Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2018
Capstone Advisor
Thomas Keck
Honors Reader
Elizabeth Cohen
Capstone Major
Political Science
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
American Politics | Arts and Humanities | Other Legal Studies | Political Science | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Regulation of immigration policy is an expressed power granted to the federal government in the Constitution; however, state and local governments often pass immigration policy legislation to address gaps in federal legislation. This research project seeks to understand the role of federal circuit courts ruling powers in determining the legal standing and substitute holding of merits for immigration policy regulation. By analyzing the political ideology of presiding judges and understanding the relationship between political ideology and judicial decision support for federal or state regulated policy, this project seeks to recognize the role of federal circuit courts in enhancing and shaping America’s immigration policy. This research found a ruling pattern in the Second, Fifth and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals favoring federally regulated immigration policy. While the impact of Republicanism/conservativism of judges yielded inconclusive results, Democratic/liberal judge panels affirmed federal immigration policy more than state/local immigration policy. The results of this thesis open avenues for additional research such as whether the level of liberalness/conversativness of the immigration policy in question affects judicial decisions.
Recommended Citation
Ojeda, Evanna, "Federal Circuit Courts’ Impact on Immigration Reform: An Analysis of Judicial Ideology and Immigration Policy" (2018). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 1211.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1211
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