Law Commons^™

The Non-Impact Of The United States Supreme Court Regulatory Takings Cases On The State Courts: Does The Supreme Court Really Matter?, Ronald H. Rosenberg

Ronald H. Rosenberg

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Failure: An Analysis Of Intergovernmental Relationships And The Problem Of Air Quality Non-Attainment, Ronald H. Rosenberg

Ronald H. Rosenberg

No abstract provided.

The Twin Aims Of Erie, Michael S. Green

Michael S. Green

We all remember the twin aims of the Erie rule from first-year civil procedure. A federal court sitting in diversity must use forum state law if it is necessary to avoid 'forum shopping" and the "inequitable administration of the laws." This Article offers a reading of the twin aims and a systematic analysis of their proper role in federal and state court. I argue that the twin aims apply in diversity cases not because they protect state interests, but because they serve the federal purposes standing behind the diversity statute. So understood, they are about separation of powers, not federalism. …

Federalism And Investor Protection: Constitutional Restraints On Preemption Of State Remedies For Securities Fraud, Manning Gilbert Warren Iii

Manning G. Warren III

Warren discusses the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and the National Securities Market Improvement Act, among other issues. Predominant federalism postulates foreclose the proposed intrusion into investors' tort remedies traditionally allowed by the states under common law.

Prosecuting Conduit Campaign Contributions - Hard Time For Soft Money, Robert D. Probasco

Robert Probasco

In recent years, there have been several high-profile prosecutions for violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, involving contributions nominally by one individual but funded or reimbursed by another individual deemed to be the true contributor. Prosecutions of these “conduit contribution” cases have been surprising in at least three significant respects. First, the prosecutions have been based on violations of FECA’s reporting requirements and may not have involved any violations of the substantive prohibitions or limitations of contributions. Second, the defendants were the donors rather than campaign officials who actually filed reports with FECA. Third, the cases were prosecuted as …

Constitutional Challenges And Regulatory Opportunities For State Climate Policy Innovation, Felix Mormann

Felix Mormann

This Article explores constitutional limits and regulatory openings for innovative state policies to mitigate climate change by promoting climate-friendly, renewable energy. In the absence of a comprehensive federal policy approach to climate change and clean energy, more and more states are stepping in to fill the policy void. Already, nearly thirty states have adopted renewable portfolio standards that create markets for solar, wind, and other clean electricity. To help populate these markets, a few pioneering states have recently started using feed-in tariffs that offer eligible generators above-market rates for their clean, renewable power.

But renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs, and …

Empowering States: A Rebuttal To Dr. Greve, Erwin Chemerinsky

Erwin Chemerinsky

No abstract provided.

Preventing Preemption: Finding Freedom For States To Protect Their Citizens’ Personal History Information, Elizabeth De Armond

Elizabeth De Armond

Federalism, First Amendment & Patents: The Fraud Fallacy, Robin C. Feldman

Robin C Feldman

Applying Administrative Law Principles To Hydraulic Fracturing, Joel M. Pratt

Joel M Pratt

Because fracking regulators and industry need both legal clarity and the ability to react to new information, courts should apply principles of administrative deference to resolve conflicts between state and local fracking regulations.Under these principles, courts weigh expert agency decision making more heavily when the agency has acted reasonably. When faced with a conflict between state and local fracking laws, courts should adopt administrative principles and privilege expert agency regulations rather than engage in an independent judicial inquiry. Part I provides background on fracking and argues that states are in the best position to regulate the practice. Part II then …

General Law In Federal Court, Anthony J. Bellia Jr., Bradford R. Clark

Anthony J. Bellia

No abstract provided.

Regulating Controversial Land Uses, Patricia E. Salkin

Patricia E. Salkin

While the definition of what may constitute a controversial land use differs from community to community, the bottom line is that land use controls have been attempting to regulate these uses since the advent of zoning (and through nuisance law before that). When regulating many types of controversial land uses, constitutional issues may come into play and federal and state preemption issues may arise. However, local governments typically have wide discretion in designing standards and regulations for many types of controversial uses. This article explores four typically controversial uses - off-campus fraternity and sorority housing, tattoo parlors, medical marijuana and …

Navigating Between Scylla And Charybdis: Preemption Of Medical Device “Parallel Claims”, Jean Eggen

Jean M. Eggen

The scope of federal preemption of state common law medical device claims has been vigorously debated since the Medical Device Amendments were enacted in 1976. Currently, a hot-button topic is the extent to which either express or implied preemption may bar state device claims that parallel duties imposed by the federal government’s Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The author analyzes a selection of recent lower court cases in light of Congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent. This article provides some guiding principles to achieve greater consistency and predictability in parallel claim preemption decisions. The author then concludes that preemption doctrine …

Medical Marijuana Zoned Out: Local Regulation Meets State Acceptance And Federal Quiet Acquiescence, Patricia E. Salkin, Zachary Kansler

Patricia E. Salkin

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia currently permit the medical use of marijuana, yet state statutes fail to account for the challenges that confront municipal planners and officials whose agenda includes public health, safety and welfare of residents, including minor children. The intensity of the problem is perhaps most evident in Los Angeles, where there are approximately 800 dispensaries. Varying statutory approaches are provided for individuals to legitimately acquire the drug - they may grow it themselves, they may obtain it from their primary caregiver, or they may obtain it from a licensed dispensary. This raises a number of …

Explaining The Rise Of State And Local Immigration Laws, Pratheepan Gulasekaram

Pratheepan Gulasekaram

This Article provides a systematic empirical investigation of the genesis of state and local immigration regulations, discrediting the popular notion that they are caused by uneven demographic pressures across the country. Instead, we find systematic evidence for the significance of political contexts such as the strength of political parties in states and localities. The story we tell in this paper is both political and legal: understanding immigration politics uncovers vital truths about the recent rise of subnational involvement in a policy arena courts and commentators have traditionally ascribed to the federal government. This recognition of the political dynamics of immigration …

Immigration Sanctuary Policies: Constitutional And Representative Of Good Policing And Good Public Policy, Bill Hing

Bill Ong Hing

Sanctuary ordinances or policies that constrain local authorities from assisting in federal immigration enforcement do not receive the same political and media attention as anti-immigrant laws enacted by states and local governments. In the political struggle over the rights of undocumented immigrants in the United States, the greater media and political focus on anti-immigrant measures, such as Arizona’s S.B. 1070 and similar policies in cities like Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and Farmers Branch, Texas, is understandable.

With much less fanfare, the legality of sanctuary policies also has been challenged. In this article I review the case law that specifically has involved the …

Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew Popper

Andrew Popper

Stolen information technology (IT) is a domestic and global problem. Theft of IT by upstream producers has a pernicious effect on the competitive market and violates fundamental policies designed to protect those who create and invent such assets. Companies profiting from stolen IT are not just free-riding on the successes of those who design and produce the products and ideas that are a driving force in the U.S. economy – they are destabilizing rational pricing and distorting lawful competition by virtue of outright theft. Current legal recourse is insufficient to address such misconduct; new approaches are needed at the state …

Beneficiaries Of Misconduct: A Direct Approach To It Theft, Andrew Popper

Andrew Popper

Stolen information technology (IT) is a domestic and global problem. Theft of IT by upstream producers has a pernicious effect on the competitive market and violates fundamental policies designed to protect those who create and invent such assets. Companies profiting from stolen IT are not just free-riding on the successes of those who design and produce the products and ideas that are a driving force in the U.S. economy – they are destabilizing rational pricing and distorting lawful competition by virtue of outright theft. Current legal recourse is insufficient to address such misconduct; new approaches are needed at the state …

Federal Preemption Of Claims Based On Cell Phone Hazards: Farina V. Nokia And The Road To The U.S. Supreme Court, Jean Eggen

Jean M. Eggen

No abstract provided.

Aep V. Connecticut And The Future Of The Political Question Doctrine, James R. May

James R. May

No abstract provided.

Federal Governmental Power: Preemption From The October 2008 Term (Twenty-First Annual Supreme Court Review & Selected Excerpts: Practicing Law Institutes Twenty-Sixth Annual Section 1983 Civil Rights Litigation Program), Eileen Kaufman

Eileen Kaufman

No abstract provided.

Foreclosing On The Federal Power Grab: Dodd-Frank, Preemption, And The State Role In Mortgage Servicing Regulation, Kurt Eggert

Kurt Eggert

No abstract provided.

The Partisan Dimensions Of Federal Preemption In The United States Courts Of Appeals, Bradley Joondeph

Bradley W. Joondeph

This paper explores some of these empirical uncertainties surrounding the political dimensions of preemption in the federal courts. More concretely, it presents a statistical study of every preemption decision rendered by the United States Courts of Appeals from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2009, a total of 560 decisions and just over 1,700 judicial votes. And these data tell a story consisting of two distinct parts. The first part is that preemption disputes seem to produce a large measure of judicial consensus. In the full universe of cases, there is only a slight difference between Republican and Democratic appointees: …

Post-Sale Restrictions On Patented Seeds: Which Law Governs?, Rita S. Heimes

Rita S Heimes

Since the agrichemical industry entered the business of creating genetically engineered seeds, farming in America has never been the same. Patents on these GE seeds have been reinforced with so-called “license” agreements that accompany their sale to farmers. Failure to abide the terms of these agreements can land a farmer in federal district court defending a patent infringement lawsuit. Several states have passed legislation relating to the terms of these contracts (known in the industry as “Technology Use Agreements” or colloquially as “bag-tag” agreements). This article explores whether state laws relating to these bag-tag agreements are enforceable, or whether the …

Chevron's Sliding Scale In Wyeth V. Levine, 129 S. Ct. 1187 (2009), Gregory M. Dickinson

Gregory M Dickinson

In Wyeth v. Levine the Supreme Court once again failed to reconcile the interpretive presumption against preemption with the sometimes competing Chevron doctrine of deference to agencies' reasonable statutory interpretations. Rather than resolve the issue of which principle should govern where the two principles point toward opposite results, the Court continued its recent practice of applying both principles halfheartedly, carving exceptions, and giving neither its proper weight.

This analysis situates Wyeth within the larger framework of the Court's recent preemption decisions in an effort to explain the Court's hesitancy to resolve the conflict. The analysis concludes that the Court, motivated …

The Alfonse And Gaston Of Governmental Response To National Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned From Hurricane Katrina For The Federal Government And The States, Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

Hurricane Katrina renewed an old debate concerning which level of government should lead the response effort to catastrophic disasters. Traditionally, emergency response is handled at the most local level possible. Hurricane Katrina, however, and other catastrophes that may be labeled "Incidents of National Significance," are examples of emergencies of such magnitude that federal assets must be brought to bear to respond adequately to the situation. As such Incidents will almost always affect interstate commerce, Congress' commerce powers justify federal intervention in, and if necessary, supervision of the response. In such situations, the National Response Plan provides for extensive coordination between …

I, Thomas F. Cotter

Thomas F. Cotter

Many states confer upon natural persons a “right of publicity” that renders unlawful the unauthorized use of a person’s name or other indicia of identity for purposes of trade. Efforts to reconcile publicity rights with the First Amendment and with principles of copyright preemption, however, have differed radically from one state or circuit to another, as well as within the scholarly community. In this Article, we present a comprehensive framework for integrating both First Amendment and copyright preemption principles into standard publicity analysis. Our framework eliminates much of the incoherence found in contemporary right of publicity case law by adopting …

Renewable Energy And Preemption: Lessons From Siting Lng Terminals, Kenneth Kristl

Kenneth T Kristl

No abstract provided.

The Mature Product Preemption Doctrine: The Unitary Standard And The Paradox Of Consumer Protection, Jean M. Eggen

Jean M. Eggen

The history of the U.S. Supreme Court's product preemption doctrine has been characterized by inconsistency and confusion. Product regulation and common-law product liability actions are primarily concerned with assuring the health and safety of the consuming public, and it is not surprising that the Court's product preemption decisions have focused substantially on medical devices and drugs. Recent government studies have shown, however, that the FDA is hampered in reaching its safety goals by insufficient resources and increasing demands. This article reassesses the Court's product preemption doctrine in the light of a triad of new decisions issued in 2008 and 2009. …

Of Happy Incidents, Climate, Federalism, And Preemption, James R. May

James R. May

This Article examines the shape of things to come in the overlapping realm of federalism and preemption. It questions whether and to what extent notions of federalism shape how federal law - or the absence of it - preempts states from taking measures to address climate change. A burgeoning body of legal scholarship mulls whether federal law ought to preempt state action. There is yet relatively spare legal scholarship on preemption reflecting recent developments in the courts and at EPA. Part One explains how federalism principles have shaped responses to climate change. It observes how allowing states to take steps …