Constitutional Law Commons^™

When Is There A Constitutional 'Right To Die'? When Is There No Constitutional 'Right To Live'?, Yale Kamisar

Articles

When I am invited to participate in conferences on the "right to die," I suspect that the organizers of such gatherings expect me to fill what might be called the " 'slippery slope' slot" on the program or, more generally, to articulate the "conservative" position on this controversial matter. These expectations are hardly surprising. The "right to die" is a euphemism for what almost everybody used to call a form of euthanasia-" passive" or "negative" or "indirect" euthanasia-and some thirty years ago, in the course of raising various objections to proposed euthanasia legislation, I advanced the "thin edge of the …

Controlling Legislative Shortsightedness: The Effectiveness Of Constitutional Debt Limitations, Stewart E. Sterk, Elizabeth S. Goldman

Articles

In this article, Professor Sterk and Ms. Goldman examine the efficacy of constitutional debt limitations as a method of controlling the incurrence of public debt. In examining the historical development of such limitations, the authors conclude that they are responses to perceived deficiencies in the legislative process rather than reactions to specific instances of legislative abuse. The authors determine, however, that courts have transformed absolute constraints on legislative power to incur debt into more flexible limitations that leave the judiciary with a substantial role in determining the fate of proposed borrowing schemes. Moreover, the authors found that few states revised …

Gideon V. Wainwright A Quarter-Century Later, Yale Kamisar

Articles

In a brief working paper sent to all conference participants, Professor Burt Neuborne suggested that we might consider several themes, among them "Gideon Celebrated," "Gideon Fulfilled," and "Gideon Betrayed." I think these are useful headings.

The Right To Die: Green Lights And Yellow Lights, Yale Kamisar

Articles

In the long-awaited and much-discussed Nancy Cruzan case, a 5-4 Supreme Court majority ruled that absent "clear and convincing evidence" that a once but no longer competent patient wishes to discontinue her life support (in this instance artificial nutrition and hydration) a state is not constitutionally compelled to terminate that support.

Nancy's situation is tragic. Since suffering severe injuries in 1983, she has been in a persistent vegetative state. Yet medical experts testified that if her feeding tube were not removed she could linger on in her present condition for many years.

But the first thing to keep in mind …

Decoding Richmond: Affirmative Action And The Elusive Meaning Of Constitutional Equality, Michel Rosenfeld

Articles

The article critiques the Supreme Court's inconsistent approach to affirmative action, particularly its adoption of the strict scrutiny test in *City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co.*, which has led to confusion and conflict in equal protection jurisprudence. The author argues that the strict scrutiny test is an inadequate framework for addressing affirmative action cases, advocating instead for a substantive equality approach centered on the principle of equality of opportunity. This approach would better address the complexities of systemic discrimination and its multifaceted effects, as highlighted by Justice Marshall's ecological mode of interpretation in *Croson*. The article ultimately challenges the …

Scholars' Reply To Professor Fried, Yale Kamisar, Lee C. Bollinger, Judith C. Areen, Barbara A. Black

Articles

As Solicitor General of the United States, Charles Fried, like any good advocate, was often in the position of attempting to generate broad holdings from relatively narrow and particularistic Supreme Court decisions. This was especially true in affirmative action cases. There, the Department of Justice argued that cautious precedents actually stood for the broad proposition that measures designed to put members of disadvantaged groups on a plane of equality should, for constitutional purposes, be treated the same as measures intended to stigmatize or subordinate them. The Supreme Court, however, has consistently rejected this reading of its precedents and the broad …

Duckworth V. Eagan: A Little-Noticed Miranda Case That May Cause Much Mischief, Yale Kamisar

Articles

Professor Yale Kamisar, the country's foremost scholar of Miranda and police interrogation, presents an analysis and critique of the Supreme Court's latest interpretation of Miranda. In Duckworth, a 5-4 Court upheld the "if and when" language systematically used by the Hammond, Indiana, Police Department: "We have no way of giving you a lawyer, but one will be appointed for you, if you wish, if and when you go to court." The real issue was whether the police effectively conveyed the substance of a vital part of Miranda: the right to have a lawyer appointed prior to any questioning. Professor Kamisar …

Patents And The Progress Of Science: Exclusive Rights And Experimental Use, Rebecca S. Eisenberg

Articles

In this article I analyze the proper scope of an experimental use exemption from patent infringement liability by comparing the rationales behind promoting technological progress through granting exclusive patent rights in inventions with competing arguments for promoting scientific progress by allowing all investigators to enjoy free access to the discoveries of other scientists. I begin by reviewing key features of the patent laws and theoretical justifications for granting patent monopolies in order to clarify the implications of existing patent doctrine and theory for an experimental use exemption. I then look to the literature in the sociology, history, and philosophy of …

Nollan, Henry George, And Exactions, Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

The article examines the legal and economic implications of exactions, particularly in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Nollan v. California Coastal Commission. While exactions—requirements imposed on developers to provide municipal benefits—can theoretically promote efficiency and fairness, the analysis suggests that their practical implementation by municipalities is fraught with challenges. These challenges include the potential for inefficiency, unfairness, and arbitrary decision-making, which may undermine their effectiveness and raise constitutional concerns. The article argues that the concerns expressed in Nollan and other cases stem from the fear that exaction schemes could lead to inefficient and unfair municipal behavior, as well …

The Continuity Of Legislatures: Of Contracts And The Contracts Clause, Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

Legislatures change constantly. Each election brings new legislators and removes old ones. Those who remain are nevertheless affected by the changes in composition, and by other changes wrought by the passage of time. These changes in composition and changes in external stimuli inevitably produce pressure for changes in policy. And in a democratic system, legislatures are generally free to reverse or modify the policies of their predecessors.

Some Modest Proposals On The Vice-Presidency, Richard D. Friedman

Articles

There are many good things in the Constitution, but the vice-presidency isn't one of them. In Part I of this essay, I will argue that there are three basic problems with the vice-presidency: the method of nomination, the method of election, and the office itself. That just about covers the waterfront.' If we had to do it all over again, we almost certainly would not" create the system we currently have. We cannot undo history, but we do have a very strong incentive to develop a better system of succession to the presidency. Whom we choose as vice-president is a …

Rights Discourse And Neonatal Euthanasia, Carl E. Schneider

Articles

Hard cases, they say, make bad law. Hard cases, we know, can also make revealing law. Hard cases identify the problems we have not found a way of solving. They reveal ways the law's goals conflict. They force us to articulate our assumptions and to examine our modes of discourse and reasoning. If there was ever a hard case for the law, it is the question of whether, how, and by whom it should be decided to allow newborn children who are severely retarded mentally or severely damaged physically to die. For many years, the law has not had to …

Siamese Essays: (I) Cts Corp. V. Dynamics Corp. Of America And Dormant Commerce Clause Doctrine; (Ii) Extraterritorial State Legislation, Donald H. Regan

Articles

What follows is two essays, related as Siamese twins. Both essays developed from a single conception. They are distinct, but they remain connected by a shared subtopic. The first essay is about CTS Corp. v. Dynamics Corp. of America1 as a contribution to dormant commerce clause doctrine. The second essay is about the constitutional principle that states may not legislate extraterritorially, which I shall refer to as the "extraterritoriality principle." The shared subtopic is the extraterritoriality problem in CTS. (There is an extraterritoriality problem in CTS, even though the Court does not discuss it in those terms.) I could have …

Government Responsibility For Constitutional Torts, Christina B. Whitman

Articles

This essay is about the language used to decide when governments should be held responsible for constitutional torts.' Debate about what is required of government officials, and what is required of government itself, is scarcely new. What is new, at least to American jurisprudence, is litigation against government units (rather than government officials) for constitutional injuries. 2 The extension of liability to institutional defendants introduces special problems for the language of responsibility. In a suit against an individual official it is easy to describe the wrong as the consequence of individual behavior that is inconsistent with community norms; the language …

Judicially Ordered Social Reform: Neofederalism And Neonationalism And The Debate Over Political Structure, David Rudenstine

Articles

The article examines the ideological divide within the U.S. Supreme Court between neofederalism and neonationalism, two legal theories that shape the Court's approach to federalism and individual rights. Neofederalism emphasizes state autonomy and limits federal intervention in state institutions, while neonationalism advocates for a stronger federal role in protecting individual rights, even if it requires overriding state decisions. This divide significantly influences the Court's rulings on issues such as prison conditions and institutional reform, reflecting broader debates about the role of federalism in social reform and judicial decision-making.

Myth Of The Classic Property Clause Doctrine, Dale D. Goble

Articles

No abstract provided.

Compelling Testimony In Alaska: The Coming Rejection Of Use And Derivative Use Immunity, Jeff M. Feldman

Articles

Until 1972, when the Supreme Court upheld a federal use andderivative use immunity statute in Kastigar v. United States, virtually every court that considered the issue of the compulsion of testimony favored transactional immunity. It appears that most courts interpreted the Supreme Court's 1892 decision in Counselman v. Hitchcock as finding only transactional immunity constitutional. Since Kastigar, the Alaska Supreme Court has had several opportunities totake sides in the debate over the grant of immunity constitutionally required to compel testimony. On each such occasion, the court has expressed a preference for transactional immunity, but has carefullyavoided resolving the …

The Supreme Court And State Protectionism: Making Sense Of The Dormant Commerce Clause, Donald H. Regan

Articles

For almost fifty years, scholars have urged the Court to "balance" in dormant commerce clause cases; and the scholars have imagined that the Court was following their advice. The Court has indeed claimed to balance, winning scholarly approval. But the Court knows better than the scholars. Despite what the Court has said, it has not been balancing. It has been following a simpler and better-justified course. In the central area of dormant commerce clause jurisprudence, comprising what I shall call "movement-of-goods" cases), the Court has been concerned exclusively with preventing states from engaging in purposeful economic protectionism. Not only is …

The Market Participant Test In Dormant Commerce Clause Analysis - Protecting Protectionism?, Richard Henry Seamon

Articles

No abstract provided.

Hawaiian Ripples, Patricia D. White

Articles

Bacchus Imports, Ltd. and Eagle Distributors, Inc.

v.

George Freitas, Director of Taxation of the State of Hawaii

(Docket No. 82-1565)

Argued January 11, 1984

The Derivative And Discretionary-Function Immunities Of Presidential And Congressional Aides In Constitutional Tort Actions, Kathryn D. Sowle

Articles

No abstract provided.

How Judges Speak: Some Lessons On Adjudication In Billy Budd, Sailor With An Application To Justice Rehnquist, Richard H. Weisberg

Articles

The article examines how authority figures use language and procedural structures to shape outcomes in both literary and legal contexts, highlighting the tension between formal legal processes and true justice. Through a comparative analysis of Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor and the Supreme Court case Paul v. Davis, the article argues that "considerate communication"—a subtle form of manipulation—can distort reality and undermine fairness in adjudication. It critiques legal systems that prioritize formality over substance, emphasizing how narrative techniques and rhetorical strategies in both literature and law can mask subjective biases and influence decisions.

The Fifth Amendment, Self-Incrimination, And Foreign Prosecution: The Saga Of The Ryuyo Maru, Jeff M. Feldman

Articles

In 1979, the M/V Ryuyo Maru No. 2, a Japanese fishing vessel, went aground off the coast of Alaska. During the course ofthe United States Coast Guard's investigation into the cause of themarine casualty, the captain of the vessel and several seamen attempted to avoid giving testimony at the Coast Guard inquest onthe ground that their testimony would tend to incriminate the munder the law of Japan. The ensuing litigation' over the extent towhich the fifth amendment protects witnesses from compulsory self-incrimination where the sole threat of criminal prosecution is by a foreign government contributes to a recent line of …

Selective Incorporation Revisited, Jerold H. Israel

Articles

In June 1960 Justice Brennan's separate opinion in Ohio ex re. Eaton v. Price' set forth what came to be the doctrinal foundation of the Warren Court's criminal procedure revolution. Justice Brennan advocated adoption of what is now commonly described as the "selective incorporation" theory of the fourteenth amendment. That theory, simply put, holds that the fourteenth amendment's due process clause fully incorporates all of those guarantees of the Bill of Rights deemed to be fundamental and thereby makes those guarantees applicable to the states. During the decade that followed Ohio ex re. Eaton v. Price, the Court found incorporated …

Testimonial Immunity And The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination: A Study In Isomorphism, Peter Lushing

Articles

This Article accepts and will develop the Court's isomorphic theory of immunity and privilege, and will show why Portash is nonetheless correct in result. A case for a broadened view of the privilege, partially because of the availability of testimonial immunity, will be made. Apftlbaum will be shown to be incorrect in result. This Article will also analyze the problem of immunized testimony and perjury by inconsistent statement, a problem faced once by the Court but left unresolved. Finally, this Article will discuss the constitutional requirements of an immunity statute, and consider an immunity case presently pending before the Supreme …

Full Faith And Credit, More Or Less, To Judgments: Doubts About Thomas V. Washington Gas Light Co., Stewart E. Sterk

Articles

Workmen's compensation awards, decrees of administrative tribunals rather than courts, present the question of how far the mandate of the full faith and credit clause should reach and whether the clause should bar a claimant from pursuing supplemental compensation in a second state. Recently, in Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co., the Supreme Court decided that full faith and credit should not prevent a claimant from obtaining supplemental compensation. Professor Sterk criticizes the Court's analysis, demonstrating the Thomas Court's neglect of the federal interests that the clause should protect. After examining the clause and its policy underpinnings, Professor Sterk …

Faces Without Features: The Surface Validity Of Criminal Inferences, Peter Lushing

Articles

The article critiques the Supreme Court's decision in County Court v. Allen, arguing that the Court's approach to evaluating instructed inferences in criminal cases undermines the integrity of the fact-finding process. The central concern is that the Court's methodology, which assesses inferences as applied rather than on their face, fails to address the potential irrationality of such inferences and the pressure they may exert on jurors to convict without thorough consideration of the evidence. The article advocates for a more rigorous standard to ensure the rationality and constitutionality of instructed inferences in criminal trials.

Standing Up For Fourth Amendment Rights: Salvucci, Rawlings, And The Reasonable Expectation Of Privacy (Comment), Elizabeth Brandt

Articles

The initial inquiry a court must make before considering a motion to suppress evidence based on an unreasonable search and seizure is whether the individual has standing under the fourth amendment. This Note examines the historical development of the standing doctrines leading to the reasonable expectation of privacy test adopted by the Supreme Court in Rakas v. Illinois. The Note also identifies the problems created by the Court's far-reaching application of this test. The author concludes that the overall effect of recent decisions may be to limit the number of defendants able to assert fourth amendment claims, since suppression hearing …

Constitutional Interpretation, Terrance Sandalow

Articles

"[We] must never forget," Chief Justice Marshall admonished us in a statement pregnant with more than one meaning, "that it is a constitution we are expounding."' Marshall meant that the Constitution should be read as a document "intended to endure for ages.to come, and, consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs."'2 But he meant also that the construction placed upon the document must have regard for its "great outlines" and "important objects."'3 Limits are implied by the very nature of the task. There is not the same freedom in construing the Constitution as in constructing a …

Constitutional Torts, Christina B. Whitman

Articles

In this Article, I analyze the significance of the overlap between state tort law remedies and remedies under section 1983. I conclude that the dissatisfaction with section 1983 cannot fairly be attributed to the fact that it has been read to provide a remedy that "supplements" state law. I argue that most of the anxiety over constitutional damage actions under section 1983 can be understood - and resolved - only by focusing on two other questions. The first of these concerns the appropriate reach of the Constitution. Ambivalence about section 1983 reflects, in part, a fear that the federal Constitution …