Photoshop :: Reselect Doesn't Work After (new Layer Via Copy)

I have been having trouble with the reselect tool for a while now. I often select something and then use new layer via copy ( J). The problem is that I cannot reselect after doing that (the option is grayed out), and it doesn't matter if I do the new layer copy with the shortcut or menu.
 
I am using CS5 with Mac 10.8.4, just recently switched from 10.6.8 (it hasn't worked in either). I do know that I have successfully used reselect after J before, but it was on a work computer -- I believe that computer was running 10.6.8 but it might have been CS4 if I recall correctly.
 
There are definitely workarounds like saving a selection or path, but they are still a little slower to use when it is something that I don't need to keep around for a while. I sometimes can use command-click on the layer icon but that selects the newly copied pixels, which can sometimes be different than what I had selected -- for example, if I copied a portion of a layer of linework, it will select the lines alone but not the area that I had.