Constitutional Law Commons^™

The Aba's Role In Prescreening Federal Judicial Candidates: Are We Ready To Give Up On The Lawyers?, Laura E. Little

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

The Questioning Of Lower Federal Court Nominees At Senate Confirmation Hearings, William Ross

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Religious Land Use And Institutionalized Persons Act Of 2000: The Land Use Provisions Are Both Unconstitutional And Unnecessary, Ada-Marie Walsh

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 was Congress 'response to the Supreme Court's striking down of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in City of Boerne v. Flores. In promulgating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, Congress, inter alia, sought to protect the free exercise of religion from excessive governmental meddling while remedying discrimination suffered by religious individuals and groups in the area of land use. In dealing solely with land use provisions of the RLUIPA, the author argues that the Religious Land Use and lnstitutionalized Person Act is unconstitutional because it violates the Establishment …

Politics And Personalities In The Federal Appointments Process, Christopher L. Eisgruber

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Michael Gerhardt's latest book, The Federal Appointments Process, examines historically both the politics and procedures employed by the president and Congress in selecting, and ultimately appointing, judicial nominees. In this book review, Professor Christopher Eisgruber focuses on some of Gerhardt's most salient observations and illustrates the degree to which the historical trends Gerhardt describes impact current appointment practices.

The Right Of Expressive Association And Private Universities' Racial Preferences And Speech Codes, David E. Bernstein

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The reaction to Boy Scouts of America v. Dale has divided along ideological lines. Conservatives generally support Dale because in their eyes it prevents the government from taking sides in the culture wars. "Progressives, "including many liberals who otherwise have strong civil libertarian instincts, oppose Dale because it inhibits the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws in some contexts. The underlying issue in Dale was whether a private, nonprofit expressive association has a First Amendment right to discriminate to prevent dilution of its message. Despite the ideological rancor over Dale, this right does not favor groups with any particular perspective, but protects …

The Expressive Interest Of Associations, Erwin Chemerinsky, Catherine Fisk

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Professors Erwin Chemerinsky and Catherine Fisk take issue on several grounds with Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, in which the Supreme Court held that the Boy Scouts have a First Amendment right to exclude gays, even though state law prohibits such discrimination. They first criticize Dale 's holding that courts must accept the group leadership's characterization of the group's expressive message. The Court's approach short-circuited the process by which an organization ordinarily develops or transforms its expressive message--internal deliberation, public articulation of a message, and recruitment of like-minded members-and it did so at the expense of many current and …

Personal Does Not Always Equal "Private": The Constitutionality Of Requiring Dna Samples From Convicted Felons And Arrestees, Martha L. Lawson

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In the past couple of decades, the use of DNA testing has become a major debate in criminal law. Many Americans have called for regular use of DNA testing in criminal cases, particularly in the aftermath of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. While these tests can potentially help better ensure justice conducting DNA tests raises fundamental personal privacy concerns. This Note analyzes the development of DNA testing throughout the United States, giving a historical account of how the courts and local police departments have dealt with this testing Finally, the Note argues that the government's interest in mandatory testing of …

The Corporate Defamation Plaintiff In The Era Of Slapps: Revisiting New York Times V. Sullivan, D. Mark Jackson

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Corporations have increasingly used defamation suits as an offensive weapon. Many of these suits may be defined as SLAPP suits-Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation. These suits, often meritless, are designed to harass and silence a corporations' critics. Following a survey oft he history of defamation law and the protection of free speech, this Note argues that corporations should be treated as per se public figures in defamation suits. This derives from the uniquely public nature of a corporation and an assumption of the risk of defamatory falsehoods that arises from the act of incorporation.Treating corporations in this manner would place …

Religion, Rationality, And Special Treatment, Jane Rutherford

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Religion has always played a major role in American society, both politically and socially. Its influence on the Constitution is expressed in the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. Why is religion given special treatment by the Constitution? In this Article, Professor Jane Rutherford makes a structural argument for religious liberty. Rutherford posits that religion is treated differently not because of the content of its views, but because of the various other functions it serves, such as providing voices for outsiders and advancing non-market values. Rutherford concludes that we should return to more serious enforcement of the Establishment and Free Exercise …

The State Of The Canon In Constitutional Law: Lessons From The Jurisprudence Of John Marshall, David E. Marion

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Constitutional law has been an active battlefield as competing groups within the academy seek to deconstruct, reconstruct, and/or relegitimize the teaching and practice of law in the United States. Much of the rhetoric of the debate is couched in the language of rights. There is a danger that diminished attention to powers in the rhetoric and teaching of constitutional law may compromise sober and moderate constitutional reasoning. By reinvigorating reflection on powers-related issues, the legal profession can do its part to promote sobriety, and hence an added dose of prudence, in constitutional reflection and discourse by a democratic citizenry whose …

Protecting The Cellular Citizen-Critic: The State Of Political Speech From Sullivan To Popa, Clay Calvert

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The 1999federal appellate court decision of United States v. Popa suggests the startling emergence of a nascent First Amendment right to engage in anonymous and racist telephonic harassment of government officials. Professor Calvert suggests that this decision sadly reflects the state of political discourse in the United States today, namely a dialectical free-for-all directly contrary to the vision of philosopher-educator Alexander Meiklejohn, a vision advanced by the United States Supreme Court in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan but rejected by the shout-and- attack cultures of cable news channel political talk shows and call-in radio programs. The Popa decision also …

Abortion, Capital Punishment, And The Politics Of "God's" Will, Kimberly J. Cook

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In her paper, Professor Kimberly J. Cook uses statistics to illustrate the role the Christian Right plays in the public discourse over two issues permeated with religious overtones: abortion and the death penalty. She shows how the Christian Right's approach to these issues is based on an ideological notion of 'Justice " that is primarily focused on vengeance and punishment, to the exclusion of forgiveness. Professor Cook's exploration of the modern roots of this ideology leads to a movement dating from the 1960s known as Christian Reconstructionism, which advocates using state action to enforce its unique interpretation of "God's Will." …

The Founders Go On-Line: An Original Intent Solution To A Jurisdictional Dilemma, Christine G. Heslinga

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Internet has created a blossoming cyber-economy and a new way of conducting business. Unfortunately for those looking for jurisdictional certainty, however, cyberspace also effectively eliminates geographic boundaries. The unprecedented circumstances set by this new frontier have put federal courts in the unenviable position of deciding whether Internet-based cases meet diversity jurisdiction requirements. Examining the constitutional history and recent use of diversity, this Note argues that the Founders did not foresee an era where every contract or sales case would end up in federal court; rather, they intended diversity jurisdiction to be a rare and perhaps temporary proposition. The author …

Everyone Benefits, Everyone Pays: Does The Fifth Amendment Mandate Compensation When Property Is Damaged During The Course Of Police Activities?, C. Wayne Owen Jr.

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, along with similar provisions in state constitutions, forbids the taking of private property by the government for a public use without just compensation. Despite this protection, many courts have denied takings claims made by innocent third party landowners when police officers caused damage to their property during the course of executing their official duties. These courts held that the damage was not for a "public use" in the narrow sense, and have refused to analyze the claims under takings jurisprudence. This narrow view of "public use" ignores the fact that society as …

Student Division Symposium Sponsored By The Institute Of The Bill Of Rights Law: Policing Obscenity And Pornography In An Online World, Ann Beeson, Deirdre Mulligan, Bruce Taylor, Bruce Watson, Jonathan Zittrain

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

The Bill Of Rights: Creation And Reconstruction By Akhil Reed Amar

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Federal Jurisdiction Over State Claims To Shipwrecks: Should The Eleventh Amendment Go Down With The Ship?, Mark R. Baumgartner

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Eleventh Amendment prohibits citizens from bringing actions in law or equity against individual states in federal courts. The Amendment does not address whether states are subject to federal jurisdiction for actions in admiralty in which both a shipwreck salvor and a state claim title to a shipwreck Analyzing applicable admiralty, federal, and common law in the context of Eleventh Amendment jurisprudence, this Note examines whether the states are subject to pure admiralty actions in federal court by citizen-salvors seeking either title to or reward for salvaging a shipwreck. The original intentions of admiralty law: rewarding salvors for their efforts, …

Two Degrees Of Speech Protection: Free Speech Through The Prism Of Agricultural Disparagement Laws, Harold M. Wasserman

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In the wake of a 1989 national television broadcast reporting the alleged cancer risk of a chemical applied to apples on trees, many states passed agricultural product disparagement (APD) statutes. These statutes grant civil causes of action to the growers and sellers of perishable food products, against anyone who speaks negatively or disparagingly, without basis in scientific evidence, about the product's safety. In this Article, Howard M Wasserman explores the interplay between the APD statutes and the First Amendment. First, Mr. Wasserman discusses the three categories of restrictions on the freedom of speech, focusing primarily on private civil tort actions …

A Story For All Seasons: Akhil Reed Amar On The Bill Of Rights, Michael Kent Curtis

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

The Bill Of Rights, The Fourteenth Amendment, And The Seven Deadly Sins Of Legal Scholarship, Richard L. Aynes

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Comments On Akhil Reed Amar's The Bill Of Rights: Creation And Reconstruction, Melvin I. Urofsky

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Commercial Slogans: The First Amendment Should Shield Their Use In Campaign Speech, Raena L. Smith

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Commercial slogans and trademarks are increasingly finding their way into every aspect of the American vernacular, including speech by political officials and candidates. A previous published Note in the Journal of Law and Politics has argued that such speech should be restricted as it infringes upon the copyright or trademark holder's rights established both under federal and state law. This Note takes the opposing view, arguing that, even if campaign speech falls under the purview of federal or state statutes, the First Amendment prevents the application of laws to restrict campaign speech.

Utilizing Statistics And Bellwether Trials In Mass Torts: What Do The Constitution And Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure Permit?, R. Joseph Barton

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Traditional judicial mechanisms that preserve litigants' rights to due process and a jury trial challenge courts to provide litigants their day in court in an efficient and timely manner. This challenge is made exponentially harder where the litigation concerns tortious conduct affecting a large number of persons and giving rise to latent injury. In response to the recent increase in mass tort filings, courts have sought an alternative means of adjudication-the extrapolation of a statistically average, representative plaintiff to other plaintiffs. This Note examines the problems associated with mass tort actions and how two circuit courts of appeals have implemented …

The Unusual Suspects: Journalists As Thieves, William E. Lee

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The publication of confidential information by the press stands in stark contrast to the press' dedication to protecting the confidentiality of sources. While the Supreme Court has taken the position that the press may publish confidential information acquired through "routine" newsgathering methods, the contours of the phrase "routine " newsgathering methods are poorly defined In this Article, Professor Lee describes the link between the manner in which information is obtained and the First Amendment's protection of the publication of the information. He concludes that the proper analysis would separate the interests affected by publication from the interests affected by illegal …

Technology And The Right To Privacy: The Convergence Of Surveillance And Information Privacy Concerns, Thomas B. Kearns

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

While the privacy concerns raised by advances in surveillance and information technologies are widely recognized, recent developments have led to a convergence of these technologies in many situations, presenting new challenges to the right to privacy. This Note examines this convergence of surveillance and information technologies and its potential impact on individual privacy interests.

The Note first discusses the right to privacy, personal information, and surveillance technology separately, noting ways that new technologies create privacy concerns. The Note then describes the merging of surveillance and information technologies and the resulting convergence of two formerly distinct privacy issues. Finally, the Note …

Tench Coxe And The Right To Keep And Bear Arms, 1787-1823, Stephen P. Halbrook, David B. Kopel

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Tench Coxe, a member of the second rank of this nation's Founders and a leading proponent of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, wrote prolifically about the right to keep and bear arms. In this Article, the authors trace Coxe 's story, from his early writings in support of the Constitution, through his years of public service, to his political writings in opposition to the presidential campaigns of John Adams and John Quincy Adams. The authors note that Coxe described the Second Amendment as guaranteeing an individual right, and believed that an individual right to bear arms was necessary …

Can Congress Regulate Firearms?: Printz V. United States And The Intersection Of The Commerce Clause, The Tenth Amendment, And The Second Amendment, Kevin T. Streit

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Printz v. United States restricted congressional legislative authority by striking down the interim provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. The decision followed United States v. Lopez, in which the Court struck down the Gun-Free School Zones Act. In both cases, the Court restricted the congressional Commerce Power and renewed the strength of the Tenth Amendment in protecting states' rights from federal intrusion.

Because both cases involved statutes regulating firearms, however, they also raised important questions regarding the Second Amendment. Following the Lopez decision, some commentators argued that both the Tenth and …

Law And Human Dignity: The Judicial Soul Of Justice Brennan, Stephen J. Wermiel

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The concept of human dignity has emerged in the United States in recent decades as an important theoretical and sometimes practical source of individual rights and liberties. Human dignity is cited in jurisprudential writings and discussed in some court opinions as a means of enhancing the broad phrases of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment. This Essay examines the pivotal role that the late Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., played on the United States Supreme Court in making concepts of human dignity a valued and essential part of rights formulation. This essay explores Justice Brennan 's vision of …

Lincoln, Vallandingham, And Anti-War Speech In The Civil War, Michael Kent Curtis

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In the early morning hours of May 5, 1863, Union soldiers forcibly arrested Clement L. Vallandigham, a prominent Democratic politician and former congressman, for an anti-war speech which he had given a few days earlier in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Vallandigham's arrest ignited debate about freedom of speech in a democracy during a time of war and the First Amendment rights of critics of an administration. This Article is one in a series by Professor Curtis which examines episodes in the history of free speech before and during the Civil War. In this Article, Professor Curtis explores the First Amendment's guarantee …

Suspicionless Drug Testing And Chandler V. Miller: Is The Supreme Court Making The Right Decisions, Ross H. Parr

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

During the last decade, the United States Supreme Court has rendered four major decisions regarding the validity of suspicionless drug testing policies. Such drug testing policies have become a common way for employers and other interested parties-including the government-both to deter the use of drugs and to determine who is acting under the influence of illegal narcotics. Because government officials often randomly select individuals for drug testing, some of these individuals have charged that a governmental drug testing policy violates the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court found this argument unconvincing in three cases decided between 1989 and 1997, but in …