Constitutional Law Commons^™

Functioning Just Fine: The Unappreciated Value Of The Supreme Court Confirmation Process, Lori A. Ringhand, Paul M. Collins Jr.

Scholarly Works

Scholars, politicians, and legal commentators from across the ideological spectrum seem to agree that the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation process is broken and needs to be fixed. Reform proposals vary, but share a common assumption that if we do not do something the legitimacy of the Court will be at risk.

This Article presents an alternative view, arguing that the confirmation process is in fact functioning just fine. The way we confirm Supreme Court nominees today is not perfect, but nor is it all that bad. If there is a crisis facing the high Court today, it lies not in …

A Sociology Of Constituent Power: The Political Code Of Transnational Societal Constitutions, Christopher Thornhill

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This article proceeds from a critical sociological revision of classical constitutional theory. In particular, it argues for a sociological reconstruction of the central concepts of constitutional theory: constituent power and rights. These concepts, it is proposed, first evolved as an internal reflexive dimension of the modern political system, which acted originally to stabilize the political system as a relatively autonomous aggregate of actors, adapted to the differentiated interfaces of a modern society.

This revision of classical constitutional theory provides a basis for a distinctive account of transnational constitutional pluralism or societal constitutionalism. The article argues that the construction of transnational …

Private Governance Of Knowledge: Societally-Crafted Intellectual Properties Regimes, Dan Wielsch

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The evolutionary challenge global society faces is the decentralized development of legal rules that multilaterally protect social autonomies from violating each other. At the national level, democratic constitutions provide for the resolution of conflicts between different normative worlds, although the focus here is certainly on the protection of autonomies from political encroachment. However, political constitutions make sure that legal orders consider a plurality of normative perspectives. In contrast, international lawmaking can exclusively link to a specific social rationality, lacking any impartial forum for normative reconciliation. This is of special importance for the governance of intellectual resources. The incorporation of international …

The Future Of Societal Constitutionalism In The Age Of Acceleration, Riccardo Prandini

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The aim of this article is to reframe the debate on societal constitutionalism and constitutionalization from a spatial to a temporal framework. This analytical shift is due to the dramatic acceleration of societal processes, which are increasingly crossing the spatial boundaries of nation-states and of all the other social structures embedded in peculiar places. This high-speed society is characterized by the so-called temporalization of complexity, which influences every aspect of social life and, in particular, the "validity" of law. On the basis of this theoretical background, I would like to show that changing the form of observation from a spatial …

Ordered Liberty: Response To Michael Dorf, James E. Fleming, Linda C. Mcclain

Faculty Scholarship

We appreciate Michael Dorf's serious engagement with our book and his conclusion that “it responds effectively to the charge that liberalism focuses on rights to the exclusion of responsibilities.” 1 He charges us, however, with an “errant theodicy” - with making the “claim that we have . . . the freedoms we have in virtue of a freestanding principle that respectful treatment of persons requires granting them autonomy as responsibility.” 2 He also criticizes us for deriving basic liberties from a “freestanding interest in autonomy.” 3 In this response we aim to clarify our argument concerning responsibility as autonomy and …

June 29, 2013: The Other Side Of The Us Supreme Court Decisions, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “The Other Side of the US Supreme Court Decisions“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

Doe V. Supreme Sharia Court Of Appeals, Edna Arbel, Miriam Naor, Noam Sohlberg

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.]

A petition against the decision of the Sharia Court of Appeals that it is not possible to appoint a female arbitrator under Section 130 of the Ottoman Family Law for divorce proceedings conducted before the court. According to the Sharia court, Section 130 of the Ottoman Family Law is based on the Maliki interpretation. Since the Malikis require that the arbitrators be men, women …

Gary Wall, Plaintiff-Appellant V. James Wade, Et Al., Defendants-Appellees: Reply Brief Of Appellant, Tillman J. Breckenridge, Robert M. Luck Iii, Patricia E. Roberts

Appellate and Supreme Court Clinic

No abstract provided.

Shtanger V. Speaker Of The Knesset, Asher Grunis, Hanan Melcer, Elyakim Rubinstein

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.]

A petition which focuses on the question of the legality of two arrangements in the Criminal Procedure (Enforcement Powers – Detention) Law, 5756-1996 (hereinafter: the "Detention Law") which were added to the Detention Law, in the framework of Amendment no. 8 to the Law, which was legislated by the Knesset on March 14. 2011. The first arrangement amends Section 53 of the Detention Law. …

June 24, 2013: So, Is Religion Disappearing Or Getting Stronger?, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “So, Is Religion Disappearing or Getting Stronger?“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

June 18, 2013: Growing Secular Hostility Toward Religion In Europe, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “Growing Secular Hostility Toward Religion in Europe“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

June 17, 2013: Chen Guangcheng To Leave Nyu, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “Chen Guangcheng to Leave NYU“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

Tapp, George Hambleton, 1900-1994 (Sc 2739), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2739. Paper titled “Should Kentucky Revise Her 1891 Constitution by Convention?” written by George Hambleton Tapp and dated August 1947.

June 13, 2013: The Return Of The Cicadas, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “The Return of the Cicadas“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.

Lower Court Compliance With Supreme Court Remands, Elise Borochoff

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Congress Practices Medicine: How Congressional Legislation Of Medical Judgment May Infringe A Fundamental Right, Shannon L. Pedersen

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Striking A Balance: The Speech Or Debate Clause’S Testimonial Privilege And Policing Government Corruption, Jay Rothrock

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fifth Amendment Protection For Public Employees: Garrity And Limited Constitutional Protections From Use Of Employer Coerced Statements In Internal Investigations And Practical Considerations, J. Michael Mcguinness

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

What Is Anthony Kennedy Thinking?, Sonja R. West

Popular Media

Supreme Court watchers have long made a national sport out of parsing Justice Anthony Kennedy’s every word. From issues as diverse as the death penalty, terrorism, and gay rights, Kennedy has been the only conservative justice to vote with the court’s more liberal wing. It’s not surprising, therefore, that as we wait for the court’s decision on same-sex marriage bans, the search for clues to Kennedy’s thinking has shifted into high gear.

In March, during the oral argument about California’s same-sex marriage ban, Kennedy said that he was “trying to wrestle” with a “difficult question” about the constitutionality of same-sex …

June 8, 2013: Chen Guangcheng Comes To Pittsburgh, Bruce Ledewitz

Hallowed Secularism

Blog post, “Chen Guangcheng Comes to Pittsburgh“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.