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GUNDY v. U.S. Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: The Supreme Court upheld a provision of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) against a nondelegation challenge. A plurality found Congress provided an “intelligible principle” by requiring the Attorney General to apply SORNA to pre-Act offenders as soon as feasible.
Legal Significance: This case affirmed the modern, lenient “intelligible principle” test for the nondelegation doctrine. However, the fractured opinions, particularly Justice Alito’s concurrence and the dissent, signaled a potential willingness by a future majority to reconsider and strengthen the doctrine, making it a key modern precedent.
GUNDY v. U.S. Law School Study Guide
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Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
In 2006, Congress enacted the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) to create a “comprehensive national system” for sex offender registration. The Act detailed registration requirements for offenders convicted after its passage. For the over 500,000 offenders convicted before SORNA’s enactment (“pre-Act offenders”), many of whom could not comply with the standard requirement to register before release from prison, the statute contained a specific provision. Section 20913(d) grants the Attorney General the authority “to specify the applicability of the requirements of this subchapter” to pre-Act offenders and “to prescribe rules for [their] registration.” Pursuant to this authority, the Attorney General issued a rule making SORNA’s requirements fully applicable to all pre-Act offenders. Petitioner Herman Gundy, a pre-Act offender, was prosecuted for failing to register under this rule. He challenged his conviction, arguing that § 20913(d) was an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to the executive branch in violation of the nondelegation doctrine.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Did Congress violate the nondelegation doctrine by granting the Attorney General the authority under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to specify the applicability of the Act’s registration requirements to offenders convicted before its enactment?
No. In a 4-1-3 judgment, the Court affirmed the lower court’s decision. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor inc
IRAC Legal Analysis
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Legal Issue
Did Congress violate the nondelegation doctrine by granting the Attorney General the authority under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to specify the applicability of the Act’s registration requirements to offenders convicted before its enactment?
Conclusion
Gundy maintains the modern, deferential "intelligible principle" standard for the time being, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,
Legal Rule
A statutory delegation of authority to an executive agency is constitutionally permissible Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occae
Legal Analysis
The plurality, in an opinion by Justice Kagan, employed a holistic approach Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in
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