This site is intended to familiarize the reader with issues of significance to legislators and regulators and explain how they might impact the maritime community. Most of the time, new developments are presnted in a straight-forward manner. Sometimes, though, I will include my own perspective on an issue. My perspective is just that – my own. I welcome comment on the various topics presented – whether in support or disagreement.
Rebuilding the presumption of preemption
In the May 2013 edition of Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, you can find my article entitled "Rebuilding the presumption of preemption". In the article, I discuss how federal control of maritime commerce prevailed over state control in the early days of the Republic. Over the years, that federal preemption has been eroded. It is time to rebuild the presumption in favor of federal preemption with respect to all matters related to maritime commerce. The industry should not be unregulated or even under-regulated, but it deserves to be uniformly regulated.
