Category Archives: legislation and legislatures
“Invest in Smarter Government”
Lee Drutman for Cato:
Congressional offices are thus stretched thin. They lack resources to develop and execute policies. What this means is that to get its work done, Congress has to rely significantly on lobbyists representing some very narrow interests,… Continue reading
In Glenn Reynolds’ Proposal for a “Revolving Door” Surtax Unconstitutional?
Glenn Reynolds in USA Today proposes six bills for the new Republican Congress to pass, including this:
6. Institute a “revolving door” surtax on those who make more in post-government employment. Leave a Treasury job making $150,000 a year… Continue reading
“California GOP victory: Democrats denied supermajority”
“Ex-Lawmakers Predict Post-Election Return of Earmarks”
“A Program in Legislation”
Dakota S. Rudesill, Christopher J. Walker, and Daniel P. Tokaji have posted this paper on SSRN:
This Essay urges that Legislation be conceived of not just as a single course, but as a set of curricular and extracurricular offerings that… Continue reading
“What’s In A Name? It Could Matter If You’re Writing To Your Lawmaker”
NPR reports on a fascinating (and alarming) study — I’d seen an earlier draft. Researchers emailed state legislators, asking what kind of documentation they needed; the only difference in the emails was the name of the sender (Jacob Smith… Continue reading
Battles over Municipal Charter Amendment
An interesting story in Ohio at the intersection of citizen initiatives, delegation of legislative duties, election administration, and last-minute court orders, in the municipal context. A charter amendment has been placed on the ballot, off the ballot, off the ballot,… Continue reading
“How a Bill Becomes an Ad”
The latest “I’m just a bill” parodies, courtesy of the Daily Show.
Here is my collection of earlier parodies.
“Convicted felon Roderick Wright to resign from state Senate”
“Convicted felon and California Senator Rod Wright has probably forfeited his seat”
Convincing analysis from Derek the Muller.
“Sunshine’s Shadow: Overbroad Open Meetings Laws as Content-Based, Distinct from Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws, and Constitutionally Suspect”
Steven Mulroy has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
In this Article, Professor Mulroy discusses “strict” open meetings laws applicable in many states to local legislators — laws which restrict substantive discussion of government business even among… Continue reading
“Overrides: The Super Study”
Victoria Nourse on Christiansen & Eskridge:
Overrides should be of interest to a far larger group of scholars than statutory interpretation enthusiasts. We have, in overrides, open inter branch encounters between Congress and the Courts far more typically found in… Continue reading
Now Available: Hasen, Legislation, Statutory Interpretation, and Election Law: Examples and Explanations
[Bumping to the top for the start of classes.]
[UPDATE: You can now order the book at Amazon, or electronically as a Kindle Book, or directly from the publisher.]
I am happy to announce that you … Continue reading