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Environmental Law

St. Mary's Law Journal

2007

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Liability Insurance And Punitive Damages: Does Texas Public Policy Detest This Union Comment., Anthony H. Castillo Jan 2007

Liability Insurance And Punitive Damages: Does Texas Public Policy Detest This Union Comment., Anthony H. Castillo

St. Mary's Law Journal

There is a nationwide debate on whether punitive damages should be insurable. Insuring punitive damages causes courts concern regarding whether a wrongdoer escapes punishment by having the insurer pay for damages attributable to the wrongdoer’s egregious conduct. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit noted Texas’ public policy does not justify interference with private insurance contracts. The Court determined Texas allows liability insurance contracts to cover punitive damages and declared the inquiry ended. But, in the years since this determination, many Texas appellate courts have contracted the Fifth Circuit’s holding. The shifting discussion among Texas appellate courts …


What We Owe The World Are Thoughtful War-Crimes Trials That Do Justice Without Unduly Jeopardizing Innocent Lives By Compromising Vital Intelligence Comment., Sherry M. Barnash Jan 2007

What We Owe The World Are Thoughtful War-Crimes Trials That Do Justice Without Unduly Jeopardizing Innocent Lives By Compromising Vital Intelligence Comment., Sherry M. Barnash

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the United States Supreme Court held the military commission convened to try accused terrorist Salim Ahmen Hamdan was unlawful. The Court concluded the Government could not lawfully proceed using established commission rules because the commission differed from courts-martial and did not follow certain aspects of the Geneva Convention. One procedure the Court found troubling was a provision in the Military Commission Order No. 1 which allowed the exclusion of the defendant and his civilian counsel from certain proceedings. Yet, denial of access was nothing new, as three decades prior Congress enacted the Classified Information Procedures Act …


The Path Of Least Resistance: The Effects Of Groundwater Law's Failure To Evolve With Changing Times Comment., Bruce E. Toppin Iii Jan 2007

The Path Of Least Resistance: The Effects Of Groundwater Law's Failure To Evolve With Changing Times Comment., Bruce E. Toppin Iii

St. Mary's Law Journal

Groundwater is a type of freshwater stored in the earth’s crust which does not flow through underground channels. In Texas, groundwater is becoming highly sought-after, and development of proper management and conservation models is crucial to preserve the resource for future generations. In Texas, ownership of groundwater is governed by the common law doctrine of absolute ownership, commonly mislabeled as the rule of capture. The absolute ownership doctrine still governs groundwater ownership, but its application has been judicially altered to limit the rights of landowners who wish to pump water from beneath their lands. Texas lawmakers also contributed to the …