2012/02/20

Court Administration Reform Act

The following is my proposed Court Administration Reform Act of 2013, to be introduced shortly after taking my seat in the U.S. Senate. The title is linked to the web page where the latest version can be found. Constructive comments are welcome.


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113th Congress
1st Session
S. ____
To amend certain statutes concerning the assignment and rules of procedure of United States judges and other judicial officers.

IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE
January 25, 2013
Mr. ROLAND of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

A BILL
To amend certain statutes coded in 28 USC Part I.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the 'Court Administration Reform Act of 2013'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND AUTHORITY.

1. Congress finds the United States Constitution, Article III, does not provide that judges must be appointed to particular courts.
2. The authority for this act is the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 1, and Article III.

SEC. 3. ENACTMENT AND REPEALS.

1. Public laws and amendments thereto coded in 28 USC Part I, concerning Article III courts, are amended, effective immediately, as follows:
a. Henceforth judges shall not be appointed to specific courts at confirmation, but shall be assigned to a pool from which vacancies shall be filled by drawing from the pool at random.
b. No vacancy shall be filled until there are at least 20 judges in the selection pool.
c. While in the selection pool, judges shall enjoy the same salaries and benefits of assigned judges, but may be assigned temporary duties as magistrates, clerks, administrators, researchers, writers, or teachers.
d. Judges assigned from the selection pool shall serve for two years, beginning October 1 of the first odd-numbered year after their assignment, after which they shall return to the pool, and may not be assigned to the same court twice in succession.
e. Magistrates and clerks shall be similarly appointed to pools, one for magistrates and one for clerks, and shall be randomly assigned to courts from such pools, there to serve for four years, but not to succeed themselves on the same court, and no vacancy shall be filled until the pool for that kind of position shall contain at least twenty candidates.
f. Judges, magistrates, and clerks shall receive a reasonable compensation for the costs of relocations to their assignments.
2. Beginning October 1, 2017, and each odd year thereafter, the number of judges on each appellate court, including the Supreme Court, shall be increased by two, until the number shall reach twenty-seven.
a. All appellate cases shall be initially heard by a randomly selected panel of three, from which appeal may thereafter be made to a randomly selected panel of nine, unless the court shall not then have nine, in which case all of them, and if the court shall have at least fifteen judges, appeal may then be made to the entire court sitting en banc.
b. A vote of two judges shall be sufficient to accept an appeal for review.
3. In any case tried or heard on appeal by a panel of more than one judge, the judges must be unanimous to sustain a claimed power of a government actor against a claim by a private party that the government actor lacks authority to exercise such power.

SEC. 4. TRANSITION.

1. Additional magistrates and clerks shall be appointed sufficient to handle the workload of the judges, subject to appropriations by Congress.
2. Courtrooms and offices shall be expanded in number and size as required to accommodate all court personnel, subject to appropriations by Congress.
END.

2012/02/19

Does turnaround need unity?


Some unity is needed to get each of many reforms, but it is possible to do that without a single, comprehensive unified effort that combines all the needed reforms. Turnaround is not a single reform, but the convergence of thousands of reforms. We cannot expect any one unified effort to cover them all. The various efforts should avoid conflicting with one another, and support one another where possible, but it will take massive efforts of many people in many organizations, moving like a tsunami in the same general direction.

Just consider all the bills I have so far at http://jonroland.net/proposed_bills . Yes, if elected I could introduce them all, but getting them passed would take groups forming around support for each one. Of course, it would start with a group uniting to elect me or someone who would introduce all those bills, but after that it would take groups electing each of many more members of Congress, and building support for each bill in each state and district.

The tea party movement provides a model. Much of its strength rests on it being a large number of local efforts with no central leadership or agreed agenda. We need more of that, but now the components need to push more specific reform proposals that are a lot more substantive than the Contract from America suggestions.

2012/02/18

Medical Care Reform Act




113th Congress
1st Session
S. ____
To amend or repeal certain unconstitutional legislation concerning health care.


IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE
January 25, 2013
Mr. ROLAND of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Commerce Committee.

A BILL
To amend or repeal certain unconstitutional legislation concerning health care.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the 'Medical Care Reform Act of 2013'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND AUTHORITY.

1. The Congress finds that funding and providing medical care as a transfer of wealth from one group to another is unconstitutional, a violation of U.S. Const. Article I Section 8 Clause 1 that requires public expenditures be only for the general welfare and not for the benefit of one group at the expense of another; however,
2. The Congress also finds it is not unconstitutional to fund research, development, and testing of new medical methods of general benefit to all, or to fund and provide medical care for persons injured by government or preparatory for or in the course of government service or militia, or to prevent the spread of contagious disease, or to make use of capacity created for that purpose that would otherwise be wasted.
3. The authority for this act is the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 1.

SEC. 3. ENACTMENT AND REPEALS.

1. The following acts and amendments thereto are hereby repealed or amended as provided in (2) of this section:
  • PL 86-778 Social Security Amendments of 1960 (Kerr-Mills aid)
  • PL 89-97 Social Security Act of 1965
  • Medicare Secondary Payer Act of 1980
  • PL 100-360 Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988
  • PL 105-33 Balanced Budget Act of 1997
  • PL 108-173 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act
  • Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
2. With the exception specified in (3) of this section, the above acts are amended as follows:
a. The sole ultimate purpose of funds expended pursuant to this act shall be research, development, and testing of new medical methods which lead to being able to provide a long life of youthful good health to all at a cost almost anyone can afford. To that end,
b. Medical treatment shall be provided only as an incident to research and testing studies, and not to those whose treatment does not serve a research and development objective.
c. Expenditures under this section (2) shall  not exceed tax receipts dedicated to them, and under no circumstances shall it be paid by borrowing or by donations from any financial institution.
3. Existing programs to fund and provide medical care for persons injured by government or preparatory for or in the course of government service or militia, or to prevent the spread of contagious disease, or to make use of capacity created for that purpose that would otherwise be wasted, are not to be affected by this act.

SEC. 4. TRANSITIONAL.

1. Current obligations for services performed as of the date of enactment of this bill shall be paid.
2. Conversion from a treatment system to a research system shall be phased in, after four months at the rate of five percent per month for twenty months, to be completed by the end of the second year.
END.
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Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2013




113th Congress
1st Session
S. ____
To amend campaign finance acts to bring them into compliance with the United States Constitution.


IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE
January 25, 2013
Mr. ROLAND of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, and amendments thereto, to bring them into compliance with the United States Constitution.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the 'Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2013'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND AUTHORITY.

1. The authority for this act is the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 1, Section 4, and Section 5 Clause 2.
2. Application of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, and amendments thereto, to persons who are not current members of the United States Congress is unconstitutional.

SEC. 3. ENACTMENT AND REPEALS.

1. Provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972 (FECA, Pub.L. 92-225, 86 Stat. 3, enacted February 7, 1972, 2 U.S.C. § 431 et seq.), the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002(BCRA, McCain–Feingold Act, Pub.L. 107-155, 116 Stat. 81, enacted March 27, 2002, H.R. 2356) , and amendments thereto, that apply only to persons not current members of the United States Congress, are hereby repealed, retroactively.
2. Remaining provisions shall apply only to current members of the United States Congress while they hold that office.
3. The rule of construction for all cases arising under this act shall be the presumption of nonauthority.

SEC. 4. REMEDIATION.

Persons injured by the repealed provisions while they were enacted shall be entitled to just compensation therefor, upon adjudication in the United States Court of Claims, or other court of competent jurisdiction.
END.
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2012/02/16

Civil Rights Act of 2013

b. Due process
1. General
1. Due notice of time, place, manner, parties, and subject of any proceeding with sufficient time to respond.
2. Fair hearing and decision on the legal merits, with redress for just grievances, including damages, property, or injunctive or declaratory relief.
3. Not to have just remedies made inaccessible or excessively difficult or costly.
4. Mandated testimony of witnesses.
5. Unimpeded access to courts, court filing, and grand juries, subject only to routine scheduling.
6. Direct presentation of complaints to a grand jury without the presence of any other government actor without the consent of the grand jury.
7. Standing to privately prosecute a public right without having been or expecting personal injury.
8. Not to be subject to retaliation.
9. Not to have admitted any plea or testimony induced by a plea bargain.
10. Not to have any property or asset taken or forfeited without civil or criminal judgment in a trial, with possession presumed to establish title unless proved otherwise.
11. Not to have any right, privilege, or immunity disabled by statute unless one is a minor, which by default shall be any individual under the age of 18 unless the disabilities of minority are extended or reduced by court order.
2. Criminal trials:
1. Indictment by twelve members of a randomly selected grand jury of 23 who elect their foreperson, upon a finding that the court has jurisdiction and that there is sufficient evidence for a trial, except for persons subject to military or militia discipline.
2. Service as prosecutor upon receipt of an indictment by a grand jury, subject only to consolidation by the grand jury if more than one person seeks to prosecute the same offense.
3. Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in criminal cases for which the penalty is more than 90 days.
4. No excessive bail when there is little flight risk.
5. No excessive fines imposed.
6. No  cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
7. Speedy and public trial before an impartial jury of the state and district previously defined by law, wherein the offense shall have been committed, and to have the location of commitment be deemed where there was concurrence of mens rea and actus reus.
8. Not to be twice prosecuted for the same offense or same facts under different jurisdictions.
9. To be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence, but not to have counsel or an attorney imposed on him without his consent.
10. Not to be compelled to be a witness against himself.
11. Not be disabled in the exercise, or deprived, of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, by unanimous verdict of a jury of twelve.
12. Unimpeded presentation of all evidence by the defendant, without being subject to a motion in limine.
13. Unimpeded presentation of all legal argument to the jury, up to the final instructions to the jury, except for argument on a motion in limine that cannot be made without disclosing evidence properly excluded.
14. Unimpeded presentation of all pleadings, alternative instructions, and certified copies of applicable laws and constitutions, to the jury.
15. Not to have a sentence that does not separately disable the exercise of the immunity, and order deprivation of it, within the scope of that disablement
3. Civil trials:
Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in which the amount at issue, including costs, exceeds the equivalent of at least 15.46875 troy ounces of pure silver.
4. Appeals
Appeal from a jury verdict on a writ of error or habeas corpus, according to the rules of the common law in the United States as of 1787, unless the Constitution is amended to provide otherwise.
c. Nonauthority
1. Presumption of nonauthority for any claim to authority, to be strictly proved by an unbroken logical chain of derivation from a constitution.
2. Not to have any government actor exercise a power not delegated, regardless of whether one may be personally injured by such exercise.
3. Not to have government actors exercise powers on the pretext of being "necessary and proper" when they are not just to perform his official duties but to get a desired result beyond such duties.
4. To have delegated powers construed as narrowly, and rights, privileges, or immunities construed as broadly, as the language of the Constitution as meant and understood when ratified permits.
5. Priority docketing of all prerogative writs filed by a any person as demandant in the name of the people with a court of competent jurisdiction and served on the respondant, within three sederunt days, unless the respondant requires more, but not more than 20 calendar days, including but not limited to, demurral, quo warranto, habeas corpus, procedendo, mandamus, prohibito, certiorari, and scire facias, and to have default judgment even if no proof is presented or a hearing is not held.
6. Unimpeded and unpunished communications, including speech, press, and education, except such as instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
7. Unimpeded assembly and exercise of rights in concert with others.
8. Unimpeded assembly as militia for organizing, training, and response to threats to public safety, subject only to direction by state militia officers during a call-up.
9. Unrestricted keeping and bearing of weapons, equipment, and supplies commonly used by military forces, or suitable for militia, subject only to court order of disablement for being a threat to oneself or others, or to the lawful orders of militia officers during a call-up.
10. Unimpeded and unpunished petition for redress of grievances.
11. Unimpeded devotion or practice of religion, not preferentially supported by public funds, that does not instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
12. Exclusion of government actors from intrusion into one's real property, body, or use of one's personal property, for search, seizure, or for any other reason, without consent, a declared state of war or emergency threat to public, safety, a warrant supported by an affidavit of probable cause, and just compensation for any losses incurred, for each incident.
d. Supervision of government actors
1. Access to observation and recordation of any government proceeding except trial and grand jury deliberations or their equivalent, or deliberations on matters of security requiring secrecy.
2. Receipt of records of all proceedings, and accounting for all receipts, loans, debts, and expenditures, and reporting thereof, for eventual examination prior to an election in which the issues may be reviewed.
3. Accurate recording, counting, and reporting of all votes cast by eligible voters in any public election with protection from disclosure of how each voted.
4. Access to all information about oneself, and either copies at cost of all documentation or to make one's own copies using one's own equipment.
5. Effective low-cost remedies for getting information about oneself corrected, and use of such information restricted to that for which there is consent by oneself.
f. Other
1. Association and contract to do things not unlawful, including practice of a profession or occupation, marriage, procreation, and acceptance or denial of medical prevention or treatment, except prevention of contagious diseases.
2. Formation, conduct, and revision or dissolution of corporations, partnerships, and other trusts, in which settlor, trustee, and beneficiary are distinct persons who may not be impeded or penalized from directly appearing in any court in such capacities.
3. Not to have some accorded special privileges or protections that favor them over the rest of the people, in ways not essential to the performance of public duties.
4. Travel within, to, and from the United States and any State, territory or locality.
5. Not to be removed from the location of one's birth or lawful residence, or impeded from returning thereto.
6. Not to be enslaved or submitted to peonage except as punishment for a crime, but subject to militia, jury, witness, and other public duty.
7. Not to be impeded or punished for voting if one is a citizen and resident on grounds of race, color, creed, previous servitude, gender, age 18 or above, or failure to pay a tax.
8. Custody and care of close relatives who are non sui juris.
9. Not to be neglected or abused while in custody.
10. Not to be denied any right, privilege, or immunity for failure to have or present a name or other form of identification.
11. Not to be deported without proof that one has not been born or naturalized as a citizen, unless one is born to a person not subject to the allegiance of the United States, such as a foreign diplomat or an invader.
12. Not to be subject to penalty for not doing something, such as paying a tax, if government agents refuse to allow it to be done, such as accepting payment of a tax.
13. Not to deny relief from some government action for lack of an appropriation to process the application for relief, or having an official to receive the application, and to fail to recognize the demand for such relief as being granted by default.
14. Not to be required to procreate or if an adult, to refrain from procreating.
g. The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and further rights, privileges, and immunities are to be found in the historical record. The rule of expressio unius est exclusio alterius shall  not be applied.
b. Due process
1. General
1. Due notice of time, place, manner, parties, and subject of any proceeding with sufficient time to respond.
2. Fair hearing and decision on the legal merits, with redress for just grievances, including damages, property, or injunctive or declaratory relief.
3. Not to have just remedies made inaccessible or excessively difficult or costly.
4. Mandated testimony of witnesses.
5. Unimpeded access to courts, court filing, and grand juries, subject only to routine scheduling.
6. Direct presentation of complaints to a grand jury without the presence of any other government actor without the consent of the grand jury.
7. Standing to privately prosecute a public right without having been or expecting personal injury.
8. Not to be subject to retaliation.
9. Not to have admitted any plea or testimony induced by a plea bargain.
10. Not to have any property or asset taken or forfeited without civil or criminal judgment in a trial, with possession presumed to establish title unless proved otherwise.
11. Not to have any right, privilege, or immunity disabled by statute unless one is a minor, which by default shall be any individual under the age of 18 unless the disabilities of minority are extended or reduced by court order.
2. Criminal trials:
1. Indictment by twelve members of a randomly selected grand jury of 23 who elect their foreperson, upon a finding that the court has jurisdiction and that there is sufficient evidence for a trial, except for persons subject to military or militia discipline.
2. Service as prosecutor upon receipt of an indictment by a grand jury, subject only to consolidation by the grand jury if more than one person seeks to prosecute the same offense.
3. Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in criminal cases for which the penalty is more than 90 days.
4. No excessive bail when there is little flight risk.
5. No excessive fines imposed.
6. No  cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
7. Speedy and public trial before an impartial jury of the state and district previously defined by law, wherein the offense shall have been committed, and to have the location of commitment be deemed where there was concurrence of mens rea and actus reus.
8. Not to be twice prosecuted for the same offense or same facts under different jurisdictions.
9. To be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence, but not to have counsel or an attorney imposed on him without his consent.
10. Not to be compelled to be a witness against himself.
11. Not be disabled in the exercise, or deprived, of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, by unanimous verdict of a jury of twelve.
12. Unimpeded presentation of all evidence by the defendant, without being subject to a motion in limine.
13. Unimpeded presentation of all legal argument to the jury, up to the final instructions to the jury, except for argument on a motion in limine that cannot be made without disclosing evidence properly excluded.
14. Unimpeded presentation of all pleadings, alternative instructions, and certified copies of applicable laws and constitutions, to the jury.
15. Not to have a sentence that does not separately disable the exercise of the immunity, and order deprivation of it, within the scope of that disablement
3. Civil trials:
Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in which the amount at issue, including costs, exceeds the equivalent of at least 15.46875 troy ounces of pure silver.
4. Appeals
Appeal from a jury verdict on a writ of error or habeas corpus, according to the rules of the common law in the United States as of 1787, unless the Constitution is amended to provide otherwise.
c. Nonauthority
1. Presumption of nonauthority for any claim to authority, to be strictly proved by an unbroken logical chain of derivation from a constitution.
2. Not to have any government actor exercise a power not delegated, regardless of whether one may be personally injured by such exercise.
3. Not to have government actors exercise powers on the pretext of being "necessary and proper" when they are not just to perform his official duties but to get a desired result beyond such duties.
4. To have delegated powers construed as narrowly, and rights, privileges, or immunities construed as broadly, as the language of the Constitution as meant and understood when ratified permits.
5. Priority docketing of all prerogative writs filed by a any person as demandant in the name of the people with a court of competent jurisdiction and served on the respondant, within three sederunt days, unless the respondant requires more, but not more than 20 calendar days, including but not limited to, demurral, quo warranto, habeas corpus, procedendo, mandamus, prohibito, certiorari, and scire facias, and to have default judgment even if no proof is presented or a hearing is not held.
6. Unimpeded and unpunished communications, including speech, press, and education, except such as instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
7. Unimpeded assembly and exercise of rights in concert with others.
8. Unimpeded assembly as militia for organizing, training, and response to threats to public safety, subject only to direction by state militia officers during a call-up.
9. Unrestricted keeping and bearing of weapons, equipment, and supplies commonly used by military forces, or suitable for militia, subject only to court order of disablement for being a threat to oneself or others, or to the lawful orders of militia officers during a call-up.
10. Unimpeded and unpunished petition for redress of grievances.
11. Unimpeded devotion or practice of religion, not preferentially supported by public funds, that does not instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
12. Exclusion of government actors from intrusion into one's real property, body, or use of one's personal property, for search, seizure, or for any other reason, without consent, a declared state of war or emergency threat to public, safety, a warrant supported by an affidavit of probable cause, and just compensation for any losses incurred, for each incident.
d. Supervision of government actors
1. Access to observation and recordation of any government proceeding except trial and grand jury deliberations or their equivalent, or deliberations on matters of security requiring secrecy.
2. Receipt of records of all proceedings, and accounting for all receipts, loans, debts, and expenditures, and reporting thereof, for eventual examination prior to an election in which the issues may be reviewed.
3. Accurate recording, counting, and reporting of all votes cast by eligible voters in any public election with protection from disclosure of how each voted.
4. Access to all information about oneself, and either copies at cost of all documentation or to make one's own copies using one's own equipment.
5. Effective low-cost remedies for getting information about oneself corrected, and use of such information restricted to that for which there is consent by oneself.
f. Other
1. Association and contract to do things not unlawful, including practice of a profession or occupation, marriage, procreation, and acceptance or denial of medical prevention or treatment, except prevention of contagious diseases.
2. Formation, conduct, and revision or dissolution of corporations, partnerships, and other trusts, in which settlor, trustee, and beneficiary are distinct persons who may not be impeded or penalized from directly appearing in any court in such capacities.
3. Not to have some accorded special privileges or protections that favor them over the rest of the people, in ways not essential to the performance of public duties.
4. Travel within, to, and from the United States and any State, territory or locality.
5. Not to be removed from the location of one's birth or lawful residence, or impeded from returning thereto.
6. Not to be enslaved or submitted to peonage except as punishment for a crime, but subject to militia, jury, witness, and other public duty.
7. Not to be impeded or punished for voting if one is a citizen and resident on grounds of race, color, creed, previous servitude, gender, age 18 or above, or failure to pay a tax.
8. Custody and care of close relatives who are non sui juris.
9. Not to be neglected or abused while in custody.
10. Not to be denied any right, privilege, or immunity for failure to have or present a name or other form of identification.
11. Not to be deported without proof that one has not been born or naturalized as a citizen, unless one is born to a person not subject to the allegiance of the United States, such as a foreign diplomat or an invader.
12. Not to be subject to penalty for not doing something, such as paying a tax, if government agents refuse to allow it to be done, such as accepting payment of a tax.
13. Not to deny relief from some government action for lack of an appropriation to process the application for relief, or having an official to receive the application, and to fail to recognize the demand for such relief as being granted by default.
14. Not to be required to procreate or if an adult, to refrain from procreating.
g. The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and further rights, privileges, and immunities are to be found in the historical record. The rule of expressio unius est exclusio alterius shall  not be applied.
b. Due process
1. General
1. Due notice of time, place, manner, parties, and subject of any proceeding with sufficient time to respond.
2. Fair hearing and decision on the legal merits, with redress for just grievances, including damages, property, or injunctive or declaratory relief.
3. Not to have just remedies made inaccessible or excessively difficult or costly.
4. Mandated testimony of witnesses.
5. Unimpeded access to courts, court filing, and grand juries, subject only to routine scheduling.
6. Direct presentation of complaints to a grand jury without the presence of any other government actor without the consent of the grand jury.
7. Standing to privately prosecute a public right without having been or expecting personal injury.
8. Not to be subject to retaliation.
9. Not to have admitted any plea or testimony induced by a plea bargain.
10. Not to have any property or asset taken or forfeited without civil or criminal judgment in a trial, with possession presumed to establish title unless proved otherwise.
11. Not to have any right, privilege, or immunity disabled by statute unless one is a minor, which by default shall be any individual under the age of 18 unless the disabilities of minority are extended or reduced by court order.
2. Criminal trials:
1. Indictment by twelve members of a randomly selected grand jury of 23 who elect their foreperson, upon a finding that the court has jurisdiction and that there is sufficient evidence for a trial, except for persons subject to military or militia discipline.
2. Service as prosecutor upon receipt of an indictment by a grand jury, subject only to consolidation by the grand jury if more than one person seeks to prosecute the same offense.
3. Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in criminal cases for which the penalty is more than 90 days.
4. No excessive bail when there is little flight risk.
5. No excessive fines imposed.
6. No  cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
7. Speedy and public trial before an impartial jury of the state and district previously defined by law, wherein the offense shall have been committed, and to have the location of commitment be deemed where there was concurrence of mens rea and actus reus.
8. Not to be twice prosecuted for the same offense or same facts under different jurisdictions.
9. To be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence, but not to have counsel or an attorney imposed on him without his consent.
10. Not to be compelled to be a witness against himself.
11. Not be disabled in the exercise, or deprived, of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, by unanimous verdict of a jury of twelve.
12. Unimpeded presentation of all evidence by the defendant, without being subject to a motion in limine.
13. Unimpeded presentation of all legal argument to the jury, up to the final instructions to the jury, except for argument on a motion in limine that cannot be made without disclosing evidence properly excluded.
14. Unimpeded presentation of all pleadings, alternative instructions, and certified copies of applicable laws and constitutions, to the jury.
15. Not to have a sentence that does not separately disable the exercise of the immunity, and order deprivation of it, within the scope of that disablement
3. Civil trials:
Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in which the amount at issue, including costs, exceeds the equivalent of at least 15.46875 troy ounces of pure silver.
4. Appeals
Appeal from a jury verdict on a writ of error or habeas corpus, according to the rules of the common law in the United States as of 1787, unless the Constitution is amended to provide otherwise.
c. Nonauthority
1. Presumption of nonauthority for any claim to authority, to be strictly proved by an unbroken logical chain of derivation from a constitution.
2. Not to have any government actor exercise a power not delegated, regardless of whether one may be personally injured by such exercise.
3. Not to have government actors exercise powers on the pretext of being "necessary and proper" when they are not just to perform his official duties but to get a desired result beyond such duties.
4. To have delegated powers construed as narrowly, and rights, privileges, or immunities construed as broadly, as the language of the Constitution as meant and understood when ratified permits.
5. Priority docketing of all prerogative writs filed by a any person as demandant in the name of the people with a court of competent jurisdiction and served on the respondant, within three sederunt days, unless the respondant requires more, but not more than 20 calendar days, including but not limited to, demurral, quo warranto, habeas corpus, procedendo, mandamus, prohibito, certiorari, and scire facias, and to have default judgment even if no proof is presented or a hearing is not held.
6. Unimpeded and unpunished communications, including speech, press, and education, except such as instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
7. Unimpeded assembly and exercise of rights in concert with others.
8. Unimpeded assembly as militia for organizing, training, and response to threats to public safety, subject only to direction by state militia officers during a call-up.
9. Unrestricted keeping and bearing of weapons, equipment, and supplies commonly used by military forces, or suitable for militia, subject only to court order of disablement for being a threat to oneself or others, or to the lawful orders of militia officers during a call-up.
10. Unimpeded and unpunished petition for redress of grievances.
11. Unimpeded devotion or practice of religion, not preferentially supported by public funds, that does not instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
12. Exclusion of government actors from intrusion into one's real property, body, or use of one's personal property, for search, seizure, or for any other reason, without consent, a declared state of war or emergency threat to public, safety, a warrant supported by an affidavit of probable cause, and just compensation for any losses incurred, for each incident.
d. Supervision of government actors
1. Access to observation and recordation of any government proceeding except trial and grand jury deliberations or their equivalent, or deliberations on matters of security requiring secrecy.
2. Receipt of records of all proceedings, and accounting for all receipts, loans, debts, and expenditures, and reporting thereof, for eventual examination prior to an election in which the issues may be reviewed.
3. Accurate recording, counting, and reporting of all votes cast by eligible voters in any public election with protection from disclosure of how each voted.
4. Access to all information about oneself, and either copies at cost of all documentation or to make one's own copies using one's own equipment.
5. Effective low-cost remedies for getting information about oneself corrected, and use of such information restricted to that for which there is consent by oneself.
f. Other
1. Association and contract to do things not unlawful, including practice of a profession or occupation, marriage, procreation, and acceptance or denial of medical prevention or treatment, except prevention of contagious diseases.
2. Formation, conduct, and revision or dissolution of corporations, partnerships, and other trusts, in which settlor, trustee, and beneficiary are distinct persons who may not be impeded or penalized from directly appearing in any court in such capacities.
3. Not to have some accorded special privileges or protections that favor them over the rest of the people, in ways not essential to the performance of public duties.
4. Travel within, to, and from the United States and any State, territory or locality.
5. Not to be removed from the location of one's birth or lawful residence, or impeded from returning thereto.
6. Not to be enslaved or submitted to peonage except as punishment for a crime, but subject to militia, jury, witness, and other public duty.
7. Not to be impeded or punished for voting if one is a citizen and resident on grounds of race, color, creed, previous servitude, gender, age 18 or above, or failure to pay a tax.
8. Custody and care of close relatives who are non sui juris.
9. Not to be neglected or abused while in custody.
10. Not to be denied any right, privilege, or immunity for failure to have or present a name or other form of identification.
11. Not to be deported without proof that one has not been born or naturalized as a citizen, unless one is born to a person not subject to the allegiance of the United States, such as a foreign diplomat or an invader.
12. Not to be subject to penalty for not doing something, such as paying a tax, if government agents refuse to allow it to be done, such as accepting payment of a tax.
13. Not to deny relief from some government action for lack of an appropriation to process the application for relief, or having an official to receive the application, and to fail to recognize the demand for such relief as being granted by default.
14. Not to be required to procreate or if an adult, to refrain from procreating.
g. The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and further rights, privileges, and immunities are to be found in the historical record. The rule of expressio unius est exclusio alterius shall  not be applied.
The following is the first draft of a bill I am composing, to be filed when I take office as U.S. Senator from Texas. Constructive comments are welcome. Click on this link to go to the latest version. Please forward widely.

Donations to support this work are needed for it to continue.



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Civil Rights Act








113th Congress
1st Session
S. ____
To provide remedies for violations of rights, privileges, and immunities of persons by government actors.







IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE
January 25, 2013
Mr. ROLAND of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

A BILL
To provide remedies for violations of rights, privileges, and immunities of persons by government actors.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the 'Civil Rights Act of 2013'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND AUTHORITY.

1. The Congress finds that it has comminatory and punitive powers over government actors, including:
a. Military personnel under U.S. Const. Article I Section 8 Clause 14.
b. Militia personnel under U.S. Const. Article I Section 8 Clause 16.
c. Civil officers, their subordinates and agents, of all branches and departments of the government of the United States under U.S. Const. Article II Section 4.
d. Civil officers, their subordinates and agents, of all branches, departments, and subdivisions of the governments of the States of United States under the amendment to the U.S. Const. proposed in 1866 and presumed ratified in 1868.
2. The Congress finds that it has comminatory and punitive powers over such government actors, expressed in the U.S. Constitution as "treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors", includes:
a. Common law crimes established in the territory of what would become the United States as of 1787.
b. Offenses inconsistent with the duties of government actors, including offenses of the kind subject to court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice as of the date of enactment hereof, such as:
1. Dereliction of duty, bribery, yielding to intimidation, or bias.
2. Insubordination, failure to obey a lawful order of a superior, or to comply with a lawful statute or regulation.
3. Perjury, fraud, or conduct unbecoming.
4. Abuse of power, tending to the infringement of the rights of any person.
3. The Congress finds that it has power, under U.S. Const. Article III Section 2 Clause 2, to establish jurisdictions for civil causes of action among private parties of diverse residency or citizenship in the courts of the United States.

SEC. 3. ENACTMENT AND REPEALS.

Statutes codified in 18 USC Chapter 13 and in 42 USC Chapter 21 are hereby amended as follows:
1. All offenses and remedies under these titles shall be equally applicable to government actors of both the United States and the States of the United States, except that impeachment and removal by Congress shall apply only to United States actors whose appointments are subject to congressional consent.
2. Prosecution of a criminal case in the courts of the United States shall be conducted by a private person appointed by a duly met grand jury who has not served as a government actor of the United States in the preceding year, unless no such person can be found, in which case a government actor may prosecute.
3. Prosecution of a civil case in the courts of the United States shall be conducted only by a private person who has not served as a government actor of the United States in the preceding six months.
4. Prevailing private prosecutions, criminal or civil, shall be entitled to reasonable damages, fees, and costs in an amount not less than the value equivalent to one terajoule of electric energy, for the trial and each level of appeal, payable from the assets of the losing level, branch, and department of government, United States or State.
5. The rights of persons the infringement of which shall provide a basis for a criminal or civil prosecution shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
a. All rights already established in the above titles.
b. Due process
1. General
1. Due notice of time, place, manner, parties, and subject of any proceeding with sufficient time to respond.
2. Fair hearing and decision on the legal merits, with redress for just grievances, including damages, property, or injunctive or declaratory relief.
3. Not to have just remedies made inaccessible or excessively difficult or costly.
4. Mandated testimony of witnesses.
5. Unimpeded access to courts, court filing, and grand juries, subject only to routine scheduling.
6. Direct presentation of complaints to a grand jury without the presence of any other government actor without the consent of the grand jury.
7. Standing to privately prosecute a public right without having been or expecting personal injury.
8. Not to be subject to retaliation.
9. Not to have admitted any plea or testimony induced by a plea bargain.
2. Criminal trials:
1. Indictment by twelve members of a randomly selected grand jury of 23 who elect their foreperson, upon a finding that the court has jurisdiction and that there is sufficient evidence for a trial, except for persons subject to military or militia discipline.
2. Service as prosecutor upon receipt of an indictment by a grand jury, subject only to consolidation by the grand jury if more than one person seeks to prosecute the same offense.
3. Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in criminal cases for which the penalty is more than 90 days.
4. No excessive bail when there is little flight risk.
5. No excessive fines imposed.
6. No  cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
7. Speedy and public trial before an impartial jury of the state and district previously defined by law, wherein the offense shall have been committed, and to have the location of commitment be deemed where there was concurrence of mens rea and actus reus.
8. Not to be twice prosecuted for the same offense or same facts under different jurisdictions.
9. To be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence, but not to have counsel or an attorney imposed on him without his consent.
10. Not to be compelled to be a witness against himself.
11. Not be disabled in the exercise, or deprived, of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, by unanimous verdict of a jury of twelve.
12. Unimpeded presentation of all evidence by the defendant, without being subject to a motion in limine.
13. Unimpeded presentation of all legal argument to the jury, up to the final instructions to the jury, except for argument on a motion in limine that cannot be made without disclosing evidence properly excluded.
14. Unimpeded presentation of pleadings, alternative instructions, and certified copies of applicable laws and constitutions, to the jury.
15. Not to have a sentence that does not separately disable the exercise of the immunity, and order deprivation of it, within the scope of that disablement
3. Civil trials:
Trial by a randomly selected jury of twelve sworn to uphold applicable constitutions in which the amount at issue, including costs, exceeds the equivalent of at least 15.46875 troy ounces of pure silver.
4. Appeals
Appeal from a jury verdict only on a writ of error or habeas corpus, according to the rules of the common law in the United States as of 1787, unless the Constitution is amended to provide otherwise.
c. Nonauthority
1. Presumption of nonauthority for any claim to authority, to be strictly proved by an unbroken logical chain of derivation from a constitution.
2. Not to have any government actor exercise a power not delegated, regardless of whether one may be personally injured by such exercise.
3. Not to have government actors exercise powers on the pretext of being "necessary and proper" when they are not just to perform his official duties but to get a desired result beyond such duties.
4. To have delegated powers construed as narrowly, and rights, privileges, or immunities construed as broadly, as the language of the Constitution as meant and understood when ratified permits.
5. Priority docketing of all prerogative writs filed by a any person as demandant in the name of the people with a court of competent jurisdiction and served on the respondant, within three sederunt days, unless the respondant requires more, but not more than 20 calendar days, including but not limited to, demurral, quo warranto, habeas corpus, procedendo, mandamus, prohibito, certiorari, and scire facias, and to have default judgment even if no proof is presented or a hearing is not held.
6. Unimpeded and unpunished communications, including speech, press, and education, except such as instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
7. Unimpeded assembly and exercise of rights in concert with others.
8. Unimpeded assembly as militia for organizing, training, and response to threats to public safety, subject only to direction by state militia officers during a call-up.
9. Unrestricted keeping and bearing of weapons, equipment, and supplies commonly used by military forces, or suitable for militia, subject only to court order of disablement for being a threat to oneself or others, or to the lawful orders of militia officers during a call-up.
10. Unimpeded and unpunished petition for redress of grievances.
11. Unimpeded devotion or practice of religion, not preferentially supported by public funds, that does not instigate or direct a felony, misdemeanor, or tort.
12. Exclusion of government actors from intrusion into one's real property, body, or use of one's personal property, for search, seizure, or for any other reason, without consent, a declared state of war or emergency threat to public, safety, a warrant supported by an affidavit of probable cause, and just compensation for any losses incurred, for each incident.
d. Supervision of government actors
1. Access to observation and recordation of any government proceeding except trial and grand jury deliberations or their equivalent, or deliberations on matters of security requiring secrecy.
2. Receipt of records of all proceedings, and accounting for all receipts, loans, debts, and expenditures, and reporting thereof, for eventual examination prior to an election in which the issues may be reviewed.
3. Access to all information about oneself, and either copies at cost of all documentation or to make one's own copies using one's own equipment.
f. Other
1. Association and contract to do things not unlawful, including practice of a profession or occupation, marriage, procreation, and acceptance or denial of medical prevention or treatment, except prevention of contagious diseases.
2. Formation, conduct, and revision or dissolution of corporations, partnerships, and other trusts, in which settlor, trustee, and beneficiary are distinct persons who may not be impeded or penalized from directly appearing in any court in such capacities.
3. Not to have some accorded special privileges or protections that favor them over the rest of the people, in ways not essential to the performance of public duties.
4. Travel within, to, and from the United States and any State, territory or locality.
5. Not to be removed from the location of one's birth or lawful residence, or impeded from returning thereto.
6. Not to be enslaved or submitted to peonage except as punishment for a crime, but subject to militia, jury, witness, and other public duty.
7. Not to be impeded or punished for voting if one is a citizen and resident on grounds of race, color, creed, previous servitude, gender, age 18 or above, or failure to pay a tax.
8. Custody and care of close relatives who are non sui juris.
9. Not to be neglected or abused while in custody.
10. Not to be denied any right, privilege, or immunity for failure to have or present a name or other form of identification.
11. Not to be deported without proof that one has not been born or naturalized as a citizen, unless one is born to a person not subject to the allegiance of the United States, such as a foreign diplomat or an invader.
g. The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and further rights, privileges, and immunities are to be found in the historical record. The rule of expressio unius est exclusio alterius shall  not be applied.

SEC. 4. REMEDIATION.

Persons whose rights have been violated within the preceding 20 years from enactment hereof shall have standing to seek relief under its provisions.

SEC. 5. TRANSITIONAL.

Older victims of past abuse shall have their cases dockets ahead of younger persons to allow for them to receive redress while they remain alive.

END.

2012/02/13

Abuses for which one can't get a jury trial

The jury is often recommended as the principal correction on government abuse, and it is urged to educate the public on how to serve on a jury, but if we examine a wide range of kinds of cases, we can find many for which the target of abuse can't get a jury. Here are a few, and recipients may be able to add to it:


  1. Abuse of rights by a government official such as a cop
    1. File criminal complaint under 18 USC 241, 242
      1. Prosecutor refuses to prosecute, or takes to grand jury with recommendation they no-bill it; or
      2. Judge rules there is no question of fact, therefore no right to a jury; or
      3. Prosecutor takes case to trial, but neither he nor defendant request a jury, because the judge is a former prosecutor who likes cops; or
      4. Judge directs jury to acquit: or
      5. Judge removes jurors from panel until he gets jury he wants
      6. Case dismissed
      7. Remedy: Private criminal prosecution, which will require electing official to provide for that by law
    2. File civil petition under 42 USC 1983, or under Bivens precedent or other theory of law
      1. Dismissed by judge for lack of standing, failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted
      2. Never get to apply for a jury
      3. Appeal it, but no jury available on appeal
      4. Appeal dismissed
      5. Remedy: Elect different judge or judge-appointing official, or elect officials who will pass reform laws
  2. Individual sues official or government for damages or for contract payment
    1. Government claims official or sovereign immunity, or
    2. Government waives sovereign immunity and consents to be sued
    3. Individual wins judgment
    4. Can only collect by applying to admin for payment from fund appropriated for purpose
    5. Admin ignores judgment and refuses payment
    6. Individual seeks writ of mandamus, which is ignored; or
    7. Mandamus issued, and admin agent ignores it
    8. Appeals denied until all admin remedies are exhausted
    9. Individual runs out of money to pursue claim, and no legal fees available to interest lawyer on contingency
    10. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  3. Individual files writ of habeas corpus, or other writ
    1. Judge refuses to act on writ; or
    2. Respondant refuses to respond; and
    3. Judge takes no action against respondant
    4. Appeal denied because no issue of law on which appeal can be made
    5. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  4. Judge sanctions lawyer large amount of money for making arguments he doesn't like, pays money to opposing counsel
    1. No right to a jury
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will pass law providing for a right to a jury
  5. Administrative proceeding (such as tax court) rules wrongly against individual
    1. Wronged individual takes it to Art. III court
    2. Art. III court "defers" to finding of admin agency, putting burden of proof on individual
    3. Judge summarily finds for admin agency with no opportunity for jury
    4. Individual appeals, but no jury available on appeal
    5. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  6. Family court awards custody to one spouse, levies child support on other
    1. No right to a jury on custody issue
    2. Judge orders noncustodial spouse to jail for nonpayment of child support as "civil contempt", or garnishes his wages in state that allows that
    3. No right to a jury on civil contempt
    4. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  7. Probate court unjustly settles estate
    1. Divides estate among cronies, lawyers, court-appointed administrators
    2. No right to a jury on probate
    3. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  8. Bankruptcy court unjustly settles assets of bankrupt
    1. Divides assets among cronies, lawyers, court-appointed administrators
    2. No right to a jury on bankruptcy
    3. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  9. One party unjustly gets injunction, or is denied injunction
    1. No right to a jury on injunctions, except in a few states like Texas
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  10. Individual prosecuted civilly for unauthorized practice of law
    1. No right to a jury on UPL
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  11. Individual ruled incompetent, consigned to nursing home or asylum
    1. No right to a jury on competency hearings
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  12. Property taken by eminent domain
    1. No right to a jury on eminent domain
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  13. Non-judicial foreclosure
    1. No right to a jury on non-judicial foreclosure
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  14. Asset forfeiture in rem
    1. No right to a jury on asset forfeiture in rem
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  15. Fines for code or zoning violation or for creating a nuisance
    1. No right to a jury on such cases
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment
  16. Ineligible official assumes office, or exceeds his authority
    1. No right to a jury on such cases
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will adopt constitutional amendment or statute to provide for quo warranto, perhaps decided by jury
  17. President enters into executive agreement with foreign executive on trade that puts someone out of business
    1. Dismissed by judge for lack of standing, failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted
    2. Never get to apply for a jury
    3. Remedy: Elect different judge-appointing official, or elect officials who will pass reform laws or impeach president
  18. President goes to war without congressional declaration of war or letters of marque and reprisal
    1. Dismissed by judge for lack of standing, failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted
    2. Never get to apply for a jury
    3. Remedy: Elect different judge-appointing official, or elect officials who will pass reform laws or impeach president
  19. Supreme Court or other appeals court makes wrong decision
    1. No right to a jury on appeals
    2. Remedy: Elect officials who will appoint different judges, or adopt constitutional amendment or statute to provide for reform
  20. Legislature passes, and executive officials enforce, unconstitutional statutes based only on wrong court precedents
    1. No right to a jury on constitutionality of legislation, or than the application of it to criminal cases
    2. Remedy: Elect different legislators, or officials who will appoint different judges, or who will adopt constitutional amendment or statute to provide for reform
Basically, the main opportunity for jury intervention is in contract, tort, and criminal cases, but many abuses do not involve such issues.

For almost all of these, the only remedy is elections and constitutional amendments.

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2012/02/12

What "commerce" meant to the Framers

Much of what the U.S. government does is based on the broad interpretation by judges of the term "commerce" in Article I Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, but what did that term mean to the Framers, and how was it understood by people in 1787?

I set out to discover the evidence from historical records of what it meant. I had read most of what the Framers wrote, and much of what they read, and could find few mentions of the word, mostly after the Constitution was drafted and its ratification was being debated. One of the things I did was to search through copies in the archives of the American Antiquarian Society of the newspapers published before 1788, most of which were price reports on trade goods, but among all those editions, I found only four instances of the word "commerce", all used to refer to the trade goods being reported. Evidently the word "commerce" was not commonly used among ordinary people in the American colonies or newly independent states.

When I searched the works most often cited by the Framers as authoritative, I found only one instance of the word "commerce" defined. That was in The Law of Nations, , Book I § 92, by Swiss writer Emmerich de Vattel, originally published in 1758, in French. "Commerce" was a French word. He defined it thus:
... commerce consists in mutually buying and selling all sorts of commodities.
Although the Framers did not cite that particular passage, their frequent cites of other passages supports the position that had they been asked to provide authority for the term as they meant it, it would have been to Vattel.

However, I was not satisfied with that one brief passage. Fortunately, I found in a used bookstore a facsimile edition of the very first edition, from 1771, of the Encyclopedia Britannica, in three volumes. It was published with a magnifier lens to enable the reader to see its very fine print. It is a treasure trove of articles on subjects that reveal better than most writings what many of the terms meant, at least to the Scots authors of the set. It was clearly a product of the Scottish Enlightenment that had a large influence on the Founders of the U.S. One of its articles is on "Commerce", comprising more than 11 pages. I have scanned, OCRed, rendered it into HTML, and posted it on our website here for the convenience of readers. I plan to put up more of it here as time and donations permit.

The opening paragraph of the article reads:
COMMERCE is an operation, by which the wealth, or work, either of individuals, or of societies, may be exchanged, by a set of men called merchants, for an equivalent, proper for supplying every want, without any interruption to industry, or any check upon consumption.
The rest of the article elaborates on this, explaining further the meaning of the term, and from that we can extract what the term included:
  1. Transfer of title to and possession of tangible commodities in exchange for a valuable consideration, here called an "equivalent", from a seller to a buyer.
  2. There must be at least one merchant between the ultimate producer of the commodity, and the ultimate consumer of it.
What it did not include were:
  1. Direct sales from producers to consumers.
  2. Services, credit, leasing, and financing (and today, energy).
  3. Transport that did not involve a sale.
  4. Speech, press, or other communications or information.
  5. Extraction of a resource.
  6. Manufacturing.
  7. Possession before or after the sale.
  8. Use and enjoyment.
  9. Disposition, including further conveyance not itself for a valuable consideration and through a merchant.
Now this meaning is very different from the meaning the word has for people today, who tend to use the word for economic activity of all kinds. But understanding what it does not include is important when the term is used in a delegation of a power, because by the common law rule of construction, presumed incorporated into the Constitution, "powers" were to be construed as narrowly as the words permit. These rules can be found in the legal maxims:

Potestas stricte interpretatur. A power is strictly interpreted. 
In dubiis, non præsumitur pro potentia. In cases of doubt, the presumption is not in favor of a power.
Conversely, since rights (or more precisely, immunities) are the complement of delegated powers, narrow construction of powers means broad construction of immunities. If there is any doubt, the presumption must always be against a power and in favor of a right against the exercise of the power.

The article does much more than just define the boundaries on what is and is not "commerce". It is a kind of mini-textbook on economics as it was understood at the time, with discussion of supply, demand, pricing, and money.

The article uses many terms in ways that allow the etymologist to extract their meaning. An example of this is the word "state", which from context refers to a society with a territory, not to a government. This is also the meaning it had in the U.S. Constitution.


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2012/02/10

Birther benefits

One of the benefits of the birther controversy is that it gets more people to research the historical background of the terms used in the U.S. Constitution. However, it also shows how many people do not know how to read or do constitutional analysis. I have gathered most of the more important documentation at constitution.org, so I will only summarize the main points:

1. Both the Minor v. Happersett and Ankeny v. Governor opinions are correct, if read properly, but too many do not. However, the comment in Minor is only dictum, not precedent. Ankeny is not precedent, but does gather much of the analysis in one place, so it is convenient to cite it for that.

2. It is not correct to cite Vattel. He was Swiss, and discussing the rule on the European continent, jus sanguinis, not the rule in England and its colonies, jus solis. In Switzerland citizenship was based on the citizenship of parents, not the location of birth. In England it was only the location of birth that mattered. The authority for that is Blackstone.

3. The judge in Minor did not say that to be a "natural born citizen" one had to have parents who were U.S. citizens. The only requirement to be "natural born" is to be born on U.S. soil. That also makes one a citizen, unless the parents are foreign diplomats or invaders, as is discussed in Ankeny. The parents don't have to be U.S. citizens. They can be foreign visitors, as long as they entered the country legally, though a port of entry. Now having a parent who is a diplomat of a foreign government does not necessarily exclude one from being eligible to be president. U.S. citizens can be appointed by foreign governments to serve as their ambassadors. The diplomatic exclusion would only apply if the foreign diplomat parent were also a foreign citizen, and not necessarily a citizen of the country he represents.

4. The Ankeny opinion does, however, support the position that the children of aliens who entered illegally should not be considered U.S. citizens, natural born or otherwise. If they came through a port of entry, they are not invaders, even if they overstay a visa. But if they enter without permission, then they are invaders, and the U.S. citizenship of their children could be disallowed. However, a challenge to that citizenship seeking deportation would have to prove illegal entry of the parents, not just illegal presence of them.

5. To make the issue of natural born citizenship more clear, consider a hypothetical case of a child being born on U.S. soil to a mother who is a citizen of another country A, but the ambassador from yet another country B, and to a father who entered the country illegally from country C. Now further complicate it by having the parents divorcing, and the mother getting custody in a U.S. court, but the father getting custody in a court of country C. Now suppose the INS initiates a deportation proceeding against the child. What do they have the burden to prove, and if they prove the child is not a U.S. citizen, to which country can the child be deported? Assume further that none of them are willing to accept him, leaving him stateless if it is decided he is not a U.S. citizen. I will leave it to the reader to try to decide this one.

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2012/02/04

Obama to appear on Georgia ballot

The opinion of Judge Michael Malihi of Georgia's Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH), issued on February 3, is essentially correct, because the claim was not properly framed. The basic problem is that voters do not vote for the candidate for president. They vote for electors for a candidate for president. The problem can be more easily understood if we had a group of elector candidates pledged to vote for "Mickey Mouse". Now Mickey Mouse is not qualified to be president, but that doesn't mean elector candidates pledged to vote for him could properly be excluded from the ballot. It is not a proper remedy to intervene at that point.

The 2009 Indiana case of Ankeny v Governor was also decided correctly, and that case opinion provides a good assembly of the historical evidence for the meaning of "natural born citizen", that it is only about birth on U.S. soil and not about the nationality of parents unless they are foreign diplomats or occupying enemies.

There are only three points at which the eligibility of the candidate for president can be challenged:
  1. At the point the electors' votes are counted. The proper remedy to be sought in litigation would be an injunction against counting any votes for an ineligible candidate for president, or reporting them to Congress.
  2. At the point electors' votes are counted and certified by Congress. But courts do not have jurisdiction to tell Congress what to do. We must rely on them to voluntarily comply with the Constitution, and if they do not, the only remedy is to not re-elect them.
  3. At the point of inauguration. But there is no official empowered to withhold inauguration from an ineligible candidate for president, and therefore no one that could be commanded by a court not to do so, even if the court had jurisdiction over such a person.
Once again a cause is lost because its champions didn't plead it correctly.

But it also points to the need for a constitutional amendment to provide a process for determining the eligibility of a candidate for president or other offices.


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2012/01/29

Energy Currency

The following links are to various sites that discuss the alternative of energy currency, consisting of, or convertible, to units of energy. See also Digital Currency.
  1. Energy-Backed Currencies — Proposal to denominate international trade not in dollars or other national currency, but in energy units.
    • Energy Standard — Proposal to denominate international trade not in dollars or other national currency, but in energy units.
  2. Return to gold? — Argues against gold as a viable backing for currency in today's economy.
  3. Energy Backed Money vs. Gold Standard vs. Fiat Currency — Chapter 7 of Proposal to denominate currency in energy units.
  4. Banking on Energy, by Chris Cook, Former Director of the International Petroleum Exchange — The Oil Drum, discussion about energy alternatives.
  5. Is an "Energy-Linked" Currency in the Cards?, by Izabella Kaminska — Advisor Analyst, discussion about energy alternatives.
  6. Energy-Backed Currency, by Jeff Eisen, Ph.D. — The Evolutionary Advantages.
  7. Energy Currency — Article in Appropedia, a wiki devoted to "appropriate" technology.
  8. Energy Backed Money instead of Gold? — Discussion on the Daily Paul for Ron Paul supporters.
  9. The Perfect Currency — Proposal to use energy units for currency.
  10. Local currencies — Wikipedia article, with links to alternatives.
  11. Energy backed currency — Google search results.

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2012/01/22

Fixing the grand jury

As a long-time advocate of grand jury reform I am often asked to summarize how we might do that. I have a website and a sub-site dedicated to that, containing several articles, but it is again time to outline the subject.

To understand what to do we need to cover several points:
  1. How the grand jury was supposed to work in the Founding Era, recognizing that then as now implementation was sometimes imperfect.
  2. How the grand jury is supposed to work today in each state and at the federal level, based on laws on the books.
  3. How grand juries are actually being used today, abusively or neglectfully.
  4. The historical steps that took us from the Founding Era to today.
  5. The things the grand jury needs to do things today for which it was not originally designed.
  6. The points of departure from original standards or today's needs that can be a checklist for reforms needed.
  7. The best strategy and tactics for getting those reforms made.
  8. Popular misconceptions that lead some reformers astray.
Now let us examine some in more depth. But I will start with (6) and visit the others later.

Here are the main standards that a grand jury needs to meet:
  1. Selected at random from the general public, with perhaps some filtering, but without "stacking".
  2. Selection  by a neutral party (not the judge or prosecutor).
  3. Size of 23.
  4. Decision by 12.
  5. Election of foreperson by the members.
  6. Term of service long enough to learn how to do it.
  7. Limits on terms of service to avoid entrenchment.
  8. Adequate training of grand jurors.
  9. Prevention of undue influence by interested parties, especially judge or prosecutors.
  10. Secrecy of grand jury deliberations, while they are going on, but with allowance of disclosures in their presentments.
  11. Enough time to examine each case, or enough grand juries.
  12. No impediment to access by public to members to present complaints or give testimony, except for reasonable scheduling.
  13. Acceptance of any person, not just a professional prosecutor, being appointed to prosecute a case by the grand jury granting him an indictment.
  14. Acceptance that a grand jury indictment removes official immunity from criminal prosecution.
  15. Acceptance that a grand jury finding of sufficient evidence of misconduct removes official immunity from civil prosecution.
  16. Establishment of rule that a grand jury must determine whether a court has jurisdiction before returning an indictment for that court.
  17. Avoidance of excessive or abusive use of grand jury to harass, intimidate, discredit, or injure persons.
  18. Prevention of misuse during trials of evidence obtained by grand jury.
Next, let us examine how we might get the standards met.

Flaws in the Branson approach. Ron Branson, founder of the J.A.I.L. proposal, has led several efforts that deserve commendation for what they seek, but some criticism for their method.
  1. Creation of a "new" kind of "special" grand jury with new powers. Actually, the traditional grand jury could do all those things, and while some other kind might seem "new" by comparison, and might "shock" the system, it may work better to try to reform the existing grand jury system to return it to original standards.
  2. Trying to institute the reform with a state ballot initiative, without the level and kind of support needed to overcome opposition, get it passed, and get it implemented and used if passed. The shortcoming of this approach was most clearly shown in the effort in South Dakota, where despite a high level of low-intensity public support shown in polls, the establishment united to discredit it and the proponents lacked the resources to counter that. It also seems likely that the vote count was rigged to defeat it.
  3. Failure to appreciate how deeply entrenched departures from original practice are, making it infeasible to accomplish reform just by passing some legislative act for which there are not enough internal champions to make it happen. If there is not enough buy-in on the part of at least a few key players within the system, anything on paper will just be ignored or defied.
However, the efforts had great value, even in failure, for public education. As "political theater" they did accomplish something.

Reforming an entrenched legal culture. Laypersons commonly view laws as having some magical power to influence human behavior, and imagine that if they can just get laws adopted that direct reforms for things like grand juries and allow for no departures, those reforms will be carried out and the departures avoided. But human beings in general, and officials in particular, don't operate that way. There are already enough laws on the books concerning grand juries that, if they were conscientiously followed, would go most of the way toward the return to original standards being sought by reformers. The departures are symptoms of a deeper problem. If enough of the key internal players were conscientious, the departures would be reduced or eliminated.

One of the critical design elements for the design of the Constitution was separation of powers. The Framers didn't just rely on procedural protections. They recognized that to ensure procedures were properly carried out, powers needed to be structurally set in opposition to one another and provisions made for different roles differently filled so that adversarial processes would take place. They tried to avoid having competing roles fall into the "same hands", that is, controlled by one faction with interests in conflict with those of the general public.

That is exactly what has happened. In the original design, there were almost no professional public prosecutors, lawyers were not bound under "state bars" controlled by judges, and there were no "unauthorized practice of law" statutes. There were no law schools "accredited" by a single Bar Association, with standardized bar exams that drive legal education. There was official immunity from judgment for actions within one's jurisdiction, but not from suit to determine whether the actions were pursuant to law. Legal arguments were made to trial juries, and juries were used for almost all cases. People were better educated about their duties as jurors, both trial and grand.

We can't fix just one thing. When corruption is deeply entrenched even replacement of all the actors won't durably fix it, because the system will just replace them with more of the same. The corrupt are organized now to keep reformers out. We need to cultivate a steady stream of reformers to move into key positions and bring in more reformers. There are several main approaches:
  1. Electing reformer judges and prosecutors. In previous times people demanded these positions be filled by election in many jurisdictions precisely to provide the opportunity to remove corrupt ones. Today reformers are often afraid to challenge corrupt incumbents, but occasionally it is possible, and we need to seize on any opportunities.
  2. Legislative reforms. It is sometimes possible to get a legislator to champion some reform that actually slips past the opposition. A single such reform is unlikely to be sufficient, but a steady stream of reform legislation from many directions can have an effect.
  3. Litigation. This can be costly and unlikely when it challenges entrenched corruption, and no single effort is likely to suffice, but a flood of litigation from many directions can work. 
  4. Public pressure. This begins with public education, proceeds through organization, and leads to massive demands for specific reform. Remember that most of the rights we are supposed to have were originally won by angry mobs surrounding courthouses. There is no substitute for numbers of intense people. Being right is not enough. One has to have supporters.
None of these are easy, but we need to work on them all. We may not get some single comprehensive reform, but we can get instances of return to original standards on each of the points listed above, jurisdiction by jurisdiction. It will take steady pressure over years or decades.


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