Law Commons^™

The Prosecutor And The Press: Lessons (Not) Learned From The Mike Nifong Debacle, R. Michael Cassidy

R. Michael Cassidy

Using the Mike Nifong disciplinary case in North Carolina as a focal point, the author examines the disciplinary rules pertaining to public speech by attorneys during the pendency of an adjudicatory proceeding. The author argues that in light of the Supreme Court’s 2002 decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, certain provisions of Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 3.6 and 3.8, may violate the first amendment, at least as applied to an elected prosecutor speaking during a political campaign. While former District Attorney Nifong made several statements to the media during the so-called “Duke Lacrosse” investigation that were …

Violence On The Brain: A Critique Of Neuroscience In Criminal Law, Amanda C. Pustilnik

Amanda C Pustilnik

Is there such a thing as a criminally "violent brain"? Does it make sense to speak of "the neurobiology of violence" or the "psychopathology of crime"? Is it possible to answer on a physiological level what makes one person engage in criminal violence and another not, under similar circumstances? This Article first demonstrates parallels between certain current claims about the neurobiology of criminal violence and past movements that were concerned with the law and neuroscience of violence: phrenology, Lombrosian biological criminology, and lobotomy. It then engages in a substantive review and critique of several current claims about the neurological bases …

What One Lawyer Can Do For Society: Lessons From The Remarkable Career Of William P. Homans, Jr., Mark S. Brodin

Mark S. Brodin

William P. Homans Jr. was an iconic civil liberties and criminal defense lawyer who mentored generations of younger lawyers that followed in his path. He appeared in cases that defined his times, from representing targets of the McCarthy-era inquisitions of the 1950s, to defending publishers of books like Tropic of Cancer when the authorities sought to suppress them, to serving on the defense team in the conspiracy trial of internationally-renowned pediatrician Benjamin Spock and four other leaders of the anti-Vietnam-War movement, to defending a doctor charged with manslaughter arising from an abortion he performed soon after Roe v. Wade legalized …

Private Rights Or Public Wrongs? The Crime Victims Rights Act Of 2004 In Historical Context, Christopher J. Truxler

Christopher J. Truxler

Historically, crime victims served as policemen, investigators, and private prosecutors, and were regarded as law enforcement’s most dependable catalyst. The Crime Victim’s Rights Act of 2004 grants crime victims eight substantive and procedural rights and breathes new life into the common law idea that crime is both a public wrong and a private injury. The Act has, however, elicited ardent criticism. Opponents contend that the Act is both bad policy and, most likely, unconstitutional. Without commenting on the Act’s policy or constitutionality, this article places the Crime Victims’ Rights Act within a broader historical context where victims’ needs can be …

Unanswered Questions Of A Minority People In International Law: A Comparative Study Between Southern Cameroons & South Sudan, Bernard Sama Mr

Bernard Sama

The month July of 2011 marked the birth of another nation in the World. The distressful journey of a minority people under the watchful eyes of the international community finally paid off with a new nation called the South Sudan . As I watched the South Sudanese celebrate independence on 9 July 2011, I was filled with joy as though they have finally landed. On a promising note, I read the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying “[t]ogether, we welcome the Republic of South Sudan to the community of nations. Together, we affirm our commitment to helping it meet its …

25. Maltreated Children’S Ability To Estimate Temporal Location And Numerosity Of Placement Changes And Court Visits., Lindsay Wandrey, Thomas D. Lyon, Jodi A. Quas, William J. Friedman

Thomas D. Lyon

El Elemento Cognitivo Y Volitivo Como Presupuesto Dogmático De Imputación De Responsabilidad Penal Del Notario, José Balcázar Quiroz

José Balcázar Quiroz

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Spring 2010, Jodie O'Leary, Tina Hunter

Jodie O'Leary

No abstract provided.

Twelve Angry Peers Or One Angry Judge: An Analysis Of Judge Alone Trials In Australia, Jodie O'Leary

Jodie O'Leary

Recently, New South Wales amended its legislation to provide for judicial discretion when determining, upon request, whether an accused will face a trial by judge alone for indictable criminal matters. This article examines the application of those provisions and comparable legislation in Queensland and Western Australia, revealing an overarching tension as to the correct legal approach. Broadly, there is a dispute over the weight that should be afforded to the accused’s right to choose or whether a presumption of a jury trial exists. Such a conflict arises from the different justifications for jury trials. On the one hand the jury …

Editorial: Autumn 2010, Tina Hunter, Jodie O'Leary

Jodie O'Leary

No abstract provided.

Ownership Unbundling In European Energy Market & Legal Problems Under Eu Law, Michael Diathesopoulos

Michael Diathesopoulos

In this paper we will examine the issue of ownership unbundling and forced divestiture remedies imposed in a series of recent competition law cases of the energy market - examined in other papers - in relation to the possible existence of a series of legal obstacles. These energy market decisions belong to a group of antitrust cases in which a structural divestiture remedy has been imposed under the provisions of Article 9 of Regulation 1/2003. This divestiture refers to transmission networks and to generation capacity and is meant to lead to severe structural changes, which are compatible with the findings …

Direito Ao Aborto E Direito À Vida: As Perguntas E Repostas Que Importam, Rafael Mafei Rabelo Queiroz

Rafael Mafei Rabelo Queiroz

O artigo traz uma apreciação filosófica organizada de alguns pontos centrais do debate relativo à ampliação do direito ao aborto. Ao organizar os principais argumentos sobre o tema, tendo por base trabalhos de filósofos da moral e do direito que nas últimas décadas dedicaram-se a ele, o artigo pretende não só ampliar a capacidade analítica sobre o assunto, como também refinar a capacidade de deliberação consistente a seu respeito. Nesse sentido, aproveita a todos aqueles que tenham de argumentar em torno de decisões práticas relativas ao aborto e os direitos a ele relacionados. A primeira parte do artigo cuida dos …

Palliative Care. An Enforceable Canadian Human Right?, Darcy L. Macpherson

Darcy L MacPherson

This article lays out a series of approaches for establishing an enforceable human right to palliative care in Canada. The article first examines international human rights instruments to which Canada is a signatory, and concludes that they offer limited assistance to palliative care advocates. The article then examines two promising Charter challenges. The first, based on section 15, argues that since palliative care is provided unevenly to those who require it, the equality provisions of the Charter could compel equitable provision of palliative care to Canadians with life-limiting illnesses. The second is based on section 7, and argues that failure …

The Practice Of Criminal Defense: Principles Of Why We Fight, Beau James Brock, Andre Belanger

Beau James Brock

The eleven principles of why and how we are proud to professionally represent families in need in the practice of criminal law.

Getting To Know Some Of Baton Rouge's Young Public Defenders, Beau James Brock

Beau James Brock

Article interviewing some of East Baton Rouge Parish young Public Defenders. Published along with companion article interviewing some of the young Assistant District Attorneys in East Baton Rouge in the same issue of the Around the Bar magazine.

Getting To Know Some Of Baton Rouge's Young Prosecutors, Beau James Brock

Beau James Brock

Article on some of our young prosecutors in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Loving Before And After The Law, Loving Before And After The Law, Angela P. Harris

Angela P Harris

No abstract provided.

Meaningful Reform Of Plea Bargaining: The Control Of Prosecutorial Discretion, Donald G. Gifford

Donald G Gifford

No abstract provided.

La Debida Motivación De Las Resoluciones Judiciales Y Su Relevancia En El Mandato De Detención Preventiva, Elky A. Villegas Paiva

Elky A. Villegas Paiva

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Digital Financial Data, Robert L. Kardell

Robert L Kardell

No abstract provided.

A Theory Of The Perverse Verdict, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

The concept of a perverse verdict is one that pervades the Criminal justice system of nearly all common law jurisdictions. The English Criminal Justice system is no exception and the concept has become institutionalised as if it were a true occurrence. This paper challenges the idea and argues that it is, technically, a legal non-event given the system of trial by jury. The theory is that besides the jury, no one else is invested with the power and authority to declare a verdict and this position is supported both by legal custom and the mechanism of the criminal justice system. …

Mr Gandhi’S Terror Sermon, Shubhankar Dam

Shubhankar Dam

No abstract provided.

24. Interviewing Children Versus Tossing Coins: Accurately Assessing The Diagnosticity Of Children’S Disclosures Of Abuse., Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth C. Ahern, Nicholas Scurich

Thomas D. Lyon

Curtains, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

This is the story of life in all its glory and eternal ramifications. This is the story of us.

I Wept, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

It is not always what we expect to find in love but sometimes, we look in the worng places. We fail to notice that what we always wanted and sought was always in front of us.

Vanity Of Vanities, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

All that we see and all that we do are emptied into the eternal abyss of nothingness and vain glory. All the we have and all own us are intertwined in the great deception of man. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, all is vanity

A Criminal Moment In Time, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Criminal law jurisprudence considers the concepts of motive, intent and the forbidden act integral to the justice process. Throughout the common law jurisdictions, this trio overshadows a central theme that is a precursor to all criminal acts – the idea of a social responsibility continuum or cognitive dependency. While motive is dispositional on a wider application, intent is situational and is a product of one’s socio-cultural experience. The forbidden act, though central to the process, constitutes ‘a faithful mirror of thought’ – the consummation of a deliberate and manipulated cognition. The nexus between the three subjects extends beyond the Cartesan …

Jury Deliberations – How Do Reasoning Skills Interplay With Decision-Making?, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

We may well wonder how the Casey Anthony reached its verdict in spite of what many of us thought was a raft of compelling evidence. In order to understand some of the nuances at play, it is important to understand some of the issues that confront a jury and how the criminal justice system ensures or attempts to ensure a fair outcome in our trial by jury system

Jane Pryback, "Judge In Jury Room Is Found To Be Harmless Error", Charles E. Maclean

Charles E. MacLean

No abstract provided.

Jury Continuum, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Jury deliberations – how do reasoning skills interplay with decision-making?We may well wonder how the Casey Anthony jury reached its verdict in spite of what many of us thought was a raft of compelling evidence for conviction. In order to understand some of the nuances at play, it is important to understand some of the issues that confront a jury and how the criminal justice system ensures or attempts to ensure a fair outcome in our trial by jury system. At the risk of stating the obvious, one of the most enduring features of our criminal justice system is the …