From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Constitutional Law of the United States of America
The constitutional structure
Civil Rights  · Federalism
Executive branch  · Separation of powers
Legislative branch  · Judiciary
Famous Cases
Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland  · Roe v. Wade
Dred Scott v. Sanford  · Lochner v. New York
Freedoms
Free speech  · Free exercise
Freedom of the press  · Right to privacy
Theory
Constitutional theory  · Judicial review

Jurisdiction stripping refers to the practice of defining the jurisdiction of the United States federal judiciary as to eliminate its ability to hear certain classes of claims, thereby making certain legislative or executive actions unreviewable by the judiciary.

Contents 1 Basis 2 Limits 3 Examples 4 Criticism and Controversy 5 See also 6 References

Congress may define the jurisdiction of the judiciary through the simultaneous use of two powers: First, Congress holds the power to create (and implicitly, to define the jurisdiction of) federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court (Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and various other Article I and Article III tribunals). This power is granted both in congressional powers clause (Art. I, § 8, Cl. 9) and in the judicial vesting clause (Art. III, § 1). Second, Congress holds the power to make exceptions to and regulations of the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. This power is granted in the Exceptions Clause (Art. III, § 2). By exercising these powers in concert, Congress may effectively eliminate any judicial review of certain federal legislative or executive actions and of certain state actions.

Congress may not strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction over those cases that fall under its original jurisdiction defined in the U.S. Constitution. Art. III, § 2 grants original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court to "In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party. . . ."

Additionally, Justice Joseph Story, in his opinion in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee and in his other writings, enunciated the theory that Congress may not concurrently remove the jurisidiction of inferior courts and the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over certain categories of claims, as doing so would violate the the Constitution's mandatory grant of jurisdiction over such claims to the judiciary as a whole. Art. III, § 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants to the federal judiciary jurisdiction over certain categories of claims:

The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States[;—between a State and Citizens of another State];—between Citizens of different States,—between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States[, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects].

Professor Henry M. Hart has enunciated the opposite view that Congess may strip the power of the federal judiciary to hear certain classes of cases.^[1]

Several examples of jurisdiction stripping include the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (inter alia, stripped the federal judiciary of its jurisdiction to review certain Immigration and Naturalization Service decisions), the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1996 (restricting the remedies available to prison inmates), and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (limiting the number of habeas corpus petitions available to prison inmates).^[2] Other attempts at jurisdiction stripping include the Pornography Jurisdiction Act, Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 (H.R. 1070), Marriage Protection Act of 2005 (H.R. 1100), Pledge Protection Act of 2005 (H.R. 2389), Public Prayer Protection Act (H.R. 4364), We the People Act (H.R. 4379), and Safeguarding Our Religious Liberties Act (H.R. 4576).^[3]

• Separation of powers under the United States Constitution

1. ^ Brest, Paul; Sanford Levinson, Jack M. Balkin, Akhil Reed Amar, and Reva B. Seigel (2006). Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials, 6th Edition, Aspen, 887–889. 
2. ^ Curtailment of Jurisdiction. American Judicature Society. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
3. ^ Choate, Alan. "Cannon tries to ban federal courts from hearing state porn cases", The Daily Herald, 2006-06-06, p. A1. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.

v • d • e United States Constitution Complete text at Wikisource
Original text: Preamble ∙ Article 1 ∙ Article 2 ∙ Article 3 ∙ Article 4 ∙ Article 5 ∙ Article 6 ∙ Article 7 Amendments: 1 ∙ 2 ∙ 3 ∙ 4 ∙ 5 ∙ 6 ∙ 7 ∙ 8 ∙ 9 ∙ 10 ∙ 11 ∙ 12 ∙ 13 ∙ 14 ∙ 15 ∙ 16 ∙ 17 ∙ 18 ∙ 19 ∙ 20 ∙ 21 ∙ 22 ∙ 23 ∙ 24 ∙ 25 ∙ 26 ∙ 27
Formation	History of the Constitution • Articles of Confederation • Annapolis Convention • Philadelphia Convention • New Jersey Plan • Virginia Plan • Connecticut Compromise • Signatories
Adoption	Massachusetts Compromise • Federalist Papers
Amendments	Bill of Rights • Ratified • Proposed • Unsuccessful • Conventions to propose • State ratifying conventions
Clauses	Case or controversy • Citizenship • Commerce • Commerce (Dormant) • Contract • Copyright • Due Process • Equal Protection • Establishment • Free Exercise • Full Faith and Credit • Impeachment • Natural–born citizen • Necessary and Proper • No Religious Test • Presentment • Privileges and Immunities (Art. IV) • Privileges or Immunities (14th Amend.) • Speech or Debate • Supremacy • Suspension • Takings Clause • Taxing and Spending • Territorial • War Powers
Interpretation	Congressional power of enforcement • Double jeopardy • Enumerated powers • Incorporation of the Bill of Rights • Nondelegation • Preemption • Separation of church and state • Separation of powers • Constitutional theory • Executive privilege

Law - Portal
	Legal subjects	Constitutional and Administrative law | Criminal law | Contract | Tort | Property | Trusts and Equity
		Public international law | Conflict of laws | Supranational law
	Further disciplines	Labour law | Human rights | Procedure | Evidence | Immigration law | Family law | Wills
		Commercial law | Corporations law | Intellectual property | Unjust enrichment | Restitution
		Tax law | Banking law | Competition law | Consumer protection | Environmental law
	Legal systems	Common law | Civil law | Religious law | Socialist law | Comparative law
	Legal theory	History of Law | Philosophy of law | Economic analysis of law | Sociology of law
	Legal institutions	Judiciary | Legislature | Executive | Military and Police | Bureaucracy | Legal profession | Civil society