Law Commons^™

Section 355'S Active Business Rule--An Outdated Inefficacy, John A. Stemmler

Vanderbilt Law Review

In order to delineate the problems inherent in the active business rule, this Note first will examine the legislative history of tax-free separations, isolating the primary purpose and policy of section 355. Regulatory and judicial interpretations of section 355 will also be analyzed to determine their propriety in light of the statute's purpose and to illustrate the confusion that exists in the area. This, in turn, will lead to a suggested approach for dealing with section 355 transactions in the future.

Book Reviews, Charles Galbreath, George F. Shinehouse, Jr., Norman A. Coplan

Vanderbilt Law Review

How Harmless is Harmless? The Riddle of Harmless Error.

By Roger J. Traynor Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1970. Pp. ix, 117. $6.00

reviewer: Charles Galbreath

This book is based on the author's experience of more than 30 years on the California Supreme Court and his exhaustive research into the enigma of harmless error. The overriding message is simply that there is no clear explanation for the Supreme Court's preferring the Chapman test of "harmless beyond reasonable doubt" over the California test,which allows the judgment to stand if the particular error did not result in a "miscarriage of justice" in …