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Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Law
Justice On Trial: A Multifaceted Analysis Of Capital Punishment, Abby Long
Justice On Trial: A Multifaceted Analysis Of Capital Punishment, Abby Long
Honors Theses
There is an ongoing debate surrounding the criminal justice system, focusing specifically on the controversial topic of capital punishment. Highlighting a startling statistic—one in nine death row inmates being exonerated— a pivotal question arises of what factors influence sentencing outcomes? Seven variables, number of sentences, income of offender, region of sentencing, race of offender, gender of offender, and political affiliation of sentencing state, are considered to understand the variations in sentencing outcomes and assess the fairness of the current judicial process. Using an OLS regression analysis of data from all 50 U.S. states, the paper seeks to better understand capital …
Unauthorized Practice Or Untenable Prohibitions: Refining And Redefining Upl, Jan L. Jacobowitz, Peter R. Jarvis
Unauthorized Practice Or Untenable Prohibitions: Refining And Redefining Upl, Jan L. Jacobowitz, Peter R. Jarvis
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
An extraordinarily number of Americans either cannot afford or cannot find lawyers to assist them on civil legal matters. And an increasing number of Americans turn either to on-line apps or to nonlawyer professionals whose practices may overlap in whole or in part with what lawyers do. Although individuals receive much needed assistance, these alternative providers often confront allegations of committing the unauthorized practice of law. Unfortunately, the rules regarding the unauthorized practice of law (“UPL”) are both outdated and extraordinarily ambiguous. Moreover, UPL issues regarding alternative providers are distinct from questions concerning whether nonlawyers should be entitled to be …
To Write Or Not To Write: The Ethics Of Judicial Writings And Publishing, Nick Badgerow, Michael Hoeflich, Sarah Schmitz
To Write Or Not To Write: The Ethics Of Judicial Writings And Publishing, Nick Badgerow, Michael Hoeflich, Sarah Schmitz
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
Judges are bound by the Model Code of Judicial Conduct promulgated by the American Bar Association and adopted most states, including the federal judiciary. Within these rules governing judicial conduct, Judges owe duties to the public and to their calling, to be (and appear to be) objective, fair, judicious, and independent. When judges venture into the realm of extrajudicial writing—in the form of fiction novels, short stories, legal books, children’s books, and the like—they must consider the ethical bounds of that expression. The Model Code of Judicial Conduct imposes five main constraints upon extrajudicial writings: (a) a judge may not …
Why The Dobbs Draft Release Makes It Tougher To Teach Legal Ethics, Lynne Marie Kohm
Why The Dobbs Draft Release Makes It Tougher To Teach Legal Ethics, Lynne Marie Kohm
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
No abstract provided.
Can They Handle The Truth? Teaching Law Students Ethics During A Time Of A Societal And Generational Divide, Michele N. Struffolino
Can They Handle The Truth? Teaching Law Students Ethics During A Time Of A Societal And Generational Divide, Michele N. Struffolino
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
Today’s law students and aspiring law students will enter law school having been bombarded with the message that they, as members of the voting public, are victims of “The Big Lie.” They likely also know that “The Big Lie” story consistently sent by politicians, activists, and others through all forms of informational outlets, including traditional and nontraditional media sources, has been found to be unsupported by facts. For legal educators, this is particularly concerning because many of those sending and supporting “The Big Lie” story are lawyers. Aspiring lawyers are left with the impression that zealous representation is relatively boundless …
Ethical Lawyering: The Role Of Honor, Conscience, And Codes, Vincent R. Johnson
Ethical Lawyering: The Role Of Honor, Conscience, And Codes, Vincent R. Johnson
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
No abstract provided.
Law And Its Limits: Ethical Issues In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus, David S. Caudill
Law And Its Limits: Ethical Issues In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus, David S. Caudill
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
The law and literature movement is frequently associated with the use of literary images of law as a point of reflection upon the ethical obligations of lawyers. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818)—the story of a young scientist whose unorthodox experiments end up creating the famed “monster”—is not, at first glance, a likely candidate for that enterprise. However, Dr. Frankenstein’s ambition and ruthless pursuit of knowledge has become a contemporary image of science out of control and the need for ethical limitations on scientific progress. Consequently, the novel raises currently important issues of regulating science and technology. Given the lawyer’s ethical obligation …
Mitigation Reports In Capital Cases: Legal And Ethical Issues, Russell Stetler, W. Bradley Wendel
Mitigation Reports In Capital Cases: Legal And Ethical Issues, Russell Stetler, W. Bradley Wendel
St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics
The mitigation investigation that is essential in every capital case requires a multidisciplinary team. The duty to conduct this investigation is clearly established federal law, as well as an ethical obligation of counsel. The mitigation evidence that is uncovered is of vital importance to the rights of the individual accused of a capital offense, but also to reliable outcomes since all decisionmakers—including prosecutors, jurors, and judges—need the most complete and accurate picture of the person facing the punishment of last resort. This Article discusses some of the unique legal and ethical issues affecting the documentation of this investigation. The Authors …
A Fiduciary Theory Of Progressive Prosecution, Bruce Green, Rebecca Roiphe
A Fiduciary Theory Of Progressive Prosecution, Bruce Green, Rebecca Roiphe
Articles & Chapters
Progressive prosecutors differ from their more traditional counterparts primarily in the way in which they make decisions. They tend to bind their discretion by announcing categorical policies rather than making fact-based decisions case by case. This article catalogs the unusual degree of pushback progressive prosecutors have encountered from the public, legislatures, courts, police, and their own subordinate prosecutors. Drawing on fiduciary theory, it explains this reaction as a response to progressive prosecutors’ abdication of their fiduciary role. As a public fiduciary, prosecutors are entrusted with protecting the public’s abstract interest in justice, and an integral part of this role is …
Black Lives Matter And The Push For Colonial-Era Cultural Heritage Restitution, Kathryn Speckart
Black Lives Matter And The Push For Colonial-Era Cultural Heritage Restitution, Kathryn Speckart
Catholic University Law Review
The influence of the Black Lives Matter movement extends into U.S. museums in the form of calls for “decolonization” of collections comprised of art and artifacts from Africa and other colonized areas. As a result, the accompanying legal and ethical questions surrounding these artifacts now figure prominently in the museum industry. This Comment analyzes why the current U.S. cultural heritage law framework does not accommodate colonial-era African artifacts. This is due to few of these artifacts being subject to legal claims under current laws, African artifacts not having protection as a special classification, and the lack of enforcement mechanisms in …
Federal Law Enforcement Reform: Depoliticization Into A Constitutional Framework To Restore Public Confidence, Christopher J. Boosey
Federal Law Enforcement Reform: Depoliticization Into A Constitutional Framework To Restore Public Confidence, Christopher J. Boosey
Senior Honors Theses
This thesis proposes that there is a lack of public confidence in federal law enforcement agencies and that this is because these agencies have become political weapons, investigating individuals rather than crimes, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Following multiple scandals, from the historical targeting of the Civil Rights movement to present attempts to designate parents critical of school administrators as domestic terrorists, wholesale reform of these agencies is urgent. Therefore, this thesis will address the issue of politicization, political corruption, and the lack of adherence to constitutional principles through the problem, significance, and solution method. This thesis will first …
The Role Of Ethical Principles In Ai Startups, James Bessen, Stephen Michael Impink, Robert Seamans
The Role Of Ethical Principles In Ai Startups, James Bessen, Stephen Michael Impink, Robert Seamans
Faculty Scholarship
Do high-tech startups benefit from developing more ethical AI? AI startups implement policies and take actions to manage ethical issues associated with data collection, storage, and usage and adapt to the norms of their industry. This paper describes these startups' ethics-related actions, including ethical AI policy adoption, and examines how these actions relate to startup performance. We find that merely adopting an ethical AI policy (i.e., a less costly signal) does not relate to increased performance. However, there is evidence that investors reward startups that take more costly preventative pro-ethics actions, like seeking expert guidance, training employees about unconscious bias, …
How Not To Lie: A Don't-Do-It-Yourself Guide For Litigators, Leonard Niehoff
How Not To Lie: A Don't-Do-It-Yourself Guide For Litigators, Leonard Niehoff
Articles
Over the past few years, a number of high-profile attorneys have been sanctioned or suspended from the practice of law because they lied. The instance that probably received the greatest media attention came in June of 2021, when the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York ordered the immediate suspension of Rudy Giuliani’s license because he had made demonstrably false statements to the courts, lawmakers, and the public at large concerning the 2020 presidential election. In a 33- page opinion, the court considered the arguments Giuliani raised in his defense but concluded that his pants …
A Qualitative Method For Investigating Design, Jessica Silbey, Mark P. Mckenna
A Qualitative Method For Investigating Design, Jessica Silbey, Mark P. Mckenna
Faculty Scholarship
This chapter describes our qualitative study of designers and design practice. It situates the study in the broader field of empirical studies of intellectual property, and it describes in detail the methodology and benefits of a qualitative interview study of designers and design practice to shed light on some of the persistent puzzles in design law. The chapter focuses on four lines of inquiry: defining “design” and “design practice” from within the profession; exploring the various inputs to design practice and the process of “problem solving” designers pursue; understanding what “integrated” form and function mean to designers; and explaining the …
Depoliticizing Federal Prosecution, Bruce Green, Rebecca Roiphe
Depoliticizing Federal Prosecution, Bruce Green, Rebecca Roiphe
Articles & Chapters
There is broad agreement that federal prosecutors should not use their power to pursue partisan political objectives, but there is stark disagreement about how to prevent them from abusing their power in this way. Geoffrey Berman, a former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, recently argued that U.S. Attorneys should have complete autonomy and independence from the Attorney General and administration. Attorney General Bill Barr, in contrast, has insisted that Attorneys General should have full control over prosecutors so the administration can be held politically accountable. Neither view fully addresses the problem. Barr minimizes the significant …