Law Commons^™

Alternative Models Of Ante-Mortem Probate And Procedural Due Process Limitations On Succession, Gregory S. Alexander, Albert M. Pearson

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Ante-mortem probate stands as a significant recent development in the American law of wealth succession. It confronts a problem that seriously impairs our probate system, the depredatious will contest, and promises to help revitalize the probate process. Already enacted in several states and currently under active study by the Joint Editorial Board of the Uniform Probate Code and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, ante-mortem probate is likely to be widely implemented in some form. But while legislators and academics alike support ante-mortem probate as a general idea, disagreement has emerged over the specific form it should …

Escape From Cruel And Unusual Punishment: A Theory Of Constitutional Necessity, Cynthia R. Farina

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The inmate who escapes from a federal or state prison and seeks to introduce evidence of unconstitutionally cruel and unusual confinement conditions to defend her action is barred by the well-established rule that prison conditions alone, no matter how intolerable or inhumane, neither justify nor excuse escape. If she attempts to use the defense of necessity—a limited exception to this rule—the prisoner will be required to show that a specific, imminent threat of death or serious injury prompt her escape. Evidence of prolonged or repeated deprivation and mistreatment sufficient to prove a violation of the eighth amendment may not be …

The Role Of Judges In Life/Death Decisions For The Neurologically Impaired, H. Richard Beresford

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The Massachusetts Supreme Court has recently ruled that decisions about withholding care from hopelessly ill, legally incapacitated patients must be made by judges. It clearly rejected the view that families and attending physicians should be empowered to make such decisions. In this respect, the ruling contrasts with that of the Quinlan case and highlights the issue of whether judges or physicians and families are better able to make medically and morally sound decisions respecting this class of patients.

Cognitive Death: Differential Problems And Legal Overtones, H. Richard Beresford

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Defamatory Non-Media Speech And First Amendment Methodology, Steven H. Shiffrin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In the course of his eloquent commentary upon New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the late Professor Kalven enthused that the Court had written "an opinion that may prove to be the best and most important it has ever produced in the realm of freedom of speech." This excitement was generated not by the Court's rather narrow holding but rather by the hope that Sullivan would serve as the opening wedge to dislodge the clear and present danger test, to dismantle the "two-level" approach to first amendment analysis (reflected in cases such as Chaplinsky, Beauharnais, and Roth …

Social Security Benefits For Spouses, Peter W. Martin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Disproportionate Impact And Illicit Motive: Theories Of Constitutional Adjudication, Theodore Eisenberg

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Recent decisions of the Supreme Court have not been kind to those who favor an expansive reading of the equal protection clause. Last Term, in Washington v. Davis, the Court held that the disproportionate impact of governmental action on minority groups is not unconstitutional unless accompanied by proof of intentional discrimination. This Term, in Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp., the Court reinforced the intent barrier to the finding of equal protection violations. Mr. Eisenberg argues in this Article that the Washington test is too harsh, and was required neither by practical necessity nor by …

Judicial Law Making And Administration, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Judicial Review Of Medical Treatment Programs, H. Richard Beresford

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Congressional Authority To Restrict Lower Federal Court Jurisdiction, Theodore Eisenberg

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Separation of powers in the federal government inevitably generates conflicts among the branches. In recent years the executive branch's authority to impound funds appropriated by Congress and to make war without congressional approval has been questioned. In earlier days debate raged over the Supreme Court's authority to nullify legislation passed by Congress. A recurrent example of this phenomenon has been the struggle between Congress and the judiciary over the scope of congressional control of federal court jurisdiction. The recent controversy over school busing has highlighted this problem. The problem is, however, neither novel nor peculiar to the busing issue. In …

The Search And Seizure Of Private Papers: Fourth And Fifth Amendment Considerations, Steven H. Shiffrin

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

There is a recognizable factual distinction between the search and seizure of private papers and the search and seizure of non-documentary items. It is difficult, however, to decide when such a distinction should assume constitutional dimensions. Specifically, are there circumstances under which private papers should be immune from search and seizure? In a 1967 landmark case, Warden v. Hayden, the United States Supreme Court raised doubts concerning the continued validity of decades of settled law on this important issue. Warden's reopening of this problem aroused the curiosity of commentators, spurred new policy arguments in the American Law Institute, divided …

The Constitutional History Of The Seventh Amendment, Charles W. Wolfram

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Right To A Decent Environment; E =Mc²: Environment Equals Man Times Courts Redoubling Their Efforts, E. F. Roberts

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Reapportionment Cases: Cognitive Lag, The Malady And Its Cure, E. F. Roberts, Paul T. Shultz Iii

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The reapportionment cases have been considered by many to be the product of a liberal, activist Court which is endeavoring to reshape America’s political life according to its own views. The authors of this article assert that, to the contrary, the Court actually is reacting to the incontrovertible fact of the modern predominance of urban complexities which have rendered inappropriate our older political boundaries. In this sense, they consider the Court’s decisions conservative rather than liberal- because the Court’s purpose is to maintain a version of federalism along state boundaries which may have become outmoded even before the Court entered …

The Powers Of The Michigan Civil Rights Commission, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Compulsory Disclosure And The First Amendment - The Scope Of Judicial Review, Robert B. Kent

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Involvement of the Supreme Court of the United States with highly charged public issues understandably occasions fresh debate concerning the proper role of the Court in determining questions of ultimate governmental power, in short, debate over the doctrine of judicial review.

As it is sometimes difficult for the judge to distinguish between what is unconstitutional and what is merely unwise, so it is difficult for the critic to disassociate his reaction to the results reached in a given case from his evaluation of the competence of the particular judicial performance. For some the failure to draw such a line robs …

The Supreme Court And The Decline Of State Power, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Supreme Court And State Power To Deal With Subversion And Loyalty, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In this Article, Professor Cramton discusses the effect of recent United States Supreme Court decisions on state control of Subversive activities. He finds that while the decisions to some extent restrict state activity in this area, and though the Court in its decisions gives the impression of vacillation and confusion, some definite and workable principles are emerging which contribute to a resolution of the inherent conflict of federal-state relations which these issues pose. He concludes that as the states grow more sophisticated in their treatment of these issues, so the policy of judicial self-restraint will become more influential in restricting …

Pennsylvania V. Nelson: A Case Study In Federal Pre-Emption, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.