Law Commons^™

Incorporation Of State Law Under The Federal Arbitration Act, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note proposes a solution to this choice-of-law problem. Section I surveys the courts' response to Congress's silence and finds confusion and disarray. Section II argues that courts should apply the state law pertinent to arbitration unless that law places heavier burdens on arbitration contracts than on other contracts; where state law does discriminatorily burden arbitration, the courts should apply the pertinent state rules applicable to "any contract." It concludes that the "grounds . . . for the revocation of any contract," although determined as a matter of federal policy, are to be found in state law rather than in …

The Case Against Living Probate, Mary Louise Fellows

Michigan Law Review

This Article presents the case against living probate in hopes of preventing a reform that was appropriately discarded a century ago. Part I describes the various living probate proposals, highlighting their similarities, differences, and procedural complexities, and the benefits they seek to realize. Part II lays out four failings of living probate that call the desirability of this reform into question. Finally, in Part III, I propose an alternative reform which concentrates on the underlying problem inspiring living probate proposals - the expense and uncertainty of a mental capacity requirement for executing a valid will.

Accelerated Depreciation: A Proper Allowance For Measuring Net Income?!!, Walter J. Blum

Michigan Law Review

In a recent article in the Michigan Law Review, Douglas A. Kahn strives to demonstrate that, given the general postulates of the federal income tax, accelerated depreciation is a proper allowance for measuring net income and should not be classed as a tax expenditure. 1 His defense of accelerated depreciation is unusual if not novel, and his presentation is engaging. For anyone who shares my view that most tax expenditure stuff is mainly political rhetoric and who is sympathetic to my position that our tax system is far too harsh in taxing income from capital investments, a new plug for …

The Three Faces Of Double Jeopardy: Reflections On Government Appeals Of Criminal Sentences, Peter K. Westen

Michigan Law Review

Every now and then a case ·comes along that tests the fundamental premises of a body of law. United States v. DiFrancesco presents such a test to the law of double jeopardy, raising the question whether the government may unilaterally appeal a defendant's criminal sentence for the purpose of increasing the sentence. The question cannot be answered by facile reference to the text of the fifth amendment, because the terms of the double jeopardy clause are not self-defining. Nor can it be settled by reference to history, because the issue has not arisen with any frequency until now.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: Legislating A Judicial Role In National Security Surveillance, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note evaluates the constitutionality of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Section I summarizes the legal history of national security surveillance from 1940 until the passage of the FISA, and briefly discusses the three major circuit court rulings on warrantless foreign intelligence surveillance. Section II describes the provisions of the Act. Section III examines the Act's constitutionality, first considering the scope of congressional authority to regulate the conduct of foreign affairs, then considering whether the political question doctrine prevents judicial scrutiny of executive decisions to conduct foreign intelligence surveillance. The Note concludes that the FISA is an appropriate and constitutional …

The Propriety Of Benefit-Spreading Regulations Under The 10% Lending Limit Of The National Bank Act, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note examines whether the ten percent lending limit of the National Bank Act should be used to promote benefit-spreading. Section I evaluates the legislative and judicial history of the lending limit and concludes that Congress never intended the Comptroller to issue regulations to foster benefit-spreading. Section II examines the practical ramifications of the benefit-spreading regulations. It concludes that the lending limit cannot effectively foster benefit-spreading without undermining the risk-reducing function of the statute; that compliance with the benefit-spreading regulations is costly while the penalties for noncompliance are inappropriate and unfair; and that existing statutes better promote benefit-spreading while avoiding …

Accelerated Depreciation Revisited—A Reply To Professor Blum, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

Professor Blum's comment addresses the proper or neutral tax treatment to be accorded three of the items discussed in my recent article on accelerated depreciation - namely, annuities, prepaid expenses, and exhaustible assets. Blum disputes my analysis in all three cases. While Blum's article is eminently readable, I do not believe that it refutes my earlier work to any extent. In this reply to Professor Blum, I will deal separately with each of the three items he examines. First, however, it is useful to consider the meaning of the term "tax neutrality" and to set forth my views as to …

Personal Jurisdiction And Choice Of Law, James Martin

Michigan Law Review

The time has come for the Supreme Court to declare that a state may not apply its own law to a case unless it has the "minimum contacts" required by International Shoe for the exercise of specific personal jurisdiction over the defendant. Although the present state of the law is less than certain, the Supreme Court has not yet required that a state show it has minimum contacts with a defendant before applying its law. As a result, in some cases where a state has obtained personal jurisdiction because of a defendant's contacts unrelated to the case - contacts such …

After "Life For Erie--A Reply, Peter Westen

Michigan Law Review

Erie, having "preoccupied the intellectually dominant group of academic lawyers rising to maturity during the 1940's and 1950's," is reported to be losing its "symbolic centrality" for the newest generation of legal scholars. Professor Redish's prompt and excited response to our essay proves one thing: there is at least one scholar in the country who, having come to legal maturity during the last decade, still remains capable of becoming impassioned about Erie RR v. Tompkins.

Contribution And Antitrust Policy, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note examines the contribution controversy from an antitrust policy perspective. Part I summarizes the Professional Beauty, Abraham Construction, and Olson Farms decisions and sketches the major provisions of the Bayh Bill and the ABA Statute. Part II discusses four antitrust policy goals that figure prominently in both Circuit Court decisions and Congressional debate: fairness, deterrence, promotion of settlement, and reduced complexity of litigation. Part III argues that none of the rigid contribution rules proposed since Professional Beauty achieves the optimal balance of these policy goals. The Note concludes that a flexible rule permitting courts to assess the propriety …

The Fifth Amendment And The Inference Of Guilt From Silence: Griffin V. California After Fifteen Years, Donald B. Ayer

Michigan Law Review

This Article will begin with an examination of the historic (and present) purposes underlying the fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination, upon which any justification of the no-comment rule must ultimately rest. It will explore the danger that these purposes may be thwarted not only when defendants are actually compelled to be witnesses against themselves, but also when significant burdens are placed on defendants who choose not to testify. In Griffin, the Court reasoned that comment on the defendant's silence amounted to such an impermissible burden. But the Court failed to examine the weight of this burden. This failure makes …

The Attorney-Client Privilege After Attorney Disclosure, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note examines the interests that must be balanced in determining when an attorney's disclosure waives the attorney-client privilege. Part I presents three judicial standards defining the class of attorney disclosures that waive the privilege: the traditional client consent rule that only attorney disclosures to which the client has consented constitute waiver; the broader "implied authority" view that attorney disclosures made with the client's consent or with an intent to further the client's cause constitute waiver; and the still more expansive view that all attorney disclosures falling within the scope of the attorney's agency authority to act for the client …

Collateral Estoppel And Supreme Court Disposition Of Moot Cases, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In response to the Government's novel proposal in Velsicol, this Note reconsiders the procedures by which the Supreme Court could dispose of moot cases. Section I examines the collateral estoppel effects of the Supreme Court's present procedure and the Government's proposal in Velsicol. Section II concludes that both procedures afford excessive protection from collateral estoppel because they misconceive the purpose of Supreme Court review. The Note suggests that, when faced with a moot federal petition for certiorari, the Supreme Court should either deny the petition or, if certiorari has already been granted, dismiss the case.

Continuing The Erie Debate: A Response To Westen And Lehman, Martin H. Redish

Michigan Law Review

Although the Supreme Court has not spoken in detail on the Erie doctrine since its much-discussed decision in Hanna v. Plumer in 1965, commentary on the doctrine in the literature has undergone something of a "boomlet" in the last several years. Much of it has been stimulated by the groundbreaking article by Professor John Hart Ely in 1974. The latest contribution to the area is the recent article by Professor Peter Westen and Mr. Jeffrey Lehman appearing earlier this year in this journal. Unfortunately, their article does little to advance analysis of the Erie question, and contains numerous fundamental misstatements …

April 21, 1980, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Is That Library Addition Ever Going to be Done? •ELS Projects •UJA Campaign Tops $100 •Millard Fillmore's Ghost •Letter to the Editor •A2 Pizza: A Retrospective •Law School News and Notices •Machle's Musings •Says Who? •Docket •Classifieds •Norts Spews

April 14, 1980, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Tax Credits Available to Students •LSSS Appoints Comm. Heads •Senate: Getting Your Money Back •R.G. Goes Small •News and Notices •Buttnose •Obiter Dictum •Norts Spews •Machle's Musings •Docket •Classifieds

April 7, 1980, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Campbell Comp draws overflow crowd •"Doc" Jaeger- Mr. Contracts- Here Friday •Machle's Musings •News and Notices •Law School Fund •Nights Managed, Cheap •American Indian Law Day •Under New Mgt. •Honors Convocation •Law Club Rooms •Poppea •E.J.F. •Buttnose •Mini- Marathon V •M.S.A. •Docket •Classifieds

A Model For Determining The Publication Requirements Of Section 552(A)(1) Of The Administrative Procedure Act, Michael J. Kump

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article addresses the question of when the publication rule requires an agency to publish its results in the Federal Register, particularly "interepretations of general applicability" and "statements of general policy." The vast number of recent cases involving violations of the publication rule provide ample· impetus for settling this controversy. Of striking significance is the broad spectrum across which these cases stretch: food stamp cases, prison matters, and immigration disputes. The list is as broad as the range of administrative practice.

Standards For Insecurity Acceleration Under Section 1-208 Of The Uniform Commercial Code: A Proposal For Reform, Darlene M. Nowak

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines in Part I how insecurity clauses function under the common law and the U.C.C .. Part II discusses the areas of controversy under section 1-208, the definition of good faith, the need for notice to the debtor, and the debtor's burden of proof. The article will evaluate the need for substantive reform in each area of controversy. A two-tier test of the creditor's insecurity is proposed wherein although the creditor has no responsibility to check the truth of his information, he may accelerate only if the information is true and is such as to make a reasonable …

The Public Broadcasting Act: The Licensee Editorializing Ban And The First Amendment, John C. Grabow

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article contends that the public is deprived of an important source of information on public affairs issues as a result of the section 399(a) prohibition on editorializing. After an examination of the legislative history of Section 399(a), and the heritage of broadcast regulation in the United States, the article concludes that the prohibition on editorializing is an improper restriction on free expression in violation of the First Amendment.

A Reasonable Approach To The Doctrine Of Reasonable Expectations As Applied To Insurance Contracts, Karen K. Shinevar

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Part I of this article examines standard insurance contract analysis and the existing confusion within that analysis. Part II examines the doctrine of reasonable expectations. In Part Ill, Professor Keeton's expansion of the reasonable expectations doctrine is explained and analyzed. This article concludes in Part IV that Keeton's expanded doctrine has the effect of confusing most courts, which continue to discuss reasonable expectations in relation to conventional rules of contract construction. The article proposes that the reasonable expectations doctrine be limited to contractual language and surrounding circumstances in order to establish clearer guidelines for insurers and consumers.

Michigan's Nursing Home Reform Law, John D. Croll

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines Michigan's new nursing home reform law, which has been hailed as "landmark legislation" and as a model for the entire country. Part I examines the past failures of nursing home regulation and the need for reform. Part II analyzes the law's key provisions. Part III examines the weaknesses of certain enforcement measures. The article proposes the following improvements: (1) extension of the law's protection to residents of homes for the aged; (2) greater access to patients by approved organizations; (3) adoption of nurse-patient ratios; (4) improvement of inspection procedures; and (5) allowance for patients or their representatives …

Police Use Of Cctv Surveillance: Constitutional Implications And Proposed Regulations, Gary C. Robb

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article evaluates the constitutionality of CCTV "searches." Part I discusses the present uses being made of closed circuit technology and evaluates the merits of the CCTV surveillance system. The critical policy trade-off is the system's effectiveness in combatting crime against the resulting loss of privacy to individual citizens.

Part II considers the constitutional implications of CCTV use in terms of three major doctrines: the Fourth Amendment prohibition against "unreasonable searches and seizures"; the constitutional right of privacy; and the First Amendment guarantees of free speech and association. This part briefly summarizes the state of the law concerning these constitutional …

March 31, 1980, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Just When You Thought it was Safe to Trust the Administration… "Water Quad" •Letters: in re Knauf •News & Notices •More letters: another from Al and LSSS v. Law Review •Hash Bash Conflict •Millard Fillmore's Ghost •Law School Life is back •Registration notes •Nights Managed Cheap •Law & Death •MYILS Application time •Obiter Dictum is bored •LSSS Notes •ELS News •Revue Reviewed •Machle's Musings •E.J.F. has something -for you •Dewar's Profile strikes again •Docket

March 24, 1980, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Ellman & Beggs to Lead '80-'81 L.S.S.S. •Lawyers Club Rate Committee Finished for Another Year •Letters: LS…S, Campbell Competition, freedom of the (?) Press, and campaign dirty tricks •1980-81 Journal and Review Writing Competition rules •News & Notices •Nights Managed Cheap •New Officers time •Machle's back •Registration info •Docket

March 17, 1980, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Police Arrest Law Club Wallet Thefts Suspect •Letters: Rocheleau rebuked •Moot Court Report •News and Notices •How Al spent his spring vacation •M.F.'s Ghost •ELS News -jobs! •Obiter Dictum on the campaign trail •LSSS Notes •Nights Managed Cheap •LSSS Sample Ballot •Presidential hopefuls' statements •Vice-presidential statements •Secretarial Services? •Board of Governors •Second year reps •Norts Spews •Res Gesties •Docket •WLSA Questionnaire

The Lawsuit Lottery: Only The Lawyers Win, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A Book Notice about The Lawsuit Lottery: Only the Lawyers Win by Jeffrey O'Connell

Resolving Doctor-Patient Conflicts, Bernard L. Diamond

Michigan Law Review

A review of Taking Care of Strangers: The Rule of Law in Doctor-Patient Relations by Robert A. Burt

Father In Jail, David C. Baldus

Michigan Law Review

A review of Making Fathers Pay: The Enforcement of Child Support by David L. Chambers

Political Theory And International Relations, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A Book Notice about Political Theory and International Relations by Charles R. Beitz