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Article
Originalism and Stare Decisis
Notre Dame Law Review
  • Amy Coney Barrett, Notre Dame Law School
Disciplines
Abstract

The question whether stare decisis is compatible with originalism has occupied both originalists and their critics. In this Essay, I explore what light Justice Scalia’s approach to precedent casts on that question. I argue that while he did treat stare decisis as a pragmatic exception to originalism, that exception was not nearly so gaping as his “fainthearted” quip suggests. In fact, a survey of his opinions regarding precedent suggests new lines of inquiry for originalists grappling with the role of stare decisis in constitutional adjudication.

Publication Date
7-1-2017
Citation Information
92 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1921 (2017)