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Full-Text Articles in Law
Databases, Doctrine, And Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Erin Murphy
Databases, Doctrine, And Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Erin Murphy
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Over the past twenty years there has been an explosion in the creation, availability, and use of criminal justice databases. Large scale database systems now routinely influence law enforcement decisions ranging from formal determinations to arrest or convict an individual to informal judgments to subject a person to secondary pre-flight screening or investigate possible gang membership. Evidence gathered from database-related sources is now commonly introduced, and can play a pivotal proof role, in criminal trials. Although much has been written about the failure of constitutional law to adequately respond to the threat to privacy rights posed by databases, less attention …
Nonparty Remote Electronic Access To Plea Agreements In The Second Circuit, David L. Snyder
Nonparty Remote Electronic Access To Plea Agreements In The Second Circuit, David L. Snyder
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Widespread electronic access to case files gives rise to security concerns previously unrealized in the era of paper records. As the United States Department of Justice noted, the emergence of a "cottage industry" of websites that republish court filings online for the purposes of witness intimidation, retaliation, and harassment poses "a grave risk of harm" to cooperating witnesses and defendants. Accordingly, the benefits associated with remote electronic availability and dissemination of judicial documents may come at a considerable cost. This Note describes the options that district courts within the Second Circuit could implement to mitigate these concerns. Part I of …
The Adjudication Of Minor Offenses In New York City, Ian Weinstein
The Adjudication Of Minor Offenses In New York City, Ian Weinstein
Fordham Urban Law Journal
American criminal justice is founded on overcriminalization and discretion. Our legislatures have long criminalized much more conduct than can be effectively sanctioned. American police and prosecutors have been granted virtually unreviewable authority (discretion) to allocate investigative and prosecutorial resources. Minor crimes absorb the bulk of our ordinary, local enforcement efforts and there is an endless supply of minor crime, which may be pursued. With minor offenses, discretion is critical at all phases. This article argues that criminal courts, where ninety percent of all cases are heard, could benefit from reform. The author argues for the development of the record so …
The Scope Of Police Questioning During A Routine Traffic Stop: Do Questions Outside The Scope Of The Original Justification For The Stop Create Impermissible Seizures If They Do Not Prolong The Stop? , Bill Lawrence
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The issue this Note addresses is whether a police officer, during a routine traffic stop, violates a person's Fourth Amendment rights when the officer's questions stray from the original reason for the stop. Resolution of the issue pits privacy concerns against the state's interest in effective law enforcement. With circuits split over the issue, and the Supreme Court not yet plainly ruling on it, this Note aims to provide a narrow solution to the problem.Part I explains the Fourth Amendment reasonableness standard and discusses the line of Supreme Court cases from Terry v. Ohio14 to Florida v. Bostick 5 that …
Undertaking The Task Of Reforming The American Character Evidence Prohibition: The Importance Of Getting The Experiment Off On The Right Foot, Edward J. Imwinkelried
Undertaking The Task Of Reforming The American Character Evidence Prohibition: The Importance Of Getting The Experiment Off On The Right Foot, Edward J. Imwinkelried
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The United States Congress and the State Legislatures of Indiana and Missouri have chosen illogical starting points in their experiments to reform the prohibition against introducing character evidence in criminal cases. Rather than start by allowing the introduction of past crimes with high recidivism rates such as burglary, these legislatures have chosen crimes with minimal probative value as predictors of the accused's conduct. By allowing the the introduction of criminal history in regard to criminal sexual conduct and child molestation, these legislatures increase the risk of wrongful conviction due to the disdain with which the average citizen views these types …
Federal Rules Of Evidence And The Political Process, David P. Leonard
Federal Rules Of Evidence And The Political Process, David P. Leonard
Fordham Urban Law Journal
An important tenet of American evidence law is the strict regulation on the introduction of character evidence. This principal has begun to be chipped away at through the adoption of amendments that allow character evidence to be introduced in certain types of cases. The Federal Rules of Evidence were subject to very little amendment during their first 20 years of use, and have always represented a blend of conservatism about evidence law and political compromise. This tension has been kept in check until the proposal of Rules 413-415, which represents a concession to the politicization of the rules. Before imposing …
Some Thoughts On The Sexual Misconduct Amendments To The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Norman M. Garland
Some Thoughts On The Sexual Misconduct Amendments To The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Norman M. Garland
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Although the adoption of the Federal Rules of Evidence 413-15 may have a positive result, Congress rushed their drafting which has led to several problems and ambiguities in the proposed rules. One of these major ambiguities is the issue of what standard of proof might be applied to decide the admissibility of such other, uncharged sex crimes offered against the accused.
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Report To The House Of Delegates, Myrna S. Raeder
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Report To The House Of Delegates, Myrna S. Raeder
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rules 413-15 regarding the admission of character testimony in cases of sexual abuse and child molestation, have been roundly criticized by the legal community on both substantive and procedural grounds. The ABA has resolved to oppose the substance of these rules, and fear that in addition to the direct concerns regarding the result of the rules, they raise troubling policy issues going forward.
The Crime Bill Of 1994 And The Law Of Character Evidence: Congress Was Right About Consent Defense Cases, Roger C. Park
The Crime Bill Of 1994 And The Law Of Character Evidence: Congress Was Right About Consent Defense Cases, Roger C. Park
Fordham Urban Law Journal
There is considerable debate as to whether to admit evidence of past sexual assaults in cases where the accused presents a defense of consent to a current sexual assault charge. The consent defense presents a unique situation where, due to the probative value of evidence that suggests propensity to rape, a strong justification can be made to admit this information as evidence. However, critics of this opinion have argued that admitting propensity evidence about the accused in a rape case is inconsistent with the rape shield rule which excludes propensity evidence about the victim. This argument is flawed in the …
Are Executions In New York Inevitable?, Ronald J. Tabak
Are Executions In New York Inevitable?, Ronald J. Tabak
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article is an edited trascription of a program considering whether executions in New York State are inevitable. Shortly after the program a law was enacted to this effect, however, Mr. Tabak argues that the law is so badly flawed that it may not survive judicial scrutiny. Present on the panel were Barbara Paul Robinson, John Cardinal O'Connor, Dean John Feerick, Archibald Murray, Thomas McDermott, Lee Grant, Cessie Alfonso and George Kendall.
Pre-Sentence Reports: Utility Or Futility? A Report Of The New York City Board Of Correction, New York City Board Of Correction
Pre-Sentence Reports: Utility Or Futility? A Report Of The New York City Board Of Correction, New York City Board Of Correction
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article evaluates New York Criminal Procedure Law increasing the number of cases requiring pre-sentence investigations and reports by analyzing the consequences and benefits of pre-sentencing reports. The article focuses on the delays in the criminal justice system and urges the New York State government to undertake a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system to determine whether plea bargaining is both the most effective and efficient method of achieving the system's goals. The article then suggests interim measures to be taken to alleviate delays produced by pre-sentence investigations.