Law Commons^™

Lyman Trumbull: Author Of The Thirteenth Amendment, Author Of The Civil Rights Act, And The First Second Amendment Lawyer, David B. Kopel

David B Kopel

Illinois Senator Lyman Trumbull is not well-known today, but he is one of the "Founding Sons" who transformed the nation and the Constitution before, during, and after the Civil War. He wrote the Thirteenth Amendment, the first Freedmen's Bureau Bill, and the Civil Rights Act. He sponsored the first federal statutes which actually freed slaves. As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and later as a civil rights attorney, he did more to protect Second Amendment rights--including taking a test case to the U.S. Supreme Court (Presser v. Illinois)--than did any other lawyer or legislator in the century after Jefferson …

Adam Smith's Lectures On Jurisprudence-Justice, Law, And The Moral Economy, Walter J. Kendall Lll

Walter J. Kendall lll

Adam Smith, a leading thinker of the British Enlightenment, is universally known as the author of the Wealth of Nations and an economic theorist. He is less well known as the author of a Theory of Moral Sentiments and an ethicist. And known almost not at all for his Lectures on Jurisprudence or as a legal theorist. This essay looks at Smith’s thought through the lens of his Lectures on Jurisprudence. It highlights the almost paradoxical positions Smith had on self-interest, markets, government, and economic expansion. Obscured by his reputation and these paradoxes are his views on justice, equality, and …

The Issue Is Being Intersex: The Current Standard Of Care Is A Result Of Ignorance, And It Is Amazing What A Little Analysis Can Conclude., Marla J. Ferguson

marla j ferguson

The Constitution was written to protect and empower all citizens of the United States, including those who are born with Disorders of Sex Development. The medical community, as a whole, is not equipped with the knowledge required to adequately diagnose or treat intersex babies. Intersex simply means that the baby is born with both male and female genitalia. The current method that doctors follow is to choose a sex to assign the baby, and preform irreversible surgery on them without informed consent. Ultimately the intersex babies are mutilated and robbed of many of their fundamental rights; most notably, the right …

Cause Judging, Justin Hansford

Justin Hansford

Building on the framework of “cause lawyering” scholarship, this Article explores the fact that, in a similar tradition as a “cause lawyering” law practice animated by dedication to a cause, “cause judging” exists as well. This insight has implications for judicial ethics norms. The hyper-partisan nature of modern American life has already cast doubt on the possibility that politically appointed judges can ever truly attain the “appearance of impartiality” demanded by judicial recusal standards. Instead, judicial ethics norms should embrace the fact that judges have moral and political ideals that inform their rulings when they exercise judicial discretion, and that …

Would Jesus Kill Hitler? Bonhoeffer, Church, And State, Kenneth K. Ching

Kenneth K Ching

“Would Jesus kill Hitler?” is a symbolic question about the relationship between church and state. Jesus did not have occasion to answer. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer did. Bonhoeffer was a pastor, theologian, and philosopher who tried to “live the life of Jesus” while conspiring to assassinate Hitler.

This will be the first law journal article to take Bonhoeffer as its primary subject. The article summarizes a long tradition of Christian political theory, the natural law/two kingdoms (“NL2K”) theory, running through St. Augustine, William of Ockham, Martin Luther, John Calvin and many others. Some argue that Bonhoeffer rejected NL2K thought. This article’s …

Advising Presidents: Robert H. Jackson And The Problem Of Dirty Hands, William Casto

William Casto

ABSTRACT Not so long ago, legal advice given to President George W. Bush regarding torture sparked considerable controversy, and discussions were frequently distorted by rancorous partisanship. The present essay uses advice given to President Franklin Roosevelt by Attorney General, later Justice, Robert Jackson as a laboratory for exploring the ethical dimensions of the advisory relationship. In particular, this essay examines the president’s unilateral decision in 1940 to transfer fifty destroyers to the British. That Destroyer Deal is distant in time and is now relatively uncontroversial. Today, everyone agrees with the substantive policy of helping Great Britain against Nazi Germany. The …

What We Can Learn About The Art Of Persuasive From Candidate Abraham Lincoln: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Three Speeches That Propelled Lincoln Into The Presidency, Michael W. Loudenslager

Michael W. Loudenslager

Abraham Lincoln is renowned as an impressive orator and writer, and historians have long studied his speeches and writings. However, commentators largely have not focused upon the persuasive techniques utilized by Lincoln in his speeches. Lincoln was an experienced litigator, and over the course of his legal career, he tried a voluminous number of cases, was involved in several appeals before the United States Supreme Court, and argued numerous times before the Illinois Supreme Court. These experiences helped Lincoln cultivate various manners of persuading judges and juries. Similarly, one major goal of Lincoln’s speeches, as with any politician, was to …

"Pride Ignorance And Knavery": James Madison's Formative Experiences With Religious Establishments, Andy G. Olree

Andy G Olree

Judicial interpretations of the First Amendment’s religion clauses have purported to rely heavily on the history of the American Founding era. Today, it seems no Founder carries more weight in religion clause opinions than James Madison, a seminal figure the Supreme Court has repeatedly credited as “the leading architect of the religion clauses of the First Amendment”—most recently in January 2012, as it relied heavily on Madison’s views in deciding the Hosanna-Tabor case. But courts citing Madison have tended to focus on the short period beginning with his “Memorial and Remonstrance” in 1785 and ending with the ratification of the …

The Path, Posner, And Persuasion: Jurisprudential Stances And Style In Judicial Writing And Their Influence On Legal Education, Amy C. Thorn

Amy C Thorn

No abstract provided.