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1998

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Articles 1 - 22 of 22

Full-Text Articles in Law

Impact Statements: Regulations Leave Room For Delays In Seqra Proceedings, John R. Nolon Dec 1998

Impact Statements: Regulations Leave Room For Delays In Seqra Proceedings, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

SEQRA, the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, creates a process whereby public actions are reviewed with the intent to mitigate adverse environmental impacts. The SEQRA process has several flexible time constraints, which through negotiation, may be extended. Issues often arise due to the discrepancies between SEQRA’s imposed time limits and the time limits imposed on land use boards to make determinations about proposed projects. The question of which time limits apply was determined in Sun Beach Real Estate Corp. v. Anderson Beach. In that case, the court held that decisions, such as site plan approval deadlines, do not …

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Community Involvement: Facilitation Adds Flexibility To Land Use Decision-Making, John R. Nolon Oct 1998

Community Involvement: Facilitation Adds Flexibility To Land Use Decision-Making, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

SEQRA, the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, creates a process whereby public actions are reviewed with the intent to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of those actions. Recently decided New York case law has created flexibility in the SEQRA process by allowing developers, among others, to revamp proposed projects early in the application process in order to expedite SEQRA and save substantial amounts of money. A New York court held that using public meetings to garner information and negotiate different aspects of a proposed project, and a determination of a negative declaration (the proposed project will have no …

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Lie Detection: The Supreme Court's Polygraph Decision, Bennett L. Gershman Sep 1998

Lie Detection: The Supreme Court's Polygraph Decision, Bennett L. Gershman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In United States v. Scheffer, decided this past Term, the Supreme Court considered for the first time the admissibility of polygraph evidence. The Court held that exclusion of such evidence on behalf of a criminal defendant was supported by valid justifications and offended no constitutional right to present a defense.

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Wetlands Controls: Untangling An Intricate Web Of Rules, John R. Nolon Aug 1998

Wetlands Controls: Untangling An Intricate Web Of Rules, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article discusses the controversy surrounding legislation protecting wetlands, including the proposed revisions to National Wetlands Permit Number 26. Federal, state, and local governments all play a critical role in wetlands regulation. The potential of these different levels of government can be maximized through a coordinated effort, avoiding situations where applicable laws from one level of government run contrary to laws of another level of government, which often results in unnecessary litigation. This article discusses these issues, and also provides examples of intergovernmental wetlands regulation success.

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Protecting Scenic Assets: Regulations Based On Study, Expert Reports And Rationality, John R. Nolon Jun 1998

Protecting Scenic Assets: Regulations Based On Study, Expert Reports And Rationality, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Many municipalities are seeking to protect scenic assets through a combination of land use tools and implied police powers. These tools include comprehensive planning, subdivision and site plan approval, and in New York, execution of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). An example of scenic protection is North Elba, New York, where the local planning board denied Wal-Mart’s application to construct a store because the store would compromise the viewshed of a nearby mountain. This article reviews the SEQRA process in the Wal-Mart case and also reviews several other methods municipalities may use to protect environmental and aesthetic interests.

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Affordable Housing: State Lacks Definition Of Need And Municipal Responsibility, John R. Nolon Apr 1998

Affordable Housing: State Lacks Definition Of Need And Municipal Responsibility, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

New York case law has created an obligation for communities to provide low-income housing in order to meet regional needs. The courts have found exclusionary zoning to be an unconstitutional practice, and may require communities to amend zoning ordinances that act in an exclusionary manner. The burden for plaintiffs to prove an ordinance is unconstitutionally exclusionary has been greatly impacted by the existence of regional housing studies. However, legislative progress in New York continues to lag behind surrounding states, as New Jersey and Connecticut legislatures have put statutory components in place to ease burden of proof in challenges to exclusionary …

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Flexibility In The Law: Reengineering Of Zoning To Prevent Fragmented Landscapes, John R. Nolon Feb 1998

Flexibility In The Law: Reengineering Of Zoning To Prevent Fragmented Landscapes, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The continued existence vernal pools and other sensitive environmental areas greatly depends upon local and state land use decisions. Practices such as Euclidian Zoning, where land uses are separated into different districts, usually fail to account for the protection of these sensitive areas. However, local governments in New York, using implied municipal power created by state legislation, have a variety of land use tools to help alleviate the destruction of environmentally sensitive areas. These tools include: overlay zoning, incentive zoning, conservation easements, floating zones, and transferring development rights. By using these tools within a well-integrated strategy, New York communities can …

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The Standard Of Care In Legal Malpractice: Do The Model Rules Of Professional Conduct Define It?, Gary A. Munneke Jan 1998

The Standard Of Care In Legal Malpractice: Do The Model Rules Of Professional Conduct Define It?, Gary A. Munneke

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article will review existing case law and commentary, and propose a new formula for application of rules of professional conduct in determining the standard of care to which attorneys should be held in malpractice cases. The authors will argue in favor of establishing a position that state rules of professional conduct create certain specific standards of lawyer behavior that constitute a minimum standard of conduct and a minimum standard of care for every individual attorney practicing in each jurisdiction.

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Comparative Environmental Law Perspectives On Legal Regimes For Sustainable Development, Nicholas A. Robinson Jan 1998

Comparative Environmental Law Perspectives On Legal Regimes For Sustainable Development, Nicholas A. Robinson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

As the world's largest summit meeting ended in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the heads of state and their representatives assembled at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), commonly referred to as Agenda 21. They embraced Agenda 21 as “a dynamic programme” which can “evolve over time in the light of changing needs and circumstances,” and as a process making “the beginning of a new global partnership for sustainable development.” Agenda 21 is premised on two factual perspectives. First, the documentation of trends in the deterioration of the environmental conditions in many parts of the world is …

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A More Principled Approach To Criminalizing Negligence: A Prescription For The Legislature, Leslie Yalof Garfield Jan 1998

A More Principled Approach To Criminalizing Negligence: A Prescription For The Legislature, Leslie Yalof Garfield

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This discussion focuses on those jurisdictions that have used ordinary negligence to find criminal liability when a person uses an inherently dangerous instrument, engages in an inherently dangerous activity, or engages in conduct that poses a threat of widespread public injury. Part IV analyzes the appropriateness of permitting punishment based on ordinary negligence and concludes that it is entirely responsible to adjust criminal sanctions to respond to a fast-paced and technologically reliant culture that consciously trades due care for greater and swifter achievements. Part IV also offers a model for legislatures to follow when evaluating the appropriateness of criminalizing negligent …

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Checkpoints On The Conversion Highway: Some Trouble Spots In The Conversion Of Nonprofit Health Care Organizations To For-Profit Status, James J. Fishman Jan 1998

Checkpoints On The Conversion Highway: Some Trouble Spots In The Conversion Of Nonprofit Health Care Organizations To For-Profit Status, James J. Fishman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This essay does not address the truly important policy issues: whether for-profit healthcare should be allowed or encouraged; how the quality of care compares to nonprofits or what criteria should be used to evaluate the quality of care; or what the impact of these conversions is on the communities they serve. It discusses less significant issues: those of process—how can we shape and control this tidal wave of change so that the public will be served and charitable assets preserved to the maximum extent possible? The focus is upon the valuation of these charitable assets; the appropriate process of conversion; …

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Reducing Nitrogen Pollution On Long Island Sound: Is There A Place For Pollutant Trading?, Ann Powers Jan 1998

Reducing Nitrogen Pollution On Long Island Sound: Is There A Place For Pollutant Trading?, Ann Powers

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to examine the legal adequacy of proposals now under consideration for a nitrogen trading program on Long Island Sound, and to assess the likelihood of success in light of the experience with other trading programs, both for water and air pollution. Part I outlines the current environmental condition of Long Island Sound and explains the factors which have led proponents of trading to believe such a program could be effective. In Part II we consider the essential elements of a trading program, and the lessons to be learned from the Clean Air Act programs. …

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Accomplice Liability For Unintentional Crimes: Remaining Within The Constraints Of Intent, Audrey Rogers Jan 1998

Accomplice Liability For Unintentional Crimes: Remaining Within The Constraints Of Intent, Audrey Rogers

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article addresses the issue of the proper extent of a secondary actor's culpability for unintentional crimes committed by another. Part I reviews accomplice liability and its mens rea requirements generally. Part II discusses the history of the application of complicity theory to unintentional crimes. Part III examines whether accomplice liability for unintentional crimes is proper, and concludes that in keeping with complicity's doctrinal requirements, liability is appropriate only when the secondary actor has the intent to aid in the commission of the culpable act that results in unplanned harm. It evaluates whether the various categories of accomplice statutes sufficiently …

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Prosecutorial Use Of Expert Testimony In Domestic Violence Cases: From Recantation To Refusal To Testify, Audrey Rogers Jan 1998

Prosecutorial Use Of Expert Testimony In Domestic Violence Cases: From Recantation To Refusal To Testify, Audrey Rogers

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article discusses the use of expert testimony in prosecuting those charged with domestic abuse. Part I provides a background on the need and nature of expert testimony in domestic violence cases and the requirements for the admission of such expert testimony. It traces the development of the role of expert testimony in domestic violence cases from its initial exclusive use as a defense tool to support self-defense claims to its present use by prosecutors to explain a complainant's recantation or other puzzling behavior. Part II discusses the appellate cases that have addressed the admissibility and scope of expert testimony …

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Mental Culpability And Prosecutorial Misconduct, Bennett L. Gershman Jan 1998

Mental Culpability And Prosecutorial Misconduct, Bennett L. Gershman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article argues that a prosecutor's intent is always relevant to the courts' analysis of misconduct, and that the courts should always consider a prosecutor's intent in determining whether a rule was violated and whether the verdict was prejudiced. Part II of this Article examines the use of the objective test to analyze a prosecutor's trial conduct. Part II offers several reasons courts give for avoiding inquiry into a prosecutor's mental culpability, analyzes those reasons, and concludes that although the application of an objective test is sufficient to correct misconduct in some instances, it does not foreclose application of a …

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An Open Courtroom: Should Cameras Be Permitted In New York State Courts?, Jay C. Carlisle Jan 1998

An Open Courtroom: Should Cameras Be Permitted In New York State Courts?, Jay C. Carlisle

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

On June 30, 1997, the State of New York became one of the nation's few states which does not permit audio-visual coverage of court proceedings. There are several potent arguments in the determination of whether cameras should be permitted in courtroom proceedings. This article will briefly summarize the history of the use of cameras in New York State courts, and then, set out the arguments for and against their use in the state's judicial system. The article is prompted by the book entitled “An Open Courtroom: Cameras in New York Courts” which was published in 1997 by the New York …

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Aids As A Chronic Illness: A Cautionary Tale For The End Of The Twentieth Century, Linda C. Fentiman Jan 1998

Aids As A Chronic Illness: A Cautionary Tale For The End Of The Twentieth Century, Linda C. Fentiman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The result of the monumental shifts in the structure and financing of health care delivery is that at the very time that medical innovations have made possible significant improvements in the quality and quantity of life for people with chronic illnesses, those who are responsible for paying for Americans' health care, in government and the private sector, seem to have finally said “Enough! We must cut costs, and cut them dramatically, and the simplest, most direct way of cutting costs is to deny coverage for certain kinds of treatments and certain kinds of illnesses.” People with HIV and AIDS are …

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The 'Ascent Of Man': Legal Systems And The Discovery Of An Environmental Ethic, Nicholas A. Robinson Jan 1998

The 'Ascent Of Man': Legal Systems And The Discovery Of An Environmental Ethic, Nicholas A. Robinson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

A decade ago, firefighters in a warehouse on the Rhine in Switzerland washed chemicals, solvents, and mercury into the river, destroying all life in the river for miles, killing millions of fish, and endangering the water supplies of cities in Germany and the Netherlands. This tragedy galvanized the river valley states into action. They vowed to clean up the river, not just from that incident but from the effects of having used the river as a sewer for two centuries. But how clean is clean? The goal for this calculated plan, which will take decades to achieve, is symbolized by …

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Private Bar Monitors Public Defense: Oversight Committee Sets Standards For Indigent Defense Providers, Adele Bernhard Jan 1998

Private Bar Monitors Public Defense: Oversight Committee Sets Standards For Indigent Defense Providers, Adele Bernhard

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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The Search For A National Land Use Policy: For The Cities' Sake, Shelby D. Green Jan 1998

The Search For A National Land Use Policy: For The Cities' Sake, Shelby D. Green

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article offers a survey of federal legislation and statements of policy that have shaped and directed land use and related phenomena, including the location of population, economic growth, and the character of urban development. Part I of this article provides a historical development of land use policies and laws, as well as presents academic and scientific theories supporting a national land use policy. Part II of this article describes patterns of urban and suburban growth and their consequences, such as the decline of the viability of cities and the loss of agricultural land. Part III discusses the government's spending …

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Teaching Upperclass Writing: Everything You Always Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask, Lissa Griffin Jan 1998

Teaching Upperclass Writing: Everything You Always Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask, Lissa Griffin

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

A survey conducted as part of this project reveals that law schools generally require their students to have an upperclass writing experience taught or supervised by non-writing tenured or tenure-track faculty. These teachers currently bear the responsibility for assigning, supervising, reviewing, and evaluating most of the writing by upperclass students, either through substantive seminars or independent study projects. In almost all schools there is no major curricular planning, systematic instruction, faculty training, or institutional support for upperclass writing.

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Playing Beyond The Rules: A Realist And Rhetoric-Based Approach To Researching The Law And Solving Legal Problems, Thomas Michael Mcdonnell Jan 1998

Playing Beyond The Rules: A Realist And Rhetoric-Based Approach To Researching The Law And Solving Legal Problems, Thomas Michael Mcdonnell

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The proposed realist and rhetorical approach to legal research applies to every conceivable legal problem and provides the student a conceptual foundation not only for solving any legal dispute, but for successfully completing any transactions with which he or she will be confronted. Part I of this article will demonstrate why law students should learn to research the relevant audiences in the legal drama and to research the unpublished and often unwritten rules and practices that these audiences follow. Part II will show how. Part III will present a comprehensive legal problem solving model that integrates these new dimensions of …

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