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How To Apply The Religious Freedom Restoration Act To Federal Law Without Violating The Constitution, Gregory P. Magarian
How To Apply The Religious Freedom Restoration Act To Federal Law Without Violating The Constitution, Gregory P. Magarian
Michigan Law Review
Learned commentators have called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 ("RFRA" or "the Act") "perhaps the most unconstitutional statute in the history of the nation" and "the most egregious violation of the separation of powers doctrine in American constitutional history." In the 1997 case of City of Boerne v. Flores, the Supreme Court struck down the Act in its applications to state and local governments, declaring that "RFRA contradicts vital principles necessary to maintain separation of powers and the federal balance." The Act's applications to federal law, however, survived Boerne, which means that plaintiffs with religious freedom claims against …
Untangling The Market-Participant Exemption To The Dormant Commerce Clause, Dan T. Coenen
Untangling The Market-Participant Exemption To The Dormant Commerce Clause, Dan T. Coenen
Michigan Law Review
This article explores the market-participant rule. Part I traces the rule's evolution and shows how it has proven less rigid than some initially feared. Part II probes the roots of the rule by challenging justifications for it suggested by other observers. Part III offers an alternative theory of the market-participant doctrine, arguing in particular that it rests on a cluster of rationales that properly have led· the Court to uphold marketplace preferences as the "general rule." Part IV builds on Part III to advance a new, four-part framework for evaluating market-participant issues. Part V then uses that framework to apply …
Dormant Commerce Clause Claims Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: Protecting The Right To Be Free Of Protectionist State Action, Gregory A. Kalscheur
Dormant Commerce Clause Claims Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: Protecting The Right To Be Free Of Protectionist State Action, Gregory A. Kalscheur
Michigan Law Review
This Note will attempt to show that some commerce clause violations should give rise to cognizable section 1983 claims. Two fundamental questions will be addressed: Is the commerce clause the source of any "rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution?" and if so, Does section 1983 protect whatever "rights, privileges, or immunities" grow out of the commerce clause? Part I will describe the present status of authority on this issue and argue that none of the conflicting opinions have adequately addressed the fundamental questions involved. Part II will demonstrate that the commerce clause does indeed protect a "right[], privilege[ …