Law Commons^™

Wrongful Death Actions Under Section 1983, Martin A. Schwartz, Steven Steinglass, Richard Emery, Ilann Margalit Maazel

Martin A. Schwartz

No abstract provided.

Section 1983 Cases In The October 2004 Term, Martin A. Schwartz

Martin A. Schwartz

No abstract provided.

Agency, Equality, And Antidiscrimination Law, Tracy E. Higgins, Laura A. Rosenbury

Laura A. Rosenbury

Some commentators, perhaps a minority, have argued that the Equal Protection Clause should be read to require the use of race-conscious policies when necessary to eradicate or remedy the most serious consequences of racial inequality. Others have argued that such policies, though not required, should be permitted when duly adopted by the majority of the populace to promote the interests of an historically oppressed minority. Still others, including now a majority of the Supreme Court, take the view that the Constitution forbids virtually all explicit uses of race by the state. In this Essay, we do not enter this debate …

Sex In And Out Of Intimacy, Laura A. Rosenbury, Jennifer E. Rothman

Laura A. Rosenbury

The state has long attempted to regulate sexual activity by channeling sex into various forms of state-supported intimacy. Although commentators and legal scholars of diverse political perspectives generally believe such regulation is declining, the freedom to engage in diverse sexual activities has not been established as a matter of law. Instead, courts have extended legal protection to consensual sexual acts only to the extent such acts support other state interests, most often marriage and procreation. Although Lawrence v. Texas altered some aspects of that vision, it reinscribed others by suggesting that sexual activity should be protected from state interference only …

The New Battleground For Same-Sex Couples Is Equal Rights For Their Kids, Tanya Washington

Tanya Monique Washington

No abstract provided.

Gender Injustice: System-Level Juvenile Justice Reforms For Girls, Francine Sherman, Annie Balck

Francine T. Sherman

Despite decades of attention, the proportion of girls in the juvenile justice system has increased and their challenges have remained remarkably consistent, resulting in deeply rooted systemic gender injustice. The literature is clear that girls in the justice system have experienced abuse, violence, adversity, and deprivation across many of the domains of their lives—family, peers, intimate partners, and community. There is also increasing understanding of the sorts of programs helpful to these girls. What is missing is a focus on how systems—and particularly juvenile justice systems—can be redesigned to protect public safety and support the healing and healthy development of …

Bisexuals Need Not Apply: A Comparative Appraisal Of Refugee Law And Policy In Canada, The United States, And Australia, Sean Rehaag

Sean Rehaag

This paper offers an analysis of refugee claims on grounds of bisexuality. After discussing the grounds on which sexual minorities may qualify for refugee status under international refugee law, the paper empirically assesses the success rates of bisexual refugee claimants in three major host states: Canada, the United States, and Australia. It concludes that bisexuals are significantly less successful than other sexual minority groups in obtaining refugee status in those countries. Through an examination of selected published decisions involving bisexual refugee claimants, the author identifies two main areas for concern that may partly account for the difficulties that bisexual refugee …

The Fundamental Right To A Travel Passport Under Nigerian Law: An Integrated Viewpoint, Obiora Okafor

Obiora Chinedu Okafor

No abstract provided.

Feminism And Legal Method: The Difference It Makes, Mary Jane Mossman

Mary Jane Mossman

Prompted by questions raised in A Feminist Perspective in the Academy: The Difference It Makes, Mossman questions whether or not feminist theory, namely as it concerns equality and the impact of women as key actors, could impact the structure of legal inquiry.

Choice, Equality And Tales Of Racial Discrimination: Reading The Supreme Court On Section 15, Sonia Lawrence

Sonia Lawrence

No abstract provided.

Panel 4: Civil Liberties, Nathalie Desrosiers, Fay Faraday, Sonia Lawrence, James Stribopoulos

Sonia Lawrence

PANEL IV: CIVIL LIBERTIES: Moderator:James Stribopoulos, Professor, Osgoode HallLaw School; Speaker: Nathalie Desrosiers, General Counsel, Canadian Civil Liberties Association & Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, "The Advocacy Function in Canada and the Role of Non-Government Organizations"; Speaker: Fay Faraday, McMurtry Clinical Visiting Fellow, Osgoode Hall Law School, "Civil Society and Rights Litigation: Grassroots Nourishing the Charter Tree"; Discussant: Sonia Lawrence, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School.

Law & Politics After September 11th: Civil Rights & The Rule Of Law, Trevor Farrow

Trevor C. W. Farrow

No abstract provided.

La Libertad De Expresión Frente A Los Delitos De Negacionismo Y De Provocación Al Odio Y A La Violencia: Sombras Sin Luces En La Reforma Del Código Penal, Germán M. Teruel Lozano

Germán M. Teruel Lozano

Racist and negationist speeches are at the border of tolerable messages in a democratic society. This paper will explore the limits to freedom of speech in the Spanish law, which is configured as a constitutional order «open» and based on the idea of «person», contrasting with the militant model characteristic of the European Convention on Human Rights. Then, once outlined the content of this freedom, the paper will submit to constitutional review the Holocaust denial crime and hate speech crimes after the reform of the Criminal Code in 2015, from a constitutional-criminal law perspective.

Ontario Human Rights Code At 50: Still The One?, Faisal Bhabha

Faisal Bhabha

Faisal Bhabha, Assistant Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, on the relevancy, impact and challenges of Ontario Human Rights Code.

An Essay On Poverty And Child Neglect: New Interventions, Joan M. Shaughnessy

Joan M. Shaughnessy

No abstract provided.

The End Of Preclearance As We Knew It: How The Supreme Court Transformed Section 5 Of The Voting Rights Act, Peyton Mccrary, Christopher B. Seaman, Richard Valelly

Christopher B. Seaman

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires certain jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination to obtain “preclearance” of proposed electoral changes from the United States Department of Justice or a three-judge panel in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. This provision, which is set to expire in August 2007, has successfully reduced racial and ethnic discrimination in voting.The United States Supreme Court determined in a 5-4 decision, Reno v. Bossier Parish School Board, 528 U.S. 230 (2000), that Section 5's prohibition on the enforcement of electoral changes which have a discriminatory purpose …

The Pope's Rich Bag Of Diversity For Families, John G. Culhane

John G. Culhane

No abstract provided.

Are Same-Sex Marriage Statutes The New Anti-Gay Initiatives?, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

No abstract provided.

Choosing One's Family: Can The Legal System Address The Breadth Of Women's Choices Of Intimate Relationships, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

In discussing the legal system's response to alternative families seeking an extension of traditional family benefits, this paper is divided into two main sections. The first section summarizes the Madison experience in trying to pass a comprehensive alternative family rights ordinance. It takes an in-depth look at the entire process from the grassroots pressures on the M.E.O.C. which resulted in formation of the task force to the Common Council's enactment of two minor sections of the proposed ordinance. It will analyze the political and legal process used in an effort to obtain significant reform in the definition of family within …

Confessions Of A Commentator: Recognizing One’S Own Exclusion Of Race And Ethnicity From Sexual Orientation Scholarship, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

In this piece, introducing the January 1998, panel on "Race and Sexual Orientation in Legal Scholarship" at the American Association of Law Schools conference, Professor Cox reflects on her own scholarship, concluding that "[w]e need to change the whiteness of gay and lesbian scholarship...to eliminate a notion that, when we talk of issues concerning gay and lesbian liberation, we are only talking about liberating white people from the heterosexism of our society."

"Coming Out": The Practical Battles From Being Visible As A Lesbian, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

No abstract provided.

But Why Not Marriage: Some Thoughts On Vermont’S Civil Unions Law, Same-Sex Marriage, And Separate But (Un)Equal, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

This article is divided into three sections. Section one considers the positive results from the civil unions law. It recognizes that this legislation represents an important step along the path toward full recognition of same-sex couples by extending significant rights, benefits, and responsibilities beyond opposite-sex marriage." With these benefits, however, come several problems. Section two places the civil unions law along side other examples of "separate but equal" restrictions in the race and sex contexts and considers it within the sexual orientation context. This section explains how government-sponsored segregation has always caused damage to both groups that are taught they …

Same-Sex Marriage And The Public Policy Exception In Choice-Of-Law: Does It Really Exist?, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

No abstract provided.

Adoptions By Lesbian And Gay Parents Must Be Recognized By Sister States Under The Full Faith And Credit Clause Despite Anti-Marriage Statutes That Discriminate Against Same-Sex Couples, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

No abstract provided.

A (Personal) Essay On Same-Sex Marriage, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

In this article Barbara Cox examines the institution of marriage in the gay and lesbian community from a personal perspective. Prof. Cox reviews recent articles in the gay and lesbian literature arguing both for and against marriage as a political goal for homosexuals. She then relates experiences arising out of her marriage to her partner, Peg. The author advocates same- sex unions as a way to radically restructure the institution of marriage while challenging heterosexual assumptions about gay and lesbian love.

Using An “Incidents Of Marriage” Analysis When Considering Interstate Recognition Of Same-Sex Couples’ Marriages, Civil Unions, And Domestic Partnerships, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

Despite discussions for over ten years, we still do not have any decisions on interstate or international recognition of marriages by same-sex couples. We do have, however, six cases in the United States on the interstate recognition and validation of Vermont civil unions. In these six cases, same-sex couples from six different states who had entered into Vermont civil unions came to their courts seeking resolution of legal issues that arose in their relationships. The rest of this article now turns to these six decisions and considers how each court dealt with the same-sex couple seeking legal assistance with the …

Amicus Curiae Brief To The Supreme Court Of Wisconsin In Holtzmann V. Knott On Behalf Of The National Center For Lesbian Rights, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

This brief, with an introduction by Prof. Barbara Cox, was written by her and filed with the Wisconsin Supreme Court on behalf of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. That case involved a custody and visitation claim filed by a non-biological parent of H.S.H-K, who had participated in the decision to have and raise the child with the child's biological parent. The court granted the petition and in doing so, became the first state supreme court to recognize the visitation rights of a non-biological lesbian parent.

Alternative Families: Obtaining Traditional Family Benefits Through Litigation, Legislation And Collective Bargaining, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

This article will first discuss the constitutional and equitable basis for extending rights to alternative families. Next, it will discuss each major protection and benefit granted to traditional families and then examine the litigation, legislation, and collective bargaining agreements obtaining or attempting to obtain the same benefit for alternative families. This article will end by arguing that equity and justice require an extension of these benefits to alternative families.

Same-Sex Marriage And Choice Of Law: If We Marry In Hawaii, Are We Still Married When We Get Home?, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

This Article explores the choice-of-law question of whether a same-sex couple, married in Hawaii after successful completion of the Baehr v. Lewin case, will have their marriage recognized by the state of their domicile upon their return from Hawaii. This Article first applauds the Baehr court's decision that prohibiting same-sex marriage is unconstitutional sex discrimination but then critiques its decision that the fundamental right to marry does not extend to same-sex couples.

The second Part considers the choice-of-law questions that will arise in cases litigating the validity of a couple's same-sex marriage upon their return to their domicile. It considers …

Love Makes A Family--Nothing More, Nothing Less: How The Judicial System Has Refused To Protect Nonlegal Parents In Alternative Families, Barbara Cox

Barbara Cox

Part I of this article discusses the legal system's recognition of parental rights and enumerates the possible constitutional, statutory, and equitable theories available for protecting the parental rights of nonlegal parents. Part II considers the cases that have rejected the attempts by members of alternative families to use these theories to obtain this protection. Part III discusses the barriers to political power that will make it extremely difficult and time-consuming to achieve legislative change in these areas, and argues that the courts should use the means available to them currently to protect these nonlegal parents and their children while the …