Constitutional Law Commons^™

Progressivist Origins Of The 2003 California Gubernatorial Recall, Kira L. Klatchko

ExpressO

Progressivist Origins of the 2003 California Gubernatorial Recall, was written in Sacramento in the midst of the first statewide recall of an elected official in California. The paper explores the nature of the recall procedure and its implementation in the state, and is chiefly an inquiry into the relatedness of the current incarnation and its Progressivist root. It focuses particularly on the recall of Governor Gray Davis, and details how shifting attitudes towards public participation have altered the procedure over time.

Brief Amicus Curiae Of Joseph R. Grodin As Amicus Curiae Supporting Neither Party (Vacatur), Elk Grove Unified School District V. Newdow, No. 02-1624 (U.S. Dec. 19, 2003), ., Neal K. Katyal

U.S. Supreme Court Briefs

No abstract provided.

Exacting Tests: Determining When A Taking Is Unconstitutional, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In the past, courts generally deferred to legislatures when determining whether a law constitutes a regulatory taking. However, not all regulations are treated equal, and different tests apply to different types of regulations. Types of land use actions with a lower threshold of constitutionally include exactions, and regulations that apply fixed fee schedules to private landowners. This article combs both federal and New York law to come to the clear determination that universal standards exist for each type of regulation.

You Can't Ask (Or Say) That: The First Amendment And Civil Rights Restrictions On Decisionmaker Speech, Helen L. Norton

Faculty Scholarship

Many antidiscrimination statutes limit speech by employers, landlords, lenders, and other decisionmakers in one or both of two ways: (1) by prohibiting queries soliciting information about an applicant's disability, sexual orientation, marital status, or other protected characteristic; and (2) by proscribing discriminatory advertisements or other expressions of discriminatory preference for applicants based on race, sex, age, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics.

This Article explores how we might think about these laws for First Amendment purposes. Part I outlines the range of civil rights restrictions on decisionmaker speech, while Part II identifies the antidiscrimination and privacy concerns that drive their …

Injustice Casts Shadow On History Of State Executions, John Bessler

All Faculty Scholarship

This article, published in the StarTribune of Minneapolis, discusses the history of lynchings and executions in the State of Minnesota. It specifically discusses miscarriages of justice that have taken place in Minnesota, along with highlighting other problems associated with capital punishment.

Say Cheese: The Constitutionality Of State-Mandated Airtime On Public Broadcasting Stations In Wisconsin, Andrew D. Cotlar

Federal Communications Law Journal

Last year, the State of Wisconsin passed legislation which would require statechartered public broadcasting television networks to carry political advertising for candidates free of charge. In this article, Andrew Cotlar raises many concerns about the wisdom of such legislation and the impact this trend may have on public broadcasters throughout the nation. The author begins by analyzing the current position of the law on political access requirements, at both federal and state levels, and then argues that the public television stations should continue to be free to exercise substantial editorial discretion. The Article proceeds to critique the Wisconsin statute as …

Equal Justice Under The Law: Why Iolta Programs Do Not Violate The First Amendment, Hillary A. Webber

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

What The Supreme Court Could Learn About The Child Online Protection Act By Reading Playboy, Shaun Richardson

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Due to the ease of Internet searching, Congress has passed the Child Online Protection Act to protect children from sexually explicit material. Although the Supreme Court has not directly decided the issue, it has hinted that the Act may survive a First Amendment challenge. In this Note, the author argues reasons why the Act should not survive a First Amendment challenge, and that measures such as parental empowerment via government-facilitated use of Internet filtering software are preferable

The Jurisprudential Revolution: Unlocking Human Potential In Grutter And Lawrence, Wilson Huhn

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

Privacy Rights Versus Foia Disclosure Policy: The "Uses And Effects" Double Standard In Access To Personally-Identifiable Information In Government Records, Michael Hoefges, Martin E. Halstuk, Bill F. Chamberlin

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The U.S. government maintains a vast amount of personally-identifiable information on millions of American citizens. Much of this information is contained in electronic databases maintained by federal agencies. Various Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters, such as journalists, marketers, and union organizers seek this information for different purposes including investigative reporting and targeted solicitations. These kinds of uses are known as "derivative uses" because this government-compiled information is requested for purposes other than the official purposes for which the information was originally gathered. These and other derivative uses of personally-identifiable information often implicate privacy concerns. Conversely, restrictions on public access …

Changes In Immigration Law And Practice After September 11: A Practitioner's Perspective, Asli U. Bali

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article examines the significant changes in U.S. immigration law and practice following the September 11 attacks, highlighting how these changes have eroded civil liberties, particularly for Arab and Muslim communities. It argues that the misuse of immigration laws as a tool for anti-terrorism has led to a shift towards a security-state apparatus, undermining constitutional protections and setting a dangerous precedent for future infringements on civil liberties.

Summary Of Seres V. Lerner, 120 Nev. Adv. Op. 95, Sally L. Galati

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The sister of a manslaughter victim, on her mother’s behalf, brought an action against the felon, who wrote a book regarding the killing of the victim, seeking to recover the felon’s book proceeds under the Nevada “Son of Sam” law. The district court found the applicable Nevada statute to be unconstitutional and dismissed the plaintiff’s action. Plaintiff appealed.

Legislative Supremacy: Myth Or Reality?, James Oakes

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

No abstract provided.

The War Powers In Brief: On The Irreducible Politics Of The Matter, Roger Pilon

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that the president does not require congressional authorization under the Declare War Clause to engage in hostile acts, as the Constitution's sparse language on war powers intentionally allows flexibility in foreign affairs. It contends that the Declare War Clause is a juridical act, not a prerequisite for initiating hostilities, and that the war powers are fundamentally political rather than legal in nature.

In The Absence Of Democracy: The Designation And Material Support Provisions Of The Anti-Terrorism Laws, Jennifer Van Bergen

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that post-9/11 laws, particularly the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) and the USA PATRIOT Act (USAPA), have dangerously expanded governmental power at the expense of civil liberties. These laws, through provisions like material support for terrorism and the designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), enable prosecutions that often violate due process and First Amendment rights. The article contends that sacrificing civil liberties for national security is both unnecessary and harmful, part of a historical pattern that undermines democracy and the rule of law.

Telric Vs. Universal Service: A Takings Violation?, Stuart Buck

Federal Communications Law Journal

While the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has had a profound positive impact on many sectors of the communications industry in the United States, local phone companies have recently faced a serious dilemma under a provision of the Act known as TELRIC. In this article, Stuart Buck presents a current analysis of the position of the telephone company and its struggle to meet costs under the TELRIC structure. The author argues that by forcing regional phone operators to grant wholesale pricing to competitors under TELRIC, while simultaneously maintaining Universal Service requirements of reduced-rate phone access to remote customers, the local phone …

Valuation Averaging: A New Procedure For Resolving Valuation Disputes, Keith Sharfman

Rutgers Law School (Newark) Faculty Papers

In this Article, Professor Sharfman addresses the problem of "discretionary valuation": that courts resolve valuation disputes arbitrarily and unpredictably, thus harming litigants and society. As a solution, he proposes the enactment of "valuation averaging," a new procedure for resolving valuation disputes modeled on the algorithmic valuation processes often agreed to by sophisticated private firms in advance of any dispute. He argues that by replacing the discretion of judges and juries with a mechanical valuation process, valuation averaging would cause litigants to introduce more plausible and conciliatory valuations into evidence and thereby reduce the cost of valuation litigation and increase the …

The "Horizontal Effect" Of Constitutional Rights, Stephen Gardbaum

Michigan Law Review

Among the most fundamental issues in constitutional law is the scope of application of individual rights provisions and, in particular, their reach into the private sphere. This issue is also currently one of the most important and hotly debated in comparative constitutional law, where it is known under the rubric of "vertical" and "horizontal effect." These alternatives refer to whether constitutional rights regulate only the conduct of governmental actors in their dealings with private individuals (vertical) or also relations between private individuals (horizontal). In recent years, the horizontal position has been adopted to varying degrees, and after systematic scholarly and …

Voter Knowledge And Constitutional Change: Assessing The New Deal Experience, Ilya Somin

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Critical Stage": Extending The Right To Counsel To The Motion For New Trial Phase, Jonathan G. Neal

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Scaling Back Constitutional Aspirations, Paula L. Miller

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

America After 9/11: Freedom Preserved Or Freedom Lost: Hearing Before The S. Comm. On The Judiciary, 108th Cong., Nov. 18, 2003 (Statement Of Viet D. Dinh, Prof. Of Law, Geo. U. L. Center), Viet D. Dinh

Testimony Before Congress

No abstract provided.

Bakri V. Israel Film Council, Dalia Dorner, Ayala Procaccia, Asher Grunis

Translated Opinions

Facts: In 2002 (“Operation Defensive Wall”), petitioner 1 filmed the responses of local Palestinians and edited them into the film “Jenin, Jenin.” After advance screenings, both domestically and abroad, and in anticipation of the film’s domestic commercial screening, petitioner requested the approval of the Israel Film Council. The Council denied its approval. Petitioners claim that this decision violates their constitutional rights and Israeli administrative law.

Held: The Court held that freedom of speech constitutes one of the fundamental principles of a democratic society. Even so, the freedom of speech is not an absolute right and, under certain conditions, it may …

A Defining Faith: "True" Religion And The Establishment Clause, Jeffrey Shulman

ExpressO

This essay examines two trends in modern church-state law. Parts I and II review the history of the Supreme Court's Establishment Clause cases. It is a history that can best be understood as a series of jurisprudential maneuvers by which the Court has sought to make room for religion in civic life. The accommodations made by the Court to religious belief and conduct have, in effect, allowed for discrimination against non-religion, and have edged the court toward a nonpreferentialist perspective on disestablishment. But the Court’s accommodating attitude amounts to more than a preference for the many varieties of religious experience. …

Delusions Of Grand Juries, Niki Kuckes

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

War And American Constitutional Order, Mark E. Brandon

Vanderbilt Law Review

In their introduction to a fine new edition of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop claim that "[i]f the twentieth century has been an American century, it is because the work of America... has been to keep democracy strong where it is alive and to promote it where it is weak or nonexistent." By "democracy" they doubtless intend something akin to "constitutional democracy," "liberal democracy," or "republican government." I take each of these to be a rough proxy for a constitutionalist system that includes (1) institutions authorized by and accountable to the people (both …

A Room Of One's Own: Morality And Sexual Privacy After Lawrence V. Texas, Marybeth Herald

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

Trial Of The Accused Taliban And Al Qaeda Operatives Captured In Afghanistan And Detained On A U.S. Military Base In Cuba, Jaime Jackson

ExpressO

A timely piece proposing solutions for issues certain to be raised in the upcoming trials of the accused Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives captured in Afghanistan and detained on a U.S. military base in Cuba. In the article, I begin by examining the history and jurisdiction of Article I and Article III courts and then address the history and structure of the Al Qaeda and Taliban regimes. After considering the Constitution, federal statutes, politics, and geographical limitations, I conclude that Al Qaeda detainees should be tried in Article III courts under terrorism statutes and Taliban detainees, as military combatants, should …

The Frictions Of Federalism: The Rise And Fall Of The Federal Common Law Of Interstate Nuisance, Robert V. Percival

Faculty Scholarship

Prior to the erection in the 1970s of a comprehensive federal regulatory infrastructure to protect the environment, transboundary pollution disputes frequently were adjudicated by the U.S. Supreme Court, exercising its original jurisdiction over disputes between states. In a series of cases commencing at the dawn of the Twentieth Century, the Court served as a national arbiter of interstate pollution disputes. This paper reviews the history of the Supreme Court's use of these cases to develop a federal common law of interstate nuisance.

The paper argues that while federal common law initially performed a zoning function by encouraging polluters to relocate …

Indianapolis V. Edmond And The Original Understanding Of The Fourth Amendment, Bruce Newman

ExpressO

In this article I examine to what extent Indianapolis v. Edmond is in keeping with the original understanding of the Fourth Amendment. I conclude that the Founders were much more concerned with searches of real property, often insisting, not only on suspicion, but also a on warrant when searches of real property are involved. Secondly, while the Founders did not consider warrants necessary for searches and seizures off of real property (which for the sake of simplicity I call searches in public areas) the evidence suggests suspicion was required. Indeed, the Fourth Amendment was a direct response to the British …