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Not In My Hospital: The Future Of State Statutes Requiring Abortion Providers To Maintain Admitting Privileges At Local Hospitals, Daniel J. Glass

Akron Law Review

In recent years, state legislatures have enacted a variety of restrictive statutes making it more difficult for abortion providers to serve their patients, typically in the name of health and safety. Those opposing these restrictive statutes commonly refer to them as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws. This Note discusses admitting privileges statutes, which require that abortion providers maintain permissions with a local hospital to admit and treat their patients. Admitting privileges statutes have been challenged in federal courts, but the resulting decisions have been inconsistent. This Note compares the analysis used by federal circuits and district courts in …

Fundamental Unenumerated Rights Under The Ninth Amendment And The Privileges Or Immunities Clause, Adam Lamparello

Akron Law Review

The failure to link the Ninth Amendment and Privileges or Immunities Clause for the purpose of creating unenumerated fundamental rights has been a persistent but rarely discussed aspect of the Court’s jurisprudence. That should change. There need not be an ongoing tension between the Court’s counter-majoritarian role and the authority of states to govern through the democratic process. If the Constitution’s text gives the Court a solid foundation upon which to recognize new rights and thereby create a more just society, then the exercise of that power is fundamentally democratic. The Ninth Amendment and Privileges or Immunities Clause provides that …

The Five Days In June When Values Died In American Law, Bruce Ledewitz

Akron Law Review

During a five day period in June, 1992, every Justice on the United States Supreme Court joined one or the other of two opinions that denied the objectivity of values—either Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion in Lee v. Weisman or Justice Scalia’s dissent in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Both of these opinions expressed the view that normative judgments are merely human constructions. This moment represents symbolically the death of values in American law. The arrival of nihilism at the heart of American law is a world-changing event for law that must be acknowledged.

The death of values was announced by …

Liberty At The Borders Of Private Law, Donald J. Smythe

Akron Law Review

Liberty is both dependent upon and limited by the State. The State protects individuals from the coercion of others, but paradoxically, it must exercise coercion itself in doing so. Unfortunately, the reliance on the State to deter coercion raises the possibility that the State’s powers of coercion might be abused. There is, not surprisingly, therefore, a wide range of literature on the relationship between law and liberty, but most of it focuses on the relationship between public law and liberty. This Article focuses on the relationship between private law and liberty. Private laws are enforced by courts. Since the judiciary …

Suspicious Person Ordinances - Due Process Standards; Columbus V. Thompson, Joel R. Campbell

Akron Law Review

In the absence of circumstances involving First Amendment rights, we are left without guidelines as to the conduct which may be made criminal by local suspicious person ordinances. Because of this lack of adequate standards, a case by case determination of criminal conduct under the various ordinances is necessary. In Thompson the defendant's conduct was questionable and the court found the ordinance unconstitutionally vague. We can only hope that this decision has a sufficient impact upon law enforcement officials and local courts to minimize the injury resulting from vagueness.

Suspicious Person Ordinances - Due Process Standards; Columbus V. Thompson, Joel R. Campbell

Akron Law Review

In the absence of circumstances involving First Amendment rights, we are left without guidelines as to the conduct which may be made criminal by local suspicious person ordinances. Because of this lack of adequate standards, a case by case determination of criminal conduct under the various ordinances is necessary. In Thompson the defendant's conduct was questionable and the court found the ordinance unconstitutionally vague. We can only hope that this decision has a sufficient impact upon law enforcement officials and local courts to minimize the injury resulting from vagueness.

Rescue Units Operated By Municipal Fire Departments: Their Status Under The Doctrine Of Municipal Immunity, John D. Shuff

Akron Law Review

At the outset it should be indicated that the view taken by this writer does not purport to be unbiased. Rather, it is his intent to place a few more munitions in the arsenal of those who propose that the doctrine of municipal sovereign immunity be abrogated in its entirety.

The first part of the discussion (Section II) will focus upon the background and current status of the municipal immunity doctrine, with special emphasis upon the governmental-proprietary distinction. Section III will discuss the effects and interpretations of the Uniform Traffic Act and how they relate to municipal immunity. In addition, …

Book Review: Psychiatric Justice, Alice M. Batchelder

Akron Law Review

In an era in which extensive judicial emphasis has been placed on "due process of law" in criminal proceedings, both in the federal courts and in the state courts, Dr. Szasz's book serves as a jarring reminder that in at least one vital area of the concept of due process, much remains to be done. The emerging definition of due process has enunciated the rights guaranteed the individual by the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments; and viewed within that framework, this book, although published in 1965, remains particularly timely, for Szasz, speaking as a psychiatrist, endeavors to demonstrate how …

Denial Of Speedy Trial - Mandamus For Dismissal: Smith V. Hooey, Charles F. Brumbach

Akron Law Review

The Court reasoned that the timely assertion by defendant-petitioner of his constitutional right to a speedy trial gave rise to a corresponding duty on the part of the state to bring him to trial without undue delay.The Court rejected the state's argument that Texas was, in this instance, free from Sixth Amendment constraints, observing that this argument was based on an erroneous conception of the nature of comity.

Given the recognized right to a speedy trial, and given the corresponding duty on the part of the state to affirmatively secure that constitutional right, the breach of such a duty will …

The Protection Accorded Picketing By The First Amendment, Joseph J. Corso

Akron Law Review

In the context of labor law, the origin of the relationship between free speech and peaceful picketing is the case of Thornhill v. Alabama. The speech aspects of picketing and the necessarily accompanying First Amendment protections were stressed by the Supreme Court in holding unconstitutional a state statute which constituted a broad ban on all picketing. The Court expressly limited the holding by recognizing that a narrowly worded statute, such as one merely interdicting picketing en masse or picketing portending imminent danger may be valid. An additional limitation of the decision is the fact that it was reached under a …

Constitutional Rights Of Youthful Offenders; In The Matter Of Gault, Robert M. Kunczt

Akron Law Review

After the decisions in Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U. S. 335 (1963), Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U. S. 436 (1966), and Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 U. S. 478 (1964), which revealed the Supreme Court's solicitude of the constitutional rights of adults, it seemed improbable that the lower courts would long be permitted to continue ignoring the constitutional rights of juveniles. Thus the decision in the principal case, which represents a breakthrough in the assurance of a fair hearing to minors, comes as no surprise. The case holds that under the Fourteenth Amendment a juvenile has a right to notice of …

Rights Of State Prisoners - Federal Court Intervention In State Prison Administration; Jones V. Wittenberg, Ronald L. Collins

Akron Law Review

The path to federal court intervention into state prison administration has been a tortuous and rocky one.... Jones v. Wittenberg carries federal court intervention into state prison administration to new lengths. Until more basic and lasting changes are made on the part of society and the states, such intervention seems to be the best chance for ameliorating conditions in our state penal systems.

The Reed Case: The Seed For Equal Protection From Sex-Based Discrimination, Or Polite Judicial Hedging?, John P. Murphy Jr.

Akron Law Review

Reed is yet another example of how the Equal Protection Clause may be used to strike down state statutes which embody arbitrary classifications that are neither fairly nor substantially related to the object of the statute, and which bring about the invidious discrimination that is repugnant to the Fourteenth Amendment. It must stressed that the outcome of Reed is clearly commendable in terms of justice. What is troublesome is the fact that one may contend that the Supreme Court hedged, perhaps avoided, an excellent opportunity in which to expand the constitutional scope of the Equal Protection Clause. Reed afforded the …

Constitutional Law - Flag Desecration Statutes - Freedom Of Expression; Parker V. Morgan, Bruce C. Heslop

Akron Law Review

Viewed in its broad perspective, Parker v. Morgan has further clarified and circumscribed the constitutional limits of the state's power to protect the American flag from public acts of desecration. In this respect it may be considered to provide further insight into the constitutional questions involved in this relatively untouched area of the law. However, until authoritative consideration has been given to the nature and source of those protective powers which are reserved to a state, Parker v. Morgan cannot be regarded to have drawn the ultimate lines of demarcation for the constitutional validity of flag desecration statutes. A meaningful …

House Bill 1219: A Study, Paul M. Scott

Akron Law Review

Because H.B. 1219 does raise certain constitutional questions which will soon come before the courts, and because of its potential impact on higher education in Ohio, a complete study of it is in order. This Comment seeks to do that by analysis of the background events leading up to the bill's introduction, its legislative history, a summary and explanation of the act's important provisions, an analysis of potential constitutional infirmities in view of current court decisions, and a discussion of relevant policy considerations. The purpose of this Comment is not to assess the wisdom or desirability of the statute, but …

Constitutional Law And Secured Transactions: State Action V. Private Action - Uniform Commercial Code Self-Help; Repossession Provisions - Do Not Violate Due Process Requirements; Adams V. Southern California First National Bank, David M. Hunter

Akron Law Review

Several years ago, the United States Supreme Court, in Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp.,' signaled what has been eventually interpreted in subsequent decisions as the strict measurement of creditors' rights against the requirements of due process set forth in the fourteenth amendment. What has since transpired has been an onslaught of litigation in this area of such magnitude that the due process requirements of prior notice and hearing found in Sniadach have been extended to virtually all forms of prejudgment remedies available to the aggrieved creditor. Despite all of this, the rationale of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth …

Ohio House Bill 869 And Similar Statutes: An Analysis Of Mandatory Deposits On Beverage Containers To Promote Recycling In Relation To Environmental Control, Gary R. Myers

Akron Law Review

Proposed House Bill 8691 requires that all soft drink and beer containers carry a mandatory five-cent deposit in order to promote their recycling. This would necessarily cause a reduction in the litter discarded along Ohio's highways, parks, beaches, etc. To Ohio environmentalists, the Bill represents a major legislative response to the growing litter and solid waste problem. However, to industry it represents a major curtailment of their production growth and profits, specifically those industries whose production is concentrated solely or substantially in the area of non-returnable cans and bottles. If the Bill becomes effective it will be a major victory …

Obscenity - New First Amendment Standards; Miller V. California, Stacy E. Wolfe

Akron Law Review

It has been over fifteen years since the Supreme Court embarked on its precarious course of determining the Constitutional boundaries for control of obscenity by the state and federal governments. The Court's first attempt to define the meaning of obscenity and ultimately determine the Constitutional protection afforded this expression was in Roth v. United States. What has followed can only be characterized as a series of irreconcilable conflicts and discrepancies that have left the law in this area in total confusion. Recently, the Court in Miller v. California has again attempted to provide "concrete guidelines to isolate 'hard core' pornography …

Fifth Amendment - Due Process Clause- Sex Discrimination - Sex: A Suspect Classification; Frontiero V. Richardson, John J. Cook

Akron Law Review

Sharon A. Frontiero, a lieutenant in the United States Air Force, sought increased benefits for her husband as a "dependent" under 37 U.S.C. Sections 401, 4031 and 10 U.S.C. Sections 1072, 10762 Those statutes provide that spouses of male members of the uniformed services are always dependents for purposes of obtaining increased quarters allowances and medical and dental benefits, but that spouses of female members are not dependents unless they are, in fact, dependent for over one-half of their support.3

Equal Protection - Property Taxes As A Method Of Funding Public Education; San Antonio Independent School District V. Rodriguez, Mark K. Croft

Akron Law Review

Suit was brought in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas challenging the constitutionality of the Texas school financing system on the theory that it discriminated on a basis of wealth, permitting provision of a higher quality of education to be offered the children in property-rich school districts while residents pay a lower tax rate, thus denying equal protection of the law.' The District Court found the laws forming this system unconstitutional on this basis. Appeal brought the case to the Supreme Court in October of 1972, where it was reversed.

Chipping Away At The First Amendment: Newspapermen Must Disclose Sources, Michael F. Buchicchio

Akron Law Review

This Comment will explore the background and history of the journalistic privilege in light of case law and early constitutional argument. It will analyze the recent Supreme Court decisions denying a privilege to newsmen to conceal their sources, and attempt to explain how this privilege can best be maintained.

Presidential Impoundment Of Funds: A Constitutional Crisis, Gerald A. Figurski

Akron Law Review

It seems that our maligned Congress, so docile at times in the face of presidential aggrandizement of power, is forging a constitutional crisis. The basic issue involved is whether the President has authority, either constitutional or statutory, to refuse to spend funds appropriated by Congress. The questions pursued in the following pages are basically four: does the President have the (1) statutory, (2) historical, (3) case, or (4) constitutional authority to continue to impound?

The Uneasy Partnership: The Balance Of Power Between Congress And The Supreme Court In Interpretation Of The Civil War Amendments, Emil Lippe Jr.

Akron Law Review

The basic thesis of this article is that the enforcement clauses of the thirteenth,' fourteenth, 2 and fifteenth 3 amendments have imposed strong affirmative duties upon the United States Congress and the Supreme Court. These duties, due to their very nature, must be exercised in tandem with each other toward the overall goal of the Civil War Amendments: the guarantee that the civil rights of no American be denied him on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. In addition, a special type of constitutional stare decisis operates to prevent both branches from contracting the rights guaranteed …

Obscenity - Liquor Regulations; California V. Larue, Richard Bernstein

Akron Law Review

The state has the power to regulate the distribution of liquor and enforce health and safety regulations, but the state may not broadly stifle First Amendment freedoms when doing so. "The breath of legislative abridgement must be viewed in the light of less drastic means for achieving the same basic purpose." s The Court has consistently held that only a compelling state interest in the regulation of a subject within the state's constitutional power to regulate can justify limiting First Amendment freedoms.

The "Compulsory School Attendance" Case: Wisconsin V. Yoder, Michael Buchicchio

Akron Law Review

It is an important constitutional doctrine that a law generally constitutional "on its face," may be unconstitutional "as applied" in specific instances. The Amish case marks the first occasion that the Court has clearly articulated that exception in favor of a minority religious group. It would appear that compulsory education laws are-"on their face"--within a state's constitutional powers, but under the facts of this case, the First Amendment requires that the Amish be exempt.

Search And Seizure - Warrantless Search- Allowable Extent Incident To Arrest; United States V. Robinson, John Nelson Childs

Akron Law Review

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Metropolitan Policeman Richard Jencks, on April 19, 1968, halted Willie Robinson for a "routine spot check."' While examining Robinson's driver's license, motor vehicle registration, and selective service card, Officer Jencks noticed an 11-year discrepancy between the two birthdates listed on his driver's license and his draft card. Upon a later check of police traffic records, Officer Jencks discovered that an operator's permit issued to "Willie Robinson, Jr.," born in 1927, had been revoked and that a temporary license had been issued to a "Willie Robinson," born in 1938. Four days later, the same officer observed Robinson operating …

Wrongful Death: Fetal Rights - Cause Of Action Grated For Fetal Deaths Under Wrongful Death Statute; Eich V. Town Of Gulf Shores, Mary Ann Kovach

Akron Law Review

A WRONGFUL DEATH ACTION, Eich v. Town of Gulf Shores, was decided as a result of an automobile accident that occurred on March 2, 1974, near the small Alabama town of Gulf Shores. Although the facts of the incident were not fully recounted, it appears that the plaintiff, who was eight and one-half months pregnant at the time, was struck by a negligently operated city police car and severely injured. Although plaintiff recovered from her injuries, the child did not and was stillborn. Mrs. Eich then sued, seeking damages for the death of the unborn child and basing her action …

Student Rights Under The Due Process Clause . . . Suspensions From Public Schools; Goss V. Lopez, Glenn W. Soden

Akron Law Review

IN ADDRESSING ITSELF to the constitutionality of Section 3316.66 of the Ohio Revised Code,' the United States Supreme Court in Goss v. Lopez has ruled for the first time upon the extent to which the rights of students are to be protected under the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment in conjunction with any disciplinary removal from a public school. By its action the Court has tacitly undertaken to lift the cloud on student rights which has existed under the common law doctrine of in loco parentis, and interpose procedural safeguards upon any decision of school officials to deprive …

Corporations; First Amendment Rights; State Ex Rel Grant V. Brown, Theodore David Itzkowitz

Akron Law Review

IN AUGUST 9, 1972 the Relators, Greater Cincinnati Gay Society, tendered articles of incorporation for a non-profit corporation to the Secretary of State of Ohio, under provisions of the Ohio Revised Code. The Secretary of State refused to accept the incorporation papers, however, claiming that the purpose of the group, which was to promote acceptance of homosexuality as a valid life style, was contrary to public policy, since homosexuality was then a criminal act.

Marriage Rights; Homosexuals And Transsexuals; B. V. B.,, William D. Lentz

Akron Law Review

WHAT IS A MARRIAGE? Although there are several definitions, they all contain one common element: the union of one man and one woman. However, if a particular state had no statute which specifically required that marriage be between a man and a woman would the courts uphold a marriage between members of the same sex? The New York Supreme Court, in B. v. B., answered that question in the negative. In that case the wife brought an action for annulment on the ground that her husband was a female, and the husband attempted to amend his answer and counterclaim for …