James Wilson was one of six men to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. He was also a sophisticated thinker who had a significant impact on America'sFounding. Although he did not win every battle in the FederalConvention of 1787, America's constitutional system as it hasdeveloped over time closely resembles his vision.
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s prudent navigation of nascent legal concepts to diminish his force’s reliance on supply lines and forage for provisions enabled battlefield success. Today, Grant’s actions provide a cogent legal blueprint for contemporary military leaders in future operational planning.
Napalm: An American Biography by Robert M. Neer at AbeBooks.co.uk - ISBN 10: 0674073010 - ISBN 13: 9780674073012 - Harvard University Press - 2013 - Hardcover
Many state and federal statutes provide that when property is used in certain prohibited ways, ownership of the property passes to the government. Often, the statutes allow these forfeitures to be declared in civil proceedings against the property itself, without the normal safeguards of the criminal process. Indeed, if no one claims the property after proper notice, the government’s assertion of ownership can become incontestable without any judicial proceedings at all. Statutes authorizing such civil or administrative forfeiture might seem like egregious violations of both property rights and criminal-procedure rights guaranteed by the federal Constitution. But while forfeiture statutes may be unfair and unwise, this Feature cautions originalists not to assume that they are unconstitutional. The Feature concludes that the original meaning of the Constitution (as liquidated by historical practice) does not foreclose the three key features of forfeiture
…