Constitutional Law Commons^™

Who Amended The Amendment?, John Olsson

ConLawNOW

The purpose and intent of the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution has been repeatedly distorted by textualist misinterpretation, orchestrated by elements of the judiciary more concerned with preserving the power of government than the rights of individual defendants. As a result, it is hard to know what the Amendment stands for, since it has been successively re‑interpreted and, effectively, amended for at least the past 80 years and possibly longer. The author argues that it is time for courts to return to the spirit of the laws that actuated the Bill of Rights over two hundred years ago, and …

The Founders On: "Does The Constitution Work?", Craig A. Stern

ConLawNOW

Whether the Constitution works depends upon the purpose of its working. Discerning that purpose, however, has resisted consensus. Consequently, this article suggests a roundabout way to supply at least a tentative answer to the question whether the Constitution works. The Founders believed that the Constitution, like any republican form of government, would work only for a moral and religious people. They framed and adopted the Constitution in that belief. John Adams warned that without morality and religion, the passions of the people “would break the strongest cords of our Constitution.” A glance at how some cords have fared with a …

A Constitutional Right To Police Protection And Classical Liberal Theory: Complement, Not Conflict, Laura Rae Dove

ConLawNOW

This article considers whether an obligation should be placed upon the State to enforce its own laws in situations where the State is in a unique position to protect particular citizens. The author argues that the current system, under which the State has virtually no obligation to enforce its own laws, affronts the classical liberal underpinnings on which the United States was founded.

The article examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s holdings in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services and in Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales. These two holdings, the author argues, do not properly consider the …

Realism Over Formalism And The Presumption Of Constitutionality: Chief Justice Roberts' Opinion Upholding The Individual Mandate, Wilson Huhn

ConLawNOW

This article examines Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion in National Federal of Independent Business v. Sebelius, a decision that upheld the constitutionality of key provisions in the Affordable Care Act. The individual mandate, the focus of this article and perhaps the most hotly contested provision in the Act, requires private citizens to purchase health insurance or face financial penalty for remaining uninsured. The individual mandate has had and will continue to have important ramifications both for the national economy and for constitutional interpretation in future cases.

First, the article addresses important repercussions of upholding the Act, including significant consequences for …

The Unconstitutionality Of Ohio's House Bill 125: The Heartbeat Bill As Analyzed Under The First Amendment Of The United States Constitution, Jessica L. Knopp

ConLawNOW

This article examines the constitutionality of Ohio’s controversial House Bill 125 (“H.B. 125”), which includes new restrictions and requirements for abortion procedures performed in Ohio. The author argues that, while the new abortion measures conflict with the Supreme Court’s Fourteenth Amendment jurisprudence established in Roe v. Wade and in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, H.B. 125 also violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by imputing religious beliefs about conception and the value of life onto all Ohioans.

The article first outlines the current legal framework for constitutionally acceptable and unacceptable abortion restrictions, including a discussion of informed consent …

Why It Is Not Unreasonable For The Police To Refuse To Provide A Copy Of The Search Warrant At The Outset Of The Search, M. Jackson Jones M.S.

ConLawNOW

This article presents numerous reasons why it would not be unreasonable for the police to refuse to provide an occupant of the premises a copy of the search warrant at the outset of the search when an occupant of the premises is present and poses no threat to the officers’ safe and effective performance of their mission. First, neither the plain text of the Fourth Amendment nor the plain text of Federal Rule 41 requires it. Second, there are numerous constitutional and statutory protections that ensure the executing official does not wrongfully execute the warrant.

In essence, requiring the police …

The Potential Tension Between A "Free Marketplace Of Ideas" And The Fundamental Purpose Of Free Speech, M. Neil Browne, Justin Rex, David L. Herrera

ConLawNOW

The authors argue that the marketplace of ideas is not competitive in the economic sense. Yet the Court often rules as if it is. What are the implications?

By assuming often that the idea market is competitive, Justices are committing the reification fallacy. They are treating an abstract belief or hypothetical construct as if it represented a concrete event or physical entity. In this instance, the Justices assume that existing markets are structured the same way idealized competitive markets are. In doing so, they treat the marketplace of ideas as inherently good, when in fact one must first determine what …

A Short Comment On Current Detainee Policy: One Step Forward And Two Steps Back, Kyndra Miller Rotunda

ConLawNOW

During the Presidential Campaign, President Obama promised to close Guantanamo Bay and to abandon Military Commissions. Shortly after taking office, he halted Military Commissions that were then underway, in order to explore other alternatives. Nearly three years later, Guantanamo Bay remains opens, and President Obama has recently resumed Military Commissions.

With the exception of a lone amendment to the Military Commissions Act, the procedures governing Military Commissions under President Obama and those under President Bush are virtually indistinguishable.

What is distinguishable is that now, under President Obama, many detainees will receive no procedural protections under the Military Commissions Act, but …

When The Chief Justice Serves In The Legislative Branch, Roy E. Brownell Ii

ConLawNOW

This article argues that the Chief Justice is considered part of the legislative branch during presidential impeachment trials. In so arguing, this article first argues, as a matter of constitutional text, that the Chief Justice during presidential impeachment trials steps into the shoes of the president of the Senate. The Chief Justice’s authority in this vein is granted by Article I, which predominantly governs the legislative branch, and not Article III, which does the same for the federal judiciary.

Indeed, the only reference to the Chief Justice in the entirety of the Constitution occurs in this context in Article I. …

Preliminary Injunctions, Excessive Entanglement, And Prior Restraints: Should Courts Treat Potential Pretrial Religious Infringement The Same As Potential Pretrial Speech Infringement?, Conor Reilly

ConLawNOW

The virtually absolute ban on prior restraints against speech is, of course, cemented in the Supreme Court’s Free Speech jurisprudence. But the doctrine may potentially apply to another important First Amendment Clause: Establishment. In free speech cases, courts almost always refuse to restrict expression prior to a determination that it is protected. This Article argues that the courts should apply the same principle in cases implicating religious liberty.

First, this Article examines a case in which a district court granted a preliminary injunction in favor of a religious group, but also imposed severe restrictions on the group’s ability to practice …

The Second Amendment Is Not Absolute, Sonja R. West

Popular Media

This article written at Slate.com on December 7, 2015 explains that like many other constitutional rights, the right to possess firearms in the 2nd Amendment, may be regulated by Congress.

December 5, 2015: Islamic Terrorism, Christian Terrorism And Jewish Terrorism, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “Islamic Terrorism, Christian Terrorism and Jewish Terrorism“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

Mcdonald V. Chicago, Self-Defense, The Right To Bear Arms, And The Future, Richard L. Aynes

ConLawNOW

In this article, Professor Richard L. Aynes, who was cited for his research by the majority in McDonald, delivers his critique on the opinion, the concurrence, and the dissent. Professor Aynes provides an in-depth analysis of Justice Thomas’ concurrence, which asserts the proper vehicle for incorporation to be the Fourteenth Amendment’s Privileges and Immunities Clause, as opposed to the traditional method employed by the court – the Due Process Clause. With contemporary legal scholarship in agreement with Justice Thomas, Professor Aynes asserts that just as the Privileges and Immunities Clause commanded the support of a ratifying nation, “it will …

Judicial Elections: The Case For Accountability, Jack Park

ConLawNOW

In this article, Jack Park defends the use of partisan elections as a method of selecting state court judges. He first frames the debate and describes its participants. The author then discusses the competing values that supporters and opponents of judicial elections advance. Finally, Mr. Park addresses the arguments for and against judicial elections, showing that, while they may not be a perfect method of selecting judges, neither are the alternatives.

Electing Our Judges And Judicial Independence: The Supreme Court's "Triple Whammy", Martin H. Belsky

ConLawNOW

In this article, Martin Belsky makes the case for judicial selection based on merit, as opposed to popular elections. Belsky cites Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Company and the recent defeat of three Iowa supreme court justices because of their opinion in a controversial gay marriage case for the proposition that judicial elections can, and do, yield unjust results. Belsky asserts the need for judicial independence, but concludes that this goal is not achievable through elections because of the “triple whammy” of constitutional limitations: (1) the First Amendment protection of the right of judges and judicial candidates to give specific, …

Crawford's Last Stand? What Melendez-Diaz V. Massachusetts Means For The Confrontation Clause And For Criminal Trials, Elizabeth Stevens

ConLawNOW

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts heralds a dramatic change for Confrontation Clause jurisprudence and for most criminal trials. Crawford v. Washington held that “testimonial” statements were admissible only if the accused had a prior opportunity to cross-examine the witness. Melendez-Diaz applied this rule to forensic evidence, holding that certificates of analysis – used in a drug trail to prove the nature and weight of the proscribed substances, and sworn to and signed by the analysts who performed the tests – are testimonial.

This article analyzes Melendez-Diaz’s implications for the Court’s Confrontation Clause jurisprudence and for the …

The Second Amendment Standard Of Review After Mcdonald: "Historical Guideposts" And The Missing Arguments In Mcdonald V. City Of Chicago, Patrick J. Charles

ConLawNOW

In this article, Patrick Charles addresses the first step in analyzing Second Amendment challenges – whether the challenged conduct was “publicly accepted” or “publicly understood” as within the scope of the Second Amendment, circa 1791. This article also analyzes two premises on which the McDonald plurality based its decision, ultimately concluding that those premises are inaccurate. In his opinion, Justice Alito asserted that State constitutions at the time of the founding generally protected an individual right to keep and bear arms. However, an in-depth examination of all State constitutional provisions suggests otherwise. Secondly, John Bingham’s understanding of what the Fourteenth …

Citizens United: Correct, Modest, And Overdue, Allison R. Hayward

ConLawNOW

In this article, Professor Allison Hayward seeks to refute the criticisms leveled at the outcome in Citizens United. Professor Hayward maintains that the “long-standing precedent” overturned by the majority was not firmly rooted, having only been around for a mere 20 years. She further argues that Citizens United is a proper application of First Amendment doctrine. Lastly, Professor Hayward argues that corporations play an important role in our society, most especially those non-profit entities which so often are associated with political advocacy.

The Roberts' Court Takes A Sledge Hammer To Ashwander And Cautious Constitutional Jurisprudence: Citizens United V. Federal Election Commisson, Allen Shoenberger

ConLawNOW

In this January’s decision of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court overturned more than 100 years of legislative precedent, as well as its own precedent of twenty years, to permit corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on direct advocacy of the election or defeat of candidates for political office. The breadth of the holding is startling. Although the specific context considered a video-on-demand ninety minute diatribe regarding Presidential aspirant Hilary Clinton, the plain import of the holding reaches all federal and state elections, presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, judicial, and janitorial!

Chief Justice Roberts And The "Forty Thieves", Keith R. Fisher, Konstantina Vagenas

ConLawNOW

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” Whether or not one agrees with the young Shakespeare about names – and many decidedly do not – numbers (as numerologists undoubtedly will assure you) are decidedly a different story and have always been thought to have extrinsic significance.

The number forty, for example, has extensive numerological significance, principally (though not exclusively) in biblical texts. A time period in the Bible – whether in days, months, or years and whether in the books of the Old or New Testament – that features …