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Series

1991

Judges

Judges

Pace University

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Law

Justice Brennan And The First Amendment Minefield: In Respectful Appreciation, Ralph Michael Stein Jan 1991

Justice Brennan And The First Amendment Minefield: In Respectful Appreciation, Ralph Michael Stein

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

It is a special privilege, and a personal joy, for me to have the opportunity to contribute a piece honoring such a revered figure. I make no claim to scholarly objectivity. My premise is simple: William J. Brennan has given us a legacy of first amendment decisions, concurrences, and dissents that reflect great honor on the jurist. My portion of this Festschrift provides selected examples of Justice Brennan's contribution, and concludes by thanking him for serving, through his opinions, as a mentor for me throughout my career as a teacher of constitutional law.


Judicial Misconduct During Jury Deliberations, Bennett L. Gershman Jan 1991

Judicial Misconduct During Jury Deliberations, Bennett L. Gershman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The author considers the two principal types of improper judicial behavior that may occur during the jury deliberation process. Judicial conduct that attempts to place undue pressure on a jury to reach a verdict may include verdict-urging instructions, threats and intimidation, and inquiry into the numerical division of the jury on the merits of the verdict. Judicial participation in private, ex parte communications with jurors may also subvert orderly trial procedure and undermine the impartiality of the jury. Neither kind of judicial conduct may be allowed to compel a verdict from a jury.


Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. - The Moral Force Of His Language, Bennett L. Gershman Jan 1991

Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. - The Moral Force Of His Language, Bennett L. Gershman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The enduring strength of Justice William J. Brennan Jr.'s constitutional vision is a tribute to his extraordinary scholarship and powerful logic. His opinions will be studied, cited, and honored for generations for their immense contribution to the constitutional protection of individual rights. But there is a further dimension to his jurisprudence that has always struck me - the moral force of his language. Justice Brennan's eloquent, passionate, and compassionate prose constantly exhorts us to a higher moral plane. To the disadvantaged, the accused, the dissident, and the condemned, Justice Brennan's words are a timeless anthem of sustenance and hope.