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Separation of powers

State and Local Government Law

Selected Works

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Twelve Angry Hours: Improving Domestic Violence Holds In Tennessee Without Risk Of Violating The Constitution, Daniel A. Horwitz Dec 2014

Twelve Angry Hours: Improving Domestic Violence Holds In Tennessee Without Risk Of Violating The Constitution, Daniel A. Horwitz

Daniel A. Horwitz

Tennessee law currently provides that individuals who have been arrested for certain domestic violence offenses “shall not be released within twelve (12) hours of arrest if the magistrate or other official duly authorized to release the offender finds that the offender is a threat to the alleged victim.” However, Tennessee law also provides for an exception to this “12-hour hold” requirement that permits judges to release domestic violence arrestees before twelve hours have elapsed “if the official determines that sufficient time has or will have elapsed for the victim to be protected.” Following an especially high-profile incident of domestic violence …


State Courts And The Interpretation Of Federal Statutes, Anthony J. Bellia Oct 2013

State Courts And The Interpretation Of Federal Statutes, Anthony J. Bellia

Anthony J. Bellia

Scholars have long debated the separation of powers question of what judicial power federal courts have under Article III of the Constitution in the enterprise of interpreting federal statutes. Specifically, scholars have debated whether, in light of Founding-era English and state court judicial practice, the judicial power of the United States should be understood as a power to interpret statutes dynamically or as faithful agents of Congress. This Article argues that the question of how courts should interpret federal statutes is one not only of separation of powers but of federalism as well. State courts have a vital and often …


Papers, Please: Does The Constitution Permit The States A Role In Immigration Enforcement?, John C. Eastman Dec 2011

Papers, Please: Does The Constitution Permit The States A Role In Immigration Enforcement?, John C. Eastman

John C. Eastman

This Essay explores the legal challenges two immigration bills, Arizona’s 2010 S.B. 1070 and Alabama’s 2011 H.B. 56, and addresses how the Department of Justice (DOJ) fundamentally misunderstands the nature of state sovereignty and federalism, and concludes that, with the possible exception of one provision of the Arizona law, the states are acting well within their authority to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their residents without intruding on the plenary power over immigration and naturalization that the U.S.  Constitution vests in Congress.