Legal History Commons^™

Contemplating The Meaning Of "The Rule Of Law", Rodney A. Smolla

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rule Of Law Conference: Global Issues And The Rule Of Law, Lord Chief Justice Nicholas Phillips Of Worth Matravers

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mandatory Guidelines: The Oxymoronic State Of Sentencing After United States V. Booker, Hon. Graham C. Mullen, J. P. Davis

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bureaucratization And Balkanization: The Origins And Effects Of Decision-Making Norms In The Federal Appellate Courts, Stefanie A. Lindquist

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ireland 1880-2005: A Constitutional Perspective, Sir David Williams

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Promissory Estoppel: The Life History Of An Ideal Legal Transplant, Joel M. Ngugi

University of Richmond Law Review

This article hopes to accomplish three things. First, it will revisit the historical origins of the doctrine of promissory estoppel in the American law of contracts and the role that Samuel Williston, the Chief Reporter of the Restatement (First) of Contracts ("First Restatement") played in the evolution of the doctrine. The dominant theory is that Williston conceptualized the new promissory estoppel doctrine in a way that retarded and blunted the doctrine shortly after its birth. This theory is adhered to by both critics and proponents of the expansion of promissory estoppel as a ground of promissory obligation. According to both …

The Merger Of Common-Law And Equity Pleading In Virginia, William Hamilton Bryson

Law Faculty Publications

This article describes the separation of common law and equity in Virginia leading up to the 2006 merger of common law and equity pleading and the problems that remain to be solved by the courts.

Transforming Society Through Law: St. George Tucker, Women's Property Rights And An Active Republican Judiciary, Mark D. Mcgarvie

Law Faculty Publications

Few people in America in the 1790s considered women to be equal to men legally and socially. Believers in gender equality were even rarer among elite southern males who lived in a society that relied upon patriarchal authority and prescribed roles, behaviors, and attitudes for its social leaders. In this context, St. George Tucker's personal and judicial expressions of women's rights evince an unusually progressive perspective that places him in the vanguard of social and legal reform in the early republic. This directly rebuts Christopher Doyle's assertions in his examination of Tucker's commitment to gender equality and social reform. It …

James Madison’S Celebrated Report Of 1800: The Transformation Of The Tenth Amendment, Kurt T. Lash

Law Faculty Publications

It has become commonplace to describe the Rehnquist Court as having staged a "Federalism Revolution." Although the current status of the Revolution is in dispute, historical treatment of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence under Chief Justice Rehnquist no doubt will emphasize a resurgence of federalism and limited construction of federal power. Cases like Gregory v. Ashcroft, New York v. United States, United States v. Lopez, Printz v. United States, Alden v. Maine, and United States v. Morrison all share a common rule of interpretation: Narrow construction of federal power to interfere with matters believed best left under state control. The textual …

Tribute To Judge Merhige, Orran L. Brown

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Judges: Exploring The Roles Of Judicial "Intuition" And "Activism" In American Law, Rodney A. Smolla

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

To Preserve, Protect, And Defend The Constitution Of The United States, Ronald J. Bacigal

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federal Judicial Selection: The First Decade, Maeva Marcus

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bork Was The Beginning: Constitutional Moralism And The Politics Of Federal Judicial Selection, Gary L. Mcdowell

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Implications Of A Uniracial Worldview: Race And Rights In A New Era, Jonathan K. Stubbs

Law Faculty Publications

This article begins by asking, "What is Race: Some Modem Western Perspectives?" Section I surveys race from various vantage points, including views associated with social and natural scientists, jurists, and members of the general public. In short, Section I grapples with what we currently mean when we use the term race.

Many people, especially westerners, believe that the human family consists of multiple races. Such thinking flows from and reinforces multi-racial worldviews. Thus, Section II asks: "What Does a Multi-racial Worldview Look Like?" Here, using graphic symbols we attempt to communicate some sense of what a multi- racial perspective involves. …

The Prerogative Of The Sovereign In Virginia: Royal Law In A Republic, William Hamilton Bryson

Law Faculty Publications

The history of the prerogative of the sovereign, the lex prerogativa, in Anglo American jurisprudence is long and complicated. It has exercised the minds of jurists and political philosophers for many centuries, and there has not been universal agreement as to its nature and scope. The purpose of this essay, as prompted by the two quotations just given, is to describe the prerogative law and trace its development from medieval England to modem Virginia.

The Lost Jurisprudence Of The Ninth Amendment, Kurt T. Lash

Law Faculty Publications

It is widely assumed that the Ninth Amendment languished in constitutional obscurity until it was resurrected in Griswold v. Connecticut by Justice Arthur Goldberg. In fact, the Ninth Amendment played a significant role in some of the most important constitutional disputes in our nation's history, including the scope of exclusive versus concurrent federal power, the authority of the federal government to regulate slavery, the constitutionality of the New Deal, and the legitimacy and scope of incorporation of the Bill of Rights into the Fourteenth Amendment. The second of two articles addressing the Lost History of the Ninth Amendment, The Lost …

Bork Was The Beginning: Constitutional Moralism And The Politics Of Judicial Selection, Gary L. Mcdowell

Law Faculty Publications

On October 23, 1987, the United States Senate committed what many considered then-and what many still consider today-to be an unforgivable political and constitutional sin. Wielding its power to advise and consent on nominations to the Supreme Court of the United States, the upper house voted 58-42 not to confirm Judge Robert H. Bork. The vote, which was the largest margin of defeat in history for a nominee to the Supreme Court, concluded one of the most tumultuous political battles in the history of the republic, a battle that would transform the process of judicial selection for years to come.

Content And Context: The Contributions Of William Van Alstyne To First Amendment Interpretation, Rodney A. Smolla

Law Faculty Publications

William Van Alstyne’s contributions to First Amendment interpretation, like his contributions to all of American constitutional law, are characterized by a piercing intellectual honesty and an impish play of intelligence. One feels relentlessly pulled by the elegant currents of Professor Van Alsytne’s arguments, yet, at the same time, restlessly resistant, a resistance borne of the vague but certain wariness that one is but an apprentice forever consigned to a level of awareness several moves behind the master, who almost certainly will produce surprises at the end. ...

Reflections On Brown And The Future, Oliver W. Hill Sr.

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Call To Leadership: The Future Of Race Relations In Virginia, Rodney A. Smolla

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Some Old Problems In England And Some New Solutions From Virginia, William Hamilton Bryson

Law Faculty Publications

The fundamental ideal to which we aspire in the field of civil procedure is the perfect balance between expeditious results and correct results in the administration of justice. Two famous quotations from two famous English Equity judges come to mind. John Scott, Lord Eldon, the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1801 to 1827 who was often criticized for being excessively dilatory, said, 'sat cito si sat bene'. Sir George Jessel, Master of the Rolls from 1873 to 1883, once said, 'I may be wrong and sometimes am, but I never have any doubts'. Jessel had his docket under firm …

Judicial Independence In Virginia Dedicated To Chief Justice Harry L. Carrico, William Hamilton Bryson

Law Faculty Publications

The political will of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia is expressed in the Constitution of Virginia, which created the government of Virginia. Every Constitution of Virginia from 1776 to the present has divided the government among the General Assembly of Virginia, the legislature; the governor, who is the chief executive officer; and the judiciary, a system of courts. Each of these three branches of the government was created as a separate, independent branch of the government. However, they are not totally independent; they must of necessity interact. Furthermore, each Constitution of Virginia has put into place various checks …

Rebuilding The Closet: Bowers V. Hardwick, Lawrence V. Texas, And Themismeasure Of Homosexual Historiography, Jody Madeira

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

This paper acknowledges that "[i]t is now commonplace to disparage the Hardwick Justices' performance as historians, though it is less common to specify what was wrong with it''. In an effort to engage in such specification, this paper will first address mischaracterization of history in Bowers, which portrays the historic legal and ecclesiastical penalties of what the Court labels as "homosexual activities" as a continuous, unitary narrative extending from the halls of the Emperors Theodosius and Justinian to the legislative assembly rooms of Georgia and Texas. This illusory perspective portrays the criminalization of sodomy (and therefore the identity of homosexuality …

Rebuilding The Closet: Bowers V. Hardwick, Lawrence V. Texas, And The Mismeasure Of Homosexual Historiography, Jody Madeira

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This paper acknowledges that "[i]t is now commonplace to disparage the Hardwick Justices' performance as historians, though it is less common to specify what was wrong with it''. In an effort to engage in such specification, this paper will first address mischaracterization of history in Bowers, which portrays the historic legal and ecclesiastical penalties of what the Court labels as "homosexual activities" as a continuous, unitary narrative extending from the halls of the Emperors Theodosius and Justinian to the legislative assembly rooms of Georgia and Texas. This illusory perspective portrays the criminalization of sodomy (and therefore the identity of homosexuality …

The Lost Original Meaning Of The Ninth Amendment, Kurt T. Lash

Law Faculty Publications

This article presents previously unrecognized evidence regarding the original meaning of the Ninth Amendment. Obscured by the contemporary assumption that the Ninth Amendment is about rights while the Tenth Amendment is about powers, the historical roots of the Ninth Amendment can be found in the state ratification convention demands for a constitutional amendment prohibiting the constructive enlargement of federal power. James Madison's initial draft of the Ninth Amendment expressly adopted the language suggested by the state conventions and he insisted the final draft expressed the same rule of construction desired by the states. In an episode previously unnoticed by scholars, …

The Winchester Law School, 1824-1831, William Hamilton Bryson

Law Faculty Publications

On March 5, 1824, Henry St. George Tucker was elected by the General Assembly of Virginia to be the judge of the circuit superior court of chancery to sit in Winchester and Clarksburg. Tucker had built up a very successful law practice in Winchester, where he had settled in 1802 upon his admission to the bar. He had also built up a large family; he had six sons and two daughters as well as three children who died young. The elevation to the bench resulted in an increase in professional status, but it also resulted in a substantial decrease in …

Foreword, Azizah Y. Al-Hibri

Law Faculty Publications

Recent world events have also underlined the fact that the shrinking global village is not moving automatically towards increased democracy, peace and cooperation. The use of force continues to be the preferred tool for conflict resolution, despite all claims to the contrary. To complicate matters, the new technological innovations are bringing violence instantaneously to our doorstep. Conflicts in far away regions of the world can no longer be ignored. They have cast their shadow over our cities. The dream of the global village has become a nightmare, with no apparent exit. What can we do about it?

Terrorism And The Bill Of Rights, Rodney A. Smolla

Law Faculty Publications

This year is the Tenth Anniversary of the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, and the Journal is very fortunate and honored to have Professor Rodney Smolla publish an article in this year's volume. Professor Smolla played an integral role in the founding and organizing of not only the Journal, but also the Institute of Bill of Rights Law at William & Mary Law School. The J oumal extends its most appreciative thanks to Professor Smolla for all his help.

In this Article, Professor Smolla examines the right to free speech in the context of Black v. …

The Constitutional Convention Of 1937: The Original Meaning Of The New Jurisprudential Deal, Kurt T. Lash

Law Faculty Publications

The paper traces the dramatic jurisprudential innovations of the New Deal Revolution, including the articulation of incorporation theory, the abandonment of judicial construction of state common law, and the ascension of textual originalism as the Court's method of constitutional interpretation. I argue that the New Deal Court transcended the political goals of the Roosevelt administration and attempted to restructure the nature of legitimate judicial review in a post-Lochner world. Acting, in effect, as a constitutional convention, the Court not only changed the nature of judicial review, it altered the shape of the Constitution in ways that cut across modern political …