Law Commons^™

Obamacare And Federalism's Tug Of War Within, Erin Ryan

Erin Ryan

This month, the Supreme Court will decide what some believe will be among the most important cases in the history of the institution. In the “Obamacare” cases, the Court considers whether the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) exceeds the boundaries of federal authority under the various provisions of the Constitution that establish the relationship between local and national governance. Its response will determine the fate of Congress’s efforts to grapple with the nation’s health care crisis, and perhaps other legislative responses to wicked regulatory problems like climate governance or education policy. Whichever way the gavel falls, the decisions will likely impact …

Spending Power Bargaining After Sebelius, Erin Ryan

Erin Ryan

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) decision, it’s easy to get lost in debate over the Chief Justice’s stated theory of the commerce power, or what precedential effect it will have under the Marks doctrine (given that his only supporters wrote in dissent). Still, the practical implications for existing governance is likely to be small, at least in the foreseeable future. After all, much of the debate over the individual mandate focused on how unprecedented it was: despite months of trying, nobody produced a satisfying example of this particular Congressional tool used in previous health, …

Federalism And The Tug Of War Within, Erin Ryan

Erin Ryan

This book explores how constitutional interpreters struggle to reconcile the competing values that undergird American federalism, with real consequences for governance that requires local and national collaboration. Drawing examples from the response to Hurricane Katrina, climate governance, health reform, nuclear waste, and other problems that implicate both state and federal authority, it shows how federalism theory can inhibit effective multijurisdictional governance by failing to navigate the tensions within federalism itself. The book argues that American federalism is best understood through the “tug of war” between the good-governance principles that dual sovereignty fosters—including checks and balances, accountable governance, local autonomy, and …

In Tribute To Judge James R. Browning: The Center Of His Circle, Erin Ryan

Erin Ryan

This very short essay appeared in an issue of the Montana Law Review honoring the legacy of James R. Browning, Chief Judge Emeritus of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. It contains rememberances of Judge Browning as a person and a jurist, emphasizing the ways he wielded the judicial power as a tool for realizing justice by advancing human dignity.

Negotiating Federalism Past The Zero Sum Game, Erin Ryan

Erin Ryan