Constitutional Law Flashcards
What are bad answers for mbe?
- General Welfare as an independant answer
- Necessary and Proper Clause as an independent answer
- Privileges or Immunities
- Contract Clause
- Enabling Power or Enforcement
- 10th amendment
what are the case and controversies requirement for federal law?
- Ripeness
- Advisory Opinions
- Moot
- Political Questions
- Standing
What do you need for standing?
- Injury: P suffered injury or its imminent
- Causation: that D caused the injury
- Redessability: the court can remedy that injury
When can an organization sue for its members?
- the members would have standing
- the interests are germane to the organizations interest.
- the claim does not require participation of individual members.
when can a plaintiff assert claims of others?
- injured third party is unlikley to be able to assert his rights.
- close relationship between the p and the injured party.
What is the ripeness requirement?
genuine, immediate threat to harm
What is the mootness requirement?
an actual controversy will exist at all stages of review.
what cases does the supreme court have original and exclusive jurisdiction?
case between state governments.
when can the supreme court review a state court decision?
when there is an independent state law ground of decisions.
when can federal courts and state courts hear suits against state governments?
- state expressly consents,
- the federal government sues state governments
- bankruptcy proceedings.
are suits against state officers allowed?
yes. if personally liable.
what powers does Congress have?
- tax and spend for the general welfare
- Commerce Power
- declare war, some foreign
- no limit to power to delegate
is there such thing as a federal police power?
NO. Except for military, indian reservations, federal lands, D.C.
(MILD)
what does Mild stand for?
Military
Indian Reservations
Federal lands
D.C.
what commerce powers does congress have?
- regulate the channels of interstate commerce
- regulate instrumentalities or persons
- economic activities that have a substantical effect.
are there limits to the powers congress has to delegate?
No.
what does the 14th amendment apply to?
states
what does the 5th amendment apply to?
federal government.
must treaties be ratified by senate?
yes.
do executive agreements have to be approved by senate?
No.
what powers does the president have?
- broad powers as Commander-in-Chief- touse American troops.
- Appointment and removal power.
- Can pardon those to federal criminal crimes.
- Absolute immunity to civil suits for money damages for actions while in office.
can congress prohibit removals?
no, but it can limit them.
When do the federal laws preempt state laws?
express preemption or implied preemption.
what is express preemption?
if federal statute says federal law is exclusive in field.
when is there implied preemption?
- mutually exclusive
- impedes the achievement of a federal objective
- clear intent to preempt state law
can states tax or regulate federal activity
No.
when do we apply the dormant commerce clause?
if there is state or local law on interstate commerce
What do we do if the state law discriminates against out of staters?
we try to apply the dormant commerce clause or the privilege and immunities clause
if the state law not discriminate what do we do?
we check to see if the dormant commerce clause applies. if the law burdens interstate commerce, we see if the burden exceeds its benefits.
if the state law does discriminate what do we do?
we try both the dormant commerce clause and the privilege and immunities clause. It violates unless it is necessary to achieve an important government purpose.
can corporations or aliens sue under the privileges or immunities clause?
no because they dont have fundamental rights. but they can sue under dormant commerce clause.
what is the first step to a constitution’s protection of Individual Liberties Question?
have to see if there is government action. can only get at private action by statute.
when does private conduct have to comply with the constitution?
Public function exception
or
entanglement exception