Law Commons^™

California Assembly Bill 3121’S Claim For Black Redress: The Case For A State Truth And Reconciliation Commission And Housing Vouchers, Jessica Robertson

San Diego Law Review

On September 30, 2020, Assembly Bill 3121 (AB 3121) established the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans (Task Force). AB 3121 charges the Task Force with three duties: (1) identify and synthesize evidentiary documentation of “[t]he institution of slavery . . . that existed within the United States and the colonies that became the United States from 1619 to 1865, inclusive”; (2) recommend ways to educate the public of its findings; and (3) recommend “appropriate remedies in consideration of the task force’s findings on the matters described in this section.” Per these duties, the Task …

A Christian Case For Racial Reparations, Daniel Philpott

The Journal of Social Encounters

National healing for the persistent wounds of racism, America’s original sin, can be advanced through a national apology, reparations and forgiveness. The frequent practice of apologies and reparations around the world in the past generation provide precedent for such measures. Christianity’s teaching of reconciliation and accompanying notions of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and atonement provide a strong moral basis for these measures and resonate with the rationales through which the United States’s greatest champions of civil rights and equality have fought against racism and slavery. Because racism and slavery were supported with the sanction of the state, in the name of …

Applying Maimonides’ Hilkhot Teshuvah–Laws Of Repentance – In The Criminal Law System Of The State Of Israel: An Israeli Judge’S Perspectives, Moshe Drori

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reimagining The Death Penalty: Targeting Christians, Conservatives, Spearit

Articles

This Article is an interdisciplinary response to an entrenched legal and cultural problem. It incorporates legal analysis, religious study and the anthropological notion of “culture work” to consider death penalty abolitionism and prospects for abolishing the death penalty in the United States. The Article argues that abolitionists must reimagine their audiences and repackage their message for broader social consumption, particularly for Christian and conservative audiences. Even though abolitionists are characterized by some as “bleeding heart” liberals, this is not an accurate portrayal of how the death penalty maps across the political spectrum. Abolitionists must learn that conservatives are potential allies …

Christianity And Bankruptcy, David A. Skeel Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship

Although the term “bankruptcy” is nowhere to be found in the Bible, debt and the consequences of default are a major theme both in the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament. In Israel, as in the ancient Near East generally, a debtor who defaulted on his obligations was often sold into slavery or servitude. Biblical law moderated the harshness of this system by prohibiting Israelites from charging interest on loans to one another, thus diminishing the risk of default, and by requiring the release of slaves after seven years of service. Jesus alluded to the lending laws at least …

"I Wanted Them To Be Punished Or At Least Ask Us For Forgiveness”: Justice Interests Of Female Victim-Survivors Of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Their Experiences With Gacaca, Judith Rafferty

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Survivors of human rights abuses need to experience a sense of justice to support their individual recovery. Women who have experienced conflict-related sexual violence have specific justice interests that are distinct from those of survivors of other abuses. This article focuses on justice interests of Rwandan women who experienced sexual violence during the genocide in Rwanda and who had their cases tried in gacaca community courts between 2008 and 2012. The article discusses two justice interests that emerged during interviews with 23 Rwandan women about their gacaca experience. These interests include the punishment of perpetrators and perpetrators taking responsibility for …

The Forest And The Trees: What Educational Purposes Can A Course On Christian Legal Thought Serve?, Randy Beck

Journal of Catholic Legal Studies

(Excerpt)

In this short essay, I want to consider the educational purposes a course in Christian legal thought might serve. How could having such a course in the curriculum help accomplish the goals of legal education? One can understand why a law school with a Christian identity would want to offer this sort of course. Such law schools embrace a theology that helps adherents make sense of the world, including the world of human law. The less obvious question I want to consider is why a law school that does not subscribe to a particular theological understanding of the world …

Mediating Towards Forgiveness & Family Reconciliation In Divorce; Select Issues In Dispute Resolution: Apology & Forgiveness, Selina J. Shultz

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This paper examines the importance of forgiveness and the rebuilding of trust in the reconciliation of the family during and after a divorce, and contemplates the mediator’s role in leading the parties in this direction.

A Different Kind Of Justice: A Critical Reflection, Cassandra Sharp Dr

RadioDoc Review

Despite the accepted success of many restorative justice programs with youth and Indigenous offenders, debate still proliferates about the utility of adult restorative justice programs within the criminal justice system. Many important questions are raised about the efficacy and impact of such programs including: ‘What can restorative justice offer adult offenders and victims of crime? What are some of the challenges of using restorative justice in this context? And what can we learn from emerging developments in practice?’ (Bolitho et al, 2012). As will be discussed in this review, Russell Finch’s BBC Radio 4 production of A Different Kind of …

The Case For Forgiveness In Legal Disputes, Eileen Barker

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the education and understanding of forgiveness, which assists lawyers and mediators in supporting their clients in the area of forgiveness. It discusses two types of forgiveness relevant to legal disputes including bilateral forgiveness and unilateral forgiveness, and briefs common misconceptions about forgiveness. It analyzes that the essence of forgiveness is the giving up of resentment, anger, and hatred.

Apology, Forgiveness, Reconciliation & Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Susan Daicoff

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the definition of the apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation processes. It discusses the relationship between these concepts and explains the benefits of practical use of apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation in the law. It informs that these concepts provide an effective healing to dispute or conflicts between individuals, groups, or institutions.

Facilitating Forgiveness And Reconciliation In “Good Enough” Marriages, Solangel Maldonado

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the long-term effects of divorce on children and parents under the analysis of the social science literatures. It informs that the U.S. Courts should encourage reconciliation between low-discord parents which in turn would help to save their marriage and protect their children from negative psychological effects of their divorce.

The Thorny Issue Of Forgiveness: A Psychological Perspective, Julie Juola Exline

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the concept and process of forgiveness from a psychological point of view. It discusses several decisions based on the challenging issue of forgiveness, which determines the purpose, timing, and effectiveness to assist forgiveness in avoiding risk to the forgiver. It informs that the forgiveness is relevant in cases where one person clearly commits some offense against another under conditions of envy, jealousy, and unhealed wounds.

An Introduction: The Richness Of Forgiveness Studies, Policy, And Practice, Calvin William Sharpe

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the philosophical and scientific examination of the policies and practice of the forgiveness studies in the U.S. It informs about several philosophers who put in their efforts towards effectiveness of the scientific research on forgiveness including Jeffrie Murphy, Jean Hampton, and Everett L. Worthington. It also focuses on various theories of forgiveness.

Institutions From Above And Voices From Below: A Comment On Challenges To Group-Conflict Resolution And Reconciliation, Laurel E. Fletcher

Laurel E. Fletcher

Fletcher explores how assumptions about justice have succeeded in establishing a new international consensus on necessary processes of rebuilding societies, some pitfalls of this approach, and recommendations for new directions for the field of transitional justice. A central assumption animating the moral, political, and legal cases for transitional justice is that those responsible for unleashing and conducting mass violence that devastates countries and the lives of civilian residents should not get away with their criminal acts. And further, supporters of justice assume that a legal response is necessary in order to promote reconciliation. He thinks that the appropriate role of …

Teshuva: A Look At Repentance, Forgiveness And Atonement In Jewish Law And Philosophy And American Legal Thought, Samuel J. Levine

Samuel J. Levine

Professor Levine examines the atonement model and its relevance to American law. He outlines and explains the necessary steps by the wrongdoer for atonement: repentance, apology, reparation and penance. The wronged party then has the obligation of reconciliation for the process to be complete. Despite the prominent position it has held for millennia in religious thinking, the atonement model is relatively new to American legal theory. Professor Stephen Garvey's attempt to offer a systematic depiction and analysis of the process of atonement and its possible relevance to American law appears to represent the most extensive effort to date. Any application …

Mercy, Crime Control, And Moral Credibility, Paul H. Robinson

All Faculty Scholarship

If, in the criminal justice context, "mercy" is defined as forgoing punishment that is deserved, then much of what passes for mercy is not. Giving only minor punishment to a first-time youthful offender, for example, might be seen as an exercise of mercy but in fact may be simply the application of standard blameworthiness principles, under which the offender's lack of maturity may dramatically reduce his blameworthiness for even a serious offense. Desert is a nuanced and rich concept that takes account of a wide variety of factors. The more a writer misperceives desert as wooden and objective, the more …

The Role Of Entrepreneurship In Conflict Reduction In The Post-Genocide Rwandan Coffee Industry: Quantitative Evidence From A Field Study, Karol C. Boudreaux, Jutta Tobias

Karol C. Boudreaux

Entrepreneurship is widely acknowledged as a catalyst for poverty reduction and economic development. Yet its role in conflict reduction and social development is largely understudied. This paper presents evidence from a field survey conducted during the summer of 2008 among a sample of Rwanda’s emerging specialty coffee workers and reports on significant correlations between economic satisfaction and life satisfaction, as well as meaningful work contact with members from the other group with an attitude of reconciliation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that quantitatively analyzes entrepreneurial activity and conflict reduction in one of Rwanda’s most …

Institutions From Above And Voices From Below: A Comment On Challenges To Group-Conflict Resolution And Reconciliation, Laurel E. Fletcher

Law and Contemporary Problems

Fletcher explores how assumptions about justice have succeeded in establishing a new international consensus on necessary processes of rebuilding societies, some pitfalls of this approach, and recommendations for new directions for the field of transitional justice. A central assumption animating the moral, political, and legal cases for transitional justice is that those responsible for unleashing and conducting mass violence that devastates countries and the lives of civilian residents should not get away with their criminal acts. And further, supporters of justice assume that a legal response is necessary in order to promote reconciliation. He thinks that the appropriate role of …

A Reflection And Response To Using Criminal Punishment To Serve Both Victim And Social Needs, Kenneth R. Downes

Law and Contemporary Problems

Downes comments on Erin Ann O'Hara and Maria Mayo Robbins' article that accurately describes the nuanced and complex nature of apology and forgiveness. These are not actions that can be programmed--they happen at their own pace and in paths that are winding and unchartable. One of the reasons that victim-offender mediation is unpopular with some is that it can be emotionally messy and slow. Thus, one of the most helpful insights in his work has been that forgiveness is developmental, meaning that it often happens in normal and predictable stages. Forgiveness can be divided into manageable pieces. Indeed, their article …

Examining The Applicability Of The Concepts Of Apology, Forgiveness, And Reconciliation To Multi-Stakeholder, Collaborative Problem-Solving Processes, Jennifer Pratt Miles

Law and Contemporary Problems

In 2004, Meridian Institute, an organization with expertise in designing, facilitating, and mediating collaborative problem-solving processes, was asked to assess the feasibility of forming collaborative, community-based-watershed groups in northern New Mexico to develop plans to address water-quality problems and--if determined to be feasible--to facilitate the formation of those groups and plans. Early in the assessment process it became clear that the historical context was critically important and was one of the factors that had to be addressed. Here, Miles explores the applicability of apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation to a collaborative group process that can be examined through the example of …

The Unforgiving: Reflections On The Resistance To Forgiveness After Atrocity, Thomas Brudholm, Valérie Rosoux

Law and Contemporary Problems

Brudholm and Rosoux question the ethics of having religious and political leaders call on individual victims to forgive wrongdoing as an aid to group-conflict resolution. Even though a group might strongly desire political stability and peace, these goals should not be obtained at the expense of the needs of the victim. They argue that even when the group strongly desires reconciliation, reconciliation does not necessarily require forgiveness. They also consider several actual examples of resistance with particular concentration on the reflections of two genocide survivors, namely Jean Amery and Esther Mujawayo.

A Biological Approach To Understanding Resistance To Apology, Forgiveness, And Reconciliation In Group Conflict, Douglas H. Yarn, Gregory Todd Jones

Law and Contemporary Problems

Yarn and Jones introduce a biological approach to understanding resistance to apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation in intergroup conflict. Using evolutionary biology and game theory, they illustrate how the strategic dynamics of dyadic interaction tend to favor these behaviors and derive a schema relevant a reconciliatory cycle. They then explore how the distinct context of intra- and intergroup conflict reinforces these behaviors. Finally, they identify those barriers to individual reconciliation that result from the strategic dynamics of social-group architectures, particularly those that differ from the ancestral social architecture within which individual behavior has evolved. They conclude with a brief application of …

Truth, Understanding, And Repair, E. Franklin Dukes

Law and Contemporary Problems

Dukes argues that the quest for truth, understanding, and victim-defined repair present more appropriate vehicles for addressing certain cases of severe injustice than might a focus upon apology and forgiveness. In his work, he helps construct conversations among people who often have different and conflicting interests, such that they may gain knowledge--knowledge about one another, about their relationships, and about the issues at stake. He acknowledges that he does focus on helping to build resilient and sustainable communities, but he also insists that productive resolution of some problems can happen in spite of, even because of, the lack of full …

Knowing Law’S Limits: Comments On ‘Forgiveness: Integral To Close Relationships And Inimical To Justice?’, Kathryn Webb Bradley

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

No Future Without (Personal) Forgiveness: Re-Examining The Role Of Forgiveness In Transitional Justice, John D. Inazu

Faculty Scholarship

The role of forgiveness has been much discussed in the literature on transitional justice, but a basic point has been muddled: most acts of forgiveness are inherently personal and cannot be achieved by state actors alone. What I call personal forgiveness is extended by a single human victim who has been harmed by a wrongdoer. Personal forgiveness is distinguishable from three other forms of forgiveness: group forgiveness, legal forgiveness (a form of group forgiveness), and political forgiveness. In the context of transitional justice, I argue that: (1) personal forgiveness is a necessary condition for political forgiveness; (2) group forgiveness (including …

The Dilemma Of The Vengeful Client: A Prescriptive Framework For Cooling The Flames Of Anger, Robin Slocum

Robin Slocum

Lawyers are presented with a challenging dilemma when counseling angry clients who seek to use the legal system as a weapon for vengeance. Legal scholars have argued that lawyers should, where appropriate, dissuade their angry clients from litigation strategies that are immoral or arguably unethical. However, angry clients are remarkably resistant to appeals based on morality and reason. Thus, it is not surprising that lawyers have been largely ineffective in their efforts to dissuade angry clients from using the legal system as a battlefield. Instead, lawyers often reluctantly defer to clients whose judgment is impaired by their emotional reactivity.

This …

Political Versus Administrative Justice, Stephanos Bibas

All Faculty Scholarship

This comment responds to an essay by Rachel Barkow, which insightfully links the decline of mercy in American criminal justice to the rise of a rule-of-law ideal inspired by administrative law. This comment notes the dangers of the administrative, rule-focused, judiciocentric approach to criminal justice. Instead, it suggests a more political approach, with more judicial deference to political actors and less judicial policing of equal treatment. The essay by Rachel Barkow to which this comment responds, as well as other authors' comments on this essay and the author's reply to those comments, can be found at http://www.law.upenn.edu/phr/conversations/status/

Invasions Of Conscience And Faked Apologies, Stephanos Bibas

All Faculty Scholarship

This comment responds to an essay by Jeffrie Murphy, which powerfully notes the limitations and dangers of using remorse and apology as metrics for punishment. But the state is more justified in teaching lessons than Murphy suggests, and retributivism ought to make more room for victim vindication and satisfaction. Gauging sincerity, while difficult, is not impossible. In the end, Murphy offers strong reasons to be cautious. But a humane society ought to be more willing to take chances and, having punished, to forgive. The essay by Jeffrie Murphy to which this comment responds, as well as other authors' comments on …

On The Nature Of Forgiveness And Vengeance, Theodore Y. Blumoff

Theodore Y. Blumoff

The traditional formal view of forgiveness holds that it belongs only to the individual aggrieved, and that it reflects the injured individual’s effort to deal cognitively and emotionally with the conduct that triggered the sense of undeserved devaluation. In the standard canon, forgiveness also represents a more sober response to a basic desire for vengeance. In this article, I put forgiveness into an evolutionary perspective, arguing that forgiveness began with a more simple biological reactions like kinship selection and biological altruism, forces of nature that, happily, often prevent us from giving full reign to our edgiest impulses. Forgiveness should be …