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Full-Text Articles in Law
Foundations Of Federalism: An Exchange, Randall P. Bezanson, Steven Moeller
Foundations Of Federalism: An Exchange, Randall P. Bezanson, Steven Moeller
ExpressO
Our manuscript entitled "The Foundations of Federalism: An Exchange" is occasioned by the Supreme Court's federalism jurisprudence which, in our judgment, calls for a broad ranging exploration of the constitutional concept of federalism itself. That exploration takes place in the form of a dialog between us which, while rewritten from its original form, nevertheless reflects our actual exchanges over an 18 month period. Our conclusion is that such terms as "sovereignty" generally have no place in American constitutional federalism, that the Supreme Court's efforts to enforce federalism limitations have been ineffective and, in some instances, counterproductive, and most basically that …
When Worlds Collide: Federal Construction Of State Institutional Competence, Marcia L. Mccormick
When Worlds Collide: Federal Construction Of State Institutional Competence, Marcia L. Mccormick
ExpressO
The federal courts routinely encounter issues of state law. Often a state court will have already analyzed the law at issue, either in a separate case or in the very situation before the federal court. In every one of those cases, the federal courts must decide whether to defer to the state court analysis and, if so, how much. The federal courts will often defer, but many times have not done so, and they rarely explain the reasons for the departures they make. While this lack of transparency gives the federal courts the greatest amount of discretion and power, it …