Optimal Specificity in the Law of Separation of Powers The Numerous Clauses Principle

《Optimal Specificity in the Law of Separation of Powers The Numerous Clauses Principle》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。

1、OPTIMALSPECIFICITYINTHELAWOFSEPARATIONOF1POWERS:THENUMEROUSCLAUSESPRINCIPLEGaryLawson∗InSeparationofPowersasOrdinaryInterpretation,2ProfessorJohnManninglevelsabroad,andlargelyjustified,criticismagainstbothformalistandfunctionalistapproachestoseparationofpowerscases,atleastasthoseapproachesarefrequ

2、entlyemployedbyjurists.3Manningpointsoutthateachmethodology’sadherentsoftencommita“generality-shifting”errorthatcaneitheroverstateorunderstatethespecificitywithwhichtheConstitutionaddressesvariousseparationofpowersproblems.Manningurgeseveryonetoreasonfromtheconsti-tutionaltextratherthanfromfree-fl

3、oatingprinciplesorpurposes,inmuchthesamemanneras,andforessentiallythesamereasonsthat,modernmethodsofstatutoryinterpretationcenterprimarilyontextualanalysis.Theconstitutionaltextcontainsnumerousclausesregardingthestructureandoperationsofthefederalgovernment,whichresolvestructuralissueswithwidelyvar

4、yingdegreesofspecificity,andtotrytoimposetheoreticalpreconceptionsaboutseparationofpowersontothoseresolutionsrisksundoingtheConstitutionitself.Onecanbelieve(perhapsevencorrectly)thattheConstitution’sprescribeddegreeofspecificityinanygiveninstancemightbesuboptimalfromsomeexter-nalperspective,buttha

5、tnormativestanceisnotaninterpretativegroundforignoringtheConstitution’snumerousseparationofpowersclauses.Accordingly,IwillcallManning’stext-basedapproachtotheseparationofpowers“thenumerousclausesprinciple.”Soframed,IthinkthatManningisabsolutelyright.Itmakesnointerpretativesensetoreadsomeprincipleo

6、f“optimalspecificity”intotheConstitutiontodisplacethevariedprinciplesofspecificityreflectedinthemanyclausesandcombinationsofclausesthatcomprisetheac-tualdocument.Manningiscorrectthatpractitionersofbothfunction-alismandformalismaresusceptibletothis“optimalspecificity”fallacy,–––––––––––––––––––––––

7、––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––1WithapologiestoTomMerrill,HenrySmith,andalotofoldRomanpropertylawyers.∗ProfessorofLawandMichaelsFacultyResearchScholar,BostonUniversitySchoolofLaw.2JohnF.Manning,Separationo