FAS

Judge Garland’s Jurisprudence, and More from CRS

05.03.16 | 2 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

A new report from the Congressional Research Service examines Judge Merrick Garland’s approach to various domains of the law in an attempt to assess what the impact would be if his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court were ever confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

“The report focuses on those areas of law where Justice Scalia can be seen to have influenced the High Court’s approach to particular issues, or served as a fifth and deciding vote on the Court, with a view toward how Judge Garland might approach that same issue if he were to be confirmed.”

The report addresses Judge Garland’s treatment of 14 topical areas of law, including civil rights, environmental law, and freedom of the press. See Judge Merrick Garland: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court, April 27, 2016.

Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

The First Responder Network (FirstNet) and Next-Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress, updated April 28, 2016

Dominican Republic: Update on Citizenship and Humanitarian Issues, CRS Insight, April 27, 2016

Oman: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated April 26, 2016

Private Flood Insurance in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), CRS Insight, April 25, 2016

Clean Power Plan: Legal Background and Pending Litigation in West Virginia v. EPA, April 27, 2016

Corporate Expatriation, Inversions, and Mergers: Tax Issues, updated April 27, 2016

The Buy American Act–Preferences for “Domestic” Supplies: In Brief, updated April 26, 2016

Zika Response Funding: In Brief, updated April 28, 2016

Traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): A Primer, updated April 27, 2016

U.S. Manufacturing in International Perspective, updated April 26, 2016

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: Lessons Learned and Issues for Congress, April 27, 2016

publications
See all publications
Government Capacity
Blog
Everything You Need to Know (and Ask!) About OPM’s New Schedule Policy/Career Role: Oversight Resource for OPM’s Schedule Policy/Career Rule

This rule gives agencies significantly more authority over certain career policy roles. Whether that authority improves accountability or creates new risks depends almost entirely on how agencies interrupt and apply it. 

02.13.26 | 8 min read
read more
Government Capacity
Policy Memo
Report
Rebuilding Environmental Governance: Understanding the Foundations

Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.

02.12.26 | 26 min read
read more
Government Capacity
Policy Memo
Report
Costs Come First in a Reset Climate Agenda

Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.

02.12.26 | 41 min read
read more
Environment
Press release
FAS Launches New “Center for Regulatory Ingenuity” to Modernize American Governance, Drive Durable Climate Progress

FAS is launching the Center for Regulatory Ingenuity (CRI) to build a new, transpartisan vision of government that works – that has the capacity to achieve ambitious goals while adeptly responding to people’s basic needs.

02.12.26 | 4 min read
read more