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Justice Barrett, Purposivism, and the Affordable Care Act

Justice Barrett, Purposivism, and the Affordable Care Act

Between President Trump’s nomination of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s former Supreme Court seat and her confirmation, the Justice and her nomination dominated headlines and monopolized what remained of American attention spans already saturated by an election and the COVID-19 pandemic. With Senator Kamala Harris’ dual role as the democratic nominee for Vice President and a member of the Judiciary Committee, much of that attention focused on her questioning of Justice Barrett. But Justice Barrett’s response…

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COVID-19 and the Shadow Docket: The Supreme Court and the Pandemic

COVID-19 and the Shadow Docket: The Supreme Court and the Pandemic

The Supreme Court has two dockets. The first—and far more public—docket comprises the roughly eighty cases each Term that undergo extensive briefing and oral arguments before the Court. These cases can take months, or even more than a year, from the filing of a cert petition to issuance of an opinion by the Court. The second, often referred to as the “shadow docket,” includes a number of requests for emergency equitable relief. For cases on the shadow docket, the Court…

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Update on Confirmation Process

Update on Confirmation Process

The following piece is a part of NULR of Note’s “Bring Back The ‘90s” initiative, aimed at exploring the evolution of legal thinking over the past three decades. For more, click here. Writing in 1990, not long after the conclusion of Robert Bork’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, I noted the growing—although not uncontested—consensus that senators should attempt to shape constitutional meaning by aggressively inquiring about the nominee’s beliefs about interpretive methods, legal philosophy, doctrines, and even specific cases. I lamented…

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Role of Private Parties in Public Governance

Role of Private Parties in Public Governance

The following piece is a part of NULR of Note’s “Bring Back The ‘90s” initiative, aimed at exploring the evolution of legal thinking over the past three decades. For more, click here. In Fragmenting the Unitary Executive, I explored the constitutionality of congressional delegations to private parties outside of the federal government.  The Supreme Court, pursuant to the Due Process Clause, had invalidated a few congressional delegations to private parties earlier in the century (see, e.g., Carter v. Carter Coal)…

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