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2005

Federalism

George Washington University Law School

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

The Federal Marriage Amendment: To Protect The Sanctity Of Marriage Or Destroy Constitutional Democracy?, Joan Schaffner Jan 2005

The Federal Marriage Amendment: To Protect The Sanctity Of Marriage Or Destroy Constitutional Democracy?, Joan Schaffner

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

For the several years, primarily as a political ploy, the President and Republican Congress, proposed an amendment to the US Constitution to prohibit marriage between people of the same sex - the Federal Marriage Amendment. This article analyzed this proposed amendment in light of the constitutional principles that govern our society, individual rights, federalism, separation of powers, and judicial review. The article concludes that the FMA is itself constitutionally suspect and is more destructive, on balance, of the basic democratic constitutional principles than any amendment previously adopted or proposed. The amendment violates every tenet of constitutional democracy by: (1) expressly …


Sarbanes-Oxley, Corporate Federalism, And The Declining Significance Of Federal Reforms On State Director Independence Standards, Lisa M. Fairfax Jan 2005

Sarbanes-Oxley, Corporate Federalism, And The Declining Significance Of Federal Reforms On State Director Independence Standards, Lisa M. Fairfax

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Commentators have argued that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley" or the "Act") raises federalism concerns because it regulates the internal affairs of a corporation, including the composition of, and qualifications for, corporate boards, in a manner traditionally reserved to states. This Article responds to those claims, arguing that the Act reflects a relatively minimal intrusion into state law, particularly with regard to issues of director independence. This Article further argues that the Act's failure to disturb state law on these issues may impede its ability to tighten director independence standards and by extension may undermine its ability to improve …