judge, Diane Marie Amann
Scholarly Works
This article explores the nature and origins of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' engagement with international and foreign law and norms. It first discusses Stevens' pivotal role in the revived use of such norms to aid constitutional interpretation, as well as 1990s opinions testing the extent to which constitutional protections reach beyond the water's edge and 2004 opinions on post-September 11 detention. It then turns to mid-century experiences that appear to have contributed to Stevens' willingness to consult foreign context. The article reveals that as a code breaker Stevens played a role in the downing of the Japanese general …
Naked Came I: Jurisdiction-Stripping And The Constitutionality Of House Bill 3313, Jason J. Salvo
Naked Came I: Jurisdiction-Stripping And The Constitutionality Of House Bill 3313, Jason J. Salvo
Seattle University Law Review
In his law review article, Professor Henry Hart responded to the questions of whether Congress had unlimited control of federal jurisdiction and whether this control was consistent with other provisions in the Constitution. Though Professor Hart's article has been widely debated, his overarching thesis is generally accepted: Congress' power to restrict Supreme Court jurisdiction is bound by the requirement that the Court's “essential functions” may not be trammeled, but Congress' power to restrict lower federal court jurisdiction is broad. This Comment will build on Professor Hart's thesis, arguing that the essential functions of the federal judiciary are broader than what …
Sovereignty And The American Courts At The Cocktail Party Of International Law: The Dangers Of Domestic Invocations Of Foreign And International Law, Donald J. Kochan
Sovereignty And The American Courts At The Cocktail Party Of International Law: The Dangers Of Domestic Invocations Of Foreign And International Law, Donald J. Kochan
Donald J. Kochan
With increasing frequency and heightened debate, United States courts have been citing foreign and “international” law as authority for domestic decisions. This trend is inappropriate, undemocratic, and dangerous. The trend touches on fundamental concepts of sovereignty, democracy, the judicial role, and overall issues of effective governance. There are multiple problems with the judiciary’s reliance on extraterritorial and extra-constitutional foreign or international sources to guide their decisions. Perhaps the most fundamental flaw is its interference with rule of law values. To borrow from Judge Harold Levanthal, the use of international sources in judicial decision-making might be described as “the equivalent of …