Professor Larson Comments for KXTV on Federal Holidays

Professor Carlton Larson commented for Sacramento television station KXTV regarding the difficulty of repealing or establishing federal holidays.  Though some federal holidays such as Columbus Day have become controversial, removing them from the calendar would be difficult, Larson said, requiring the approval of Congress and the president.

“There would have to be real political pressure,” said Larson, noting that such a move would be opposed by federal unions, which would lose a paid holiday. Similarly, establishing a new federal holiday would be complicated by consideration of the costs of adding another paid day off for federal employees, Larson said.

Carlton Larson's research interests focus on constitutional law and legal history, with a strong emphasis on the 18th century.