Legisbrief a QUICK LOOK INTO IMPORTANT ISSUES of the DAY
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Executive Targeting of Congressmen As a Violation of the Arrest Clause
Notes Executive Targeting of Congressmen as a Violation of the Arrest Clause Federal law enforcement has expanded to give the executive branch po- tent new weapons for investigating crime.' These new techniques, includ- ing undercover activity and surveillance, have created an unprecedented potential for abuses that not only endanger the constitutional rights of private citizens, but may threaten the balance of power between the exec- utive and Congress. "Executive targeting," as described in this Note, refers to the deploy- ment of law enforcement power against a congressman with intent to dis- credit him, and without prior reasonable cause to suspect that he has com- mitted a crime.2 "Legitimate law enforcement," on the other hand, takes place when the executive suspects that a crime has occurred and deploys the law enforcement power to investigate that crime. Targeting first iden- tifies a victim and then discovers his offenses; legitimate law enforcement first discovers an offense and then seeks to find out whether the actor is criminally responsible.' Although the executive can target any adversary, 1. Responsibility for early federal law enforcement was confined mainly to the United States mar- shals, the Capitol police, and the Coast Guard. B. REKTOR, FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN- cIES (passim) (1975). Prohibition and the resultant rise in organized crime expanded federal law enforcement. L. DODD & R. SCHOTT, CONGRESS AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE 29 (1979). See also Note, The Scope of FederalCriminal Jurisdiction Under the Commerce Clause, 1972 U. ILL. L. F. 805, 806-07 (invention and success of automobile an impetus toward expanding federal criminal jurisdiction). -
The Rights of Legislators and the Wrongs of Interpretation: a Further Defense of the Constitutionality of Legislative Supermajority Rules
MCGINN1 06/04/98 1:32 PM Essay THE RIGHTS OF LEGISLATORS AND THE WRONGS OF INTERPRETATION: A FURTHER DEFENSE OF THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF LEGISLATIVE SUPERMAJORITY RULES JOHN O. MCGINNIS† MICHAEL B. RAPPAPORT†† In 1995, the House of Representatives adopted a rule that re- quires a three-fifths majority of those voting to pass an increase in in- come tax rates.1 More than two years later, debate continues over a rule whose constitutionality has been controverted in Congress, in the courts, and in academia. Although a majority of the House passed the three-fifths rule again in 1997,2 several Representatives challenged its constitutionality in court.3 In the academic debate, the latest entry is Rights of Passage: Majority Rule in Congress by Jed Rubenfeld.4 Professor Rubenfeld claims that the three-fifths rule † Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School. †† Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law. The authors would like to thank Larry Alexander, Carl Auerbach, Stuart Benjamin, John Duffy, Michael Herz, Shaun Martin, Michael Ramsey and Erela Katz Rappaport for their comments and assistance. 1.See H.R. Res. 6, 104th Cong. §106(a) (1995), reprinted in CONSTITUTION, JEFFERSON’S MANUAL, AND RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, H.R. DOC. No. 103-342, at 658 (1995) (Rule XXI(5)(c)). 2.See H.R. Res. 5, 105th Cong. §106(a) (1997) (re-adopting Rule XXI(5)(c) with minor modifications, but not changing the three-fifths requirement); RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 105th Cong., Rule XXI(5)(c) (1997), available at <http://lcweb.loc.gov/ global/legislative/hrules/hrulestoc.html>. -
The Constitutionality of Legislative Supermajority Requirements: a Defense
The Constitutionality of Legislative Supermajority Requirements: A Defense John 0. McGinnist and Michael B. Rappaporttt INTRODUCTION On the first day of the 104th Congress, the House of Representatives adopted a rule that requires a three-fifths majority of those voting to pass an increase in income tax rates.' This three-fifths rule had been publicized during the 1994 congressional elections as part of the House Republicans' Contract with America. In a recent Open Letter to Congressman Gingrich, seventeen well-known law professors assert that the rule is unconstitutional.3 They argue that requiring a legislative supermajority to enact bills conflicts with the intent of the Framers. They also contend that the rule conflicts with the Constitution's text, because they believe that the Constitution's specific supermajority requirements, such as the requirement for approval of treaties, indicate that simple majority voting is required for the passage of ordinary legislation.4 t Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School. tt Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law. The authors would like to thank Larry Alexander, Akhil Amar, Carl Auerbach, Jay Bybee, David Gray Carlson, Lawrence Cunningham, Neal Devins, John Harrison, Michael Herz, Arthur Jacobson, Gary Lawson, Nelson Lund, Erela Katz Rappaport, Paul Shupack, Stewart Sterk, Eugene Volokh, and Fred Zacharias for their comments and assistance. 1. See RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, EFFECTIVE FOR ONE HUNDRED FOURTH CONGRESS (Jan. 4, 1995) [hereinafter RULES] (House Rule XXI(5)(c)); see also id. House Rule XXI(5)(d) (barring retroactive tax increases). 2. The rule publicized in the Contract with America was actually broader than the one the House enacted. -