Rationing the Constitution: How Judicial Capacity Shapes Supreme Court Decision-Making

281 Pages·2019·9.925 MB·English

by  Andrew Coan

RATIONING THE CONSTITUTION

RATIONING THE CONSTITUTION
How Judicial Capacity Shapes Supreme Court Decision-Making
andrew coan
Cambridge, Massachusetts & London, England
2019
Copyright © 2019 by Andrew Coan
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First printing
Cover photograph: Chris Brignola, courtesy of Unsplash
Cover design: Tim Jones
9780674239197 (EPUB)
9780674239203(MOBI)
9780674239180(PDF)
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Coan, Andrew, author.
Title: Rationing the Constitution : how judicial capacity shapes Supreme
Court decision-making / Andrew Coan.
Description: Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2019. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018042062 | ISBN 9780674986954 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Constitutional law—United States. | United States. Supreme
Court. | Judges—Workload—United States. | Judicial process—United States.
Classification: LCC KF4550 .C557 2019 | DDC 347.73/26504—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018042062
For my family—
Lori, Sonali, Sabina, and E-Z-R-A

Contents
Introduction 1
I. UNDERSTANDING JUDICIAL CAPACITY 11
1. Structural and Normative Underpinnings 13
2. The Judicial Capacity Model 19
3. Refining the Model 32
4. Testing the Model 38
II. THE JUDICIAL CAPACITY MODEL APPLIED 51
Federalism 55
5. The Commerce Power 57
6. The Spending Power 76
Separation of Powers 89
7. The Nondelegation Doctrine 91
8. Presidential Administration 100
Individual Rights 113
viii Contents
9. Equal Protection 116
10. Takings 137
III. POSITIVE AND NORMATIVE IMPLICATIONS 163
11. Judicial Capacity and the Constitutional Choice Set 165
12. Judicial Capacity and Judicial Competence 179
13. Judicial Capacity and Judicial Independence 190
Conclusion 208
Appendix: Methods 211
Notes 215
Acknowledgments 257
Index 261
RATIONING THE CONSTITUTION