Constitutional Law Commons^™

Privacy And Access To Public Records In The Information Age, Sol Bermann

ExpressO

Online public record access brings a wealth of benefits ranging from greater government access and accountability to increased cost-savings and efficiencies. However, due to the presence of highly sensitive, personal data, an increase in public records access also brings potential dangers, including heightened risk of identity theft and frivolous snooping into the affairs of others.

Historically, public records have had some measure of public accessibility in order to empower citizens with the ability to observe the goings-on of government, leading to greater government accountability. Until the rise of the internet, citizens have had their privacy protected through practical obscurity (the …

Daimlerchrysler V. Cuno: An Escape From The Dormant Commerce Clause Quagmire?, S. Mohsin Reza

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Clear And Present Danger Test In Anglo-American And European Law, David G. Barnum

San Diego International Law Journal

This Article will examine the role that the danger test has played in the decisions of American courts and, more recently, in the decisions of British courts and the enforcement organs of the European Convention. Part I will briefly trace the immediate Anglo-American constitutional background from which the danger test emerged. It particular, it will examine the way in which the common law offense of seditious libel was defined by British judges and judicial commentators in the late nineteenth century. Part II will focus on the evolution in American law of judicial attempts to articulate both a "content-based" and an …

Public Trust And Political Legitimacy: Conflict Of Interests And The Role Of The Parliament's Speaker In Israel And Europe, Lior Zemer, Eyal Kimel, Sharon Pardo

San Diego International Law Journal

In its six sections, this Article examines the role of Speakers, the nexus between their many duties and powers, possible points of conflict among their different duties, as well as the connection between their official duties and personal interests. This Article takes the role of the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament as its organizing principle. Sections Two and Three discuss the constitutional underpinnings of conflicts of interest and the way in which these apply to Members of the Knesset. Section Four takes the Israeli Speaker as a test case and explores in greater details the many flaws and conflicts inherent …

The Puzzle Of State Constitutions, Jim Rossi

Buffalo Law Review

Book review of James A. Gardner's Interpreting State Constitutions: A Jurisprudence of Function in a Federal System

Where Do We Draw The Line? Partisan Gerrymandering And The State Of Texas, Whitney M. Eaton

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Resisting Deep Capture: The Commercial Speech Doctrine And Junk-Food Advertising To Children, David Yosifon

Faculty Publications

The present Article is more precisely dedicated to analyzing, from a critical realist perspective, the wisdom and constitutional viability of one possible policy response to the obesity crisis: a ban on junk-food advertising to children.

This Article seeks not only to show that an effective junk-food advertising ban could pass constitutional scrutiny, but also to demonstrate, through the rigor of a constitutional analysis, the wisdom of such an approach to this substantial social problem. Simultaneously, my purpose is to show, in the context of a difficult First Amendment question, that the critical realist approach to legal theory is capable of …

The Puzzle Of State Constitutions, Jim Rossi

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

In a series of groundbreaking articles published over the past fifteen years, James Gardner has led the charge to make state constitutionalism a part of the constitutional law discussion more generally. His new book, Interpreting State Constitutions: A Jurisprudence of Function in a Federal System, steps beyond his study of specific issues in state constitutionalism to lay out an ambitious theory about how state constitutions should be interpreted based on their function within a federal system. Gardner's book is a significant scholarly effort to take state constitutions seriously, in a way that transcends any one jurisdiction or constitutional provision. Gardner's …

The Current Landscape Of Race: Old Targets, New Opportunities, Richard Delgado

Michigan Law Review

It is difficult enough identifying areas within a current field of scholarship that are underdeveloped and in need of further attention. In science, one thinks of missing elements in the periodic table or planets in a solar system that our calculations tell us must be there but that our telescopes have not yet spotted. In civil-rights law, one thinks of such areas as women's sports or the problems of intersectional groups, such as women of color or gay black men. One also thinks of issues that current events are constantly thrusting forward, such as discrimination against Arabs or execution of …

The Constitutionality Of Utah's 2005 Tuition Tax Credit Proposals, Sean W. Mullaney

ExpressO

The issue of tuition tax credits for private and religious elementary and secondary schools remains a hot button political and legal issue. While the Supreme Court’s decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris provided some new parameters on the validity of school choice programs, it certainly did not end both the political and legal debate. In Utah, school choice programs have yet to pass, and come up every winter in the State Legislature.

My Comment analyses the 2005 tuition tax credit proposals through two Constitutional frameworks: the Establishment Clause and the Equal Protection Clause. Traditionally, the Supreme Court has analyzed school choice …

State V. Martinez: The Boundaries Of Judicial Discretion And The Sixth Amendment Right To Trial By Jury In Arizona, Jamie C. Couche

ExpressO

Is a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury violated when a sentencing judge considers factors beyond those found by a jury and then imposes a super-aggravated sentence? The Arizona Supreme Court says it is not violated so long as the fact-finding satisfies the Apprendi/Blakely progeny.

Finding The Constitutional Right To Education In San Antonio School District V. Rodriguez, John H. Ryskamp

ExpressO

In Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court abolished the scrutiny regime because it impermissibly interfered with an important fact, liberty. And yet, even in earlier cases which ostensibly upheld the scrutiny regime, it is difficult to see that the Court ever did so to the detriment of facts it considered important. In short, the Court often (always?) found itself raising the level of scrutiny for a fact in the same case it upheld the regime, leaving us to wonder if the scrutiny regime ever actually had any effect at all, or even whether the Court felt it was relevant. As …

Exxon Mobil Corp. V. Allapattah Services Inc., Blayre Britton

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

In diversity cases, only one plaintiff or class member must satisfy the amount in controversy requirement.

The New Constitutional Right To Maintenance In The United States, John H. Ryskamp

ExpressO

The 2003, United States Supreme Court case of Lawrence v. Texas is not a maintenance case. It abolished laws against sodomy. In doing so, however, it overruled the case which prevented a right to maintenance in the United States. In the 1937 case of West Coast Hotel v. Parrish, the Supreme Court, although sustaining a minimum wage law, nevertheless did so on the sole basis of demoting liberty (supposed by the Court to forbid minimum wage laws) to an unenforceable interest. The notion of an unenforceable interest was part of the scrutiny regime established in West Coast Hotel. The regime …

Should It Be Illict To Solicit? A Legal Analysis Of Policy Options To Regulate Solicitation Of Organs For Transplant, Alexandra K. Glazier, Scott Sasjack

ExpressO

Recently, there have been several well-publicized cases in which a patient in need of a transplant has solicited an organ through the use of commercial advertising and organized media campaigns. When deceased organs are directed to an individual as a result of solicitation rather than allocated through the national system, equity and medical utility are sacrificed. For this reason, regulation of deceased organ solicitation may be desirable. However, because solicitation of organs is likely to be considered constitutionally protected charitable speech, there are significant legal issues to consider. This article analyzes the legality of four possible policy options to resolve …

Evolution Toward Neutrality: Evolution Disclaimers, Establishment Jurisprudence Confusions, And A Proposal Of Untainted Fruits Of A Poisonous Tree, Asma T. Uddin

ExpressO

This Article deals with the controversy surrounding the teaching of evolutionary theory in American public schools, with a specific focus on disclaimers read by teachers before they teach evolution. With the rise of religious fundamentalism and the correspondent change in the American socio-legal climate, questions of religion and interpretation of the Religion Clauses of the U.S. Constitution have become increasingly pertinent. In particular, the precise relationship between the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses is of special importance with religious groups now more vocal in their articulation of their free exercise rights.

The current form of disclaimer either mentions specific religious …

The Constitution As Idea: Defining Describing Deciding In Kelo, Marc L. Roark

ExpressO

In June 2005, the Supreme Court in a Five to Four Decision marked its most controversial decision in recent memory. The case of Kelo v. City of New London, set off a fire storm of response to the Court’s ruling that economic development takings satisfied the Fifth Amendment. This essay is about Kelo. It is about how the Court uses words, how the defining ability of words create institutional space in which the Court operates, and which defines things beyond the words.

Did You Happen To Notice That Lawrence V. Texas Overruled West Coast Hotel V. Parrish?, John H. Ryskamp

ExpressO

The article points out, for the first time, the way in which Lawrence v. Texas overruled West Coast Hotel v. Parrish. Lawrence's overruling of West Coast is the first step in the demise of the "minimum scrutiny" regime, which the Court established in West Coast in 1937.

The Unbearable Lightness Of Batson: Mixed Motives And Discrimination In Jury Selection, Russell D. Covey

ExpressO

The Equal Protection Clause prohibits the use of peremptory challenges to exclude jurors on account of protected characteristics such as race and sex. Mixed-motive problems arise where the proponent of a strike confesses to have been motivated by a combination of proper and improper purposes. In other contexts, so-called “mixed-motive analysis,” which provides the challenged party an opportunity to prove that the “same decision” would have been made absent the improper motive, has been permitted. The United States Supreme Court has not yet ruled, however, on whether “mixed-motive” analysis is consistent with the governing framework set forth in Batson v. …

The Application Of Federal Common Law To Overcome Conflicting State Laws In The Supplemental Disgorgement Proceedings Of An Sec Appointed Receiver, Gauhar Naseem

ExpressO

In spite of the Erie doctrine, the application of federal common law has survived to overcome conflicting state laws in diversity actions where a federal law, interest or function is implicated. A federal court’s authority to substantively implement a federal common law rule over state law is clearest when the party to the action is a federal entity, namely an agency of the U.S. Government deriving its authority from the Constitution or some source of federal law. Analyzing such authority becomes more difficult in circumstances where parties to a diversity lawsuit are private citizens (not necessarily possessing any direct federal …

Amir V. The Great Rabbinical Court In Jerusalem, Ayala Procaccia, Mishael Cheshin, Salim Joubran

Translated Opinions

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

This petition puts to the test the question of the Rabbinical Court's authority to adjudicate a property dispute between a couple after the divorce proceeding between them has been completed, and it focuses on an alleged breach of the divorce agreement by one member of the couple. Is the matter within the jurisdiction of the Rabbinical Court or is it within the power of …

The Weldon Amendment: The Ongoing Restrictions On A Woman's Right To Choose, John Patton Fortuno

ExpressO

Under the Weldon Amendment, a “physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility” may refuse abortions, counseling, or referrals, even in cases of rape, incest, or medical emergency.

E-Lawyering, The Aba's Current Choice Of Ethics Law Rule & The Dormant Commerce Clause: Why The Dormant Commerce Clause Invalidates Model Rule 8.5(B)(2) When Applied To Internet Representations Of Clients , Michael W. Loudenslager

ExpressO

The Internet is becoming the primary manner in which some attorneys serve clients. States have already taken differing views on whether it is acceptable for an attorney to engage in electronic representations of clients. Thus, determining what jurisdiction’s law applies to such attorney conduct can be very important in deciding whether this activity constitutes the unauthorized practice of law, and, if not, the exact duties of an attorney in such representations.

This article argues that the current version of Model Rule of Professional Responsibility 8.5(b), which governs choice of ethics law, can be interpreted to apply the legal ethics rules …

Protecting Our Children And The Constitution: An Analysis Of The "Virtual" Child Pornography Provisions Of The Protect Act Of 2003, James Nicholas Kornegay

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Vagueness At The Highest Level: How The Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Brought An Infrequently Discussed Legal Topic Back Into The Spotlight--Recusal, Brett S. Garson

ExpressO

Recusal has been present in one form or another in most civilized societies dating back to the sixteenth century. Today, recusal law finds its place in American jurisprudence at §§ 144 & 455. The scarce case law and lack of scholarly attention given to recusal perpetuates its aura of ambiguity and makes application of recusal standards to real factual situations difficult. When D.C. Circuit judge John Roberts interviewed with high White House officials seven days prior to hearing Hamdan v. Rumsfeld—a case where President Bush was a defendant and also the personal designator of Salim Hamdan as an enemy combatant—the …

Discarded Deference: Judicial Independence In Informal Agency Guidance, Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz

ExpressO

In the past few years, the Supreme Court has resurrected an intermediate deference standard from the 1940s to be applied by courts in considering informal guidance issued by administrative agencies. The decision upon which the deference standard is based is a product of a political solution and not a comprehensive evaluation of how the New Deal agencies fit within traditional role of the courts as sole interpreters of the law.

This 1940s decision has evolved such that deference to the views of administrative agencies has become a matter of judicial discretion, finding deference when the views of an agency parallel …

Una Reflexión Sobre La Responsabilidad Extracontractual Del Estado En El Ecuador, Christopher Dinkel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El tema central de este ensayo trata de la responsabilidad extracontractual del Estado. Presento una breve historia y analizo los debates constitucionales acerca a este tema, dando ejemplos de juicios contemporáneos y su profundidad, para arrojar luz sobre la situación actual en el Ecuador. Hablo sobre el papel de una institución privada que se llama Corporación ProDerechos Ciudadanos que está comprometida en la lucha por respeto y el cumplimiento de los derechos de los ciudadanos, en especial por el cumplimiento de los artículos 20, 21, y 22 de la Constitución ecuatoriana. Ofrezco explicaciones del porqué no se cumple las obligaciones …

Where To Go From Here? The Roberts Court At The Crossroads Of Sentencing, Nora V. Demleitner

Scholarly Articles

As the Supreme Court has turned federal sentencing upside down in Booker, it has left a host of open questions in the wake of that decision. The outcome of these questions is often difficult to predict, for lower courts and commentators alike, as the Court has failed to develop an overarching sentencing philosophy to replace the rehabilitation-focused one that animated sentencing for so long. If the Court were to reach consensus on that issue, it would be better able to speak coherently on unresolved sentencing matters. This introduction to an Issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter highlights some of the …

You’Re So Vain, I’Ll Bet You Think This Song Is About You, Joseph W. Dellapenna

Working Paper Series

Dispelling the Myths of Abortion History covers over 1,000 years of abortion history in England and America, with special emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It presents an accurate and thoroughly fresh look at that history, reaching several unorthodox conclusions without taking sides on the merits of the abortion debate. The true history of abortion in England and America is important because Justice Harry Blackmun, drawing on the work of law professor Cyril Means, structured the argument of the majority in Roe v. Wade around the history of abortion laws. Means’ argument was later buttressed by the work of …

Considering Standing, Sincerity, And Antidiscrimination, Chapin C. Cody

Working Paper Series

This Article will establish that an unrecognized norm, the “norm of sincerity,” is an implicit factor in the standing analysis in a certain class of equal protection cases. That class of cases includes equal protection claims where 1) courts have applied the “able and ready to compete” test to determine a plaintiff’s injury in fact, and where 2) the plaintiff has complained about discriminatory access to limited government resources. In those cases, a plaintiff cannot demonstrate injury in fact sufficient to meet Article III standing unless she shows that she sincerely intends to use the benefits at stake in the …