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Pushing Constitutional Limits in the U.S. States: Legislative Professionalism and Judicial Review of State Laws by the U.S. Supreme Court

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Susan M. Miller ,
Eve M. Ringsmuth  and
Joshua M. Little
Susan M. Miller*
Affiliation:
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC USA
Eve M. Ringsmuth
Affiliation:
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK USA
Joshua M. Little
Affiliation:
evolve24, St. Louis, MO, USA
*
Susan M. Miller, Department of Political Science, University of South Carolina, 326 Gambrell Hall, 817 Henderson Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. Email: susan.miller@sc.edu
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Abstract

When the U.S. Supreme Court exercises its power of judicial review over state laws, its decisions, like the legislation it considers, frequently speak to major policy debates. Despite the Court's routine involvement with state statutes, theoretical explanations of judicial review generally do not distinguish between state laws and federal laws. The characteristics of state legislatures lead legislators in different states to have distinct perspectives and incentives, and ultimately affect the types of laws enacted in different states. We suggest that because the level of professionalism of state legislatures affects the types of laws pursued by different states, it may also affect the likelihood that a state has a law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. We find support for this expectation. Specifically, legislative professionalism is associated with an increased likelihood that a state has a law invalidated by the Court. This new evidence indicates that it is important to consider the legislative context in which state laws originate when examining the Court's review of state laws.

Keywords

legislative professionalismlegislative politicslegislative/judicial interactionjudicial politicsfederal/statefederalism
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 476 - 491
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015

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