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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 …

Congressional Discretion Under The Property Clause, Eugene R. Gaetke

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The property clause of article IV grants Congress the authority to regulate federal lands. In referring to that authority, the Supreme Court has observed that “the power over the public land thus entrusted to Congress is without limitations.”

The simplicity of the Court's statement is appealing. Its implications, however, are troubling, especially for those states in which a substantial amount of federal property exists. If the property clause power of Congress is "without limitations," the power of some states over a considerable portion of the land within their boundaries is severely limited. For those states, an unlimited property clause power …

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act Of 1978: Regulating Nonfederal Property Under The Property Clause, Eugene R. Gaetke

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

In an effort to resolve the nagging controversy over the management of more than one million acres of public forests, lakes, and streams in northeastern Minnesota, Congress enacted the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978 (BWCA Act). Despite its objective, the Act has engendered further controversy. Particularly troublesome are several provisions that regulate the use of motorboats on lakes within and partly within the area. Those provisions test the scope of congressional power over nonfederal property under the property clause of article IV of the United States Constitution.

This Article examines the aged Supreme Court cases under which …