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Secret Faits Accomplis: Declination Decisions, Nonprosecution Agreements, And The Crime Victim’S Right To Confer, Zulkifl M. Zargar
Secret Faits Accomplis: Declination Decisions, Nonprosecution Agreements, And The Crime Victim’S Right To Confer, Zulkifl M. Zargar
Fordham Law Review
The state’s monopoly power over the institution of prosecution is a feature as familiar as any in the American criminal justice system. That the criminal proceeding is between the state and the defendant leaves little doubt as to the identities of the victimized interest and the offender. But, in avenging societal harm alone, the criminal process treats another victim—the crime victim— as an outcast. Beginning in the 1970s, the victim’s rights movement mobilized to address this institutional neglect, and, by most accounts, it has triumphed. Federal and state victim’s rights laws now empower victims to attend criminal proceedings, deliver impact …
Guns And Drugs, Benjamin Levin
Guns And Drugs, Benjamin Levin
Fordham Law Review
This Article argues that the increasingly prevalent critiques of the War on Drugs apply to other areas of criminal law. To highlight the broader relevance of these critiques, this Article uses as its test case the criminal regulation of gun possession. This Article identifies and distills three lines of drug war criticism and argues that they apply to possessory gun crimes in much the same way that they apply to drug crimes. Specifically, this Article focuses on: (1) race- and class-based critiques; (2) concerns about police and prosecutorial power; and (3) worries about the social and economic costs of mass …
Criminal Corruption: Why Broad Definitions Of Bribery Make Things Worse, Albert W. Alschuler
Criminal Corruption: Why Broad Definitions Of Bribery Make Things Worse, Albert W. Alschuler
Fordham Law Review
Although the law of bribery may look profoundly underinclusive, the push to expand it usually should be resisted. This Article traces the history of two competing concepts of bribery—the “intent to influence” concept (a concept initially applied only to gifts given to judges) and the “illegal contract” concept. It argues that, when applied to officials other than unelected judges, “intent to influence” is now an untenable standard. This standard cannot be taken literally. This Article defends the Supreme Court’s refusal to treat campaign contributions as bribes in the absence of an “explicit” quid pro quo and its refusal to read …
When Theory Met Practice: Distributional Analysis In Critical Criminal Law Theorizing, Aya Gruber
When Theory Met Practice: Distributional Analysis In Critical Criminal Law Theorizing, Aya Gruber
Fordham Law Review
Focusing on criminal law and procedure in particular, this Article seeks to expose various tensions in critical race theorizing and progressive theorizing more broadly, offer some suggestions for a unifying methodology of critical criminal law analysis, and discuss where empirical study might fit into this new program. Progressive (critical race and feminist) theorizing on criminal law is not only subject to the competing frames of critique and formalism, it also exists within an overarching American criminal law culture that can eclipse both concerns over rights violations and structural injustice. The U.S. penal system has become a “peculiar institution” and a …
Inherently Female Cases Of Child Abuse And Neglect: A Gender-Neutral Analysis, Suzanne D'Amico
Inherently Female Cases Of Child Abuse And Neglect: A Gender-Neutral Analysis, Suzanne D'Amico
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Tabitha Walrond was a young mother who was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide after her two-month-old son died from malnutrition. This Comment examines how the portrayal of Ms. Walrond by the defense and prosecution, and in the media reflects gender stereotypes in the criminal law and society. The Comment posits the notion that Ms. Walrond was portrayed as either a good or bad mother and once so labeled, the judge, jury and prosecution view her as such, while ignoring her specific situation. As a result, a defendant such as Ms. Walrond may be treated either too harshly or too …
From Sounds Bites To Sound Policy: Reclaiming The High Ground In Criminal Justice Policy-Making, Anthony C. Thompson
From Sounds Bites To Sound Policy: Reclaiming The High Ground In Criminal Justice Policy-Making, Anthony C. Thompson
Fordham Urban Law Journal
In this article, the author contemplates the way the criminal justice system is portrayed in the media and suggests how the media's emphasis on "sound bites" - which makes it difficult to separate fact from hype - has had significant policy ramifications. The author makes a point of exploring the many ways that conceptions of crime are formed and influenced, as well as how the media has shaped legislation. In the author's opinion, in order to curb the excessive influence of most mainstream representations of the criminal justice system, there must be some mechanism for oversight of both the media …
Dna And Due Process, Brandon L. Garrett
Dna And Due Process, Brandon L. Garrett
Fordham Law Review
The U.S. Supreme Court in District Attorney’s Office v. Osborne confronted novel and complex constitutional questions regarding the postconviction protections offered to potentially innocent convicts. Two decades after DNA testing exonerated the first inmate in the United States, the Court heard its first claim by a convict seeking DNA testing that could prove innocence. I argue that, contrary to early accounts, the Court did not reject a constitutional right to postconviction DNA testing. Despite language suggesting the Court would not “constitutionalize the issue” by announcing an unqualified freestanding right, Chief Justice Roberts’s majority opinion proceeded to carefully fashion an important, …
Access To Justice: Some Historical Comments, Lawrence M. Friedman
Access To Justice: Some Historical Comments, Lawrence M. Friedman
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article sets out some preliminary thoughts on what "access to justice" might mean, and comment on how access to justice has fared historically.
Defending Demaree: The Ex Post Facto Clause's Lack Of Control Over The Federal Sentencing Guidelines After Booker, Daniel M. Levy
Defending Demaree: The Ex Post Facto Clause's Lack Of Control Over The Federal Sentencing Guidelines After Booker, Daniel M. Levy
Fordham Law Review
In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Federal Sentencing Guidelines violated a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial because they allowed a judge to depart from a mandatory range based on facts not presented to a jury. As a solution, the Court modified the Guidelines to be “advisory,” yet curiously held that sentences were still subject to appellate review for reasonableness. Given this tension, U.S. courts of appeals are split on whether the Guidelines are “laws,” subject to the Ex Post Facto Clause of the U.S. Constitution. This Note argues that the Guidelines are advisory, given …
Harmless Constitutional Error And The Institutional Significance Of The Jury, Roger A. Fairfax, Jr.
Harmless Constitutional Error And The Institutional Significance Of The Jury, Roger A. Fairfax, Jr.
Fordham Law Review
Appellate harmless error review, an early twentieth-century innovation prompted by concerns of efficiency and finality, had been confined to nonconstitutional trial errors until forty years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court extended the harmless error rule to trial errors of constitutional proportion. Even as criminal procedural protections were expanded in the latter half of the twentieth century, the harmless error rule operated to dilute the effect of many of these constitutional guarantees--the Sixth Amendment right to jury trial being no exception. However, while a trade-off between important process values and the Constitution's protection of individual rights is inherent in the …
Beyond Mitigation: Towards A Theory Of Allocution, Kimberly A. Thomas
Beyond Mitigation: Towards A Theory Of Allocution, Kimberly A. Thomas
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Underenforcement, Alexandra Natapoff
Too Little, Too Late: Ineffective Assistance Of Counsel, The Duty To Investigate, And Pretrial Discovery In Criminal Cases, Jenny Roberts
Too Little, Too Late: Ineffective Assistance Of Counsel, The Duty To Investigate, And Pretrial Discovery In Criminal Cases, Jenny Roberts
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Unlike rules governing discovery in civil cases, which require that the two sides exchange most information about their respective cases, criminal discovery result in a much more limited flow of information. Many commentators, for many years, have called for the liberalization of criminal discovery statutes and rules. Indeed, some states have heeded the call. But about a dozen states follow the highly restrictive federal rule, which is premised in part on the idea that a defendant should not be entitled to witness names or statements for pretrial investigation, but rather only for cross-examination purposes should the case ever get to …
Transformative Criminal Defense Practice: Truth, Love, And Individual Rights- The Innovative Approach Of The Georgia Justice Project, Douglas Ammar, Tosha Downey
Transformative Criminal Defense Practice: Truth, Love, And Individual Rights- The Innovative Approach Of The Georgia Justice Project, Douglas Ammar, Tosha Downey
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Georgia Justice Project has a unique approach to criminal defense and rehabilitation which is based on a relationship and community-oriented ethic. Focused on only accepting clients who are willing to make a serious commitment to changing their lives, the GJP ensures that the client moves beyond social, emotional and personal challenges that contributed to their legal problems. This article describes the unique factors of the GJP that have contributed to its continued success.
"Forgive Me Victim For I Have Sinned": Why Repentance And The Criminal Justice System Do Not Mix - A Lesson From Jewish Law, Cheryl G. Bader
"Forgive Me Victim For I Have Sinned": Why Repentance And The Criminal Justice System Do Not Mix - A Lesson From Jewish Law, Cheryl G. Bader
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This essay will critique the Georgia Justice Project's encouragement of confessions in the context of the secular American justice system via comparison with the treatment of confessions under ancient Jewish law. Specifically, this essay posits that the absolute prohibition on the use of confessions in a legal system firmly rooted in religious values recognizes the danger inherent in combining the act of speaking of one's sins for religious penance with the use of such confessions in the criminal adjudication process. The Jewish legal system avoids these inherent dangers by completely devaluing the accused's confession. The GJP, in contrast, merges the …
Human Rights And Human Wrongs: Is The United States Death Penalty System Inconsistent With International Human Rights Law, Warren Allmand, Stephen B. Bright, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Dorean Marguerite Koenig, William A. Schabas, W. L. Seriti
Human Rights And Human Wrongs: Is The United States Death Penalty System Inconsistent With International Human Rights Law, Warren Allmand, Stephen B. Bright, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Dorean Marguerite Koenig, William A. Schabas, W. L. Seriti
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Ethics, Law Enforcement, And Fair Dealing: A Prosecutor's Duty To Disclose Nonevidentiary Information, David Aaron
Ethics, Law Enforcement, And Fair Dealing: A Prosecutor's Duty To Disclose Nonevidentiary Information, David Aaron
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Rethinking The Tough Sentencing Of Teenage Neonaticide Offenders In The United States, Christine A. Fazio, Jennifer L. Comito
Rethinking The Tough Sentencing Of Teenage Neonaticide Offenders In The United States, Christine A. Fazio, Jennifer L. Comito
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Imposing Duties On Witnesses To Child Sexual Abuse: A Futile Response To Bystander Indifference, Jessica R. Givelber
Imposing Duties On Witnesses To Child Sexual Abuse: A Futile Response To Bystander Indifference, Jessica R. Givelber
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Religion And The Public Defender, Sadiq Reza
Religion And The Public Defender, Sadiq Reza
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This essay argues that the public defender should not undertake, or fail to undertake, any action to the legal detriment of a client on the basis of a conflict the attorney perceives between religious and professional responsibility, except for imminent death or serious bodily harm to another. Having accepted the responsibility of representing indigent criminal defendants, the public defender is duty-bound to not compromise that responsibility for competing religious obligations. This argument rests on four premises: (1) the public defender occupies a unique position in our legal system, and options available to private interest lawyers or other clients should not …
Prosecution And Race: The Power And Privilege Of Discretion, Angela J. Davis
Prosecution And Race: The Power And Privilege Of Discretion, Angela J. Davis
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
An Argument For Preserving The Agency Defense As Applied To Prosecutions For Unlawful Sale, Delivery, And Possession Of Drugs, Scott W. Parker
An Argument For Preserving The Agency Defense As Applied To Prosecutions For Unlawful Sale, Delivery, And Possession Of Drugs, Scott W. Parker
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Conflicts Between Attorneys And Social Workers Representing Children In Delinquency Proceedings, Lisa A. Stranger
Conflicts Between Attorneys And Social Workers Representing Children In Delinquency Proceedings, Lisa A. Stranger
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
Is A Ban On Plea Bargaining An Ethical Abuse Of Discretion? A Bronx County, New York Case Study, Roland Acevedo
Is A Ban On Plea Bargaining An Ethical Abuse Of Discretion? A Bronx County, New York Case Study, Roland Acevedo
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
The Crime Bill Of 1994 And The Law Of Character Evidence: Congress Was Right About Consent Defense Cases, Roger C. Park
The Crime Bill Of 1994 And The Law Of Character Evidence: Congress Was Right About Consent Defense Cases, Roger C. Park
Fordham Urban Law Journal
There is considerable debate as to whether to admit evidence of past sexual assaults in cases where the accused presents a defense of consent to a current sexual assault charge. The consent defense presents a unique situation where, due to the probative value of evidence that suggests propensity to rape, a strong justification can be made to admit this information as evidence. However, critics of this opinion have argued that admitting propensity evidence about the accused in a rape case is inconsistent with the rape shield rule which excludes propensity evidence about the victim. This argument is flawed in the …
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Report To The House Of Delegates, Myrna S. Raeder
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Report To The House Of Delegates, Myrna S. Raeder
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rules 413-15 regarding the admission of character testimony in cases of sexual abuse and child molestation, have been roundly criticized by the legal community on both substantive and procedural grounds. The ABA has resolved to oppose the substance of these rules, and fear that in addition to the direct concerns regarding the result of the rules, they raise troubling policy issues going forward.
The Battle Over The Brady Bill And The Future Of Gun Control Advocacy, Richard M. Aborn
The Battle Over The Brady Bill And The Future Of Gun Control Advocacy, Richard M. Aborn
Fordham Urban Law Journal
No matter how effective a legislative scheme is, legislation alone will not eradicate the deeply rooted culture of gun violence that exists in this country. Accordingly, Handgun Control divides its efforts between legislative and non-legislative efforts. In this regard, the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence carries out the non-legislative interventions of Handgun Control. These efforts include working with elementary, secondary and high schools to promote a gun violence reduction curriculum; litigating on behalf of gun victims; defending gun control legislation in the courts; working with the entertainment industry concerning the messages in popular entertainment about gun violence; and working with …
When Terry Met Miranda: Two Constitutional Doctrines Collide, Mark A. Godsey
When Terry Met Miranda: Two Constitutional Doctrines Collide, Mark A. Godsey
Fordham Law Review
No abstract provided.
A Moral Standard For The Prosecutor's Exercise Of The Charging Discretion, Bennett L. Gershman
A Moral Standard For The Prosecutor's Exercise Of The Charging Discretion, Bennett L. Gershman
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The prosecutor's decision to institute criminal charges is the broadest and least regulated power in American criminal law. The judicial deference shown to prosecutors generally is most noticeable with respect to the charging function. This Essay discusses three hypothetical cases that present both realistic and recurring challenges to the prosecutor's charging power. The first case depends on a factual determination of a witness's reliability. The second case depends on a factual determination of the witness's truthfulness. The third case revolves around a legal determination regarding the applicability of a defense. Together, these cases provide a setting in which a moral …
The Race Factor And Trial By Jury, Kenneth Conboy
The Race Factor And Trial By Jury, Kenneth Conboy
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The institution of trial by jury in criminal cases, one of the great achievements in the history of civilization and a principal foundation of our federal constitutional order, is to day under challenge by two different by interrelated developments in American courtrooms. The first is the development of a broad national imperative to eliminate all aspects of racism in American legal, political, and social life. The second is the heightened scrutiny that electronic media presence is applying to the jury system. This essay explores the utility and fairness of the American trial jury and its premise as a democratic and …