Associate Dean Amar Cited in Chicago Tribune Editorial
Associate Dean Vikram Amar was cited in a Chicago Tribune editorial on Congressional proposals to require special elections to fill senate vacancies. Most vacancies currently are filled by gubernatorial appointment, but the process has drawn criticism in the wake of corruption charges against former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is alleged to have attempted to sell or trade the appointment to President Barack Obama's Illinois senate seat.
A constitutional amendment to require special elections has been proposed, as well as a law by U.S. Representative Aaron Schock of Illinois that would require special elections within 90 days of a vacancy and allow for governors to appoint a replacement in the interim. The Tribune editorial quotes Associate Dean Amar's column on the FindLaw website stating that the proposed law is "very probably constitutional."
Vikram Amar, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law with the UC Davis School of Law, is a national authority in the fields of constitutional law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, and remedies. His biweekly column for FindLaw.com, the leading provider of online legal information, centers on his expertise in constitutional law.