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The Obama Administration’S Policy Change Grants Asylum To Battered Women: Female Genital Mutilation Opens The Door For All Victims Of Domestic Violence, David Z. Ma

David Z Ma

ABSTRACT Throughout his Presidential campaign in 2008 and at his inauguration on January 20, 2009, President Obama repeatedly promised the American people one absolute: change. Change would come in many forms, and on April 13, 2009, change came to immigration law and to victims of domestic violence. President Obama’s administration filed a supplemental appeal brief outlining its policies for victims of domestic violence seeking asylum in the U.S. This policy completely reversed the Bush administration’s position on the issue. Yet, how did this change come about? In the preceding decade before President Obama took office, the Board of Immigration Appeals …

Estimating The Impact Of The Death Penalty On Murder, John Donohue, Justin Wolfers

John Donohue

No abstract provided.

Collateral Conflict: Employer Claims Of Rico Extortion Against Union Comprehensive Campaigns, James J. Brudney

James J. Brudney

Over the past 30 years, facing volatile economic conditions and complex corporate relationships, unions have mounted coordinated campaigns (aimed at consumers, public officials, lenders, the media, and the public) in order to help organize new workers and to renew collective bargaining relationships. These often high-profile campaigns have at times been quite successful. In response, employers since the late 1980s have invoked civil RICO’s broad language to claim that the campaigns constitute actionable extortion. When these employer claims survive a motion to dismiss, they carry the threat of treble damages, attorneys’ fees, and reputational harms associated with unions being labeled mobsters. …

Multiculturalism: A Challenge For Modern Criminal Justice. A Latin American Perspective, Raúl A. Carnevali

Raúl A. Carnevali

Increased migratory flow has given rise to the formation of culturally heterogeneous societies, and with it the discussion of multicultural states. Specifically, what we call multiculturalism is presenting new challenges for criminal law, as certain conduct may be evaluated differently according to the cultural context of the perpetrator. In order to determine the scope of multiculturalism and exactly how criminal law should deal with the issue, it is necessary to examine the theses that address the typical problems of cultural diversity, specifically, liberalism and communitarianism. One can then understand what is meant by “culturally motivated crimes” and whether the key …

How The Courts, Along With Public Dissatisfaction With The Status Quo, Ironically Aided In The Creation Of New Hollywood, Which Promoted Films Of Lawlessness, Disorder And Instability, Sam A. Blaustein

Sam A Blaustein

The period known as New Hollywood in American film was brought about by several seminal American legal decisions coupled with a growing dissatisfaction with the status quo. A series of First Amendment cases, along with the 1948 Paramount decision, forced Hollywood to produce graphic and existential films that showcased in unprecedented style the issues faced by the emerging disaffected youth generation.

Brave New World: The Use And Potential Misuse Of Dna Technology In Immigration Law, Janice D. Villiers

Janice D. Villiers

Deoxyribononucleic acid (“DNA”) technology revolutionized criminal law, family law and trust and estates practice. It is now revolutionizing immigration law. Currently DNA tests are not required, but may be recommended by the Department of Homeland Security when primary documentation such as marriage licenses, birth certificates and adoption papers are not available to prove the relationship between the U.S. citizen petitioner and the beneficiary who is seeking permanent resident status in the United States. DNA tests are attractive to the government as a means of countering fraud and because of administrative convenience, but adoption of a wholesale policy of DNA testing …

Public Interest Litigation In India: Overreaching Or Underachieving?, Varun Gauri

Varun Gauri

Public interest litigation has historically been an innovative judicial procedure for enhancing the social and economic rights of disadvantaged and marginalized groups in India. In recent years, however, a number of criticisms of public interest litigation have emerged, including concerns related to separation of powers, judicial capacity, and inequality. These criticisms have tended to abstraction, and the sheer number of cases has complicated empirical assessments. This paper finds that public interest litigation cases constitute less than 1 percent of the overall case load. The paper argues that complaints related to concerns having to do with separation of powers are better …

Evidence In International Criminal Trials: Lessons And Contributions From The Special Court For Sierra Leone, Patrick Matthew Hassan-Morlai

Patrick Matthew Hassan-Morlai

The general aim of this paper is to contribute to the discourse on the development of a system of international criminal justice. In so doing, this paper will pay attention to one aspect – rules of evidence – and examine its role in ensuring the rights to fair trial. The examination is limited to discussing offences relating to the jurisdiction ratione materiae of the SCSL contained in Articles 2-5 of the SCSL Statute.

Proportionality And Prosecutorial Discretion: Challenges To The Constitutionality Of Georgia’S Death Penalty Laws And Procedures Amidst The Deficiencies Of The State’S Mandatory Appellate Review Structure, Kristen M. Nugent

Kristen Nugent

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent denial of certiorari in Walker v. Georgia—in which Justice Stevens and Justice Thomas expressed sharply divergent interpretations of the Court’s precedent regarding the importance of a thorough proportionality review to Georgia’s capital sentencing scheme—the Court seems poised to reexamine the constitutional implications of Georgia’s death penalty statute and the manner in which it is implemented. In anticipation of such an analysis, and in order to advocate that the U.S. Supreme Court clarify its position in a way that aligns with its longstanding tradition of requiring moderation in the infliction of death, this article dissects …

Prisons Without Convicts: Why Similar Protections As Those Offered To Prison Inmates By The Constitution Should Be Extended To Immigrant Detainees, Paul Wayner

Paul Wayner

No abstract provided.

Criminal Insider Trading: Prosecution, Legislation, And Justification, Steven Brody

Steven Brody

Since the passage of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, insider trading has been codified as a federal crime. For many years, however, civil cases were rare, and criminal prosecutions resulting in prison terms were nearly unheard of. Yet during the 1980’s, white collar crime—and insider trading in particular—became the subject of more public scrutiny than it had ever previously received. During this period, major developments occurred in the criminalization, prosecution, and sentencing of those who had committed securities fraud. High profile cases of inside traders like Ivan Boesky and Dennis Levine made targets of federal prosecutions household names and …

Dennis J. Baker, ‘Punishment Without A Crime: Is Preventive Detention Reconcilable With Justice?’ (2009) 34 Australian Journal Of Legal Philosophy 120, Dennis J. Baker

Dr. Dennis J Baker

In this paper, I argue that civil preventive detention is tolerable because it is the lesser of two evils. I argue that the serious sex offender is partially to blame for his preventive detention, because he offends, re-offends and refuses treatment whilst in prison with a full awareness of the potential preventive detention consequences. However, I question the fairness of extending an offender's penal sentence beyond what his or her past wrongdoing warrants. I argue that laws allowing dangerous offenders to be imprisoned beyond the length of their original sentences cannot be reconciled with the cardinal requirements of justice and …

Repression And Punishment In North Korea: Survey Evidence Of Prison Camp Experiences, Marcus Noland

Marcus Noland

The penal system has played a central role in the North Korean government's response to the country's profound economic and social changes. Two refugee surveys--one conducted in China, one in South Korea--document its changing role. The regime disproportionately targets politically suspect groups, particularly those involved in market-oriented economic activities. Levels of violence and deprivation do not appear to differ substantially between the infamous political prison camps, penitentiaries for felons, and labor camps used to incarcerate individuals for misdemeanors, including economic crimes. Substantial numbers of those incarcerated report experiencing deprivation with respect to food as well as public executions and other …

Rape As A Weapon Of Peace: A Legal And Psycological Analysis Of How The Pervasive Violence Against Women Leads To The Deterioration Of A Country’S Economy, Health And General Welfare., Lucette Pierre-Louis

Lucette Pierre-Louis Ms.

Much has been written about rape and how it has been used as a weapon of war. In Haiti, the subject of rape has falsely been used as a tactic of peace due to the miniscule role of women. Haiti has neglected to take action to prosecute rape offenders since it is an accepted practice and unmentioned silent crime. This paper will use Haiti as a case study demonstrating how a third world underdeveloped country’s lack of protection against women has a direct impact on the viability of the country.

Does Judicial Philosophy Matter? A Case Study, Francisco J. Benzoni

Francisco J Benzoni

A leading theory in the study of judicial behavior is the attitudinal model. This theory maintains that a judge’s political ideology can be used to predict how a judge will decide certain cases, and other factors, such as the judge’s judicial philosophy, tend to be unimportant. Under this theory, the two judges with the same political ideology, but different judicial philosophies, should virtually always vote the same way in cases with predicted ideological outcomes. This manuscript tests the attitudinal model by examining opinions by two federal courts of appeals judges with very similar political ideologies, but different judicial philosophies: J. …

Brave New World: The Use And Potential Misuse Of Dna Technology In Immigration Law, Janice D. Villiers

Janice D. Villiers

Deoxyribononucleic acid (“DNA”) technology revolutionized criminal law, family law and trust and estates practice. It is now revolutionizing immigration law. Currently DNA tests are not required, but may be recommended by the Department of Homeland Security when primary documentation such as marriage licenses, birth certificates and adoption papers are not available to prove the relationship between the U.S. citizen petitioner and the beneficiary who is seeking permanent resident status in the United States. DNA tests are attractive to the government as a means of countering fraud and because of administrative convenience, but adoption of a wholesale policy of DNA testing …

Reconceptualizing Prosecutorial Misconduct Through Moral Disengagement Theory: A Social Cognitive Approach, Lawton P. Cummings

Lawton P Cummings

This Article argues that certain key structural factors within the prosecutorial system in the United States lead to prosecutorial misconduct by systematically encouraging “moral disengagement” in prosecutors. “Moral disengagement” refers to the social cognition theory developed by Albert Bandura and others, which identifies the mechanisms that operate to disengage an individual’s moral self-sanctions that would otherwise inhibit the individual from engaging in injurious conduct. Empirical studies have shown that a person’s level of moral disengagement, as a dispositional trait, is an accurate predictor of the person’s level of aggression and anti-social behavior, and that an individual’s level of moral disengagement …

Community Policing Within A Counter-Terrorism Context: The Role Of Trust When Working With Muslim Communities To Prevent Terror Crime, Basia Spalek

basia spalek

Recently, community-based models of policing have gained increasing prominence within the context of counter-terrorism, an area that has traditionally been dominated by ‘hard’, top-down models of policing. The following article draws upon a research study that examined community policing within a counter-terrorism context within the UK in order to help shed light upon how police officers might work with communities in order to prevent terror crime. The article focuses in particular upon the notion of trust within a counter-terrorism context and reflects upon the importance of cultural intelligence for policing within a counter-terror context, a context marked by suspicion, distrust …

Racial Profiling In America, April J. Walker

April J. Walker

No abstract provided.

Natural Law, Positive Law, And Conflicting Social Norms In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, Maureen E. Markey

Maureen E. Markey

This Article explores the complex interaction of natural law, positive law, and conflicting social norms in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one of the most widely read works in all of American literature and a classic of the Law and Literature canon. Because Atticus Finch, more than any real life lawyer, exemplifies both the personal and professional identity that most lawyers strive for, the novel has been hugely influential in many lawyers= lives. In a profession often stereotyped as greedy, amoral, and uncaring, Atticus represents transcendent moral values, traditionally recognized as a natural law view of the world, …

Racial Profiling -Separate And Unequal Keeping The Minorities In Line- The Role Of Law Enforcemnet In America, April J. Walker

April J. Walker

No abstract provided.

Power And Perception: The Special Tribunal For Lebanon, Melia Amal Bouhabib

Melia Amal Bouhabib

On March 1, 2009, the long-anticipated Special Tribunal for Lebanon finally opened its doors. The STL has been hailed as a triumph against impunity and “a decisive milestone” in the quest for justice. Nonetheless, the Tribunal has been fraught with complications since the outset and faces significant challenges as it forges ahead. The use of Chapter VII powers to impose the Tribunal coupled with an exceedingly narrow mandate relying solely on domestic law, has led to criticisms that the Tribunal is impartial, and at the worst, illegal. Moreover, with a contentious history of U.N. involvement, including an extensive and controversial …

Individualized Assessment Of Applicants With Convictions, Stacy A. Hickox

Stacy A. Hickox

Employers often rely on criminal background checks as part of the hiring process. Yet consideration of applicants’ criminal records clearly has an adverse impact on applicants of color, since a higher percentage of them have a record. This article reviews how an employer has been able to justify its consideration of criminal convictions under Title VII. In addition, state statutes that limit employers’ consideration of a criminal record provide guidance for employers who are trying to establish a business necessity for their reliance on criminal records. Typically, courts look at the nature of the crime and its relationship to the …

Examining The "Csi-Effect" In The Cases Of Circumstantial Evidence And Eyewitness Testimony: Multivariate And Path Analyses, Hon. Donald E. Shelton, Young S. Kim, Gregg Barak

Hon. Donald E. Shelton

As part of a larger investigation of the changing nature of juror behavior in the context of technology development, this study examined important questions unanswered by previous studies on the “CSI-effect.” In answering such questions, the present study applied multivariate and path analyses for the first time. The results showed that (a) watching CSI dramas had no independent effect on jurors' verdicts, (b) the exposure to CSI dramas did not interact with individual characteristics, (c) different individual characteristics were significantly associated with different types of evidence, and (d) CSI watching had no direct effect on jurors' decisions, and it had …

Disclosure Of Juror Identities To The Press: Who Will Speak For The Jurors?, Kenneth J. Melilli

Kenneth J. Melilli

In a sequence of rulings, the United States Supreme Court has determined that the public (and hence the press) enjoys a first amendment right of access to at least portions of a criminal trial. Several lower courts have read these decisions as mandating that the press be provided, upon application, with the names and addresses of jurors or even potential jurors. Once acquired, this information has been used to harass unwilling jurors in attempts to delve into jury deliberations. In almost every such case, the only real party in interest in opposition to the application of the press -- the …

Change Is Needed; How Latinos Are Affected By The United States Criminal Justice System, Christopher F. Bagnato

Christopher F. Bagnato

Latinos have been present in this country for centuries. They slowly have been making their mark in the communities of this country, usually seen but not really heard or noticed. Yet during the past thirty years the amount of Latino immigrants has skyrocketed. Census projections indicate that Latinos will be the biggest minority population in this county in the near future. The issues with discrimination of Latinos started on the streets with phrases like, “racial profiling” and “driving while brown,” and have moved into new places like the courtroom. Latinos have had to face not only the burden of prejudice …

Can We Talk (With Or Without Beer)? How Triggers For Unconscious Racism Strengthen The Importance Of Dialogue, Adjoa A. Aiyetoro

Adjoa A. Aiyetoro

This article is ultimately about healing the racial divide illustrated by the recent arrest of Henry Louis Gates. It expands on the scholarship of unconscious racism by exploring a trigger for unconscious racism that up to this point scholars have only alluded to: the language of race. It argues that society often censures an African descendant speaker who uses the language of race or racism. This censure occurs because many in American society have embraced the myth of a colorblind society. They believe that to assert otherwise and to question whether there are racial implications associated with a given action …

Gates & Crowley, Patrol Officer’S Tool Box: Mandatory Conflict Resolution Skills For Police Officers, Christopher C. Cooper

Christopher C. Cooper Dr.

What happened between a Harvard professor and a street cop from Cambridge was a Testosterone laden confrontation fueled by ego of, and misconceptions held by, both men. In the police academy, we spend hours and hours learning how to fire a gun and then have to go back to the gun range on a regular basis, but not one class or even one hour is spent crafting the best way to talk with citizens. A famous criminologist (Muir) in his studies of American police used the phrase “Streetcorner” Politician to describe the uniformed police officer. What comes to mind of …

Adverse Inferences About Adverse Inferences: Restructuring Juridical Roles For Responding To Evidence Tampering By Parties To Litigation, Dale A. Nance

Dale A. Nance

For at least two centuries, Anglo-American courts have responded to a party’s evidence tampering by allowing the opponent to argue to jurors that they should draw an adverse inference against the offending party in deciding the merits of the case. This Article argues that it is time that the use of such inferences, and invitations to draw them, be radically curtailed, not only because of the ambiguities and risks of prejudice that such inferences entail, which have long been noted, but more importantly because they involve a confusion of roles in which the jury is enlisted to participate in the …

Once Upon A Time In Law: Myth, Metaphor, And Authority, Linda H. Edwards

Linda H. Edwards

We have long accepted the role of narrative in fact statements and jury arguments, but in the inner sanctum of analyzing legal authority? Surely not. Yet cases, statutes, rules, and doctrines have stories too. When we talk about legal authority, using all our best formal logic and its bedfellows of analogy and policy, we are actually swimming in a sea of narrative, oblivious to the water around us. As the old Buddhist saying goes, we don’t know who discovered the ocean, but it probably wasn’t a fish.

This article teases out several familiar archetypes hidden in discussions of cases and …