Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Law
A Wrong Turn With The Rights Of Nature Movement, Noah M. Sachs
A Wrong Turn With The Rights Of Nature Movement, Noah M. Sachs
Law Faculty Publications
Environmentalists have long dreamed of granting enforceable legal rights to nature, and their vision has recently become reality. Governments in the United States and abroad are enacting Rights of Nature laws, and many scholars have championed this burgeoning movement as one of the best hopes for preserving the environment.
Legal rights for nature seem visionary, but policymakers and scholars are overlooking considerable problems with this approach. This Article spotlights these problems, including the vague and incoherent content of nature’s rights, the difficulty of defining the boundaries of natural entities, the absence of limiting principles for the rights, and the legislation’s …
The Problem Of Problem-Solving Courts, Erin Collins
The Problem Of Problem-Solving Courts, Erin Collins
Law Faculty Publications
The creation of a specialized, “problem-solving” court is a ubiquitous response to the issues that plague our criminal legal system. The courts promise to address the factors believed to lead to repeated interactions with the system, such as addiction or mental illness, thereby reducing recidivism and saving money. And they do so effectively — at least according to their many proponents, who celebrate them as an example of a successful “evidence-based,” data-driven reform. But the actual data on their efficacy is underwhelming, inconclusive, or altogether lacking. So why do they persist?
This Article seeks to answer that question by scrutinizing …
Some Thoughts Raised By Magna Carta: The Popular Re-Election Of Judges, William Hamilton Bryson
Some Thoughts Raised By Magna Carta: The Popular Re-Election Of Judges, William Hamilton Bryson
Law Faculty Publications
This essay, first presented at the Magna Carta anniversary symposium of the Baronial Order of Magna Charta on April 16, 2015, at The Cosmos Club, in Washington, D.C., takes as its inspiration the spirit of the rule of law, as laid down in the Magna Carta. Specifically, the author argues that the popular election and reelection of judges undermines the rule of law, and democracy in general, by exposing judges to the manipulations of financial corruption, political intimidation, and the often irrational shifts in popular opinion. To correct this problem, the author calls for amendment of the thirty-nine state constitutions …
Filling The Federal Appellate Court Vacancies, Carl W. Tobias
Filling The Federal Appellate Court Vacancies, Carl W. Tobias
Law Faculty Publications
Multiple observers have criticized President Barack Obama’s discharge of his Article II constitutional responsibility to nominate and confirm federal judges. Senators have blamed the administration for slowly making nominations, liberals have contended that the executive appointed myriad candidates who are not sufficiently centrist, and conservatives have alleged that President Obama proffered many nominees who could become liberal judicial activists. Despite the sharp criticisms, the President has actually realized much success when nominating and confirming well qualified moderate jurists. President Obama has named more judges than Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had at this juncture in their tenure, while …
Copyright's Topography: An Empirical Study Of Copyright Litigation, Christopher A. Cotropia, James Gibson
Copyright's Topography: An Empirical Study Of Copyright Litigation, Christopher A. Cotropia, James Gibson
Law Faculty Publications
One of the most important ways to measure the impact of copyright law is through empirical examination of actual copyright infringement cases. Yet scholars have universally overlooked this rich source of data. This study fills that gap through a comprehensive empirical analysis of copyright infringement litigation, examining the pleadings, motions, and dockets from more than nine hundred copyright lawsuits filed from 2005 through 2008. The data we collect allow us to examine a wide variety of copyright issues, such as the rate of settlements versus judgments; the incidence of litigation between major media companies, small firms, and individuals; the kinds …
Constructing Courts: Architecture, The Ideology Of Judging, And The Public Sphere, Allison Anna Tait
Constructing Courts: Architecture, The Ideology Of Judging, And The Public Sphere, Allison Anna Tait
Law Faculty Publications
In several countries, governments have embarked on major building expansion programs for their judiciaries. The new buildings posit the courtroom as their center and the judge as that room’s pivot. These contemporary projects follow the didactic path laid out in Medieval and Renaissance town halls, which repeatedly deployed symbolism in efforts to shape norms. Dramatic depictions then reminded judges to be loyal subjects of the state. In contrast, modern buildings narrate not only the independence of judges but also the dominion of judges, insulated from the state. The significant allocation of public funds reflects the prestige accorded to courts by …
The Virginia Judicial System: Organization And Structure, W. Clark Williams Jr.
The Virginia Judicial System: Organization And Structure, W. Clark Williams Jr.
Law Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
The Tribunal In Albania, John Paul Jones
The Tribunal In Albania, John Paul Jones
Law Faculty Publications
Professor Jones explains and critiques "The Organization of Justice and the Constitutional Court," the1992 amendments to Albania's provisional constitution that established the nation's post-revolution judicial system.
The Theory And Practice Of Defending Judges Against Unjust Criticism, Ronald J. Bacigal
The Theory And Practice Of Defending Judges Against Unjust Criticism, Ronald J. Bacigal
Law Faculty Publications
Having set forth the above premise and conclusion, the American Bar Association Subcommittee on Unjust Criticism of the Bench promulgated a model program for bar associations to follow when countering inaccurate or unjust criticism of judges. This article presents no quarrel with the model program but instead seeks to relate the model to an empirical account of how it might operate in practice. It must be remembered that the acid test of a theoretical model is not whether the theory is "true" in a purely academic sense but whether the model is useful in describing the "real world. " In …
Witnesses: A Canonist's View, William Hamilton Bryson
Witnesses: A Canonist's View, William Hamilton Bryson
Law Faculty Publications
The purpose of this essay is to examine and compare with our present practices a medieval text or summary of canonical procedure, the Summa de Ordine Iudiciario by Ricardus Anglicus-more narrowly, chapter XXX, which is concerned with witnesses. There are several reasons for examining the work of Ricardus Anglicus. This Englishman was a brilliant canonist in an age when the most ingenious and aggressive intellectuals were gravitating to the field of canon and civil law. Also he gives us a rather full summary of the subject.