Constitutional Law Commons^™

"Closet Case": Boy Scouts Of America V. Dale And The Reinforcement Of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Transgender Invisibility, Darren L. Hutchinson

Faculty Articles

This Article argues that the Supreme Courts decision in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale misapplies and ignores controlling First Amendment precedent and incorrectly dermes "sexual identity" as a clinical or biological imposition that exists apart from expression or speech. This Article provides a doctrinal alternative to Dale that would protect vital interests in both equality and liberty and that would not condition, as does Dale, sexual "equality" upon the silencing of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

Polling Establishment: Judicial Review, Democracy, And The Endorsement Theory Of The Establishment Clause - Commentary On 'Measured Endorsement', Jamin B. Raskin

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

[In Measured Endorsement] Shari Seidman Diamond and Andrew Koppelman argue that courts should rely on the techniques and methodologies of public opinion polling to survey the public and determine whether such displays endorse religion and therefore violate the Establishment Clause.' The authors support the point by developing an analogy to litigation under the Lanham Act, where courts regularly use evidence from public opinion poll results to determine whether there is legally salient 'consumer confusion' in a trademark dispute. The theoretical problem with this analogy is that the issue at stake under the Lanham Act is whether there is a likelihood …

The Marlboro Man's Secret Versus The Public Health: Trade Secrets And Unconstitutional Takings In Phillip Morris V. Reilly, Melanie Tang

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

Trade secrets have traditionally been considered to be property interests under the law protected by the Fifth Amendment. However, in a series of decisions finding a Massachusetts tobacco product disclosure law to be unconstitutional, the Massachusetts district court departed from established Fifth Amendment takings case law, setting a precedent for successful "regulatory takings" challenges by private companies to public health, welfare, and safety laws. This Note discusses the novel interpretation of a property owner's reasonable investment-backed expectations advanced by the Phillip Morris holdings in contravention to Ruckelshaus v. Monsanto, as x ell as the misguided analysis of the character of …

Back To The Future Due Process Analysis, John E. Nowak

Faculty Publications & Other Works

No abstract provided.

Supreme Law Or Basic Law? The Decline Of The Concept Of Constitutional Supremacy, Rett R. Ludwikowski

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article examines the decline of constitutional supremacy in the context of increasing international legal influences and the rise of supranational organizations. It argues that the traditional dualistic view of domestic and international law is no longer tenable, as national constitutions are no longer the sole supreme law. Instead, the legal landscape has become multifaceted, with overlapping national, supranational, and international legal structures. This shift is attributed to the erosion of state sovereignty and the integration of international law into domestic legal systems, even in countries like the United States.

Mary Daly V. Boston College: The Impermissibility Of Single-Sex Classrooms Within A Private University, Maryam Ahranjani

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

A Plea For Rationality And Decency: The Disparate Treatment Of Legal Writing Faculties As A Violation Of Both Equal Protection And Professional Ethics, Peter Brandon Bayer

Scholarly Works

This article builds on the work of others by demonstrating that as a matter of academic ethics, informed by cardinal legal standards of decency, the disparate treatment and adverse terms and conditions imposed on writing professors are not simply unfair but defy the ethical aspirations of American law schools. Specifically, as the construct for analysis, this article establishes and utilizes the proposition that the discordant status of legal writing professors fails to satisfy minimal professional ethics. As a model, this article shows that it is not even minimally rational under the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, our …

Printz, The Unitary Executive, And The Fire In The Trash Can: Has Justice Scalia Picked The Court's Pocket?, Jay S. Bybee

Scholarly Works

In Printz v. United States (1997), the Court held that certain sections of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act were unconstitutional. Until the Attorney General set up a national system, the Act required the chief local law enforcement official to make certain background checks. The Court held that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring local law enforcement officials to take this action. Writing for the majority, Justice Scalia “conclude[d] categorically . . . ‘The Federal Government may not compel the States to enact or administer a federal regulatory program.” ’ The Court offered two justifications. First, these commands to the …

History, Legal Scholarship, And Latcrit Theory: The Case Of Racial Transformations Circa The Spanish American War, 1896-1900, Sylvia R. Lazos

Scholarly Works

The period from 1896 to 1900, the period prior to, during, and immediately following the Spanish American War, which became known to Americans as the “splendid little war,” was a momentous time. An in-depth study of this five-year period--the events leading to the Spanish American War, the War itself and its aftermath--yields a rich and deep understanding of themes at the core of LatCrit theory. This is a key turning point in racial formation of Latino/as, American foreign policy, and American democracy. The U.S. abandoned its isolationist stance, and awkwardly embraced its “duty and obligation” as a “benevolent” world power. …

Does The Federal Constitution Incorporate The Declaration Of Independence?, Thomas B. Mcaffee

Scholarly Works

A standard view at the time of the adoption of the Constitution was that “a constitution does not in itself imply any more than a declaration of the relation which the different parts of the government have to each other, but does not imply security for the rights of individuals.” The drafters of the state constitutions had “assumed that government had all power except for specific prohibitions contained in a bill of rights.” When the federal Constitution was transmitted to the states by Congress, Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts defended the omission of a bill of rights based on the federal …

The Constitution As Based On The Consent Of The Governed—Or, Should We Have An Unwritten Constitution?, Thomas B. Mcaffee

Scholarly Works

It is useful to embrace continuity in describing basic differences we have in giving effect to the Constitution, especially if particular ways of communicating help us convey and understand what is at stake. The individual who originated the term “non-interpretivist” to describe judicial review implementing the unwritten constitution, for example, continues to believe that the best approach to constitutional interpretation is not “textualist,” but is properly characterized as “supplemental.” In his view, “much American constitutional adjudication, including but not limited to decisions under due process liberty and the right of privacy, involves the interpretation of an unwritten and essentially common …

Unenumerated Rights Under The U.S. Constitution, Thomas B. Mcaffee

Scholarly Works

The symbol of modern constitutional law, for good or ill, is Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s abortion decision. From the beginning, the big question has been, where in the text of the Constitution do were find this “right of privacy” that secures the right to choose abortion? Some scholars have argued that such a right could not be found in the text or structure of the Constitution. One powerful counter stems from a textual approach to giving effect to the Constitution. In this article, the author argues that, if we look carefully enough at the text and history, …

The Use, Nonuse, And Misuse Of Low Value Speech, Arnold H. Loewy

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Challenges To Racial Redistricting In The New Millennium: Hunt V. Cromartie As A Case Study, Guy-Uriel E. Charles, Luis Fuentes-Rohwer

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Who's The Boss?: Statutory Damage Caps, Courts, And State Constitutional Law, Matthew W. Light

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Separating Church And State: Roger Williams And Religious Liberty, Kurt T. Lash

Law Faculty Publications

Roger Williams was a religious bigot. He never met a church pure enough for his brand of Puritanism, and he never found a congregation worthy enough to have him as its pastor. After alienating every potential ally and provoking every critic, Williams was forced to flee to the wilds of Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island. There, he preached to his remaining congregation- his family- and supported laws prohibiting men from wearing long hair.

In Timothy Hall's illuminating book, the reader is confronted with a flesh and blood Roger Williams who is rather different from the modern myth. Although Williams …

Cook V. Gralike: Easy Cases And Structural Reasoning, Vicki C. Jackson

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In Cook v Gralike, the Court - unanimous as to result - struck down a Missouri initiative amending the state constitution to require that the failure of candidates for U.S. Congress to support a particular term-limits amendment to the United States Constitution be noted on the ballot. In an opinion joined by seven Justices, the Court held that the Missouri law exceeded the scope of states' powers to regulate the "time, place and manner" of holding congressional elections . . . The opinions are analyzed preliminarily in Part I. Part II below suggests that even if there were no Elections …

Why Doesn't She Leave? The Collision Of First Amendment Rights And Effective Court Remedies For Victims Of Domestic Violence, Laurie S. Kohn

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Despite the persistence of the question, social science literature is replete with reasons why a victim does not or cannot leave a battering relationship. Commonly cited explanations include lack of financial resources; fear of physical retribution; lack of access to information about options for escape; enduring love for the batterer and belief he will change; learned helplessness; and depression. This Article, however, focuses on a pervasive and previously unexamined reason: the victim's fear that the batterer will publicize truthful confidential information that will hurt her. If the victim were to seek the court's protection, most state courts have the authority …

Evaluating Congressional Constitutional Interpretation: Some Criteria And Two Informal Case Studies, Mark V. Tushnet

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

I begin this Essay by identifying some problems with conducting an empirical inquiry into Congress's performance in constitutional matters. I argue that there is actually only a small set of issues for which we have a reasonably clean record to evaluate. With the problems I have identified in the background, I then examine some aspects of Congress's performance in the impeachment of President William J. Clinton and, more briefly, some aspects of its response to a presidential military initiative taken without formal prior congressional endorsement. I conclude that Congress's performance in the impeachment, however flawed, was reasonably good, and that …

Expedited Hiv Testing: An Unnecessary Test That Is Allowing The State To Trample On A Woman's Constitutional Rights, Sheree Gootzeit

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that New York's expedited HIV testing for pregnant women is unconstitutional, ineffective, and invasive, violating Fourth Amendment rights and offering no significant benefits over existing laws. It asserts that the testing infringes on privacy, bodily integrity, and informed consent, while alternative methods like urine testing could achieve the same goals without such violations. The analysis emphasizes the need to protect women's rights during vulnerable periods while maintaining public health standards.

Fetal Neglect And State Intervention: Preventing Another Attleboro Cult Baby Death, Marilyn L. Miller

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note examines the legal and ethical implications of the Rebecca Corneau case, where the state intervened in her pregnancy due to concerns about the viability of her fetus and her refusal of medical care based on religious beliefs. The court balanced Corneau's constitutional rights against the state's interest in protecting the fetus, ultimately prioritizing the latter. This decision highlights the tension between individual autonomy, religious freedom, and fetal rights, raising significant questions about the limits of state intervention in pregnancy.

Drug Tests, Arrests & Fetuses: A Comment On The U.S. Supreme Court's Narrow Opinion In Ferguson V. City Of Charleston, Brigitte M. Nahas

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the Supreme Court's decision in Ferguson v. City of Charleston, where the Court ruled that a hospital's drug-testing policy for pregnant patients violated the Fourth Amendment. The analysis critiques the Court's narrow opinion for failing to provide clear guidance on future drug-testing policies, while emphasizing the unconstitutionality of using such policies primarily for law enforcement purposes. The author argues that the decision leaves unresolved questions about the balance between government interests and women's privacy and reproductive rights, particularly in the context of prenatal care and drug use.

Constitutional Classifications And The Gay Gene, Susan Becker

Journal of Law and Health

What I am going to talk about is the use of genetic information to classify individuals for purposes of the law, and more specifically, the impact of the so-called "gay gene" on legal classifications. What is really important here, and the reason I need to offer you a primer on constitutional law, is so that we all start on the same page by understanding how our laws, starting with the federal constitution, classify people for the purpose of bestowing or denying rights and benefits. This leads us to an understanding of why people object to various classifications, and an appreciation …

Inalienable Rights, Legal Enforceability, And American Constitutions: The Fourteenth Amendment And The Concept Of Unenumerated Rights, Thomas B. Mcaffee

Scholarly Works

It has become common to believe that those who ratified the Fourteenth Amendment “incorporated” not only the specific guarantees of the federal Bill of Rights, but also the other fundamental rights “retained by the people” in the Ninth Amendment. Even among those who acknowledge that the Ninth Amendment was originally a “federalism” provision that simply “retained” all that had not been granted as “powers” to the federal government are those who contend that, in light of the adoption of similar provisions in the state constitutions, by 1866 this language had become a free-floating affirmation of unenumerated rights. This Article attempts …

Turning Section 1983'S Protection Of Civil Rights Into An Attractive Nuisance: Extra-Textual Barriers To Municipal Liability Under Monell, Brian J. Serr

Georgia Law Review

This essay addresses the problem of "Making Government Pay" from a different perspective than Professor Levinson's article.1 Instead of focusing on social and economic barriers to deterrence and corrective justice, this essay will focus on the arbitrary legal barriers that the Supreme Court has placed between a constitutionally injured citizen and the municipal treasury. These legal barriers are more fairly attributable to the Supreme Court than to Congress because the barriers to establishing municipal liability under the Court's § 1983 jurisprudence are hardly self-evident from the statutory text of § 1983, nor are those barriers readily inferrable from that text. …

Afterword, Marshall S. Shapo

Georgia Law Review

It is a great pleasure to comment on these papers on a subject that has fascinated me since the beginning of my teaching career. My observations will no doubt reflect the roots of my thinking in an article I wrote on the subject in 1965' and other early publications, and, doubtless, my relative ignorance of the immense amount of case law that has flowed from courts since the mid-sixties. However, informed by a little independent study and refreshed by the commentaries, I venture a few somewhat angular thoughts. They do not" in any way pretend to be exhaustive with respect …

Corrective Justice And Constitutional Torts, Bernard P. Dauenhauer, Michael L. Wells

Georgia Law Review

Tort liability in the private realm may be understood both as "an instrument aimed... at deterrence... [and] a way of achieving corrective justice between the parties."' Following the common law model, the Supreme Court has borrowed this normative framework for constitutional torts, ruling that the aims of liability for damages are to vindicate constitutional rights and to deter constitutional violations. A recent article by Daryl Levinson takes issue vith this approach. Levinson argues that the superficial similarities between public torts and private torts conceal real differences, to which neither the Court nor scholars have paid adequate attention. The main point …

Nationalized Political Discourse, Robert F. Nagel

Publications

No abstract provided.

Getting Beyond Formalism In Constitutional Law: Constitutional Theory Matters, Erwin Chemerinsky

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Replies To Professor Chemerinsky, David W. Levy, Harry F. Tepker Jr., Arthur G. Lefrancois, Kevin W. Saunders, Michael A. Scaperlanda, Katheleen R. Guzman, Lindsay G. Robertson

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.