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Full-Text Articles in Law
Steiner V. Utah: Designing A Constitutional Remedy, Michael S. Knoll, Ruth Mason
Steiner V. Utah: Designing A Constitutional Remedy, Michael S. Knoll, Ruth Mason
All Faculty Scholarship
In an earlier article, we argued that the Utah Supreme Court failed to follow and correctly apply clear U.S. Supreme Court precedent in Steiner v. Utah when the Utah high court held that an internally inconsistent and discriminatory state tax regime did not violate the dormant commerce clause. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court recently declined certiorari in Steiner, but the issue is unlikely to go away. Not every state high court will defy the U.S. Supreme Court by refusing to apply the dormant commerce clause, and so the Court will sooner or later likely find itself facing conflicting interpretations of …
Dual Residents: A Sur-Reply To Zelinsky, Michael S. Knoll, Ruth Mason
Dual Residents: A Sur-Reply To Zelinsky, Michael S. Knoll, Ruth Mason
All Faculty Scholarship
In this article, we respond to Professor Zelinsky’s criticism of our arguments regarding the constitutionality of New York’s tax residence rule. We argue that the Supreme Court’s decision in Wynne requires reconsideration of the New York Court of Appeal’s decision in Tamagni.
The Technologies Of Race: Big Data, Privacy And The New Racial Bioethics, Christian Sundquist
The Technologies Of Race: Big Data, Privacy And The New Racial Bioethics, Christian Sundquist
Articles
Advancements in genetic technology have resurrected long discarded conceptualizations of “race” as a biological reality. The rise of modern biological race thinking – as evidenced in health disparity research, personal genomics, DNA criminal forensics, and bio-databanking - not only is scientifically unsound but portends the future normalization of racial inequality. This Article articulates a constitutional theory of shared humanity, rooted in the substantive due process doctrine and Ninth Amendment, to counter the socio-legal acceptance of modern genetic racial differentiation. It argues that state actions that rely on biological racial distinctions undermine the essential personhood of individuals subjected to such taxonomies, …
The Law And Economics Of Stop-And-Frisk, David S. Abrams
The Law And Economics Of Stop-And-Frisk, David S. Abrams
All Faculty Scholarship
The relevant economic and legal research relating to police use of stop-and-frisk has largely been distinct. There is much to be gained by taking an interdisciplinary approach. This Essay emphasizes some of the challenges faced by those seeking to evaluate the efficacy and legality of stop-and-frisk, and suggests some ways forward and areas of exploration for future research.
Can Pensions Be Restructured In (Detroit’S) Municipal Bankruptcy?, David A. Skeel Jr.
Can Pensions Be Restructured In (Detroit’S) Municipal Bankruptcy?, David A. Skeel Jr.
All Faculty Scholarship
This paper, which was written as a White Paper for the Federalist Society, describes and assesses the question whether public employee pensions can be restructured in bankruptcy, with a particular focus on Detroit. Part I gives a brief overview both of the treatment of pensions under state law, and of the Michigan law governing the Detroit pensions. Part II explains the legal argument for restructuring an underfunded pension in bankruptcy. Part III considers the major federal constitutional objections to restructuring, Part IV discusses arguments based on the Michigan Constitution, and Part V assesses several Chapter 9 arguments against restructuring. None …
Special Report: Kosovo After The Icj Opinion, Introduction, Ronald A. Brand
Special Report: Kosovo After The Icj Opinion, Introduction, Ronald A. Brand
Articles
On October 22-25, 2012, judges, government officials, and scholars from Kosovo and the United States gathered at the University of Pittsburgh for a conference on “Kosovo after the ICJ Opinion.” The conference was organized by the Center for International Legal Education (CILE) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and the University of Prishtina Faculty of Law. It was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, Kosovo; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kosovo; the Forum for Civic Initiatives, Kosovo; the American Society of International Law (ASIL); and the Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh …
Architectural Censorship And The Fcc, Christopher S. Yoo
Architectural Censorship And The Fcc, Christopher S. Yoo
All Faculty Scholarship
Most First Amendment analyses of U.S. media policy have focused predominantly on “behavioral” regulation, which either prohibits the transmission of disfavored content (such as indecent programming) or mandates the dissemination of preferred content (such as children’s educational programming and political speech). In so doing, commentators have largely overlooked how program content is also affected by “structural” regulation, which focuses primarily on increasing the economic competitiveness of media industries. In this Article, Professor Christopher Yoo employs economic analysis to demonstrate how structural regulation can constitute a form of “architectural censorship” that has the unintended consequence of reducing the quantity, quality, and …
How Is Constitutional Law Made?, Tracey E. George, Robert J. Pushaw, Jr.
How Is Constitutional Law Made?, Tracey E. George, Robert J. Pushaw, Jr.
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
Professors George and Pushaw review Maxwell L. Stearns’ book, “Constitutional Process: A Social Choice Analysis of Supreme Court Decision-making.” In his book, Stearns demonstrates that the U.S. Supreme Court fashions constitutional law through process-based rules of decision such as outcome voting, stare decisis, and justiciability. Employing “social choice” economic theory, Professor Stearns argues that the Court strives to formulate rules that promote rationality and fairness. Perhaps the greatest strength of Stearns’ book is that he presents a grand unified theory of the Court’s rules of constitutional process and the resulting development of doctrine. This strength can also be a weakness, …
The Generality Of Neutral Principles: A Game-Theoretic Perspective, Robert L. Birmingham
The Generality Of Neutral Principles: A Game-Theoretic Perspective, Robert L. Birmingham
Articles by Maurer Faculty
Eleven years ago Professor Wechsler first argued that constitutional adjudication should be based on neutral principles of general applicability that transcend the factual contexts of the cases in which they are announced. Since that time, legal scholars have been engaged in a continuing debate over both the meaning and the validity of Wechsler's thesis. Professor Birmingham adds a new perspective to this debate by analyzing neutrality and generality in terms of game theory.