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Full-Text Articles in Law
Protean Statutory Interpretation In The Courts Of Appeals, James J. Brudney, Lawrence Baum
Protean Statutory Interpretation In The Courts Of Appeals, James J. Brudney, Lawrence Baum
William & Mary Law Review
This Article is the first in-depth empirical and doctrinal analysis of differences in statutory interpretation between the courts of appeals and the Supreme Court. It is also among the first to anticipate how the Supreme Court’s interpretive approach may shift with the passing of Justice Scalia.
We begin by identifying factors that may contribute to interpretive divergence between the two judicial levels, based on their different institutional structures and operational realities. In doing so, we discuss normative implications that may follow from the prospect of such interpretive divergence. We then examine how three circuit courts have used dictionaries and legislative …
Extralegal Supreme Court Policy-Making, Joëlle Anne Moreno
Extralegal Supreme Court Policy-Making, Joëlle Anne Moreno
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
The Colbert Report aired its final episode on December 18, 2014.1 Nine years earlier, on the first episode, Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness.” Truthiness satirized contemporary disinterest in empirical information in a country increasingly “divided between those who think with their head and those who know with their heart.” Truthiness was not just the Merriam-Webster word of the year. Over the past decade, it has been the unspoken mantra of reporters who give equal time to climate science denialists, faith healers, and vaccine refusers. When Justices of the Supreme Court decide questions of scientific or empirical fact—such as whether …
How To Make Sense Of Supreme Court Standing Cases – A Plea For The Right Kind Of Realism, Richard H. Fallon Jr.
How To Make Sense Of Supreme Court Standing Cases – A Plea For The Right Kind Of Realism, Richard H. Fallon Jr.
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
No abstract provided.
Does The Supreme Court Ignore Standing Problems To Reach The Merits? Evidence (Or Lack Thereof) From The Roberts Court, Heather Elliott
Does The Supreme Court Ignore Standing Problems To Reach The Merits? Evidence (Or Lack Thereof) From The Roberts Court, Heather Elliott
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
No abstract provided.
Standing And The Role Of Federal Courts: Triple Error Decisions In Clapper V. Amnesty International Usa And City Of Los Angeles V. Lyons, Vicki C. Jackson
Standing And The Role Of Federal Courts: Triple Error Decisions In Clapper V. Amnesty International Usa And City Of Los Angeles V. Lyons, Vicki C. Jackson
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
No abstract provided.
Governmental Sovereignty Actions, Ann Woolhandler
Governmental Sovereignty Actions, Ann Woolhandler
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
No abstract provided.
Oasis Or Mirage: The Supreme Court's Thirst For Dictionaries In The Rehnquist And Roberts Eras, James J. Brudney, Lawrence Baum
Oasis Or Mirage: The Supreme Court's Thirst For Dictionaries In The Rehnquist And Roberts Eras, James J. Brudney, Lawrence Baum
William & Mary Law Review
The Supreme Court’s use of dictionaries, virtually non-existent before 1987, has dramatically increased during the Rehnquist and Roberts Court eras to the point where as many as one-third of statutory decisions invoke dictionary definitions. The increase is linked to the rise of textualism and its intense focus on ordinary meaning. This Article explores the Court’s new dictionary culture in depth from empirical and doctrinal perspectives. We find that while textualist justices are heavy dictionary users, purposivist justices invoke dictionary definitions with comparable frequency. Further, dictionary use overall is strikingly ad hoc and subjective. We demonstrate how the Court’s patterns of …
Explaining The Supreme Court's Shrinking Docket, Ryan J. Owens, David A. Simon
Explaining The Supreme Court's Shrinking Docket, Ryan J. Owens, David A. Simon
William & Mary Law Review
In recent years, the United States Supreme Court has decided fewer cases than at any other time in its recent history. Scholars and practitioners alike have criticized the drop in the Court’s plenary docket. Some even believe that the Court has reneged on its duty to clarify and unify the law. A host of studies examine potential reasons for the Court’s change in docket size, but few rely on an empirical analysis of this change and no study examines the correlation between ideological homogeneity and docket size. In a comprehensive study, the authors analyze ideological and contextual factors to determine …
Oral Dissenting On The Supreme Court, Christopher W. Schmidt, Carolyn Shapiro
Oral Dissenting On The Supreme Court, Christopher W. Schmidt, Carolyn Shapiro
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
In this Article we offer the first comprehensive evaluation of oral dissenting on the Supreme Court. We examine the practice in both historical and contemporary perspective, take stock of the emerging academic literature on the subject, and suggest a new framework for analysis of oral dissenting. Specifically, we put forth several claims. Contrary to the common assumption of scholarship and media coverage, oral dissents are nothing new. Oral dissenting has a long tradition, and its history provides valuable lessons for understanding the potential and limits of oral dissents today. Furthermore, not all oral dissents are alike. Dissenting Justices may have …
Law Versus Ideology: The Supreme Court And The Use Of Legislative History, David S. Law, David Zaring
Law Versus Ideology: The Supreme Court And The Use Of Legislative History, David S. Law, David Zaring
William & Mary Law Review
Much of the social science literature on judicial behavior has focused on the impact of ideology on how judges vote. For the most part, however, legal scholars have been reluctant to embrace empirical scholarship that fails to address the impact of legal constraints and the means by which judges reason their way to particular outcomes. This Article attempts to integrate and address the concerns of both audiences by way of an empirical examination of the Supreme Court’s use of a particular interpretive technique— namely, the use of legislative history to determine the purpose and meaning of a statute. We analyzed …
In Defense Of Ideology: A Principled Apporach To The Supreme Court Confirmation Process, Lori A. Ringhand
In Defense Of Ideology: A Principled Apporach To The Supreme Court Confirmation Process, Lori A. Ringhand
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
In this paper, Professor Ringhand offers a principled defense of an ideological approach to the Supreme Court Justice confirmation process. In constructing her argument, she does three things. First, she explores how the insights provided by recent empirical legal scholarship have created a need to rethink the role of the Supreme Court and, consequently, the process by which we select Supreme Court Justices. In doing so, Professor Ringhand explains how these insights have called into question much of our conventional constitutional narrative, and how this failure of the conventional narrative has in turn undermined traditional objections to an ideologically-based confirmation …
Retaining Judicial Authority: A Preliminary Inquiry On The Dominion Of Judges, Larry Catá Backer
Retaining Judicial Authority: A Preliminary Inquiry On The Dominion Of Judges, Larry Catá Backer
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
Why do the people and institutions of democratic states, and in particular those of the United States, obey judges ? This article examines the foundations of judicial authority in the United States. This authority is grounded on principles of dominance derived from the organization of institutional religion. The judge in Western states asserts authority on the same basis as the priest - but not the priest as conventionally understood. Rather, the authority of the judge in modern Western democratic states is better understood when viewed through the analytical lens of priestly function developed in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Focusing …
An Outcomes Analysis Of Scope Of Review Standards, Paul R. Verkuil
An Outcomes Analysis Of Scope Of Review Standards, Paul R. Verkuil
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Comparing Judicial Selection Systems, Lee Epstein, Jack C. Knight, Olga Shvetsova
Comparing Judicial Selection Systems, Lee Epstein, Jack C. Knight, Olga Shvetsova
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
No abstract provided.
Social Meaning And School Vouchers, Neal Devins
Social Meaning And School Vouchers, Neal Devins
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Book Review Of History Of The Supreme Court Of The United States, Volume Ii, Foundations Of Power: John Marshall, 1801-1815, William F. Swindler
Book Review Of History Of The Supreme Court Of The United States, Volume Ii, Foundations Of Power: John Marshall, 1801-1815, William F. Swindler
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Book Review Of A Question Of Judgment: The Fortas Case And The Struggle For The Supreme Court, Richard A. Williamson
Book Review Of A Question Of Judgment: The Fortas Case And The Struggle For The Supreme Court, Richard A. Williamson
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Book Review Of History Of The Supreme Court Of The United States Volumes I And Vi, William F. Swindler
Book Review Of History Of The Supreme Court Of The United States Volumes I And Vi, William F. Swindler
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Book Review Of Court And Constitution In The Twentieth Century, Paul G. Kauper
Book Review Of Court And Constitution In The Twentieth Century, Paul G. Kauper
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Book Review Of The Warren Court, William F. Swindler
Book Review Of The Warren Court, William F. Swindler
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.
Book Review Of The People And The Court, Neil W. Schilke
Book Review Of The People And The Court, Neil W. Schilke
William & Mary Law Review
No abstract provided.