michael w mcconnell hon
<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael William McConnell</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> (born May 18, 1955 in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville,Kentucky" title="Louisville, Kentucky" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Louisville, Kentucky</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">) is a constitutional law scholar who served as a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_judge" title="Federal judge" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">federal judge</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> on the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Tenth_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> from 2002 until 2009. Since 2009, McConnell has served as</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Law_School" title="Stanford Law School" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Stanford Law School</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-above_the_law_1-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-above_the_law-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">[1]</a></sup> He is also a senior fellow at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University" title="Stanford University" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Stanford University</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Institution" title="Hoover Institution" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Hoover Institution</a>, and of Counsel to the Litigation Practice Group at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkland%26_Ellis_LLP" title="Kirkland & Ellis LLP" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Kirkland & Ellis LLP</a>. McConnell is considered to be a leading figure of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_intelligentsia" title="Evangelical intelligentsia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">evangelical intelligentsia</a> movement.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><h2 style="color: black; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></font></font></font></h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"> [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#Background" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Background</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#Scholarship" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Scholarship</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#Tenth_Circuit_nomination_and_confirmation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Tenth Circuit nomination and confirmation</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#Notable_cases" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Notable cases</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#Supreme_Court_speculation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Supreme Court speculation</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#See_also" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#Further_reading" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Further reading</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></font></a></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Background" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">McConnell graduated from </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_State_University" title="Michigan State University" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Michigan State University</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">'s </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison_College" title="James Madison College" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">James Madison College</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in 1976. McConnell received his </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor" title="Juris Doctor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Juris Doctor</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> (J.D.) degree from the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago" title="University of Chicago" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">University of Chicago</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago_Law_School" title="University of Chicago Law School" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Law School</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in 1979, where he was an editor of the </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago_Law_Review" title="University of Chicago Law Review" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">University of Chicago Law Review</a></i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. He was a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_clerk" title="Law clerk" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">law clerk</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> for </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.Skelly_Wright" title="J. Skelly Wright" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">James Skelly Wright</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_District_of_Columbia_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, 1979–1980, and for Associate Justice </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J.Brennan,Jr." title="William J. Brennan, Jr." style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">William Brennan</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Supreme Court of the United States</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, 1980–1981. He was an assistant general counsel at the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Management_and_Budget" title="Office of Management and Budget" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Office of Management and Budget</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, 1981–1983, and an assistant to the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Solicitor_General" title="United States Solicitor General" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Solicitor General</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983–1985. McConnell was a professor at the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago_Law_School" title="University of Chicago Law School" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">University of Chicago Law School</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, 1985–1996, where he brought Harvard Law graduate </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Barack Obama</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> on a fellowship after being impressed with a suggestion </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Obama, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">then</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Law_Review" title="Harvard Law Review" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Harvard Law Review</a></i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> president, had made on one of McConnell's articles.</span><sup id="cite_ref-obama_chicago_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-obama_chicago-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[2]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> McConnell has been professor at the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Utah" title="University of Utah" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">University of Utah</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> S.J. Quinney College of Law, as well as a visiting professor at </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Law_School" title="Harvard Law School" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Harvard Law School</a><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[3]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and at the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_University_School_of_Law" title="New York University School of Law" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">New York University School of Law</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Scholarship">Scholarship</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Scholarship" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As a law professor, McConnell has published a variety of legal articles and edited several books. As a lawyer, he has argued cases in federal courts of appeals and before the Supreme Court, including a 5–4 victory in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenberger_v.University_of_Virginia" title="Rosenberger v. University of Virginia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Rosenberger v. University of Virginia</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[4]</a></sup> He is widely regarded as one of the preeminent constitutional law scholars on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Exercise_Clause_of_the_First_Amendment" title="Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Free Exercise</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Establishment_Clause_of_the_First_Amendment" title="Establishment Clause of the First Amendment" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Establishment Clauses</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Hatch_6-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-Hatch-6" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[6]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 1996, McConnell signed a statement supporting a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_amendment" title="Constitutional amendment" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">constitutional amendment</a> to ban abortion,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> which read, "Abortion kills 1.5 million innocent human beings in America every year...We believe that the abortion license is a critical factor in America's virtue deficit."</span><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[7]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As a respected constitutional scholar during his law school tenure, McConnell contended that </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Originalism" title="Originalism" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">originalism</a> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">is consistent with the Supreme Court's 1954 </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desegregation" title="Desegregation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">desegregation</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> decision </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v.Board_of_Education" title="Brown v. Board of Education" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Brown v. Board of Education</a></i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, against critics of originalism who argue that they are inconsistent.</span><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[8]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[9]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> McConnell has likewise argued that the Court's decision in </span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolling_v.Sharpe" title="Bolling v. Sharpe" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Bolling v. Sharpe</a></i><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> was correct, but should have been reached on other grounds, because Congress never "required that the schools of the District of Columbia be segregated."</span><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[10]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McConnell was highly critical of the Supreme Court's decision in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v.Gore" title="Bush v. Gore" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Bush v. Gore</a></i>,[ writing: [<b>WROTE 2 and a half cheers for]</b></font></p><blockquote style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); line-height: 22.3999996185303px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I imagine that Gov. Bush and his supporters will put on a brave face and defend this decision, but I cannot imagine that there is much joy in Austin tonight. The Supreme Court, with all the prestige of its position in American public life, could have brought closure to this matter. But instead, by straddling the fence, the court has produced a combination of holdings that can please no one.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[11]</a></sup></font></p></blockquote><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Tenth_Circuit_nomination_and_confirmation">Tenth Circuit nomination and confirmation</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Tenth Circuit nomination and confirmation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">McConnell was nominated by President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">George W. Bush</a> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">on September 4, 2001 to a seat on the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Tenth_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and confirmed unanimously by the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">United States Senate</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> on November 15, 2002 by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_vote" title="Voice vote" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">voice vote</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_cases">Notable cases</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Notable cases" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While sitting on the Tenth Circuit, McConnell wrote scores of judicial opinions. The Supreme Court reviewed four cases in which McConnell wrote an opinion; in each case the Court reached the same result as the opinion by Judge McConnell. First, in <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/05pdf/04-1084.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal v. Ashcrof</i>t, 546 U.S. 418 (2006)</a>, a case involving the religious use of a hallucinogenic tea, the Supreme Court affirmed 8–0 a Tenth Circuit en banc decision to which <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/02/02-2323.pdf#page=90" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;">Judge McConnell wrote a concurring opinion</a>. Second, in <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/05pdf/04-1376.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>Fernandez-Vargas v. Gonzales,</i> 548 U.S. 30 (2008)</a>, a case involving the retroactive application of a statutory provision limiting appeals from immigration removal orders, the Supreme Court affirmed 8–1 <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2005/01/03-9610.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">a Tenth Circuit panel decision written by Judge McConnell</a>. Third, in <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/06-11543.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>Begay v. United States</i>, No. 06–11543 (April 16, 2008)</a>, a case involving whether a felony conviction for driving under the influence is a crime of violence for purposes of the Armed Career Criminal Act, the Supreme Court reversed 6–3 a Tenth Circuit panel decision from which McConnell <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/05/05-2253.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;">dissent</a>. Fourth, in Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum, No. 07-665 (February 25, 2009), a case involving whether the presence of a Ten Commandments monument on government property gave another religion a First Amendment right to place its own monument on the same property, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed a Tenth Circuit panel decision that McConnell had challenged by writing a dissent from the denial of rehearing en banc.</font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Significant opinions written by McConnell include the following:</font></p><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); color: rgb(37, 37, 37); line-height: 22.3999996185303px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2007/04/04-6342.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;"><i>Christian Heritage Academy v. Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association</i></a>, 483 F.3d 1025, 1037 (2007) (concurring and dissenting). Equal Protection Clause.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/06/06-3152.pdf#page=27" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>United States v. Pruitt</i></a> (2007) (concurring). <i>Criminal sentencing.</i></font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/06/06-6111.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>United States v. Allen</i></a> (2007). Criminal sentencing. The case was covered by <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://howappealing.law.com/053107.html#025694" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">How Appealing</a> and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.enotes.com/blogs/decision-blog/2007-05/tenth-blasts-minority-report-sentencing/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Decision of the Day</a><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="line-height: 1;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span title=" since September 2009">dead link</span></a></i>]</span></sup>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/05/05-2383.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>United States v. Medley</i></a> (2007) (concurring). Criminal sentencing.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20060616172219/http://www.kscourts.org/ca10/cases/2006/06/04-7037.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;"><i>Shrum v. City of Coweta, Oklahoma</i></a>, 449 F.3d 1132 (2007). Free Exercise Clause.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/02/02-2323.pdf#page=90" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal v. Ashcroft</i></a>, 389 F.3d 973 (2004) (en banc) (McConnell, J., concurring), affirmed by <i>Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal</i>, 546 U.S. 418 (2006). Free Exercise Clause; Religious Freedom Restoration Act.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/05/05-4142.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>Geddes v. United Staffing Alliance Employee Medical Plan</i></a> (2006).</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/05/05-3169.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>United States v. Patton</i></a> (2006). Commerce Clause. Writing for the court, McConnell upheld a federal statute prohibiting the possession of body armor by felons. Even though the statute, as applied to Mr. Patton's intrastate and noncommercial possession of body armor, could not be sustained under any of the three <i>Lopez</i> categories established by the Supreme Court, it fell within the Commerce Clause under another line of Supreme Court precedent (<i>Scarborough</i>) and noted the tension between the two sets of precedents. The court also rejected Mr. Patton's due process and necessity claims. The case was covered by Decision of the Day and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20080822135014/http://www.volokh.com/archives/archive_2006_06_25-2006_07_01.shtml#1151504066" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">The Volokh Conspiracy</a> and was the subject of <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120212034538/https://support.law.cornell.edu/students/students/ExamArchive/PDF/5021_Constitutional_Law_Fa06_Meyler.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;">a constitutional law final exam at Cornell</a>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/04/04-2220.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. BCI Coca-Cola</i></a>.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/04/04-4071.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif) 100% 50% no-repeat;"><i>Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance v. Bureau of Land Management</i></a> (2006).</font></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Supreme_Court_speculation">Supreme Court speculation</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Supreme Court speculation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">McConnell was mentioned as a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush_Supreme_Court_candidates" title="George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">potential nominee to the Supreme Court</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> during the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush_Administration" title="George W. Bush Administration" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">administration</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> of President </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">George W. Bush</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. In June 2005, amid expectations that </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Justice_of_the_United_States" title="Chief Justice of the United States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Chief Justice</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H.Rehnquist" title="William H. Rehnquist" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">William H. Rehnquist</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> would retire at the end of the Court's term, some sources cited McConnell as a frontrunner for Rehnquist's seat, which ultimately went to </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glover_Roberts" title="John Glover Roberts" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">John Roberts</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Professor </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stephen_B.Presser&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Stephen B. Presser (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(165, 88, 88); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Stephen B. Presser</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University_School_of_Law" title="Northwestern University School of Law" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Northwestern University School of Law</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">argued</span><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[12]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> that McConnell was, "high on the White House's </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">short list" because:</span></font></p><dl style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><dd style="margin-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">[McConnell] does believe that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court" title="United States Supreme Court" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Supreme Court</a> has gone too far in reading the total <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state" title="Separation of church and state" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">separation of church and state</a> into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution" title="United States Constitution" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Constitution</a>, and because he ...understands that <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v.Wade" title="Roe v. Wade" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Roe v. Wade</a></i> has no firm constitutional foundation. He might be acceptable to the left not only because so many <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism" title="Liberalism" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">liberal</a> professors support him, but also because he has been public in his criticism of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v.Gore" title="Bush v. Gore" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Bush v. Gore</a></i> and the impeachment of President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Clinton</a>.</font></dd></dl><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">McConnell was also mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain" title="John McCain" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">John McCain</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney" title="Mitt Romney" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Mitt Romney</a> presidency.</span><sup id="cite_ref-ABA_Journal_13-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-ABA_Journal-13" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[13]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-usa_today_14-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: embed; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_note-usa_today-14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); white-space: nowrap; background: none;">[14]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=6&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: See also" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A); color: rgb(37, 37, 37); line-height: 22.3999996185303px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_law_clerks_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush_Supreme_Court_candidates" title="George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=7&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><div class="reflist" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); list-style-type: decimal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: inherit;"><li id="cite_note-above_the_law-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-above_the_law_1-0" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news" style="word-wrap: break-word;">Hill, Kashmir (May 5, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://abovethelaw.com/2009/05/musical-chairs-judge-michael-mcconnell-to-step-down-and-go-to-stanford/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">"Musical Chairs"</a>. <i>Above the Law</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2009-05-05</span></span>.</span><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMichael+W.+McConnell&rft.atitle=Musical+Chairs&rft.aufirst=Kashmir&rft.au=Hill%2C+Kashmir&rft.aulast=Hill&rft.date=May+5%2C+2009&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fabovethelaw.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fmusical-chairs-judge-michael-mcconnell-to-step-down-and-go-to-stanford%2F&rft.jtitle=Above+the+Law&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-obama_chicago-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-obama_chicago_2-0" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news" style="word-wrap: break-word;">Kantor, Jodi (July 30, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html?ex=1375156800&en=337ecbaa93d25b8c&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">"Teaching Law, Testing Ideas, Obama Stood Slightly Apart"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2008-10-27</span></span>.</span><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMichael+W.+McConnell&rft.atitle=Teaching+Law%2C+Testing+Ideas%2C+Obama+Stood+Slightly+Apart&rft.aufirst=Jodi&rft.au=Kantor%2C+Jodi&rft.aulast=Kantor&rft.date=July+30%2C+2008&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2008%2F07%2F30%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2F30law.html%3Fex%3D1375156800%26en%3D337ecbaa93d25b8c%26ei%3D5124%26partner%3Dpermalink%26exprod%3Dpermalink&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Creation of the Constitution</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/courses/2006-07/?id=46342762" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">2006</a> and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/courses/2008-09/?id=5582" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">2008</a> course listings</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">McConnell's <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20071001005723/http://www.oyez.org/media/item?type=audio&id=argument&parent=cases/1990-1999/1994/1994_94_329" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">oral argument</a> in <i>Rosenberger</i>.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Daniel Troy, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wayback.archive.org/web/20110727074938/http://www.mediainstitute.org/digest/97winter/news/court/1.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">"Oral Argument in Wileman Brothers Case Leaves Open Compelled Speech Question"</a>, Court Watch, Winter 1997</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-Hatch-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-Hatch_6-0" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070613211506/http://judiciary.senate.gov/member_statement.cfm?id=433&wit_id=51" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Statement</a> of Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orrin_Hatch" title="Orrin Hatch" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Orrin Hatch</a>, September 18, 2002</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2122003" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Bazelon, Emily; "The Front-Runners on Roe: What Bush's shortlist thinks about abortion."; [[slate.com</a>; July 5, 2005]</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-8" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ramesh Ponnuru, "Originalist Sin: Conservatives, the Constitution, and affirmative action," <i>National</i> Review<i>, March 10, 2003</i></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-9" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Brian C. Anderson, "Why the Battle for the Court Will Be Nasty," <i>City Journal</i>, 2002 Summer, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 64–76.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-10" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Michael McConnell in <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN081479890X&id=gL1YYW3MOyAC&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168&dq=%22required+that+the+schools+of+the+District+of+Columbia+%22&sig=wX2PNy9QJTPfRCmpvFb1lb96qck" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">What Brown v. Board of Education Should Have Said</a>, page 168, ed. Jack Balkin (NYU Press 2002).</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">McConnell, Michael (2000-12-13) <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wayback.archive.org/web/20051104043241/http://www.slate.com/id/93655/entry/95085/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">What Now?</a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slate.com" title="Slate.com" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Slate.com</a></i></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.legalaffairs.org/webexclusive/debateclub_cj20605.msp" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">Who Could Win Every senator's Vote?</a></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-ABA_Journal-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-ABA_Journal_13-0" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news" style="word-wrap: break-word;">Weiss, Debra (April 23, 2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/the_guesswork_begins_who_would_romney_appoint_to_the_supreme_court/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">"The Guesswork Begins: Who Would Romney Appoint to the Supreme Court?"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2012-06-22</span></span>.</span><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMichael+W.+McConnell&rft.aufirst=Debra&rft.aulast=Weiss&rft.au=Weiss%2C+Debra&rft.btitle=The+Guesswork+Begins%3A+Who+Would+Romney+Appoint+to+the+Supreme+Court%3F&rft.date=April+23%2C+2012&rft.genre=book&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abajournal.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2Fthe_guesswork_begins_who_would_romney_appoint_to_the_supreme_court%2F&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-usa_today-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_W.McConnell#cite_ref-usa_today_14-0" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important; -webkit-user-select: none;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation news" style="word-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Biskupic" title="Joan Biskupic" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Biskupic, Joan</a> (October 23, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2008-10-23-candidates-courts_N.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;">"For divided high court, two potential legacies"</a>. <i>USA Today</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2008-10-25</span></span>.</span><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMichael+W.+McConnell&rft.atitle=For+divided+high+court%2C+two+potential+legacies&rft.au=Biskupic%2C+Joan&rft.aufirst=Joan&rft.aulast=Biskupic&rft.date=October+23%2C+2008&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fwashington%2Fjudicial%2F2008-10-23-candidates-courts_N.htm&rft.jtitle=USA+Today&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li></ol></div><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-left: 0px;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_W.McConnell&action=edit§ion=8&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Further reading" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); margin-right: 0px;">]</span></span></font></h2><div class="refbegin" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-opinion-commentary.html?id=110002282" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A selection of McConnell's essays for the <i>Wall Street Journal</i></font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.law.stanford.edu/directory/profile/91/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) 100% 50% no-repeat, url(data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2210%22%20height%3D%2210%22%3E%3Cg%20transform%3D%22translate%28-826.429%20-698.791%29%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%225.982%22%20height%3D%225.982%22%20x%3D%22826.929%22%20y%3D%22702.309%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%2F%3E%3Cg%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M831.194%20698.791h5.234v5.391l-1.571%201.545-1.31-1.31-2.725%202.725-2.689-2.689%202.808-2.808-1.311-1.311z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M835.424%20699.795l.022%204.885-1.817-1.817-2.881%202.881-1.228-1.228%202.881-2.881-1.851-1.851z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) 100% 50%;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McConnell's Faculty Profile at Stanford Law School</font></a></li></ul></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">bs fedsoc</font></div><div><div class="authorContent" style="margin-top: 25px;"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael W. McConnell is the Richard & Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, as well as Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is a leading authority on freedom of speech and religion, the relation of individual rights to government structure, originalism, and various other aspects of constitutional history and constitutional law. He is author of numerous articles and co-author of two casebooks: THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES (Foundation Press) and RELIGION AND THE CONSTITUTION (Aspen). He is co-editor of CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES ON LEGAL THOUGHT (Yale Univ. Press). Since 1996, he has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Professor McConnell brings wide practical experience to bear on his teaching and scholarship. Before joining Stanford in 2009, he served as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has argued thirteen cases in the United States Supreme Court, most recently CompuCredit v Greenwood, in 2011. Before his appointment to the bench, McConnell was Presidential Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, and prior to that the William B. Graham Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He has taught six times as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School. McConnell was Assistant General Counsel at the Office of Management and Budget, and Assistant to the Solicitor General in the Department of Justice, under President Ronald Reagan, and a member of the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board from 1988-1990. He served as law clerk to then Chief Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and to Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a graduate of Michigan State University (1976) and the University of Chicago Law School (1979). He is of counsel to the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.</font></p></div><div class="authorContent" style="margin-top: 25px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>Education</strong>
</font><ul><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">B.A., Michigan State University</font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">J.D., Order of the Coif, University of Chicago Law School</font></li></ul></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.heartland.org/michael-w-mcconnell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.fed-soc.org/experts/detail/michael-w-mcconnell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This was my reply to a short email I received from prof. McConnell - viz</font></span><div style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><i><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Are saying that no corporations would have constitutional rights? (Not the New York Times? Not Planned Parenthood? Not the LDS Church?) Saying that corporations are not people is meaningless.</font></i><div><i><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></i><div><i><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Are you saying that as long as regulation is directed at the expenditure of money it is not covered by principles of freedom of speech? No one may spend money to oppose the war? </font></i></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We should discuss this at the next Ed committee meeting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="gmail_quote"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <b class="gmail_sendername">William Barrett</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:billbarrett04@gmail.com" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">billbarrett04@gmail.com</a>></span>
Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: Your thoughts on Move to Amend
To: Michael McConnell <<a href="mailto:mcconnell@law.stanford.edu" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">mcconnell@law.stanford.edu</a>>
Cc: John Fioretta <<a href="mailto:fiorettajohn@att.net" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">fiorettajohn@att.net</a>>, Eitan Fenson <<a href="mailto:eitan@fenson.com" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">eitan@fenson.com</a>>, Richard Hobbs <<a href="mailto:richhobbs@msn.com" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">richhobbs@msn.com</a>>
</font><div dir="ltr"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I've been thinking about your short email, and just how to respond to the questions you raise.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The story behind corporate personhood is probably best told through several books on the subject. The one I favor is by Jeffrey Clements, <i>Corporations are not Persons. </i>Clements is a practicing lawyer. He's also a great writer, and this short book carries the case for doing something to reverse - or modify - a long trail of Supreme Court decisions by which corporations have acquired rights under the Constitution that used to exclusively belong to humans.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That isn't all bad - after all, we humans are interested in property rights, privacy, freedom of speech, etc., and so are corporations. But there remains a basic difference - a for-profit corporation has a singular purpose, that of maximizing profit to its shareholders. Humans, on the other hand, have a multiplicity of goals, and making money is often just one of them. Corporate personhood has become a handy way in the law to economize on legal complexity, if you like. Corporations are interested in property rights, and so are humans - so maybe the basic law ought to be the same. The Supreme Court seems to think this way, and thus we have the odd situation of constitutional rights originally designed to protect human beings now routinely used to protect corporations. For example, the 14th amendment, section 1, has been used in court only a few times to defend a real person's rights, yet hundreds of times to defend corporate rights. Of course, it was written to fully eradicate slavery, and to more fully define citizenship and human rights.</font></div><div><i><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></i></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But let me try to address your concerns -</font><div><ul><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>Are saying that no corporations would have constitutional rights? </i> <i>W</i>e propose replacing inherent corporate <i>rights </i>as persons<i> </i>under the constitution with <i>privileges </i>granted by the states and federal government. Most of those "rights" would continue, e.g. property rights, rights to privacy, etc., but they would become subject to review and modification by acts of Congress or state legislatures, and less subject to Supreme Court decisions. For example, the state of West Virginia would most likely want to curb the more destructive practices of their coal mining companies, not to shut down the operations, but to impose higher mine safety standards and higher environmental standards. Many of those efforts have been thwarted by lawsuits brought by certain coal mining corporations, and their cause upheld by the Supreme Court. As with most other rights, corporate personhood is not involved with religious freedom or freedom of the press.
</font></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>the New York Times. </i>Freedom of the press under the first amendment has no reference to "persons". In any case, the freedom of any reporter to report on any event would be untouched.</font></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>Planned Parenthood. </i>I'm not sure what protections PP requires, but some protection against an unreasonable search of records, or unwanted demonstrators would be something they would want protected. The <i>persons </i>involved with PP, including the patients, would continue to be protected as now. So the issue is the corporate body of PP, and its protection would fall under legislative action by Congress or a state. It's conceivable that Congress could pass a bill forcing PP to open its records to the public - but they would have to be general statistical records, and none that reveal patient identity or other details. PP is pretty open about statistical data, but of course is protective of patient records, for obvious reasons.</font></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>The LDS Church. </i>Protection under the first amendment for the institution, its officers and its members would not be affected. I'm not sure what issue could arise. The free exercise of one's religious freedom would not be touched in any way that has not already been expressed by the courts and legislatures. About the only thing that might change would be some activity of the church as a corporate body that would be affected by state or federal law - for example, the church deciding to go to court as a corporation to protect members desiring to engage in a polygamous marriage. Even that seems to fall under the category of the first amendment's personal freedom to exercise one's religious preferences - and that freedom is already constrained in many ways. The LDS church has of course yielded to the state with regard to polygamy over a hundred years ago, and that had nothing to do with corporate personhood.</font></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>Sayng that corporations are not people is meaningless. </i>Well, with all due respect, there are now many decided Supreme Court cases in which corporations have been granted rights under the constitution that formerly were granted only to humans. Rather than list them here, may I refer you to a long list in an appendix in the book <i>Gangs of America, </i>by Ted Nace? This book has a racy title, but in fact it is a carefully researched opus on corporate personhood.</font></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i>...regulation is directed at the expenditure of money it is not covered by principles of freedom of speech?</i> The slogan "money is not speech" has a larger story behind it. The famous Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case contains a thread of corporate personhood, but we do understand that the Court ruled in favor of the Citizens United corporation on first amendment free speech grounds. However, from the perspective of political elections, we and many other Americans see a serious problem with permitting <i>corporate </i>funds to be used in an election campaign - for example, to finance a particular candidate's election, or to finance advertising for or against some state proposition. Most large corporations exist for one purpose only - to maximize the return on stockholder investments. Nothing else, within the law, matters. That's not a bad thing, generally, except when corporate money is used to help some congressperson get into office. That member of Congress ideally should "vote his/her conscience" on all matters, including subsidies to corporate interests, or government contracts. But that ignores the crucial issue of how people are selected and financed in primaries. It's easy for a company to figure out who is going to be their "friend", and to support him or her with the money to buy lots of prime television time. That's part of the job of being a lobbyist. And that leads to an insidious form of political corruption. Lawrence Lessig discusses this form of corruption at length in his book <i>Republic, Lost.</i> Need I also point out section 4 of the Constitution, which grants the states the power to fix the Times, Places, and Manner of holding elections, subject to acts of Congress? The "manner of holding elections" is a bit vague, but many of us feel that it should include the manner in which candidates for public office may solicit campaign funds and later make use of campaign contributions. So under what authority did our Supreme Court step in and overrule a reasonable Congressional act directed at campaign financing? That has infuriated many of us on both sides of the aisle.</font></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><i>No one may spend money to oppose the war? </i>I'm sorry, I don't understand this sentence. What war? The U.S. is not at war with any state at the present time, although there is military action engaging ISIS and other terrorist groups, in cooperation with viable states and the United Nations. The only connection of war with personhood, from our point of view, is the manner in which several large military contractors continue to aggressively approach Congressional members, urging support for various defense budgets. The money spent by an aircraft company on K street tends to return big dividends in new contracts. Are certain corporations pushing the U.S. into yet more wars? That's an interesting and debatable question. Something like that is surely going on, given the level of television ads by Boeing and other military contractors, touting their ability to counter any threat to the U.S. through their (expensive) technical systems.
</font></li></ul><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>We would still like to put together a panel of legal specialists to discuss the issue of the Day After</b>. My offer of having you on the panel stands, and we're only asking that you keep an open mind and consider whether removing corporate personhood rights, replacing them with privileges, would be such a terrible thing? </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We in the Move to Amend movement enjoy a strong public opinion behind this idea. Several state referendums have passed with strong public vote, essentially instructing their congressional representatives to support our amendment. California will very likely see such a measure - proposition 49 - on the state ballot in 2016. This was supposed to appear on the 2014 ballot, but was knocked off the ballot by a decision handed down by the CA Supreme Court. The Court will be issuing a final decision on the proposition soon. The story behind 49 can be found through a Google search.</font></div></div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font><div class="gmail_quote"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fri, Jul 3, 2015 at 4:53 PM, Michael McConnell <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mcconnell@law.stanford.edu" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">mcconnell@law.stanford.edu</a>></span> wrote:
</font><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><div dir="ltr"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Are saying that no corporations would have constitutional rights? (Not the New York Times? Not Planned Parenthood? Not the LDS Church?) Saying that corporations are not people is meaningless.</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Are you saying that as long as regulation is directed at the expenditure of money it is not covered by principles of freedom of speech? No one may spend money to oppose the war? </font></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font><div class="gmail_quote"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fri, Jul 3, 2015 at 3:55 PM, William Barrett <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:billbarrett04@gmail.com" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">billbarrett04@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:
</font><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><div dir="ltr"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I'm wondering if you have considered serving on a panel, October timeframe, on what might happen after a 28th amendment is ratified?</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is the <b>corporations are not people; money is not speech</b> amendment that my San Jose group and many other groups across the nation have been working on.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We are planning a legal seminar in the October framework on the "day-after" question, and would very much appreciate your views on the issue.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We feel that changing corporate <i>rights </i>as persons under the constitution into <i>privileges </i>granted by our legislatures is an appropriate action to take.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But what would be the immediate reaction? And how should the amendment be worded to achieve our goal, over time, without creating a panic on Wall street?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A phone call or an email would be most pleasant.</font></div></div><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman">--
</font><div><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div dir="ltr"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><div><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888">William Barrett
<a href="mailto:billbarrett04@gmail.com" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">billbarrett04@gmail.com</a>
</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><a href="http://www.wbarrett.us/" target="blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">http://www.wbarrett.us</a></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="tel:408%20267%204382" value="+14082674382" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">408 267 4382</a>
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</font><div><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman">Regards,</font><div><font color="#888888" size="4" face="Times New Roman">
Michael W. McConnell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Richard & Frances Mallery Professor, Stanford Law School</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Director, Stanford Constitutional Law Center</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">559 Nathan Abbott Way</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Stanford, CA 94305</font></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">fedsoc</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">p<strong>ublications and Multimedia</strong></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/sebelius-v-hobby-lobby-stores-inc" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.</a>
<font>Engage Volume 15, Issue 1 February 2014</font>
<font>April 10, 2014</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/young-legal-scholars-paper-presentations-event-audiovideo-4" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Young Legal Scholars Paper Presentations - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>15th Annual Faculty Conference</font>
<font>January 10, 2013</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/religion-clauses-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Religion Clauses - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2012 National Lawyers Convention</font>
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<font>Faculty Division Podcast 07-06-12 featuring John Inazu and Michael McConnell</font>
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<font>March 03, 2012</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/hosanna-tabor-evangelical-lutheran-church-and-school-v-eeoc-post-decision-scotuscast" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC - Post-Decision SCOTUScast</a>
<font>SCOTUScast 01-13-12 featuring Michael McConnell</font>
<font>January 13, 2012</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/political-philosophy-and-classical-liberalism-roundtable-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Political Philosophy and Classical Liberalism Roundtable - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2011 National Lawyers Convention</font>
<font>November 11, 2011</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/the-ministerial-exception-case-hosanna-tabor-evangelical-lutheran-church-and-school-v-eeoc-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">The Ministerial Exception Case: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2011 National Lawyers Convention</font>
<font>November 11, 2011</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/the-pay-czar-the-appointments-clause-a-forum" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">The Pay Czar & the Appointments Clause – a Forum</a>
<font>Online Debate</font>
<font>November 19, 2009</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/religious-liberty-and-the-limits-of-government-power-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Religious Liberty and the Limits of Government Power - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2009 National Lawyers Convention</font>
<font>November 13, 2009</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/1st-annual-rosenkranz-discussion-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">1st Annual Rosenkranz Discussion - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2008 National Lawyers Convention</font>
<font>November 22, 2008</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/restricting-parental-speech-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">Restricting Parental Speech - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2007 National Lawyers Convention</font>
<font>November 16, 2007</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/multimedia/detail/the-role-of-religion-in-public-debate-event-audiovideo" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">The Role of Religion in Public Debate - Event Audio/Video</a>
<font>2007 National Lawyers Convention</font>
<font>November 15, 2007</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/a-constitutional-campaign-finance-plan" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">A Constitutional Campaign Finance Plan</a>
<font>Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 1998</font>
<font>May 01, 1998</font></font></div><div class="authorItem" style="margin-bottom: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/the-rfra-decision-a-blow-for-judicial-supremacy-and-against-religious-freedom" style="color: rgb(27, 88, 122); text-decoration: none;">The RFRA Decision: A Blow for Judicial Supremacy and Against Religious Freedom</a>
<font>Federalism & Separation of Powers Practice Group Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 3, Fall 1997</font>
<font>December 01, 1997</font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Constitutional Campaign Finance Plan</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 1998</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Michael W. McConnell</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">May 01, 1998 TweetEmailLikePrint</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reprinted with permission of The Wall Street Journal © 1997 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We take the unusual step in this issue of reprinting an article that appeared earlier in a different publication, but we think Professor McConnell’s ideas merit further attention. We say that, not necessarily because we agree with all that he says, but rather because his proposal on how to address the vexing issue of campaign finance reform is two things such proposals rarely are - provocative, and respectful of the First Amendment. And because it is provocative, we invite readers to submit for publication in our next issue reactions to Professor McConnell’s proposal. Professor McConnell, in turn, has agreed to address your responses. So please let us know your thoughts - send them by email, fax, or regular mail to either of the editors, William McGrath and Allison Hayward, or to the Federalist Society headquarters.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Janet Reno’s refusal to seek an independent counsel to investigate Clinton fundraising is likely to refocus debate on systemic campaign finance reform. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott yanked the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill off the agenda for this year. But thanks to Democratic filibustering, the bill will be back before Congress next spring. The result will be the same. Republicans will refuse to support legislation unless it prevents labor unions from using coerced dues from workers; Democrats will refuse to support it if it does. Stalemate.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The disagreement over union money is only the public face of a deeper and more intractable problem. Everyone can agree that the present system needs to be changed, but most proposals for "reform," including McCain-Feingold, would probably make matters worse.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And such efforts to control political speech inevitably founder on the shoals of the First Amendment. It may be constitutional to restrict contributions to candidates or political parties (though most First Amendment purists doubt even this). But restricting direct contributions simply forces would-be contributors to find indirect means of supporting candidates. To be effective, therefore, the restrictions have to extend far beyond limits on contributions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Very Core</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McCain-Feingold, for example, would make it a crime to run an advertisement stating your views on the candidate within 60 days of the election. Under no coherent reading of the Constitution could it be permissible to prohibit citizens and voluntary associations from attempting to persuade their fellow citizens how to vote. That is the very core of the First Amendment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What’s more, these proposals would make it even more difficult for challengers to mount effective campaigns against incumbents, who enjoy built-in advantages of media access, taxpayer-funded mailings, name recognition and constituent service. Nor would public financing solve the problem. There is no neutral formula for allocating funds, and most proposals would favor the candidates of the two major parties at the expense of all others.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We need to be clear about the problems with the current system and about the purpose of reform. The problem is not too much campaign speech. Nor is the problem that "special interests" are using their resources to influence public opinion. That’s what freedom of speech is all about. Pro-lifers, environmentalists, and free-traders have a right to make their opinions known to the public. All of us are "special interests."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The problem is that elected officials use the powers of office to extract contributions and hence to perpetrate themselves in office. (That is why the prohibition on the use of publicly funded telephones, offices, and computers for partisan fundraising is more than just a technicality.) The flip side of this is that contributors seek to influence public policy not by persuasion but by currying favor with officeholders. Roger Tamraz contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democratic Party not because he believes in its philosophy of government. He did it in hopes that the Clinton administration would return the favor.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the Supreme Court held in Buckley v. Valeo, there is no constitutional barrier to laws designed to combat this kind of corruption. Americans have a First Amendment right to do what we can to sway public opinion, but not to buy privileged access to our leaders by giving money to their campaigns.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4" face="Times New Roman">I have not seen any plausibly comprehensive solution to this problems, and I suspect that no such solution exists. But there are reforms that would reduce the opportunities for official corruption without infringing free speech rights or further entrenching incumbents. Instead of repeating the McCain-Feingold standoff, I suggest that Congress consider more productive proposals.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">First, Congress should enact tax credits for modest political contributions (refundable, so that the poor have equal opportunity). Limits of perhaps $250 per candidate, with a $1,000 annual cap per tax-payer, would be about right. This would make it easier for candidates to raise money from ordinary people, and easier for ordinary people to participate in politics through contributions. It would be the equivalent of partial public financing, but without government control over how the funds are divided. The cost would be small change in today’s budget.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Second, Congress should abolish political action committees and raise limits on individual contributions.</span> The wrong-headed campaign reforms of the 1970s placed strict limits on individual contributions - but allowed PACs to aggregate contributions and donate them to candidates in $5,000 units. This "reform" magnified the power of interest groups and lobbyists and restricted the influence of individuals.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Individuals have many different opinions and interests, and unless their contributions are large enough to warrant invitation to a White House coffee or its equivalent, the candidate does not necessarily know what those interests are. The interests of a PAC lobbyist, by contrast, are all too clear.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> It also bears mention that PACs give almost 13 times as much money to incumbents as to challengers - a sure sign that the purpose of the contribution is to buy influence rather than to persuade voters.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A more radical proposal is to create a mechanism for anonymous contributions above the ordinary legal limit. If a candidate does not know who made the contribution, then there is no possibility of improper influence. This would also bolster the argument that contribution limits are constitutional. If everyone is free (within certain generous limits) to contribute to the candidate of his choice, then the only question is whether there is a constitutional right to make one’s generosity known to the candidate. That is not freedom of speech. The constitutional right is to persuade one’s fellow citizens - not to make an officeholder grateful. To be sure, there may be practical problems in ensuring anonymity. Contributors are extraordinarily clever about evading the laws in this area. But I think campaign nondisclosure merits serious consideration.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fourth, Congress should ban campaign contributions for a certain period - perhaps six months - after Election Day. The postelection fundraiser, where lobbyists scurry to placate the winner, may be the most undisguised form of influence peddling in our entire system. It is particularly disgusting to see lobbyists who supported the loser suddenly switch sides. This abuse can be banned without injury to freedom of speech. Postelection contributions cannot possibly serve the function of persuading our fellow citizens how to vote. It is simply a way for the holder of public office to use his position for personal political advantage - and for lobbyists to curry favor without any danger that the other side might win.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Specified Period</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An extension of this idea would be to require all political campaign contributions to be used by the recipient within a specified period (no longer than six months). This would prevent incumbents from amassing "war chests" to scare off potential challengers. It is hard to believe that contributions made years before the election, and before the contributor even knows who the opposing candidate might be, is a good-faith attempt to persuade. It is almost certainly an attempt to buy influence....</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></div></div>