Law Commons^™

Indecisive Reasons For Decision, Eric J. Miller

Eric J. Miller

This paper provides a radical, new critique of Ronald Dworkin’s theory of law and politics. Dworkin's theory of law as integrity purports to show how judges can avoid indecision when deciding cases and select one right answer to every legal problem. The integrity thesis must avoid two sources of indecision. Competing justifications could be equally good or incommensurably good: in either case, there will be multiple answers to the legal problem, so no unique right answer. Dworkin’s solution is to say that, in either case, the judge can just choose. Having chosen, the judge is supposed to stand by his …

Jury Continuum, Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Bethel G.A Erastus-Obilo

Jury deliberations – how do reasoning skills interplay with decision-making?We may well wonder how the Casey Anthony jury reached its verdict in spite of what many of us thought was a raft of compelling evidence for conviction. In order to understand some of the nuances at play, it is important to understand some of the issues that confront a jury and how the criminal justice system ensures or attempts to ensure a fair outcome in our trial by jury system. At the risk of stating the obvious, one of the most enduring features of our criminal justice system is the …

Caperton, Due Process, And Judicial Duty: Recusal Oversight In Patrons’ Cases, Steve Sheppard

Steve Sheppard

In celebration of the life of Judge William E. Enfield, this article discusses the necessity of granting all litigants the right to fair trials with impartial judges. Judges should recuse themselves from cases that involve conflicts of interest, which may result in partiality from the bench. However, judges do not always opt for recusal, even when their impartiality is in question. In Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., 556 U.S. 868 (2009), the Court evaluated West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin’s decision not to disqualify himself from a case involving a litigant who made large contributions to his election …

The Blue Wall Of Silence Strengthened & Distrust By Minorities Of The Police Emboldened By A Judge’S Ruling (Officer Ardelean And The Deaths Of Mr. Flores & Mr. Luganas), Christopher C. Cooper Dr.

Christopher C. Cooper Dr.

On June 4, 2010, when Chicago Police Officer John Ardelean walked out of a Chicago courthouse a free man, in the face of evidence that he was drunk when he crashed his SUV and caused the deaths of two Mexican-American men, it became clear that more than 39 years Post Serpico police reform in the United States was undone in one morning court hearing. For obvious reasons, Ardelean’s case has garnered national attention because of the judge’s comments and ruling. In particular, the judge’s disturbingly harsh criticism of the police lieutenant who ordered Officer Ardelean arrested for drunk driving. Public …

The Independence Of The Domestic Judiciary In International Law, André Nollkaemper

André Nollkaemper

No abstract provided.

The Metamorphoses Of Reasonable Doubt: How Changes In The Burden Of Proof Have Weakened The Presumption Of Innocence, Steve Sheppard

Steve Sheppard

The standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is commonly thought to be an important benefit to the accused. The history of the standard is much more complex and demonstrates lesser commitments to the truth and to the defendant.

This article develops the history of the reasonable doubt instruction in the United States and its English antecedents. Examining the development of the instruction in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and its evolution through the nineteenth and twentieth, this history reveals the dual nature of the instruction. It both encapsulated a theory of knowledge and articulated a level of confidence in …