Law Commons^™

A Structural Etiology Of The U.S. Constitution, Charles Lincoln

Journal of Legislation

This article offers an interpretation of the problems addressed by and the eventual purpose of the United States government. Simultaneously, it seeks to analyze and explain the continued three-part structure of the United States federal government as outlined in the Constitution. Subsequently I define the three parts of the federal government—judiciary, executive, and legislative—as explained through the lens of the Platonic paradigm of (logos = word = law), (thymos = external driving spirit = executive), and (eros = general welfare = legislative) extrapolated from Plato’s dialogues.

First, the article establishes Plato’s theory of the three-part Platonic soul …

Education As A Vital Right, Clayton Kozinski

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Managing Fear-Based Derogation In Murder Trials, John Rafael Perez

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Legislative Justice Sector Reforms: Creating An Environment For Survival, Lauren A. Shumate

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Solving The Information Security & Privacy Crisis By Expanding The Scope Of Top Management Personal Liability, Charles Cresson Wood

Journal of Legislation

While information security and privacy losses are now spiraling out of control, and have been demonstrably shown to threaten national sovereignty, military superiority, industrial infrastructure order, national economic competitiveness, the solvency of major businesses, faith and trust in the Internet as a platform for modern commerce, as well as political stability, the U.S. Congress has nonetheless to date refused to seriously address the root cause of these threats. The root cause is a legally reinforced incentive system that encourages, and further entrenches, top management decisions that provide inadequate resources for, and inadequate top management attention to, information security and privacy …

The Clean Water Rule: What It Is And Why It Needs To Go, Charles C. Davis, Iii

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Lies And Legality: Evaluating Legislation's Role In Monitoring Campaign Truthfulness, James E. Britton

Journal of Legislation Online Supplement

Given the gravity of a campaign to be elected to the highest office of what could conservatively be called a major international power, one might be tempted think that apparent perfidy would be a serious, and perhaps even criminal, charge. After all, these are men and women going out in front of every camera in the country and asking its people to consign their trust to them with their vote; doing so under false pretenses and misrepresentations seems to transcend the boundaries of the merely unsavory into the unconscionable. However, in reality, the inverse of that assertion actually carries the …

On Viewing The Courts As Junior Partners Of Congress In Statutory Interpretation Cases: An Essay Celebrating The Scholarship Of Daniel J. Meltzer, Richard H. Fallon Jr

Notre Dame Law Review

In this Essay, written in tribute to Dan Meltzer, I shall attempt to explicate his views regarding statutory interpretation in general, thematic terms. In doing so, I shall register my agreement with virtually all of Dan’s conclusions and frequently echo his practically minded arguments in support of them. But I shall also advance arguments—with which I cannot be entirely sure he would have agreed—that seek to show that his position reflected theoretical insights about how language works, not only in law, but also more generally in life. By seeking simultaneously to defend Dan’s views and to build on them, this …

Honoring Dan Meltzer—Congressional Standing And The Institutional Framework Of Article Iii: A Comparative Perspective, Vickie C. Jackson

Notre Dame Law Review

In this short Essay, I focus on only one aspect of the broader question of government standing to sue: congressional standing. For one thing, separation of powers problems are more acutely presented in federal level disputes.

Given an increased interest by parts of the Congress, especially the House of Representatives, in seeking to intervene in ongoing litigation, there are pressing new issues in the lower federal courts: U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer recently upheld congressional standing to challenge an asserted violation of the Appropriations Clause in connection with spending under the Affordable Care Act, while rejecting the House’s standing …

Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity: Protected Categories Under Title Vii?, Lowell Ritter

Journal of Legislation Online Supplement

Plaintiffs and their attorneys have an increasingly viable argument that Title VII’s definition of “sex” includes sexual orientation and gender identity, expanding employers’ potential liability. This is based in part on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) firm position that both sexual orientation and gender identity are protected under the statute.

Orphans, Baby Blaines, And The Brave New World Of State Funded Education: Why Nevada's New Voucher Program Should Be Upheld Under Both State And Federal Law, David Wilhelmsen

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Drought And California's Role In The Colorado River Compact, Ciara Dineen

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

A Fourth Amendment Framework For The Free Exercise Clause, Adam Lamparello

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

From The Great Depression To The Great Recession: On The Failure Of Regulation In The Mortgage Market, Dov Solomon

Journal of Legislation

People tend to attribute the outbreak of the 2008 financial crisis to deregulation. This article challenges this view and presents a unique perspective of the crisis as in fact rooted in the way the residential mortgage market is regulated. Focusing on non-recourse mortgage legislation, which is a unique feature of the US mortgage market dating back to the period following the Great Depression, the article analyzes the contribution of this legislation to the onset of the Great Recession. The discussion shows how regulation that was enacted in response to a major economic crisis not only failed to prevent a large-scale …

Adoption And Foster Care Placement Policies: Legislatively Promoting The Best Interest Of Children Amidst Competing Interests Of Religious Freedom And Equal Protection For Same-Sex Couples, Samantha R. Lyew

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Juvenile Justice Reform In Texas: The Context, Content & Consequences Of Senate Bill 1630, Sara A. Gordon

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

Military Mothers And Claims Under The Federal Tort Claims Act For Injuries That Occur Pre-Birth, Tara Willke

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

In order to right a longstanding wrong perpetrated against military mothers and their children, the Court should grant review in Ortiz v. United States ex rel. Evans Army Community Hospital. Part I of this Essay provides a brief discussion of the FTCA and the Feres doctrine. Part II discusses the facts and holding in Ortiz and its rejection of the approaches taken in other circuits involving pregnant service members and pre-birth injuries, which has caused a clear split in the circuits. Part III argues that these types of claims are not subject to the Feres doctrine because pregnancy and …

The Emergence Of Contextually Constrained Purposivism, Michael C. Mikulic

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

This Case Comment first outlines the various methods of statutory construction used by the Supreme Court throughout its history, leading up to the Court’s implementation of contextually constrained purposivism in King v. Burwell. It then provides a summary of the facts and procedural history of King, thereby setting the stage to explain how the Court invoked contextually constrained purposivism. Finally, the Case Comment discusses some of the positive and negative implications of the approach.

U.S. Biological Quarantine: A Look At The Legal Framework, Katherine T. Rooney

Journal of Legislation

Biological terrorism is a growing problem. Search and seizure protections have an on-going balancing relationship with national security that is balanced by a least restrictive means test. The Kaci Hickox case exposed the difficulty of maintaining the civil rights protections of search and seizure while combating a potentially catastrophic danger.

When Lenders Can Legally Provide Loans With Effective Annual Interest Rates Above 1,000 Percent, Is It Time For Congress To Consider A Federal Interest Cap On Consumer Loans?, Victor D. Lopez

Journal of Legislation

The question of whether interest rates should be regulated for the good of society has been debated by secular and religious authorities for millennia. Restrictions on the highest rate of interest allowed by law (if any) are generally set by the states. In the U.S., whether citizens are protected against unreasonably high interest rates is generally a matter for state legislatures to decide. In this article, the current laws of the 50 states and the District of Columbia are examined with regards to the issue of usury, as well as the challenges posed by federal law for states who wish …

King V. Burwell: The Supreme Court's Missed Opportunity To Cure What Ails Chevron, Vanessa L. Johnson, Marisa Finley, J. James Rohack

Journal of Legislation

The article outlines the construct of the ACA’s premium assistance tax credits, explores the legal controversies surrounding these subsidies, uses the tax subsidies cases to demonstrate the flaws in the Chevron framework, and argues that the Supreme Court should have framed its King v. Burwell analysis in a way that would have cured, rather than ignored, the ails of Chevron.

Has The S-Corp Run Its Course? The Past Successes And Future Possibilities Of The S Corporation, David Branham

Journal of Legislation

The United States' economy has benefited greatly by providing an atmosphere where small businesses can grow in a free marketplace. The S-Corporation and its tax advantages have played a pivotal role in our strong economy. In order to ensure continued success as a part of the economy, the S-Corporation element prohibiting foreign shareholders needs to be adjusted.

Florida's Stand Your Ground Regime: Legislative Direction, Prosecutorial Discretion, Public Pressures, And The Legitimization Of The Criminal Justice System, Mary Elizabeth Castillo

Journal of Legislation

This note seeks to examine the tripartite relationship between legislative delegation, prosecutorial discretion, and public pressures in the context of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" regime. In the context of high profile criminal cases, a prosecutor faces significant public and political pressures that may influence her exercise of discretion in that case. Ultimately, Castillo argues that when a prosecutor succumbs to these pressures, it undermines her expertise, experience and exercise of discretion, and undercuts the legitimacy of the criminal justice system as a whole.