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A Prelude to a Critical Race Theoretical Account of Civil Procedure

In this Essay, I examine the lack of scholarly attention given to the role of civil procedure in racial subordination. I posit that a dearth of critical thought interrogating the connections between procedure and the subjugation of marginalized …

By Portia Pedro
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 143

Taxing Nudges

Governments are increasingly turning to behavioral economics to inform policy design in areas like health care, the environment, and financial decision-making. Research shows that small behavioral interventions, referred to as “nudges,” often …

By Kathleen DeLaney Thomas
107 Va. L. Rev. 571

Lockstepping Through Stop-And-Frisk: A Call to Independently Assess Terry Under State Law

Fifty-two years ago, in Terry v. Ohio, the United States Supreme Court upheld stop-and-frisk under the Fourth Amendment. At that time, stop-and-frisk had provoked substantial disagreement at the state level—leading to divergent opinions and repeat …

By Nathaniel C. Sutton
107 Va. L. Rev. 639

Invoking Criminal Equity’s Roots

Equitable remedies have begun to play a critical role in addressing some of the systemic issues in criminal cases. Invoked when other solutions are inadequate to the fair and just resolution of the case, equitable remedies, such as injunctions and …

By Cortney E. Lollar
107 Va. L. Rev. 495

Interpretive Entrepreneurs

Private actors interpret legal norms, a phenomenon I call “interpretive entrepreneurship.” The phenomenon is particularly significant in the international context, where many disputes are not subject to judicial resolution and there is no official …

By Melissa J. Durkee
107 Va. L. Rev. 431

Why BIPOC Fails

Racial tensions have been endemic to the U.S. since its founding. In 2020, this racial conflict bubbled over into the streets as those supporting Black Lives Matter and opposing a long history of racist police violence congregated to demand justice. …

By Meera E. Deo
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 115

Remedying Police Brutality Through Sentencing Reduction

Police brutality is a widespread problem that causes significant physical and psychological trauma, undermines faith in the law, and disproportionately impacts communities of color. Existing remedies to police brutality—including civil suits for …

By Mark D. Duda
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 99

Mail-In Ballots and Constraints on Federal Power Under the Electors Clause

Crisis often begets crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be no exception. With rising concerns over crowding at the polls, many states during the 2020 elections opted to allow voters to use mail-in ballots to vote in the general election. …

By John J. Martin
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 84

The Origins of Accommodation: Free Exercise, Disestablishment, and the Legend of Small Government

In 1813, Father Anthony Kohlmann, rector of St. Peter’s Church in New York City, found himself between a rock and a hard place. One of his parishioners, James Keating, had reported a theft of jewelry to the police. Later, Keating withdrew his …

By Austin T. Hetrick
107 Va. L. Rev. 393

Vagueness Attacks on Searches and Seizures

The void-for-vagueness doctrine promises to promote the rule of law by ensuring that crimes are defined with sufficient definiteness to preclude indefensible and unpredictable applications. But the doctrine fails to fulfill that promise with respect …

By Joel S. Johnson
107 Va. L. Rev. 347

Nondelegation and Criminal Law

Although the Constitution confers the legislative power on Congress, Congress does not make most laws. Instead, Congress delegates the power to make laws to administrative agencies. The Supreme Court has adopted a permissive stance towards these …

By F. Andrew Hessick & Carissa Byrne Hessick
107 Va. L. Rev. 281

The Corrective Justice Theory of Punishment

The American penal system is racist, degrading, and inefficient. Nonetheless, we cannot give up on punishment entirely, for social peace and cooperation depend on the deterrent threat of the criminal sanction. The question—central to determining the …

By Jacob Bronsther
107 Va. L. Rev. 227

Can the Reasonable Person Be Religious? Accommodation and the Common Law

Since the 1990s, in theory, the Supreme Court has applied rational basis review to neutral and generally applicable laws that incidentally burden religious practice. Strict scrutiny is reserved for those laws that lack neutrality or general …

By W. Jackson Vallar
107 Va. L. Rev. 189

Settled Law

“Settled law” appears frequently in judicial opinions—sometimes to refer to binding precedent, sometimes to denote precedent that has acquired a more mystical permanence, and sometimes as a substantive part of legal doctrine. During judicial …

By G. Alexander Nunn and Alan M. Trammell
107 Va. L. Rev. 57

Conflict Avoidance in Constitutional Law

Hard cases present a dilemma at the heart of constitutional law. Courts have a duty to decide them—to vindicate rights, to clarify law—but doing so leads to errors (judges do not know the “right answer”) and strains the credibility of courts as …

By Charles L. Barzun and Michael D. Gilbert
107 Va. L. Rev. 1

The Constitution’s First Declared War: The Northwestern Confederacy War of 1790–95

What counts as the first presidential war—the practice of Presidents waging war without prior congressional sanction? In the wake of President Donald Trump’s attacks on Syria, the Office of Legal Counsel opined that unilateral presidential …

By William Hall and Saikrishna Bangalore Prakash
107 Va. L. Rev. 119

Foreword

If a foreword were to be limited to one word, and one word only, this foreword’s one word would be joy. It is a joy to introduce to you a diverse group of authors and their writings on the past, present, and future of a social justice movement that …

By Anne M. Coughlin
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 1

Bostock’s Inclusive Queer Frame

Bostock v. Clayton County is the Supreme Court’s first major decision on gay rights written since Justice Kennedy’s retirement. It is a victory for the LGBT community—a momentous one. But this Essay argues that Bostock is even more momentous than …

By Rachel Slepoi
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 67

Termites in the Master’s House: Abortion Rap and Florynce Kennedy’s Contributions to Racial and Gender Justice

Contemporaries recognized Kennedy as “an outspoken activist for the rights of African Americans, women, sex workers, and members of the LGBT community.” In this way, Kennedy united social movements with divergent agendas. She believed that only …

By Hayley Hahn
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 48

Shaping Our Freedom Dreams: Reclaiming Intersectionality Through Black Feminist Legal Theory

Black feminist legal theory has offered the tool of intersectionality to modern feminist movements to help combat interlocking systems of oppression. Despite this tremendous offering, intersectionality has become wholly divorced from its Black …

By Trust Kupupika
107 Va. L. Rev. Online 27