New Article Spotlight: Scalian Skepticism and the Sixth Amendment in the Twilight of the Rehnquist Court

From SSRN.com: Chapman University School of Law CrimProf Katherine M. Darmer recently published Scalian Skepticisim and the Sixth Amendment in the Twilight of the Rehnquist Court.  Here is the abstract:

While the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist left behind a rich criminal procedure legacy marked by pro-government successes in the Fourth and Fifth Amendment contexts, this paper argues that Rehnquist's vision failed with respect to the Sixth Amendment.

In both the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and Confrontation Clause contexts, Justice Scalia marked out very different positions than Rehnquist on both the scope of the right to trial by jury and the right of cross-examination. Ultimately, Scalia's views prevailed, and part of the legacy of the "Rehnquist Court" is now the invalidation of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and a "testimonial" approach to the Confrontation Clause.

Ultimately, Scalia's skepticism of the judiciary stood in marked contrast to Rehnquist's more pragmatic approach to the Sixth Amendment and resulted in pro-defendant rulings based on a more "purist" view of the constitutional rights of criminal defendants. [Mark Godsey]