Law Commons^™

Making The Anomalous Even More Anomalous: On Hosanna-Tabor, The Ministerial Exception, And The Constitution, Mark Strasser

Mark Strasser

In Hosanna–Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Court held that the First Amendment incorporates the ministerial exception and, further, found that the plaintiff fell within that exception and so could not press her claim. However, courts and commentators hoping for clarification of Religion Clauses jurisprudence more generally or even for a firm constitutional grounding of the ministerial exception may well be disappointed. The Court has raised more questions than it has answered, and has provided such little helpful guidance to the lower courts that Hosanna-Tabor is likely to lead to greater confusion in the …

Propelling Aviation To New Heights: Accessibility To In-Flight Entertainment For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Passengers, Michael A. Schwartz

Michael A Schwartz

In-flight entertainment has been available for over forty-five years, but to this day remains without captions or subtitles, thus depriving deaf and hard of hearing passengers of access to this service. The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (“ACAA”) and implementing regulations do not require captioning of in-flight entertainment, and Congress, the airline industry and the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) have yet to remedy the problem. The courts do not allow deaf and hard of hearing passengers a private right of action and punitive damages under the ACAA. The DOT recently indicated it will issue a Notice of Proposed …

Disabled Students' Rights Of Access To Charter Schools Under The Idea, Section 504 And The Ada, Robert A. Garda Jr.

Robert A. Garda

Charter schools are under increasing attack for denying admission to disabled students. But traditional schools also turn away disabled students, often preventing them from attending schools in their neighborhood or within their district. This Article discusses when a school is permitted under federal disability law to deny admission to a disabled student. After nearly four decades of special education jurisprudence and regulatory guidance, the circumstances under which a student with a disability may be denied admission to a particular school are still remarkably unclear. This Article first discusses the "zero-reject" principle underlying the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and concludes …

Reciprocal Antidiscrimination Arguments, Yofi Tirosh

Yofi Tirosh

This Article addresses a common characteristic of antidiscrimination law: To what extent should one antidiscrimination campaign be held accountable for other, related, discriminatory structures that it does not and cannot purport to correct? Plaintiffs in antidiscrimination cases are sometimes expected to account for the larger social context in which their claim is made. Defendants invoke this larger context as a way of rebutting the discrimination claim, by arguing that the plaintiff’s claim has “discriminatory residue” that would exacerbate related discriminatory structures. For example, in a case in which same-sex couples seek the right to contract with surrogate mothers, the defendant …

Network Neutrality: The Global Dimension, Pierre Larouche

Pierre Larouche

This paper first sets out a framework for understanding network neutrality, by organizing the various issues raised in the course of the network neutrality debate. Secondly, recent US legal and regulatory initiatives are briefly reviewed. Thirdly, the situation under EU law is surveyed. Finally, the conclusion compares the two regulatory responses and considers how the global network neutrality debate could unfold. In the short term, ISPs must take measures to deal with imbalances and congestion on their networks. Beyond that, in the longer term, ISPs are looking to introduce differentiated Quality of Service (QoS) offerings, so as to turn their …

Gender And Partner Compensation At America's Largest Firms, Marina Angel

Marina Angel

Abstract

This study compiled the largest research sample on the gender gap in compensation at the 200 largest law firms by combining two large databases to examine the compensation disparities between men and women partners. The analysis elucidates the question of whether the difference is because women are less productive than men partners or because they are women. The Am Law 100 and 200 studies include gross revenue, profits, number of equity and non-equity partners, and the total number of lawyers at each firm. The Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Programs study (Vault/MCCA) includes the gender ratios at each Am Law …

The Legal Response To Discrimination: Does Law Matter?, John J. Donohue

John Donohue

The topic of the legal response to discrimination is broad and growing. It includes everything from hate crime legislation and governmental prohibition of discrimination in the purchase of housing, cars, and loans, to restrictions on discrimination in the provision of government services and benefits as well as in employment.1 In the latter category alone, the body of law banning discrimination in the workplace has both deepened as the original prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of "race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" (Section 703(a)(1) of Tide VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) have been interpreted to prohibit …

The Japanese Constitution As Law And The Legitimacy Of The Supreme Court’S Constitutional Decisions: A Response To Matsui, Craig Martin

Craig Martin

This article, from a conference at Washington University School of Law on the Supreme Court of Japan, responds to an article by Shigenori Matsui, “Why is the Japanese Supreme Court is so conservative?” Professor Matsui’s article makes the argument that a significant factor is the extent to which the judges fail to view the Constitution as positive law requiring judicial enforcement. It is novel in its emphasis on an explanation grounded in law, and the decision-making process, rather than the political, institutional, and cultural explanations that are so often offered. In this article, Borrowing from Kermit Roosevelt’s arguments on judicial …

Perspective On Economic Critiques Of Disability Law: The Multifaceted Federal Role In Balancing Equity And Efficiency, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Given the recent enactment of the ADA Amendments Act, this article analyzes a Rawlsian philosophical framework with which to view society’s treatment of people with disabilities. Allocation of resources remains a pervasive concern of economists and attorneys alike. Need, merit, and market compete as means by which to decide who should receive what benefits. This article concludes that while economics can play a powerful role in the initial allocation of limited resources there remains a multifaceted federal role to confront discrimination and promote equity.

How The Payday Predator Hides Among Us: The Predatory Nature Of The Payday Loan Industry And Its Use Of Consumer Arbitration To Further Discriminatory Lending Practices, Michael A. Satz

Michael A Satz

This Article argues that Payday lending is a predatory lending practice that disproportionately targets minority customers, and that the Payday lending industry utilizes consumer arbitration agreements to further the industry’s discriminatory lending practices. The Article proposes that protections enacted into law to protect military service members from payday lenders should be universally enacted on a national level.

Statistical Evidence On The Gender Gap In Law Firm Partner Compensation, Marina Angel, Eun Young Whang, Rajiv Banker, Joseph F. Lopez

Marina Angel

Our study compiled the largest research sample on the gender gap in compensation at the 200 largest law firms by combining two large databases to examine why women partners are compensated less: because they are less productive than men partners or because they are women. The AmLaw 100 and 200 studies include gross revenue, profits, number of equity and non-equity partners, and the total number of lawyers at each firm. The Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Programs study (Vault/MCCA) includes the gender ratios at each AmLaw 200 firm. Our study covers the years 2002 to 2007.

The ratio of women equity …

Inheriting Inequality: Wealth, Race, And The Laws Of Succession, Palma Joy Strand

palma joy strand

The article begins by documenting deep inequality in the form of Black-White wealth disparities: While the overall wealth distribution in the United States is highly unequal from both historical and international perspectives, racial wealth disparities are particularly acute, with median Black net worth approximately a tenth of median White net worth (as compared to median Black income that is approximately two-thirds of median White income). Next, the article ties the perpetuation of this inequality to current inheritance law. It then confronts this inequality as a civil rights issue in terms of its social effects, its historical causes, and legal avenues …

Familiar Stories: An International Suggestion For Lgb Family Military Benefits After The Repeal Of “Don’T Ask, Don’T Tell”, Maureen Brocco

Maureen Brocco

This Article advocates for Congress to make benefits available to the families of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) servicemembers after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, by passing an amended version of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 (DPBOA). Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is only one element of the quandary of laws preventing LGB servicemembers from receiving military family benefits equal to those of their heterosexual peers. The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) limits the federal definition of a marriage to opposite-sex couples and explicitly bars same-sex couples from receiving federal recognition, regardless of the …

Adhd And The New Americans With Disabilities Act: Expanded Legal Recognition For Cognitive Disorders, John P. Heekin

John P. Heekin

The author assesses the likely impact of the recent amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, broadening the definition of a “disability,” upon the legal treatment of discrimination claims from individuals with cognitive disorders, such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The paper begins with a review of the symptoms, diagnosis and treatments of ADHD, noting that remedies for the disorder fail to fully “normalize” its effects, leaving individuals impaired in relation to their peers. The author then presents the original ADA and its administrative interpretation issued in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Compliance Manual. From there, the paper …

The Telltale Sign Of Discrimination: Probabilities, Information Asymmetries, And The Systemic Disparate Treatment Theory, Jason R. Bent

Jason R Bent

The systemic disparate treatment theory of employment discrimination is in disarray. Originally formulated in United States v. International B’hood of Teamsters, 431 U.S. 324, 360-61 (1977), the systemic disparate treatment theory provides plaintiffs with a method for creating an inference of unlawful discriminatory intent if plaintiffs can first present sufficient statistical evidence establishing that the employer was engaged in a “pattern or practice” of discrimination. While the Court and scholars have recently given substantial attention to the disparate impact theory, they have not adequately analyzed the contours of the systemic disparate treatment theory. For example, there are currently disputes about …

Glimmers Of Hope: The Evolution Of Equality Rights Doctrine In Japanese Courts From A Comparative Perspective, Craig Martin

Craig Martin

There has been little study of the analytical framework employed by the Japanese courts in resolving constitutional claims under the right to be treated as an equal and not be discriminated against. In the Japanese literature the only comparative analysis done focuses on American equal protection jurisprudence. This article examines the development of the equality rights doctrine in the Japanese Supreme Court from the perspective of an increasingly universal “proportionality analysis” approach to rights enforcement, of which the Canadian equality rights jurisprudence is a good example, in contrast to the American approach. This comparative analysis, which begins with a review …

On The Contemporary Meaning Of Korematsu: "Liberty Lies In The Hearts Of Men And Women", David A. Harris

David A Harris

ABSTRACT ON THE CONTEMPORARY MEANING OF KOREMATSU: “LIBERTY LIES IN THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN” In just a few years, seven decades will have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Korematsu v. U.S., one of the most reviled of all of the Court’s cases. Despised or not, however, similarities between the World War II era and our own have people looking at Korematsu in a new light. When the Court decided Korematsu in 1944, we were at war with the Japanese empire, and with this came considerable suspicion of anyone who shared the ethnicity of our foreign …

Standardizing Liability For Negligent Hiring Of Ex-Offenders, Stacy A. Hickox

Stacy A. Hickox

Employers considering hiring applicants with criminal records face a dilemma. Potential liability for negligent hiring may prompt employers to refuse to hire ex-offenders, since the employer could be liable for harm caused by an employee who has a criminal record, if that harm was foreseeable. Yet the negligent hiring case law provides little guidance for an employer trying to determine when harm is foreseeable. At the same time, nondiscrimination laws require that employers not exclude applicants based solely on their criminal records, since exclusion of ex-offenders will likely have an adverse impact on applicants of color. To resolve this dilemma, …

Women And Private Military And Security Companies, Ana Filipa Vrdoljak

Ana Filipa Vrdoljak

Lack of clarity about the application of international law norms and inadequacies of existing regulatory regimes covering private military and security companies have reinforced concerns about transparency and accountability in respect of gender-related violence, harassment and discrimination. This chapter focuses on the main issues and legal concerns raised by the impact of the privatisation of war on women, both as PMSC employees and civilians. Part I highlights how armed conflict, civil unrest, occupation and transition have a detrimental effect upon the lives of women with particular reference to safety, displacement, health and economic disadvantage. Part II provides a summary of …

R (On The Application Of E) (Respondent) V Governing Body Of Jfs And The Admissions Appeal Panel Of Jfs (Appellants) And Others (Case Note) [2009] Uksc 15, Reuven (Ruvi) Ziegler

Dr. Reuven (Ruvi) Ziegler

This case-note offers comparative perspectives on the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in the JFS case (alleged racially discriminatory school admissions policy) and the Israeli Supreme Court’s judgment in the Emanuel Haredi school case (alleged Ashkenazi/Sephardi segregation arrangements).

From Nondiscrimination To Civil Marriage, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

As William Faulkner explained, we must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. This article analyzes the continuing constitutional struggle for civil rights on the basis of sexual orientation, concentrating on the constitution state's critique of its constitution. Connecticut is currently at the forefront of recognizing civil rights. Connecticut has ruled that discrimination against gay and lesbian persons is subject to intermediate scrutiny, which has historically been used to review laws that employ quasi-suspect classifications such as gender. Civil marriage for same sex couples is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. …

Collective Bargaining Agreements In Discrimination Cases: Forum Shopping Their Way Into A New York District Court Near You!, George Klidonas

George Klidonas

There has recently been a divergence of opinion between the state courts and the district courts in New York on the issue of whether a unionized employee must arbitrate discrimination claims in light of a collective bargaining agreement mandating alternative dispute resolution. The problem that New York is faced with is that the New York courts recently failed to properly delineate a standard of what a clear and unmistakable waiver. Furthermore this "split" between the federal and state courts with regards to these arbitration provisions will cause forum shopping by claimants, heavily favoring federal courts. A trilogy of Supreme Court …

Individualized Assessment Of Applicants With Convictions, Stacy A. Hickox

Stacy A. Hickox

Employers often rely on criminal background checks as part of the hiring process. Yet consideration of applicants’ criminal records clearly has an adverse impact on applicants of color, since a higher percentage of them have a record. This article reviews how an employer has been able to justify its consideration of criminal convictions under Title VII. In addition, state statutes that limit employers’ consideration of a criminal record provide guidance for employers who are trying to establish a business necessity for their reliance on criminal records. Typically, courts look at the nature of the crime and its relationship to the …

Laboratories Of Constitutionality: How State High Courts Paved The Way For Federal Courts To Invalidate Prohibitions On Same-Sex Marriage, Tyler T. Rosenbaum

Tyler T Rosenbaum

This article looks at the opinions of the state high courts that have adjudicated the constitutionality under their state constitutions of prohibitions on same-sex marriage and, given the extent to which the state high courts deferred to Supreme Court case law in interpreting their own constitutions, concludes that a federal court would be more likely than not to find that such prohibitions violate the United States Constitution.

With respect to a claimed substantive due process right to same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lawrence v. Texas undermined much of the precedent that would have required a careful, tradition-bound analysis. …

The Market Defense, Sharon Rabin-Margalioth

Sharon Rabin-Margalioth

This Article sheds a new light on the controversial issue whether employers should enjoy a market defense when confronted with claims of pay inequality. The conventional view that causation between group membership and adverse treatment is the essence of any discrimination claim enables employers to argue successfully that pay disparities are caused by market forces such as individual negotiation skills and not sex discrimination. The legitimization of the market defense contributes to the gender wage gap among employees performing equal work. In this Article, I argue that in most cases market justifications for pay disparity in equal pay for equal …

Intragroup Discrimination: The Case For "Race Plus", Enrique R. Schaerer

Enrique R. Schaerer

The application of Title VII is uneven. The judiciary applies it to employment discrimination across groups, intergroup discrimination, but is reluctant to do so for discrimination within groups, intragroup discrimination. Even where Title VII recognizes intragroup discrimination, it does so unevenly. A “sex plus” doctrine is used to address intragroup sex discrimination, but no corresponding “race plus” doctrine has emerged for intragroup race discrimination. This Article calls attention to issues of intragroup discrimination, and proposes “race plus” as a natural extension of “sex plus” based on the text, legislative history, and statutory purpose of Title VII. This doctrinal tool would …

Race In The War On Drugs: The Social Consequences Of Presidential Rhetoric, Jeff L. Yates, Andrew Whitford

Jeff L Yates

One of the president’s main leadership tools for influencing the direction of American legal policy is public rhetoric. Numerous studies have examined the president’s use of the “bully pulpit” to lead policy by influencing Congress or public opinion, or by changing the behavior of public agencies. We argue that the president can use rhetoric to change the behavior of public agencies and that this can have important social consequences. We focus on the disproportionate impact of presidential rhetoric on different “target populations” in the context of the War on Drugs. Specifically, we observe that presidential rhetoric had a greater impact …

Gay Equality, Religious Liberty, And The First Amendment, Matthew J. Murray

Matthew Murray

Are gay rights laws and religious liberty fundamentally in conflict? Would legal recognition of same-sex marriage lead to a wave of litigation threatening the religious liberty of those who object to such unions on religious grounds? Opponents of same-sex marriage have vocally asserted as much. This Article argues, however, that modifications in civil marriage laws in fact pose little to no threat to the liberty of religious objectors. Rather, the real arena of potential conflict between religious liberty and gay equality arises in the context of sexual orientation nondiscrimination laws. But these tensions are not new. The courts should be …

Cumulative Jurisprudence And Hate Speech: Sexual Orientation And Analogies To Disability, Age And Obesity, Eric Heinze

Prof. Eric Heinze, Queen Mary University of London

Non-discrimination norms in human rights instruments generally enumerate specified categories for protection, such as race, ethnicity, sex or religion, etc. They often omit express reference to sexual minorities.

Through open-ended interpretation, however, sexual minorities subsequently become incorporated. That ‘cumulative jurisprudence’ yields protections for sexual minorities through norms governing privacy, employment, age of consent, or freedoms of speech and association.

Hate speech bans, too, are often formulated with reference to traditionally recognised categories, particularly race and religion. It might be expected that the same cumulative jurisprudence should therefore be applied to include sexual minorities. In this article, that approach is challenged. …

The Phoenix From The Ash: Proving Discrimination By Comparators, Charles A. Sullivan

Charles A. Sullivan

Hidden beneath judicial and scholarly obsession with formal proof structures for individual disparate treatment cases is a simpler, more direct method of establishing discrimination. Taking the “disparate treatment” label seriously, I argue that “comparator” proof requires merely that the plaintiff identify a similarly situated person of another race or the opposite sex who was treated more favorably than plaintiff. Such proof is increasingly driving litigation in the lower courts, which suggests that comparators should be moved to center stage in the antidiscrimination project However, like other efforts, the comparator approach risks falling victim to the general hostility of the courts …