Law Commons^™

Presumptively Awful: How The Federal Government Is Failing To Protect The Constitutional Rights Of Those Adjudicated As Mentally Ill, As Illustrated By The 18 U.S.C. § 922(G)(4) Circuit Split, Kaitlyn M. Rubcich

Pepperdine Law Review

The Third, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits are split as to whether the 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4) federal firearms ban violates the Second Amendment rights of those who were once adjudicated as mentally ill but have since returned to good mental health. In Beers v. Attorney General, the Third Circuit applied its own unique framework and held that § 922(g)(4) is constitutional. Meanwhile, the Sixth Circuit applied intermediate scrutiny in Tyler v. Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Department and deemed the statute unconstitutional, while in Mai v. United States, the Ninth Circuit also applied intermediate scrutiny but held that § 922(g)(4) is constitutional. …

Equal Protection And Scarce Therapies: The Role Of Race, Sex, And Other Protected Classifications, Govind Persad

SMU Law Review Forum

The allocation of scarce medical treatments, such as antivirals and antibody therapies for COVID-19 patients, has important legal dimensions. This Essay examines a currently debated issue: how will courts view the consideration of characteristics shielded by equal protection law, such as race, sex, age, health, and even vaccination status, in allocation? Part II explains the application of strict scrutiny to allocation criteria that consider individual race, which have been recently debated, and concludes that such criteria are unlikely to succeed under present Supreme Court precedent. Part III analyzes the use of sex-based therapy allocation criteria, which are also in current …

Equal Protection And Ectogenesis, Brit J. Benjamin

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Ectogenesis is the gestation of a fetus in an artificial womb. This suite of technologies, now in use to preserve the lives of premature infants, is on the cusp of being a viable method of reproduction from conception to term. This Article argues that an equal protection challenge to a ban on utilizing ectogenetic technologies should be analyzed under intermediate or strict scrutiny. Should the US Supreme Court apply the rational basis or rational basis “with bite” standard of review to such a challenge, the petitioner should prevail.

The nature of ectogenesis is a technological alternative for a sex-specific organ. …

Due Process Supreme Court Appellate Division Second Department

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Aids: Do Children With Aids Have A Right To Attend School?, Gilbert A. Partida

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Time For Change: Why The Msm Lifetime Deferral Policy Should Be Amended, Vianca Diaz

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

"A Time for Change: Why the MSM Lifetime Deferral Policy Should be Amended," discusses the need to amend the men who have sex with men (MSM) Lifetime Deferral to blood donations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration. This comment reviews the current policy within the current legal and cultural landscape and argues for the immediate need for reform.

A Primer On Batson, Including Discussion Of Johnson V. California, Miller-El V. Dretke, Rice V. Collins, & Synder V. Louisiana., Mikal C. Watts, Emily C. Jeffcott

St. Mary's Law Journal

Fundamental to the existence of the rights guaranteed to every citizen is the assurance that the right to equal protection under the law will be defended at all costs. Key to the United States’ system of adjudication is the right to a trial by jury, which is embodied in the Sixth and Seventh Amendments to the Constitution. These rights are also incorporated into all state constitutions through the Fourteenth Amendment. During jury selection, the judicial system permits the elimination of a certain number of jurors without cause. This form of elimination is known as a peremptory challenge. Over time, however, …

Not-So-Equal Protection: Securing Individuals Of Limited English Proficiency With Meaningful Access To Medical Services, Barbara Plantiko

Golden Gate University Law Review

This Comment focuses on how language discrimination manifests itself in various health care settings and how it deprives individuals with limited or no English proficiency of access to a variety of essential medical services. Part I of this article provides a brief overview of how courts and the legislature have dealt with language discrimination. Part II addresses the current conflict of the law regarding the difficulties in assessing and proscribing such discrimination in the medical context. Part III explores why the current case law and legislative efforts in this area are inadequate. Part IV proposes a solution as to how …

Taas And Gi Forum V. Texas Education Agency: A Critical Analysis And Proposal For Redressing Problems With The Standardized Testing In Texas., Blakely Latham Fernandez

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas’s use of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test as an accountability program has had numerous negative and far-reaching effects on minorities. Today, students in Texas public schools first take the TAAS test in the third grade. Students continue to take a form of the TAAS test each year, with the exit-level assessment initially given in the eleventh grade. Students must pass all four sections–Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies–in order to graduate and receive their high school diploma. Although devised to effectively motivate students, schools, and teachers with the goal of enhancing educational standards, the TAAS test …

Anti-Immigrant Backlash And The Role Of The Judiciary: A Proposal For Heightened Review Of Federal Laws Affecting Immigrants Comment., Valerie L. Barth

St. Mary's Law Journal

The hostile environment in the United States toward immigrants, as indicated by the Welfare Reform Act and Proposition 187, calls for a more meaningful judicial review of laws affecting immigrants. Although subjecting the federal government’s actions regarding immigrants to heightened review might seem to be a radical step, this Comment will explain why such a move is necessary. Part II discusses historical justifications for subjecting state and federal laws affecting immigrants to different levels of scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause. Part III presents arguments for labeling immigrants a “suspect” class. Part IV considers the constitutionality of the Welfare Reform …

Adarand Constructors, Inc. V. Pena: The Lochnerization Of Affirmative Action Recent Development., Patricia A. Carlson

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Supreme Court’s decision in Adarand will lead to the invalidation of many federal programs because the decision requires strict scrutiny for all affirmative action programs, including federal programs. The Court ignores both constitutional strictures and American history by resorting to Lochner era rulings of striking down federal socio-economic regulations. Overturning the clear precedent of Fullilove undermines stare decisis by valuing the language of the Court’s decision over its meaning.   The Court in Adarand presumes that the Constitution is color-blind. This presumption ignores the history leading up to the Reconstruction Amendments, the purpose of the Reconstruction Amendments, and the intentions …

Religious Healing In The Courts: The Liberties And Liabilities Of Patients, Parents, And Healers, Barry Nobel

Seattle University Law Review

Accordingly, in light of this struggle to balance public health with religious liberty, this Article chronicles the evolving liberties and liabilities of religious patients, parents, and healers over the course of the twentieth century and examines the current state of religious healing law. Throughout, it advocates the greatest possible liberty for religious healing consistent with public and family security, as well as advocating equal protection under the law for all involved in religious treatment, whether they are members of organized religious groups or individual practitioners.

Transracial Adoption In Texas: Should The Best Interests Standard Be Color-Blind., Jo Beth Eubanks

St. Mary's Law Journal

Legislative amendments must go further than limiting race from being a primary factor in adoptions; amendments must eliminate race as an acceptable factor. Diverging opinions of “race matching” in foster care and adoption exist. Administrative policies regulating adoption hold that same-race placement, between the adoptive parent and child, is a primary consideration when awarding custody in Texas. Basing child placement on the race or ethnicity of the parties involved raises serious constitutional concerns. The best interest standard is the predominant method in determining child placement, for both custody and adoption proceedings. The premise of the best interest standard is prioritization …

Reformers' Regress: The 1991 Texas Workers' Compensation Act., Jill Williford

St. Mary's Law Journal

The revision of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act will affect most Texas taxpayers and workers. The Act, entering into force January 1, 1991, significantly restructures the preexisting seventy-six-year-old system. Before the advent of workers’ compensation systems employees relied on the court and common-law causes of action as the sole means of recovery. In 1913, Texas enacted one of the first versions of workers’ compensation in the United States. The original act created a system to compensate workers for injuries sustained during employment without regard to fault. Initially the act was elective for employers and mandatory for employees but was later …

Benign Classification Based On Race Must Be Narrowly Tailored To Achieve A Compelling Governmental Interest., Martha J. Hess

St. Mary's Law Journal

In City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., the Supreme Court held a minority business utilization plan (Richmond Plan) was violative of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Richmond Plan required all builders awarded city construction contracts to subcontract, at minimum, 30% of the contract value to Minority Business Enterprises. A state government enacting legislation that burdens one class of persons and benefits a similarly-situated class must provide sufficient justification for its action to survive equal protection analysis. When distinction is based on race or national origin—classes considered inherently suspect—a reviewing court subjects the governmental legislation to strict scrutiny, …

A New Twist For Texas Lemon Owners., Ayala Alexopoulos

St. Mary's Law Journal

Twenty-five percent of the consumers with car warranty problems are dissatisfied with the complaint-handling process in the automobile industry and the result of their grievances. In response to the frustrations of defective car owners, Texas, along with many other states, passed a “lemon law” providing more definitive relief for consumer. Lemon laws provide a clearly defined cause of action against the manufacturer and provide the consumer with a low-cost, readily available mechanism for resolving their disputes. Most states’ lemon laws require the consumer to resort to arbitration provisions before initiating a court action if a manufacturer sets up a dispute …

The Civilly-Committed Public Mental Patient And The Right To Aftercare, Richard B. Saphire

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indigents, Hospital Admissions And Equal Protection, Charles S. Derousie

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The author surveyed ten hospitals in each of ten states, including hospitals of varying sizes and classifications. Five of the forty-five replies indicated the hospital did not admit all indigents in need of medical care. The primary reason given was that prospective patients not covered by hospital insurance or government programs such as Medicaid or Medicare were usually unable to produce a required preadmission deposit. This practice of requiring a preadmission deposit seems to be common.