1986 in American law

1986 in American law was a year of significant legislative action and landmark judicial rulings that reshaped numerous areas of American jurisprudence. Congress passed major statutes addressing immigration, taxation, and public health, while the Supreme Court of the United States issued pivotal decisions on affirmative action, sexual harassment, and national security. The year also saw important developments in the federal judiciary and the continuation of legal trends from the Reagan Administration.

Legislation

The 100th United States Congress enacted several transformative laws. The sweeping Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, signed by President Ronald Reagan, granted amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants while imposing sanctions on employers who knowingly hired them. In tax policy, the Tax Reform Act of 1986 dramatically simplified the Internal Revenue Code, lowering top rates and eliminating many deductions. Public health law was advanced by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which created a no-fault compensation system for vaccine-related injuries. Other notable acts included the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which extended privacy protections to new technologies, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which established mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), which mandated emergency care regardless of a patient's ability to pay.

Court decisions

The Supreme Court of the United States, under Chief Justice Warren E. Burger until his retirement and then William Rehnquist, handed down several landmark opinions. In *Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education*, the Court ruled that layoffs to protect affirmative action hires violated the Equal Protection Clause. The case of *Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson* established that sexual harassment creating a hostile work environment is a form of discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. National security law was addressed in *Bowsher v. Synar*, which struck down a key provision of the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act as a violation of the separation of powers. In *Goldman v. Weinberger*, the Court upheld military regulations prohibiting a United States Air Force officer from wearing a yarmulke. Furthermore, the Court ruled in *Batson v. Kentucky* that prosecutors' use of peremptory challenges to exclude jurors based on race violated the Constitution of the United States.

Federal judiciary

The composition of the federal courts continued to be shaped by the Reagan Administration. Following the retirement of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, Associate Justice William Rehnquist was elevated to Chief Justice and Antonin Scalia was confirmed to the Supreme Court, beginning his influential tenure. Reagan also appointed numerous judges to the United States courts of appeals and district courts, furthering a conservative shift in the judiciary. The United States Sentencing Commission was established this year under the Sentencing Reform Act provisions of the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act, beginning its work to create binding federal sentencing guidelines.

Events and trends

The Iran–Contra affair scandal escalated, involving complex legal questions regarding the Boland Amendment, the National Security Council, and the CIA. The Attorney General Edwin Meese faced increasing scrutiny for his role in the controversy. In legal ethics, the American Bar Association adopted the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which many states would subsequently adopt. The use of DNA profiling in criminal investigations, pioneered by Sir Alec Jeffreys, began to gain recognition in American courts, foreshadowing a revolution in forensic science. The year also saw the enactment of the False Claims Act amendments, which strengthened the government's ability to combat fraud by contractors.

Deaths

* Potter Stewart, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (b. 1915) * Abe Fortas, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (b. 1910) * John Sirica, former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia who presided over the Watergate scandal trials (b. 1904)

Category:1986 in American law Category:1986 in the United States Category:American law by year