The beginnings of scholarship on judicial review

Miguel Schor mschor at suffolk.edu
Sat Feb 21 13:54:59 PST 2009


  When it comes to the  "origins" of judicial review,
  I agree with Scott that Mary Sarah Bilder's work on
  this is terrific.  My question is a little different
  and and could have been framed more happily.  It
  strikes me that a systematic scholarship regarding
  how judicial review should best be exercised began
  in earnest in the latter part of the 19th century as
  political actors, judges, and scholars grappled with
  the idea of what might constitute illegitimate
  judicial activity.  This idea (the ramifications of
  illegitimate judicial behavior) was also,
  interestingly, picked up, by scholars, constitution
  makers, and political actors abroad.  Now I may need
  to qualify my assertion (which is certainly the
  thrust of Paul Finkelman's and Mark Graber's posts)
  but I think the question of when this scholarship
  began is an important one.  Many of the debates on
  this list, after all, revolve around the issue of
  what constitutes illegitimate judicial behavior. 
  Miguel

Miguel Schor
Associate Professor of Law
Suffolk University Law School
120 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02108
617-305-6244
SSRN Webpage http://ssrn.com/author=469730


  ---- Original message ----

    Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:59:06 -0500
    From: "Gerber, Scott" <s-gerber at onu.edu>
    Subject: RE: The beginnings of scholarship on
    judicial review
    To: "Sean Wilson"
    <whoooo26505 at yahoo.com>,<conlawprof at lists.ucla.edu>
    >I read Miguel's post to be asking for the
    beginnings of _academics'_ writings about judicial
    review. The origins of judicial review itself is a
    separate question (Hamburger's book is about that;
    Mary Bilder wrote about it in Yale a few years
    ago, etc.).
    >Scott
    >
    >*****************************
    >Scott Douglas Gerber
    >Ella & Ernest Fisher Chair in Law
    >Professor of Law
    >Ohio Northern University
    >Ada, OH 45810
    >419-772-2219
    >http://www.law.onu.edu/faculty_staff/faculty_profiles/scottgerber.html
    >
    >________________________________
    >
    >From: conlawprof-bounces at lists.ucla.edu on behalf
    of Sean Wilson
    >Sent: Sat 2/21/2009 2:04 PM
    >To: conlawprof at lists.ucla.edu
    >Subject: Re: The beginnings of scholarship on
    judicial review
    >
    >
    >.. actually, as to the real origin, one would
    look at
    >
    >(a) Hamilton,
    >(b) Otis and the Writs of Assistance Cases,
    >(c) the evolution of legal philosophy as it went
    from the enlightenment period of intellectual
    history and into moral sciences period, and the
    resulting legalization of fundamental law as being
    exposited through professional orthodoxy and
    craft;
    >(d) the intellectual transformation of
    "constitutions" as being metaphysical ideation
    common to political organization of peoples, to
    being a higher form of legalism in a positivistic
    regime; and
    >(e) the organization and systemic differences of
    parliamentary and constitutional systems
    >
    >I have always wondered how it is that scholars
    still say that England had a "constitutional"
    monarchy after William and Mary. In an American
    tongue, it seems that all they had was a
    "separation of powers" monarchy that had a
    democratic component. I mean to say otherwise, one
    would have to say that prior to the rise of
    Parliament, they had a "constitutional divine
    right," because their bedrock ideas -- their
    "constitution" -- was chain of being and so forth.
    >
    >This gets back to the colorful way the English
    talk about legality over which Austin was trying
    place order.
    >
    >Judicial Review really begins with understanding
    Bonham, English "constitutionalism," and what the
    American experiment accidentally did with respect
    to design engineering. Thank goodness Madison's
    plan was rejected.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >Dr. Sean Wilson, Esq.
    >Assistant Professor
    >Wright State University
    >New Website: http://seanwilson.org
    <http://seanwilson.org/>
    >Daily Visitors:
    http://seanwilson.org/homepagelucy.html
    >SSRN papers: http://ssrn.com/author=596860
    <http://ssrn.com/author=596860>
    >
    >
    >________________________________
    >
    >From: Paul Finkelman <paul.finkelman at yahoo.com>
    >To: CONLAWPROF at lists.ucla.edu; mschor at suffolk.edu
    >Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 11:32:10 AM
    >Subject: Re: The beginnings of scholarship on
    judicial review
    >
    >
    >I think you want to start with Dred Scott. Look
    at the scholarly response by people like Lincoln,
    whose Cooper Union speech is pretty damn
    scholarly. Or his debates with Douglas. This was
    in an age when some politicians were actually
    thoughtful. But there were also comments on Dred
    Scott in the law reviews of the time and in other
    scholarly journals and in pamphlets.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >Or of you want the real origin, look at the
    states' rights response to McCulloch, which
    certainly attacks judicial review for striking
    down valid state laws. Marshall's controversial
    judicial review was over state laws not federal,
    and it was very controversial. The RIchomond Junto
    was pretty scholarly as were professors like Henry
    St. George Tucker (son of St. George Tucker).
    >
    >
    >
    >----
    >Paul Finkelman
    >President William McKinley Distinguished
    Professor of Law
    >Albany Law School
    >80 New Scotland Avenue
    >Albany, NY 12208
    >
    >518-445-3386 (p)
    >518-445-3363 (f)
    >
    >pfink at albanylaw.edu
    >
    >www.paulfinkelman.com
    <http://www.paulfinkelman.com/>
    >
    >--- On Sat, 2/21/09, Miguel Schor
    <mschor at suffolk.edu> wrote:
    >
    >
    >
    > From: Miguel Schor <mschor at suffolk.edu>
    > Subject: The beginnings of scholarship on
    judicial review
    > To: CONLAWPROF at lists.ucla.edu
    > Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009, 10:57 AM
    >
    >
    > When did scholars first begin to write
    systematically about judicial review? I've assumed
    it began during the Lochner era as this is the
    first time that judges, political actors, and
    scholars first grappled in a sustained fashion
    with the problem of judicial power. Am I wrong?
    Any help would be appreciated. Miguel
    >
    > Miguel Schor
    > Associate Professor of Law
    > Suffolk University Law School
    > 120 Tremont St.
    > Boston, MA 02108
    > 617-305-6244
    > SSRN Webpage http://ssrn.com/author=469730
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
    >
    >
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