Constitutional Law Commons^™

As A Matter Of Fact: Factual Methodology In Obergefell V. Hodges And Its Implications For Public Policy, Clint Hamilton

The Kabod

What are the implications of the confusing decision the Supreme Court reached in Obergefell v. Hodges that challenged the definition of marriage as legal bond between a man and a woman. Much of this confusion has arisen because instead of following the usual factual methodology to reach this groundbreaking (and very controversial) decision, the Supreme Court used an abnormal pattern of fact-finding. The use of abnormal methodology resulted in many complicated and tumultuous policy questions at both the State and National levels of government. This paper investigates both the methodology that resulted in the Supreme Court’s decision and its ramifications.

Female Autonomy: An Analysis Of Privacy And Equality Doctrine For Reproductive Rights, Elizabeth Levi

Political Science Honors Projects

What is the constitutional basis for women’s equality? Recently, scholars have suggested that as the right to privacy has floundered against the political undoing of women's access to abortion, equal protection arguments have grown stronger. This thesis investigates the feminist utility and limits of the equality and privacy arguments. Taking liberal feminism and feminist legal theory as analytical lenses, I offer interpretations of gender discrimination, reproductive rights, and marriage equality case law. By this framework, I argue that while an equality argument is less inherently oppressive towards women than the privacy doctrine, equality doctrine has been constructed thus far to …

My Body, Not My Say: How Roe V. Wade Endangers Women's Autonomy, Kisha K. Patel

Politics Honors Papers

When defining women’s rights to reproductive decisions in Roe v. Wade, Justice Blackmun fails to ensure protection for women by defining this right in the privacy doctrine. Justice Blackmun’s opinion allows the government to interpret and apply the doctrine to deny women access and availability to reproductive health. This can be shown by the subsequent Supreme Court decisions on privacy that allow the government to overrule the right of the individual woman. This allows for the government to effectively deny women the right to abortion and ultimately prevents women from making independent autonomous decisions. The laws and regulations against …

April 24, 2017: What Is At Stake In The Hypocrisy Of Originalism?, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “What is at Stake in the Hypocrisy of Originalism?“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

Fitting A Gun In A Circle–A How-To Guide: A Comprehensive Look At The Standard Of Review For Gun Regulations Under The Second Amendment, Beth Coplowitz

University of Miami Law Review

In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court’s landmark Second Amendment case, the Court held that the right to bear arms is an individual right aimed at self-defense in the home. Two years later, McDonald v. City of Chicago extended this right to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. However, lower courts were left with little guidance on what level of scrutiny to apply to gun regulations. As a result, courts have applied various levels of scrutiny including intermediate scrutiny, strict scrutiny, a two-step inquiry that leads to either intermediate or strict scrutiny, and an undue burden standard. Of …

Habeas As Forum Allocation: A New Synthesis, Carlos M. Vázquez

University of Miami Law Review

The scope of habeas relief for state prisoners, especially during the decades before the Supreme Court’s 1953 decision in Brown v. Allen, is a famously disputed question—one of recognized significance for contemporary debates about the proper scope of habeas review. This Article provides a new answer. It argues that, until the enactment of Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (“AEDPA”), it was broadly accepted that state prisoners were entitled to plenary federal review of the legal and mixed law/fact questions decided against them by state courts. Until 1916, such review was provided by the Supreme Court; after 1953, …

Sex Reassignment Surgery & The New Standard Of Care: An Analysis Of The Role The Federal Court System, The States, Society, And The Medical Community Serve In Paving The Way For Incarcerated Transgendered Persons' Constitutional Right To A Sex Change, Victor J. Genchi

Barry Law Review

No abstract provided.

Standing, Politics, And Exhaustion: A Response To Legislative Exhaustion, Heather Elliott

William & Mary Law Review Online

Professor Michael Sant’Ambrogio’s article, Legislative Exhaustion, usefully approaches the problem of “legislative standing” by abandoning the typical Article III standing analysis and making instead a separation-of-powers argument. His theory—that Congress may sue the President only when it has no legislative avenue for addressing its problems—provides both a workable account of and a limiting principle for suits by the legislative branch against the executive. His analysis, however, raises questions regarding the effect of legislative lawsuits on the constitutional balance of powers. This Essay suggests that these questions should be more fully explored before Professor Sant’Ambrogio’s approach can be adopted. It concludes …

The Vice Presidency In Five (Sometimes) Easy Pieces, Vikram David Amar

Pepperdine Law Review

The public perception of the Vice President is that of an individual with little actual authority, but who has the potential to be thrust into the most powerful office in the world. But the modern Vice President has additional responsibilities that many often forget. Contrary to public perception, the Vice President’s role as President of the Senate carries important Constitutional responsibilities, such as the ability to weigh-in with tie-breaking votes in the Senate or preside over impeachment trials. Though overlooked, these are important and powerful responsibilities. Additionally, the Vice President has assumed the role of Presidential “running mate” and with …

Oh, Vpotus, Where Art Thou? The Constitutional Situs Of The Vice Presidency As Surveyed By A Former Vice Presidential Lawyer, Shannen W. Coffin

Pepperdine Law Review

A dispute between a federal oversight authority and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) prompted an unprecedented public discussion regarding the proper location and role of the vice presidency when Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff challenged an audit of classified information on the grounds that the OVP was not an entity within the Executive Branch. The modern role of the Vice President is generally viewed as advisor and supporter of the President, with all executive authority vested in the President. Conversely, the Vice President presides as President of the Senate, casting tie-breaking votes when necessary. This dual role invokes …

The Vice Presidency In The Twenty-First Century, Jody C. Baumgartner

Pepperdine Law Review

The vice presidency has undergone almost revolutionary change since its inception 227 years ago. Conceived as a convenient solution to a problem created by the Electoral College, the Vice President has only two constitutional functions—to serve as a successor to the President and as the President of the Senate. However, over the past sixty years, vice presidents have become increasingly part of and integral to American governance, and the last three (Al Gore, Dick Cheney, and Joe Biden) have been exceptionally active executive actors. What was once an all-but forgotten office is now an essential part of a president’s administration. …

The Vice President-More Than An Afterthought?, Richard B. Cheney, Edwin Meese Iii, Douglas W. Kmiec

Pepperdine Law Review

A round-table discussion among former U.S. Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Caruso Family Professor of Law and retired U.S. Ambassador Douglas Kmiec, and former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III considered the practical implications of conceiving the Vice President as a legislative officer, an executive officer, or both. It was noted that until the second half of the twentieth century, the Office of the Vice President was conceived as legislative. Funding for the Office appeared in budget lines relating to Congress and physically, the Vice President’s office was in the Capitol. Beginning with Walter Mondale’s service as Vice President, presidents …

A Constitutional Afterthought: The Origins Of The Vice Presidency, 1787 To 1804, Edward J. Larson

Pepperdine Law Review

At the origins of the office, even though the Vice President was, as its first occupant John Adams declared, “only one breath” away from the presidency, the Office of the Vice President was an afterthought of the Constitutional Convention. Never discussed during the first three months of the four-month long Convention, the Committee of Eleven introduced the vice presidency as a byproduct of how it resolved to fix the presidential selection process. Under this process, the Electoral College emerged, with each state assigned the same number of electors as its members in the House of Representatives and Senate. Each elector …

Failure To Act And The Separation Of Powers-The Vice Presidency And The Need To Surmount Divided Power In Pursuit Of A Workable Government, Douglas W. Kmiec

Pepperdine Law Review

Is the Vice President an executive officer, a legislative officer, or both? This query has existed since the time of the founding. The question poses more difficulty than one might suppose, and it remains unsettled. It can be convenient to ignore questions that one cannot answer, and thus, the Vice President has been the object of political humor and treated as an appendage without present function. Yet, because we attribute great genius to those who drafted the Constitution, what is the effect of leaving this high-ranking officer without adequate definition or purpose? For the first century and a half of …

Find My Criminals: Fourth Amendment Implications Of The Universal Cell Phone "App" That Every Cell Phone User Has But No Criminal Wants, Christopher Joseph

Barry Law Review

No abstract provided.

Discrimination And Association, Caleb C. Wolanek

Concordia Law Review

In September 2016, the United States Commission on Civil Rights issued a report entitled Peaceful Coexistence: Reconciling Nondiscrimination Principles with Civil Liberties. In that report, the Commission argued that the law permits—and justice requires—that decision-makers prioritize nondiscrimination over civil liberties like freedom of religion and freedom of association. For example, the report endorsed the view that religious liberty should be limited as much as possible to freedom of belief; conduct “should conform to law.” This is because religion is discriminatory and can be used as a front for discriminatory activities. Nondiscrimination policies, in contrast, “are of preeminent importance.” Religious exemptions …

The Other Preamble: Civic Constitutionalism And The Preamble To The Bill Of Rights, John E. Finn

Concordia Law Review

This Article considers the civic constitutionalist nature of the Preamble to the Bill of Rights. Civic constitutionalism is a mode of reading constitutional texts that considers power in political, as opposed to legal, terms. Thus, the civic constitution gives citizens, not judges, the primary duty for ensuring a constitutionally compliant society. This Article also presents the underlying reasons, effects, and costs of the obscurity of the civic constitution and, more specifically, the Preamble to the Bill of Rights.

Perspectives From The Bench On Feminist Judgments, Elinore Marsh Stormer

ConLawNOW

Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer, probate judge in Summit County, Ohio, gave these remarks as part of a panel discussion on feminist judging. The discussion took place at a conference sponsored by the Center for Constitutional Law at the University of Akron in October 2016. Judge Stormer offered insights on her own experience as a woman judge and on the role of judges addressing issues of gender equality in their courts.

Reporter's Privilege And The First Amendment, Angela M. Demeo

The Catholic Lawyer

No abstract provided.

The Constitutional Principle Of Equality And Sex-Based Differential Treatment In American Law, Allen Sultan

The Catholic Lawyer

No abstract provided.

In Search Of Evidence Against A Criminal Defendant: The Constitutionality Of Judicially Ordered Surgery, Brendan J. Hanley

The Catholic Lawyer

No abstract provided.

The Missouri Student Transfer Program, Howard E. Fields Iii

Dissertations

In 1993, the state of Missouri passed the Outstanding Schools Act. This law was created as a means to ensure that “all children will have quality educational opportunities, regardless of where in Missouri they live.” Section 167.131 of this law states that an unaccredited district must pay the tuition and transportation cost for students who attend an accredited school in the same or adjoining district. This portion of the law became known as the Student Transfer Program.

The Riverview Gardens School District (RGSD) was one of three unaccredited school districts in the state of Missouri in 2013. With close to …

The “True Man” And His Gun: On The Masculine Mystique Of Second Amendment Jurisprudence, C. D. Christensen

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

The Supreme Court’s recent Second Amendment jurisprudence raises serious normative questions for the use of self-defense with a firearm. This jurisprudence also implicates our prevailing social norms with respect to socially constructed and structurally pervasive gender roles. I argue that a peculiarly American conception of masculinity underpins the judicial construction of the Second Amendment’s core purpose as guaranteeing the right to armed defense of one’s self and one’s home. The Court’s recent Second Amendment rulings create an individual protection for gun ownership and incorporate the same against the States. But the Court’s reasoning entangles this protection with an implicit valuation …

April 14, 2017: The Judicial-Industrial Complex, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “The Judicial-Industrial Complex“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

Mcdonnell V. United States: Defining “Official Action” In Public Corruption Law, Christopher Murphy

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

McDonnell v. United States involved the former Governor of Virginia leveraging the power of his position to help a wealthy constituent gain access to top state decision makers in exchange for valuable gifts and loans. The Government argued that conduct like setting up phone calls and meetings, as well as hosting receptions on behalf of the constituent was sufficient to constitute an “official act” under public corruption laws. Governor McDonnell argued for a narrower interpretation of “official act,” claiming that his conduct was akin to run of the mill things public officials do every day to benefit their constituents. The …

Constitution Day Lecture: American Constitutionalism, Almost (But Not Quite) Version 2.0, Richard H. Fallon, Jr.

Maine Law Review

On February 7, 2012, a front-page article in The New York Times reported that the Constitution of the United States has ceased to be the leading model for constitution-writers in other countries. According to The Times, and to the law review article on which The Times based its report, the U.S. Constitution has fallen increasingly out of alignment with an evolving international consensus regarding the individual rights that a constitution ought to protect. In addition, the constitutions of other countries copy the structural provisions of the U.S. Constitution—involving federalism and the separation of powers—far less frequently than they once did. …

What Is The Relevant Parcel? Clarifying The "Parcel As A Whole" Standard In Murr V. Wisconsin, Gavin S. Frisch

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Murr v. Wisconsin seeks to determine whether commonly-owned, adjacent parcels of land are considered as 1 or 2 parcels for purposes of analyzing a regulatory takings claim. Nearly 40 years ago, the Court in Penn Central rejected a property owner's takings claim which segmenting the entire parcel into discrete property rights because a compensatory taking must result from governmental action which interferes with the "parcel as a whole." In Murr, property owners argue that a local zoning ordinance effected a taking of one of their two adjoining parcels because the ordinance prohibited the owners from developing their lot. I …

The Law Court's Proper Application Of Miranda In State V. Bragg: A "Matter-Of-Fact Communication" To The Defendant Regarding Evidence Against Him Will Not Typically Constitute "Interrogation", Stephen B. Segal

Maine Law Review

In State v. Bragg, Tammy Bragg was convicted of a Class D crime for operating under the influence (OUI) at the completion of a jury trial, and was ordered to pay a fine of $800 and her license was suspended for ninety days. During her trial, Bragg submitted a motion to suppress statements she made in the police officer’s vehicle and the police station on the grounds that she was not read her Miranda warnings prior to making the statements. The Superior Court denied her motion, however, concluding that Miranda warnings were not necessary in the officer’s vehicle because her …

Liberty Of Palate, Samuel R. Wiseman

Maine Law Review

As lawmakers concerned with problems as diverse as childhood obesity, animal cruelty, and listeria have increasingly focused their attention on consumers, legal issues surrounding food choice have recently attracted much broader interest. Bans on large sodas in New York City, fast food chains in South Los Angeles, and foie gras in California and Chicago have provoked national controversy, as have federal raids on raw milk sellers. In response, various groups have decried restrictions on their ability to consume the food products of their choice. A few groups have organized around the principle of what we might call liberty of palate, …

Preempting Humanity: Why National Meat Ass'n V. Harris Answered The Wrong Question, Pamela Vesilind

Maine Law Review

The 2011-12 Supreme Court term was notable for high profile cases about state undocumented immigrant law, GPS-enabled police searches,chronic liars claiming military honors, and the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act. As such, it is unsurprising that the decision in National Meat Ass’n v. Harris,notable for its unanimity and matter-of-fact concision, received relatively little attention from the media or the academy. Nevertheless, National Meat is a bellwether federalism opinion, the significance of which has been widely overlooked. At first blush, the legal question in National Meat appeared to be relatively unremarkable: whether the USDA’s slaughterhouse and packing plant regulations …