Article by Gerard N. Magliocca
This Article contends that Long's assassination was a crucial turning point in the evolution of New Deal constitutionalism. In response to his unprecedented concentration of power, citizens and journalists across the country started asking if Louisiana still had a republican form of government. Officials in Washington, who were desperate to derail the Kingfish's growing ambition, seized on this outbreak of popular constitutionalism and started discussing the possibility of invoking the Guarantee Clause and disbanding Long's regime. In August 1935, the House of Representatives began that process by forming a special committee to investigate conditions in Louisiana and issue a report. Within a few weeks, however, Long was killed, and this last serious effort to use the Guarantee Clause was rendered moot.
About the Author
Gerard N. Magliocca. Fulbright-Dow Distinguished Research Chair, Roosevelt Study Center; Professor of Law, Indiana University-Indianapolis.
Citation
83 Tul. L. Rev. 1 (2008)