Law Commons^™

University Of Baltimore Law Forum Volume 45 Number 2 (Spring 2015) Front Matter

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

The Duty To Preserve Esi (Its Trigger, Scope, And Limit) & The Spoliation Doctrine In Maryland State Courts, Michael D. Berman

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Recent Development: State V. Johnson: To Warrant An In Camera Review Of A Victim’S Mental Health Records, A Defendant Must Offer A Factual Predicate To Show A Reasonable Likelihood That The Records Contain Exculpatory Information, April L. Inskeep

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Recent Development: State V. Payne: Police Officer Needed To Be Qualified As An Expert Witness To Testify As To The Function Of Cell Phone Towers; Co=Defendants Are Not A Party Opponents For Hearsay Purposes, Allison Terry

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Comment: In The Street Tonight: An Equal Protection Analysis Of Baltimore City's Juvenile Curfew, Andrew Middleman

University of Baltimore Law Forum

The sun is setting on a late-August evening in Baltimore. Children are playing in the gym at an elementary school in Berea, a small neighborhood in East Baltimore. Ulysses Cofield is watching the clock. Cofield keeps the Fort Worth Elementary School gym open late so the neighborhood kids have a place to blow off steam at the end of the day. At 8:30 p.m., he tells a pair of ten-year-olds they must leave so they can be home within the next thirty minutes. Cofield closes the gym for the evening, then scans the block for lingering children; he wants to …

Recent Development: Garner V. State: The Unit Of Prosecution For Use Of A Handgun In The Commission Of A Crime Of Violence Is The Crime Of Violence, Not The Victim Or Criminal Transaction; The Evidence Corroborated Two Separate Handgun Convictions; And The Trial Court's One-Year Sentence For The Second Use Of A Handgun Conviction Was Illegal, Ashlyn J. Campos

University of Baltimore Law Forum

The Court of Appeals of Maryland held that the unit of prosecution for Section 4-204 of the Maryland Code, Criminal Law Article (“section 4-204”) is the individual crime of violence, not the victim or criminal transaction. Garner v. State, 442 Md. 226, 230, 112 A.3d 392, 394 (2015). The court of appeals further held that separate handgun convictions are permitted when evidence supports multiple crimes or felonies. Id. at 244, 112 A.3d at 402. Finally, the court held that a trial court does not possess the discretion to impose a sentence less than the mandatory five year minimum prescribed by …

Land-Value Taxation As A Method Of Encouraging Growth In Baltimore, Michael Safko

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

The events that occurred last May have left many residents of Baltimore wondering what can be done to rebuild their city better than it was before.1 One particular suggestion is the elimination of all current property taxes along with the implementation of a land-value tax (LVT).2 An LVT would tax property owners based on the unimproved land they own, rather than on the improvements and structures that have been built on the land.3 The argument follows that this method of taxation would incentivize property owners to develop their land, rather than leave it undeveloped so they can pay less in …

Emerging Issues: The Case Of Maria Teresa Rivera: The Fight For Reproductive Rights In El Salvador, Carisa Hatfield

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

In 2011, Maria Teresa Rivera, then a 27-year-old garment factory worker and single mother of a five-year-old son, was working an afternoon shift when she started bleeding. She left work for home and was found later passed out in the bathroom by her mother who took her to the hospital. There she learned she had suffered a miscarriage from a pregnancy that she did not know about, but instead of being treated and released, the hospital reported Maria to the police for aborting her unborn child. She was handcuffed to her hospital bed while seven police officers surrounded and questioned …

University Of Baltimore Journal Of International Law Volume 3 No. 2 (2014-2015) Front Matter

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Cesare Beccaria, John Bessler And The Birth Of Modern Criminal Law, Alberto Cadoppi

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

Professor Bessler’s The Birth of American Law offers a contribution to the research on Cesare Beccaria of extraordinary value for legal historians and for legal scholars in general. Not only is the book extremely fascinating, but it gives us an enormous mass of information about the “celebrated Marquis” and his influence on the developments of the law and the legal jurisprudence in Europe and outside Europe over the last 250 years. Here follows a brief summary of Professor Bessler’s book

Legal Reform And The Chongquing Effect: Two Steps Forward One Step Back?, Veronica Pastor

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

For those steeped in the Western legal tradition, the Chinese political and legal system is, in the famous words of Winston Churchill, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.1 Of course, Churchill was describing the potential actions of Russia, not China.2 But, to continue borrowing from Churchill, perhaps there is a key – Chinese national interest and the interest of the Chinese Communist Party.3 This research explores the interaction between political, economic, and legal reform, and posits that the Chongqing incident4 was ultimately a positive turning point in the country’s institutional development. The theory presented herein is that …

Student Comment: Exchange Cooperation For Visas: Flaws In U.S. Immigration System Criminalizes Trafficking Victims, Laurie Culkin

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

This student comment explores the Palermo Protocol to the United Nation’s Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, and the United State’s response, the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act (TVPA). Under the TVPA, the U.S. made a temporary, nonimmigrant visa, the T-Visa, available to trafficking victims illegally located in the U.S., provided that the victim cooperates with law enforcement to prosecute their trafficker. Though at first blush the TVisa seems like a valuable resource to victims who would otherwise find no immigration relief for violations of criminal and immigration law as a result of their victimization, but in practice the flawed process to …

The Map Is Not The Territory: How South Africa Followed The Anti-Corruption Roadmap And Got Lost Along The Way, George Langendorf

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

This paper charts the development of the anti-corruption roadmap and considers whether it has been effective in South Africa. Part I begins with an overview of the FCPA, the first and most influential anticorruption law. Part II reviews the multilateral treaties and conventions that proliferated in the 1990s and early 2000s and that outline the contemporary anticorruption roadmap. Part III focuses on the efforts of South Africa to follow the roadmap, and reviews the laws and institutions it established after acceding to the instruments and treaties described in Part II. Part IV looks at what happened next, summarizing four major …

University Of Baltimore Journal Of International Law Volume 4 No. 1 (2015-2016) Front Matter

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Emerging Issues: To Be Or Not To Be, That Is The Statehood Question, Alexandra Rickart

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States lists the four necessary qualifications in order to become a recognized state: a) permanent population; b) defined territory; c) government; and d) capacity to enter into relations with other States.1 However, how does a territory become its own state or part of a new state if it is already a section of another state? There are two different ways this can happen: secession and annexation. While both of these processes are recognized as ways to attain statehood in international law, they are not generally accepted as viable options except in …

Recent Development: Allen V. State: Dna Evidence Of A Third Party Found At A Crime Scene Must Be Confirmed By Additional Testing To Permit Admission At Trial; Extra Testing Requirement Does Not Violate The Sixth Amendment, George Makris

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Comment: Retroactivity And The Future Of Sex Offender Registration In Maryland, Timothy J. Gilbert

University of Baltimore Law Forum

Maryland’s statutory sex offender registration scheme requires certain convicted sex offenders residing in Maryland to register with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (the Department), or to register with another law enforcement or correctional entity for certain lengths of time depending on the offense(s) for which they were convicted. Among them are potentially “thousands of Maryland sex offenders” who have been required to register for offenses committed before the enactment of Maryland’s registration scheme. Retroactive application of sex offender registration schemes like Maryland’s, under the direction of the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), has prompted …

Recent Development: Brooks V. State: Extrinsic Evidence Of A Prior Inconsistent Oral Statement Must Be Verbatim Unless Previously Adopted Or Ratified By The Declarant; A Witness’ Statement Suggesting Evidence Corroborated A Complainant’S Story May Be Harmless Error If Not Intended To Imply Truthfulness; Separate Charges Must Be Merged For Sentencing If Not Unambiguously Based On Different Acts, Stephanie Lurz

University of Baltimore Law Forum

No abstract provided.

Returning Citizens: How Shifting Law And Policy In Maryland Will Help Citizens Who Return From Incarceration, Khyla D. Craine, Esq., Glenn E. Martin

University of Baltimore Law Forum

In America, the concept of “time served” is a misnomer, as the shackles of a lifetime of collateral consequences make a criminal record a scathing obstacle for over 100 million Americans. Each year, more than 650,000 people are expected to reintegrate into our communities, often with substance abuse and mental health issues, minimal education, no job to sustain a life, and no stable home awaiting them.

While these numbers are staggering on their own, they do not reflect the even larger number of people who cycle through the court system and jails. For example, some take pleas for a lesser …

University Of Baltimore Journal Of Land And Development Volume 4 Number 2 (Spring 2015) Front Matter

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

No abstract provided.

University Of Baltimore Journal Of Land And Development Volume 5 Number 1 (Fall 2015) Front Matter

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

No abstract provided.

Comments: Private Investment: Trojan-Horse Or Shining Knight For America's Public Housing Stock, Andrew Balashov

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

The numbers are staggering. The nation's largest public housing authorities ("HA's") are in a state of crisis as a result of massive budget shortfalls. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates it would take roughly $26 billion to remedy the problem. To put this in perspective, in 2014 the New York City Public Housing Authority had a $77 million deficit and $18 billion worth of "unfunded capital improvements," - a euphemism for basic upgrades to building systems such as water, heat, air conditioning, and elevators. At present, many of these systems are woefully below acceptable livability standards. This …

Edited Transcript Of Symposium On Public-Private Partnerships, "Public-Private Partnerships: A Vehicle For Economic Development And Promotion Of The Rule Of Law"

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

Speakers:

Scott Walchak
Preston Bryant
Martin Jacobson
Shyamala Shukla
Patrick Decorla-Souza
Jodie Misiak
John Smolen

The University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development hosted a symposium on Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) and their impact on economic development and the rule of law. The main topics of the symposium were what is a P3, the key elements of P3 legislation both internationally and nationally, the historical development of P3s, and with the foregoing in mind what is the role for attorneys during the lifecycle of any P3? The following is an edited transcript of symposium and the discussion that followed.

Comments: Hydraulic Fracturing: Evaluating Fracking Regulations, Blake Lara

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

The demand for nonrenewable energy resources has increased in nations around the world despite the reality that these remaining resources are both scarce, and increasingly difficult to acquire. In 2010 Earth's reserves held the equivalent of approximately 406 billion tons of natural gas and oi1. However, at yearly consumption rates, this amount would only serve the planet's energy needs for about fifty years. The rapid elimination of conventional sources for oil and gas has led to the utilization of alternative methods to access sources that were previously not worth drilling. In the United States, for example, there are several types …

Community Development Vs. Economic Development: Residential Segregation, Tax Credits, And The Lack Of Economic Development In Baltimore's Black Neighborhoods, Jennifer Nwachukwu

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

In 1967, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders penned one of the most famous statements about race in America: “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white— separate and unequal.”2 For the city of Baltimore, MD, that statement rings true even in 2013. Outsiders think of Baltimore through the lens of HBO’s The Wire. Those who are from Baltimore or live in the city likely would say that driving through Baltimore is like driving through two different cities—nice areas with shops, restaurants, and beautiful architecture; and “not so nice” areas with blocks of dilapidated buildings and …

The Failure Of Environmental International Law During Times Of War, Blake Lara

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

Throughout history, war and armed conflict have maintained a continuous presence around the world. Though the reasons for war change, various nations emerge and subside, and populations alter, one of the constant elements of war is its degrading effect on the environment. In addition to indirect effects on the environment that ultimately result from war, nations have used the environment as both a weapon and target of war. For example, during the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans salted Athenian lands to make them infertile. In the Franco-Dutch War from 1672 to 1678, dikes and damns were destroyed in order to create …

Overcoming Land Use Localism: How Hud's New Fair Housing Regulation Can Push States To Eradicate Exclusionary Zoning, Thomas Silverstein

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and various housing and community development stakeholders have grappled with the question of what it means to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). In some respects, HUD’s publication of a final AFFH rule on July 16, 2015 was the culmination of that process, 2 but the rule did not resolve all outstanding questions. In particular, the one point that has been reiterated by a range of groups with often competing interests is that no one is entirely clear how the framework that HUD has developed will work for states.3 To …

A Controversy Fueled By Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (Mtbe), Anthony Cognetti

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

Over the past few decades, Maryland has been faced with a controversial issue pertaining to methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) groundwater contamination.1 In 1979, MTBE was added to gasoline in an attempt to reduce smog-producing air pollutants.2 While its chemical properties have been scientifically proven to reduce air pollutants, this “environmentally friendly” chemical eventually became a topic of great debate as MTBE was leaking through underground storage tanks and contaminating groundwater sources.3 Many states thereafter filed lawsuits against gasoline refining companies for their role in adding MTBE, and most of them have received remarkably high settlements in return.4 The State …

Here To Stay Or A Flash In The Pan? How Zoning And Property Laws May Affect Airbnb In Baltimore And The Nation, Michael Schultes

University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development

The advent of the Internet, smartphones, and social media has shrunk the world to the point where a person in Baltimore can connect with someone in Botswana with only the click of a finger. Whether it be a social media post or business e-mail, eight thousand miles can feel more like eight feet with how quickly we can connect and converse with people around the globe. The use of these information technology tools and inventions to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data has transformed the way we learn, the way we communicate, and the way we do business. This newfound …

Hospital Breastfeeding Laws In The U.S.: Paternalism Or Empowerment?, Jennifer Bernstein, Lainie Rutkow

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.