Constitutional Law Commons^™

Freedom Of Speech And Equality: Do We Have To Choose?, Nadine Strossen

Journal of Law and Policy

As a lifelong activist on behalf of both equality and free speech, I am convinced, based on actual experience, that these core values are mutually reinforcing, and not, as some have argued, in tension with each other. Moreover, I am convinced that this is true even for offensive or hateful speech that affronts our most cherished beliefs. However, defining hateful or offensive speech is inherently arbitrary and subjective, which raises concerns about what speech should be restricted, and how. Empowering government to punish hateful or offensive expresson necessarily vests officials with enormous discretionary power, which will inevitably lead to arbitrary …

The Academy, Campaign Finance, And Free Speech Under Fire, Bradley A. Smith

Journal of Law and Policy

This article discusses the issue of campaign finance and the impact money has on the political process in the country. The author suggests campaign finance regulations that curb the current threat it poses to the system, as well as the First Amendment itself. Lastly, the author discusses the impact academics have had on the debate and this decline in support of free speech that has resulted from the debate.

Producing Democratic Vibrancy, K. Sabeel Rahman

Journal of Law and Policy

Professor Rahman gives his thoughts and opinions on the impact of Citizens' United v. FEC and the growth of the First Amendment debate since. The comment analyzes the normative udnerstanding of democracy and the ongoing debate campaifgn finance have. Professor Rahman concludes by suggesting that the debate is wrongly focused on the indivudals being consumers of politcal speech rather than the producers of it.

A Balancing Act For American Universities: Anti-Harassment Policy V. Freedom Of Speech, Bridget Hart

Journal of Law and Policy

Legal scholars, educational administrators, journalists, and students have all witnessed a rise in students being disciplined by university officials for speech and conduct deemed inappropriate for college campuses. In endeavoring to explain this trend, some academics point to the disconnect between the Department of Education and university administrators regarding the legal standards for campus anti-harassment policies. The lack of clarity regarding what constitutes harassment on college campuses has resulted in the punishment of students by universities for speech and conduct that is normally considered to be protected speech under the First Amendment. This note first provides an overview of the …

Policing Criminal Justice Data, Wayne A. Logan, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

A Structural Etiology Of The U.S. Constitution, Charles Edward Andrew Lincoln Iv

Student Scholarship

This article offers an interpretation of the problems addressed by and the eventual purpose of the United States government. Simultaneously, it seeks to analyze and explain the continued three-part structure of the United States federal government as outlined in the Constitution. Subsequently I define the three parts of the federal government—judiciary, executive, and legislative—as explained through the lens of the Platonic paradigm of (logos = word = law), (thymos = external driving spirit = executive), and (eros = general welfare = legislative) extrapolated from Plato’s dialogues.

First, the article establishes Plato’s theory of the three-part Platonic soul as a major …

Reproduction Reconceived, Courtney Megan Cahill

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Wrongfully Convicted In California: Are There Connections Between Exonerations, Prosecutorial And Police Procedures, And Justice Reforms, Justin Brooks, Zachary Brooks

Hofstra Law Review

The article discusses possible connections between judicial reform and police procedures in wrongfully convicted exonerations in the California judicial system. It presents statistics concerning wrongful convictions in California, the concept of misidentification in wrongful convictions, false confessions, and misleading DNA and forensic evidence.

The Constitutionality Of Prison Privatization: An Analysis Of Prison Privatization In The United States And Israel, Stacey Jacovetti

Global Business Law Review

This note analyzes the constitutionality of the current state of prison privatization in the United States under the non-delegation doctrine and the due process clause. Furthermore, this note analyzes the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling holding prison privatization as unconstitutional under the Basic Law of the Right to Human Dignity and Liberty. Subsequently, an argument is made that the current authority for the utilization of private prisons in the United States is insufficient to establish the use of private prisons as constitutional. As such, this note argues that the overall scheme of privatization should provide for more detailed contracts--similar to those …

Deported By Marriage: Americans Forced To Choose Between Love And Country, Beth Caldwell

Brooklyn Law Review

As the fiftieth anniversary of Loving v. Virginia approaches, de jure prohibitions against interracial marriages are history. However, marriages between people of different national origins continue to be undermined by the law. The Constitution does not protect the marital rights of citizens who marry noncitizens in the same way that it protects all other marriages. Courts have consistently held that a spouse’s deportation does not implicate the rights of American citizens, and the Constitution has long been held inapplicable in protecting the substantive due process rights of noncitizens facing deportation. Given the spike in deportations over the past decade, hundreds …

Strange Bedfellows: Can Insurers Play A Role In Advancing Gideon's Promise, Jacqueline Mcmurtrie

Hofstra Law Review

The article discusses the role of insurers in advancing the principle of public defenders set out in the U.S. Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright, specifically the role of the group the Washington Cities Insurance Association (WCIA) in working with municipalities such as Mount Vernon, Washington, and Burlington, Washington, to bring public defense contracts into compliance with the decision in the Washington Supreme Court case Wilbur v. City of Mount Vernon.

Tunnel Vision: Causes, Effects, And Mitigation Strategies, Brian Reichart

Hofstra Law Review

The author discusses his experience concerning a case of actual innocence involving murder defendant Patricia "Patty" Prewitt with little chance of judicial remedy because of what is referred to as tunnel vision via confirmation bias on the part of legal authorities concerning the criminal investigation and subsequent trial of Prewitt, particularly a single-minded theory of culpability based on the gathered evidence. The article also discusses possible strategies of tunnel vision mitigation.

Legislative Exactions And Progressive Property, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

Exactions — a term used to describe certain conditions that are attached to land-use permits issued at the government’s discretion — ostensibly oblige property owners to internalize the costs of the expected infrastructural, environmental, and social harms resulting from development. This Article explores how proponents of progressive conceptions of property might respond to the open question of whether legislative exactions should be subject to the same level of judicial scrutiny to which administrative exactions are subject in constitutional takings cases. It identifies several first-order reasons to support the idea of immunizing legislative exactions from heightened takings scrutiny. However, it suggests …

John Roberts And Constitutional Law, Brianne J. Gorod

Cardozo Law Review

The article examines Chief Justice John Roberts's judicial approach during his first decade on the Supreme Court, highlighting his generally conservative jurisprudence while noting instances where institutional concerns about the Court's legitimacy led him to prioritize law over ideology. Roberts's record reflects a tension between his conservative ideological convictions and his commitment to the Court's institutional reputation.

Takings Liability And Coastal Management In Rhode Island, Manta Dircks

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Perspectives On Wrongful Conviction: An Introduction To The 2016 Innocence Network Conference, San Antonio, Texas, Gwen Jordan, Aliza B. Kaplan, Valena Beety, Kieth A. Findley

Hofstra Law Review

An introduction is presented that discusses various articles in the journal on the concept of wrongful conviction that were featured at the Innocence Network Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in April 2016.

The Worst Of The Worst: Heinous Crimes And Erroneous Evidence, Scott Phillips, Jamie Richardson

Hofstra Law Review

The article discusses research conducted by scholar Samuel Gross and others on the question of whether the seriousness of a crime more often leads to wrongful convictions in the U.S. justice system, utilizing data from the U.S. National Registry of Exonerations (NRE) from 1989 to 2014. The article discusses various aspects of serious crimes, aggressive interrogation, and false confession.

The Insular Citizens: America's Lost Electorate V. Stare Decisis, Nathan Muchnick

Cardozo Law Review

The note examines the historical and ongoing implications of the Insular Cases, which established a form of colonial governance over U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, denying residents full citizenship rights. It argues that these cases, rooted in outdated political and racial biases, contradict modern democratic principles and urges the Supreme Court to overturn this precedent to enfranchise Puerto Rican citizens.

Mandatory Third Party Compliance Examinations For Investment Advisers: An Sec Waterloo?, Mercer Bullard

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) appears to be on the verge of requiring investment advisers to undergo third party examinations. One justification for the rulemaking is that the Commission lacks sufficient resources to examine advisers frequently enough. Another is to create indirectly a self-regulatory organization (SRO) for investments advisers. Both may leave a rulemaking particularly vulnerable to challenge as arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedures Act. This Article considers three novel grounds on which a rulemaking may be successfully challenged. Congress has repeatedly rejected SEC requests to provide additional funding for examinations or to create an …

Like A Bad Neighbor, Hackers Are There: The Need For Data Security Legislation And Cyber Insurance In Light Of Increasing Ftc Enforcement Actions, Jennifer Gordon

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Privacy has come to the forefront of the technology world as third party hackers are constantly attacking companies for their customers’ data. With increasing instances of compromised customer information, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been bringing suit against companies for inadequate data security procedures. The FTC’s newfound authority to bring suit regarding cybersecurity breaches, based on the Third Circuit’s decision in FTC v. Wyndham Worldwide Corp., is a result of inaction—Congress has been unable to pass sufficient cybersecurity legislation, causing the FTC to step in and fill the void in regulation. In the absence of congressional action, this self-proclaimed …