Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T17:48:53.719Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

States Testing the Legal Limits: The Effect of Electoral Competition on the Constitutionality of State Statutes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Bryan M. Black  and
Laine P. Shay
Bryan M. Black
Affiliation:
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Laine P. Shay*
Affiliation:
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
*
Laine P. Shay, University of Georgia, 104 Baldwin St., Athens, GA 30602, USA. Email: lpshay@uga.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

When the U.S. Supreme Court decides to exercise judicial review on a law passed by a democratically elected institution, it can have a profound and critical impact on public policy. Furthermore, recent research shows that the Court more frequently declares state statutes unconstitutional than federal statutes. However, only a limited number of studies have extensively explored this political phenomenon. One aspect of a state that has not been considered in connection with the Supreme Court's use of judicial review over state legislation is the electoral environment in which the laws are produced. We argue that because electoral competition affects the legislative output from a state, it could also influence the likelihood that a state has a statute invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court. When examining all states between 1971 and 2010, we find evidence in support of our theoretical expectation. Specifically, we find that an increase in electoral competition corresponds to an increased likelihood that a state has a statute invalidated by the Supreme Court. This finding contributes to our understanding of the Supreme Court's use of judicial review, and it also suggests that electoral pressure can incentivize states to craft unconstitutional public policy.

Keywords

legislative/judicial interactionjudicial politicselectoral competitionlegislative politicsfederal/statefederalismpublic policy
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , September 2018 , pp. 246 - 270
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aldrich, John H. 1995. Why Parties?: The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alt, James E., and Lowry, Robert C.. 1994. “Divided Government, Fiscal Institutions, and Budget Deficits: Evidence from the States.” American Political Science Review 88 (4): 811–28..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Snyder, James M. Jr. 2002. “The Incumbency Advantage in US Elections: An Analysis of State and Federal Offices, 1942–2000.” Election Law Journal 1 (3): 315–338..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Archibold, Randal C. 2010. “Arizona Enacts Stringent Law on Immigration.” New York Times, April 23. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html.Google Scholar
Arnold, R. Douglas. 1990. The Logic of Congressional Action. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Bagashka, Tanya, and Clark, Jennifer Hayes. 2016. “Electoral Rules and Legislative Particularism: Evidence from U.S. State Legislatures.” American Political Science Review 110 (3): 441–56..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bailey, Michael A., and Maltzman, Forrest. 2011. The Constrained Court: Law, Politics, and the Decisions Justices Make. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Baker v. Carr. 1962. 369 U.S. 186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrilleaux, Charles, and Brace, Paul. 2007. “Notes from the Laboratories of Democracy: State Government Enactments of Market-and State-Based Health Insurance Reforms in the 1990s.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 32 (4): 655–83..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrilleaux, Charles, Holbrook, Thomas, and Langer, Laura. 2002. “Electoral Competition, Legislative Balance, and American State Welfare Policy.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (2): 415–27..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baum, Lawrence. 2013. The Supreme Court. 11th ed. Los Angeles: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Benesh, Sara C. 2003. “Harold J. Spaeth: The Supreme Court Computer.” In The Pioneers of Judicial Behavior, ed. Maveety, Nancy. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 116–47.Google Scholar
Benesh, Sara C., and Martinek, Wendy L.. 2002. “State Supreme Court Decision Making in Confession Cases.” Justice System Journal 23 (1): 109–33..Google Scholar
Berry, Frances Stokes, and Berry, William D.. 1999. “Innovation and Diffusion Models in Policy Research.” In Theories of the Policy Process, ed. Sabatier, Paul A.. Boulder: Westview Press, 263–308.Google Scholar
Berry, William D., Fording, Richard C., Ringquist, Evan J., Hanson, Russell L., and Klarner, Carl. 2010. “Measuring Citizen and Government Ideology in the American States: A Re-appraisal.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 10 (2): 117–35..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Besley, Timothy, Persson, Torsten, and Sturm, Daniel M.. 2010. “Political Competition, Policy and Growth: Theory and Evidence from the US.” The Review of Economic Studies 77 (4): 1329–52..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bickel, Alexander. 1961. The Least Dangerous Branch: The Supreme Court at the Bar of Politics. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Birkhead, Nathaniel A. 2015. “The Role of Ideology in State Legislative Elections.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40 (1): 55–82..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boehmke, Frederick J., and Skinner, Paul. 2012. “State Policy Innovativeness Revisited.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 12 (3): 303–29..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonneau, Chris W., and Cann, Damon M.. 2011. “Campaign Spending, Diminishing Marginal Returns, and Campaign Finance Restrictions in Judicial Elections.” The Journal of Politics 73 (4): 1267–80..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonneau, Chris W., and Hall, Melinda Gann. 2009. In Defense of Judicial Elections. Abingdon: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boushey, Graeme. 2010. Policy Diffusion Dynamics in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brace, Paul R., and Hall, Melinda Gann. 1990. “Neo-institutionalism and Dissent in State Supreme Courts.” The Journal of Politics 52 (1): 54–70..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brace, Paul R., and Hall, Melinda Gann. 1997. “The Interplay of Preferences, Case Facts, Context, and Rules in the Politics of Judicial Choice.” The Journal of Politics 59 (4): 1206–31..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bravin, Jess, and Audi, Tamara. 2012. “Court Splits on Arizona Law: Justices Rein in Law Aimed at Curbing Illegal Immigrants but Allow Police Checks.” Wall Street Journal, June 25. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304898704577480392205316110.Google Scholar
Brennan, William J. Jr. 1977. “State Constitutions and the Protection of Individual Rights.” Harvard Law Review 90 (3): 489–504..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. 1954. 347 U.S. 483.Google Scholar
Cann, Damon M., and Wilhelm, Teena. 2011. “Case Visibility and the Electoral Connection in State Supreme Courts.” American Politics Research 39 (3): 557–81..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casper, Jonathan D. 1976. “The Supreme Court and National Policy Making.” American Political Science Review 70:50–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clucas, Richard A. 2001. “Principal-Agent Theory and The Power of State House Speakers.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 26 (2): 319–338..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v. Nyquist. 1973. 413 U.S. 756.Google Scholar
Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. 2012. “The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, Centennial Edition.” S. Doc. 112-9. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CONAN-2012.Google Scholar
Conlan, Timothy. 2010. From New Federalism to Devolution: Twenty-Five Years of Intergovernmental Reform. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Cox, Gary W., and McCubbins, Mathew D.. 2005. Setting the Agenda: Responsible Party Government in the U.S. House of Representatives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahl, Robert A. 1957. “Decision-Making in a Democracy: The Supreme Court as a National Policy-Maker.” Journal of Public Law 6:279–95.Google Scholar
Dahl, Robert A. 1971. Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Doan, Alesha. 2009. Opposition and Intimidation: The Abortion Wars and Strategies of Political Harassment. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper.Google Scholar
Epstein, Lee, and Knight, Jack. 1998. The Choices Justices Make. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Epstein, Lee, Martin, Andrew D., Segal, Jeffrey A., and Westerland, Chad. 2007. “The Judicial Common Space.” Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization 23 (2): 303–25..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erikson, Robert S., and Wright, Gerald C.. 1997. “Voters, Candidates and Issues in Congressional Elections.” In Congress Reconsidered, 6th ed., eds. Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce I. Oppenheimer. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press, 132–61.Google Scholar
Erikson, Robert S., Wright, Gerald C., and McIver, John P.. 1993. Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Farrell, William E. 1972. “Legislators Firm on Parochial Aid.” New York Times, 48.Google Scholar
Fenno, Richard F. 1978. Home Style: House Members in Their District. Boston: Little, Brown.Google Scholar
Gamm, Gerald, and Kousser, Thad. 2010. “Broad Bills or Particularistic Policy? Historical Patterns in American State Legislatures.” American Political Science Review 104 (1): 151–70..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gates, John. 1987. “Partisan Realignment, Unconstitutional State Policies, and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1837–1964.” American Journal of Political Science 31 (2): 259–80..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelman, Andrew. 2009. Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorman, Annaand, and Riccardi, Nicholas. 2010. “Arizona Was Once Tolerant of Illegal Immigrants. What Happened?” Los Angeles Times, August 1. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/01/nation/la-na-arizona-immigration-20100802.Google Scholar
Haider-Markel, Donald P. 1998. “The Politics of Social Regulatory Policy: State and Federal Hate Crime Policy and Implementation Effort.” Political Research Quarterly 51 (1): 69–88..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haider-Markel, Donald P., and Meier, Kenneth J.. 1996. “The Politics of Gay and Lesbian Rights: Expanding the Scope of the Conflict.” The Journal of Politics 58 (2): 352–69..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, Matthew E., and Black, Ryan C.. 2013. “Keeping the Outliers in Line? Judicial Review of State Laws by the U.S. Supreme Court.” Social Science Quarterly 94 (2): 395–409..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, Melinda Gann. 1987. “Constituent Influence in State Supreme Courts: Conceptual Notes and a Case Study.” The Journal of Politics 49 (4): 1117–24..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansford, Thomas G., and Spriggs, James F.. 2006. The Politics of Precedent on the U.S. Supreme Court. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, William D. 2015. “Partisan Competition and the Efficiency of Lawmaking in American State Legislatures, 1991–2009.” American Politics Research 43:743–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hinchliffe, Kelsey L., and Lee, Frances E.. 2016. “Party Competition and Conflict in State Legislatures.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 16 (2): 172–97..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogan, Robert E. 2008. “Policy Responsiveness and Incumbent Reelection in State Legislatures.” American Journal of Political Science 52:858–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holbrook, Thomas M., and Dunk, Emily Van. 1993. “Electoral Competition in the American States.” American Political Science Review 87 (4): 955–62..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennings, Edwards. 1979. “Competition, Constituencies, and Welfare Policies in American States.” American Political Science Review 73:414–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, Philip E. 2013. “The Effect of Political Competition on Democratic Accountability.” Political Behavior 35:481–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaleem, Jaweed. 2013. “Religious Influence in U.S. Seen as Decreasing, but Most Americans Want More.” Huffington Post, May 30. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/reli-gions-influence-us_n_3354499.html.Google Scholar
Kastellec, Jonathan P. 2011. “Hierarchical and Collegial Politics on the US Courts of Appeals.” The Journal of Politics 73 (2): 345–361..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Key, Valdimer O. 1949. Southern Politics in State and Nation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.Google Scholar
King, James D. 2000. “Changes in Professionalism in U.S. State Legislatures.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 25:327–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klarner, Carl. 2003. “The Measurement of the Partisan Balance of State Government.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 3 (3): 309–19..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kousser, Thad. 2005. Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lax, Jeffrey R., and Phillips, Justin H.. 2012. “The Democratic Deficit in the States.” American Journal of Political Science 56 (1): 148–66..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, Daniel C., Schneider, Saundra K., and Jacoby, William G.. 2015. “Institutional Characteristics and State Policy Priorities: The Impact of Legislatures and Governors.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15 (4): 447–75..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindquist, Stefanie A., and Corley, Pamela C.. 2011. “The Multi-staged Process of Judicial Review: Facial and As-applied Constitutional Challenges to Legislation before the Supreme Court.” Journal of Legal Studies 40 (2): 467–502..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindquist, Stefanie A., and Corley, Pamela C.. 2013. “National Policy Preferences and Judicial Review of State Statutes.” Publius: The Journal of Federalism 43 (2): 151–78..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindquist, Stefanie A., and Solberg, Rorie Spill. 2007. “Judicial Review by the Burger and Rehnquist Courts: Explaining Justices' Responses to Constitutional Challenges.” Political Research Quarterly 60 (1): 71–90..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maestas, Cherie. 2000. “Professional Legislatures and Ambitious Politicians: Policy Responsiveness of State Institutions.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 25 (4): 663–90..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maestas, Cherie. 2003. “The Incentive to Listen: Progressive Ambition, Resources, and Opinion Monitoring among State Legislators.” The Journal of Politics 65 (2): 439–56..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayhew, David R. 1974. Congress: The Electoral Connection. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Menendez, Albert J. 1996. Evangelicals at the Ballot Box. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.Google Scholar
Miller, Susan M. 2013. “Administering Representation: The Role of Elected Administrators in Translating Citizens' Preferences into Public Policy.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 23:865–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, Susan M., Ringsmuth, Eve M., and Little, Joshua M.. 2015. “Pushing Constitutional Limits in the U.S. States Legislative Professionalism and Judicial Review of State Laws by the U.S. Supreme Court.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15 (4): 476–91..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mooney, Christopher Z., and Lee, Mei-Hsien. 1995. “Legislative Morality in the American States: The Case of Pre-Roe Abortion Regulation Reform.” American Journal of Political Science 39:599–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann. 1932, 285 U.S. 262.Google Scholar
Nicholson-Crotty, Sean C., Woods, Neal D., Bowman, Ann O'M., and Karch, Andrew. 2014. “Policy Innovativeness and Interstate Compacts.” Policy Studies Journal 42 (2): 305–24..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nossiff, Rosemary. 2011. Before Roe: Abortion Policy in the States. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act. 1982. Pa. Cons. Stat. 18:3203–20.Google Scholar
Pickerill, Mitchell J., and Clayton, Cornell W.. 2004. “The Rehnquist Court and the Political Dynamics of Federalism.” Perspectives on Politics 2 (2): 233–48..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pildes, Richard H. 2012. “Give Voters Choices and Competition.” New York Times, June 26. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/11/07/should-voting-in-the-us-be-mandatory-14/give-voters-choices-and-competition.Google Scholar
Pollock, Stewart G. 1984. “Adequate and Independent State Grounds as a Means of Balancing the Relationship between State and Federal Courts.” Texas Law Review 63:977.Google Scholar
Poole, Keith T. 1998. “Estimating a Basic Space from a Set of Issue Scales.” American Journal of Political Science 42:954–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ranney, Austin. 1976. “Parties in State Politics.” In Politics in the American States, eds. Jacob, Herbert and Vines, Kenneth. Boston: Little, Brown, 61–99.Google Scholar
Richman, Jesse. 2010. “The Logic of Legislative Leadership: Preferences, Challenges, and the Speaker's Powers.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 35 (2): 211–33..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wade, Roe v.. 1973. 410 U.S. 113.Google Scholar
Rogers, Steven. 2015. “Strategic Challenger Entry in a Federal System: The Role of Economic and Political Conditions in State Legislative Competition.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40(4): 539–570.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rostow, Eugene V. 1952. “The Democratic Character of Judicial Review.” Harvard Law Review 66:193–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saenz, Thomas A. 2011. “New Nullification: Arizona's SB 1070 Triggers a National Constitutional Crisis.” Berkeley La Raza Law Journal 21:5–16.Google Scholar
Schattschneider, Elmer E. 1960. The Semi-sovereign People. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.Google Scholar
Segal, Jeffrey A., and Spaeth, Harold J.. 2002. The Supreme Court and the Attitudinal Model Revisited. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shufeldt, Gregory, and Flavin, Patrick. 2012. “Two Distinct Concepts: Party Competition in Government and Electoral Competition in the American States.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 12:330–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sorauf, Frank Joseph. 2015. The Wall of Separation: The Constitutional Politics of Church and State. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill. 2007. “Measuring State Legislative Professionalism: The Squire Index Revisited.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 7 (2): 211–27..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Squire, Peverill, Wolfinger, Raymond E., and Glass, David P.. 1987. “Residential Mobility and Voter Turnout.” American Political Science Review 81 (1): 45–65..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stucky, Thomas D., Heimer, Karen, and Lang, Joseph B.. 2005. “Partisan Politics, Electoral Competition and Imprisonment: An Analysis of States over Time.” Criminology 43 (1): 211–48..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tamanaha, Brian Z. 2009. Beyond the Formalist-Realist Divide: The Role of Politics in Judging. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. 1986. 476 U.S. 747.Google Scholar
Weiner, Daniel, and Vandewalker, Ian. 2015. Stronger Parties, Stronger Democracy: Rethinking Reform. New York: Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Black and Shay supplementary material

Supplemental Appendix

Download Black and Shay supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 752.9 KB