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Refuting The “Classic” Property Clause Theory, Eugene R. Gaetke

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

In a series of cases the Supreme Court has recognized broad, preemptive federal regulatory power over federally owned land. The Court has based these decisions on the combined effect of the property and supremacy clauses of the Constitution. The scope of this power has been the cause of a heated political and legal debate in western states, which contain extensive federal land holdings. A number of legal commentators have argued that the Court's broad construction of the property clause is a misinterpretation of the Framers' intent and that the clause merely grants the federal government proprietary rights over its land …