Balkinization  

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

The Lost Terminology of Incorporation

Gerard N. Magliocca

Today in a Bill of Rights case that involves a state statute, the Court simply declares that the issue is a "First Amendment" case or a "Second Amendment" case. Older opinions instead said something like: "The First Amendment, as incorporated by the Fourteenth." I'm not sure when this older description disappeared. It certainly wasn't because of some conscious decision by the Court.

The change is understandable given that the Court applies the same First Amendment standards to a state law or a federal law. But on the other hand some Justices have said that we should read a provision of the Bill of Rights according to its 1868 meaning rather than its 1791 meaning if they are different. Labelling something as a "First Amendment" case, though, implicitly says that 1868 does not matter. Perhaps the Court should return to the older form of expressing and emphasizing incorporation.


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