Law Commons^™

Families Redefined: Kinship Groups That Deserve Benefits, Jane E. Cross, Nan Palmer, Charlene L. Smith

Faculty Scholarship

In Families Redefined: Kinship Groups that Deserve Benefits, the authors examine 1) the nature of kinship families, 2) the benefits accorded to married couples, 3) kinship families that lack protection and benefits, 4) the impact of denying kinship families protection and benefits, 5) the use of contract law in kinship relationships, and 6) using legislation to benefit kinship relationships.

This exploration of expanding family law protections to kinship groups addresses a series of interrelated topics. The first two sections of the article explore the characteristics and creation of kinship families in different societies. The third section addresses the legal …

Financial Market Failure As A Crisis In The Rule Of Law: From Market Fundamentalism To A New Keynesian Regulatory Model, Timothy A. Canova

Faculty Scholarship

This article considers the financial panic of 2008 in historical context by analyzing the institutional and regulatory factors that contributed to the financial and economic crisis. The move away from a Keynesian regulatory model was a function of larger institutional flaws. The Keynesian regime of command-and-control regulation focused on macroeconomic policy objectives designed to achieve full employment, more equitable distributions of wealth and income, greater transparency in the regulatory process, and reduction in monopoly exploitation of consumers. Central to this regime was a model of central banking that required greater accountability to elected branches of government and the use of …

In Memory Of Melissa Britt Lewis, Heather P. Baxter

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Iraq War And International Law, Maxwell O. Chibundu

Faculty Scholarship

A review of The Iraq War and International Law edited by Phil Shiner and Andrew Williams. Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2008.

States Of Resistance: The Real Id Act And The Limits Of Federal Deputization Of State Agencies In The Regulation Of Non-Citizens, Shirley Lin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Celebrating Critical Race Theory At 20, Angela Onwuachi-Willig

Faculty Scholarship

The year 2009 marks the twentieth anniversary of the first Critical Race Theory (CRT) workshop. On July 8, 1989, more than twenty scholars "who were interested in defining and elaborating on the lived reality of race, and who were open to the aspiration of developing theory" gathered together at a workshop in Madison, Wisconsin. 1 The 1989 workshop, which was spearheaded by Kimberle Crenshaw and organized by her, Neil Gotanda, and Stephanie Phillips, also included as its participants Anita Allen, Taunya Banks, Derrick Bell, Kevin Brown, Paulette Caldwell, John Calmore, Harlon Dalton, Richard Delgado, Linda Greene, Trina Grillo, Isabelle Gunning, …

Conflict Of Laws (2009), Stephanie K. Marshall, Wm Frank Carroll, James P. George

Faculty Scholarship

States' and nations' laws collide when foreign factors appear in a lawsuit. Nonresident litigants, incidents outside the forum, parallel lawsuits, and judgments from other jurisdictions can create problems with personal jurisdiction, choice of law, and the recognition of foreign judgments. This article reviews Texas conflicts cases from Texas state and federal courts during the Survey period from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. The article excludes cases involving federal-state conflicts, intrastate issues such as subject matter jurisdiction and venue, and conflicts in time, such as the applicability of prior or subsequent law within a state. State and federal cases …

No Strict Evidence Rules In Labor And Employment Arbitration, Michael Z. Green

Faculty Scholarship

Since arbitrators are not bound by the strict rules of evidence applicable in court, there originally developed a practice of admitting hearsay 'for what it is worth.' As various texts and many arbitrators have stated, 'Rarely do the parties know what it is worth, at least not at the hearing.' I would add, nor in the preparation of their briefs. As far back as 1967 a prominent group of arbitrators concluded: 'Unless corroborated by truth-tending circumstances in the environment in which it is uttered, it (hearsay) is unreliable evidence and should be received with mounting skepticism of its probative value …

A Medical/Legal Teaching And Assessment Collaboration On Domestic Violence: Assessment Using Standardized Patients/Standardized Clients, Antoinette M. Sedillo Lopez, Cameron Crandall, Steve Mclaughlin, Diane Rimple, Mary Neidhart, Teresita Mccarty, Lou Clark, Carrie Martell, Gabriel Campos

Faculty Scholarship

Assessment of skills is an important, emerging topic in law school education. Two recent and influential books, Educating Lawyers published by the Carnegie Foundation and Best Practices in Legal Education, published by the Clinical Legal Education Association have both suggested dramatic reform of legal education. Among other reforms, these studies urge law schools to use outcome-based' assessments, i.e., using learning objectives and assessing knowledge and skills in standardized situations based on specific criteria, rather than simply comparing students' performances to each other.

Cause And Effect: The Origins And Impact Of Justice William O. Douglas’ Anti-Military Ideology From World War Ii To O’Callahan V. Parker, Joshua E. Kastenberg

Faculty Scholarship

The intention underlying this Article is to analyze the sources and effects of Douglas's antipathy for the military's legal construct, especially the practice of trial by courts-martial. Douglas did have an effect on the evolution of the military's legal construct, and he almost succeeded in narrowing the military's jurisdiction over its servicemen to a narrow fraction of what its jurisdictional reach is today. Along with Justices Hugo Black, Earl Warren, Felix Frankfurter, William Brennan, and shorter-tenured justices, he succeeded in judicially mandating due-process rights for servicemen accused of offenses.8 However, in his ultimate goal, the extent to which he succeeded …

Non-Intervention And Neutrality In Cyberspace: An Emerging Principle In The National Practice Of International Law, Joshua E. Kastenberg

Faculty Scholarship

The enforcement of neutrality in cyberspace has not yet occurred, and there appears to be no policy for enforcement. This article suggests a rubric using existing laws for exerting executive authority. Section I of this article discusses the emergence of conflict in cyberspace. This article focuses on the executive branch's authority to enforce neutrality in cyberspace. Section II provides a basic rubric of neutrality rules as applied to conflict in cyberspace. Section III analyzes the most recent cyberconflict, the Georgian-Russian War of 2008, and the potential consequences the United States risked because it lacked a cyber neutral position. Finally, the …

When Something Is Not Quite Right: Considerations For Advising A Client To Seek Mental Health Treatment, Carol M. Suzuki

Faculty Scholarship

This Article explores rules of professional responsibility, theory, and reasoning processes related to advising clients to seek mental health treatment. Furthermore, this Article looks at cultural and financial aspects of treatment, and concludes with recommendations on how a lawyer should counsel her client once she determines that mental health treatment is appropriate. Part I discusses humanitarian reasons that support a lawyer's decision to advise her client to seek mental health treatment. Part II of this Article discusses rules of professional conduct relevant to advising a client to seek mental health treatment. Part III sets out a framework for considering how …

Demand-Side Gatekeepers In The Market For Home Loans, Edward J. Janger, Susan Block-Lieb

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Instream Flows And The Public Trust, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

Empirical evidence suggests that diversion of instream flows for human use, coupled with the potential impacts of changing climatic conditions, is threatening the sustainability of aquatic life. Nonetheless, several states merely prevent stream flows from being reduced below the "7Q10 flow," or the average flow during the driest consecutive seven-day period that has a likelihood of recurring only once every ten years. Overwhelming scientific consensus suggests that 7Q10 merely preserves water quality standards by calculating the concentration of pollutants in point source discharges, without considering water quantity and numerous other core principles of instream management.

The protection of instream flows …

The U.S. Move To International Accounting Standards - A Matter Of Cultural Discord - How Do We Reconcile, Neal F. Newman

Faculty Scholarship

What exists presently is a worldwide accounting structure consisting of two major regimes. U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("U.S. GAAP" or "GAAP") governs companies formed and operating inside the United States. All publicly held companies registered with the SEC must prepare and present their financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The other major accounting regime is International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). To date, over 100 countries have adopted and now use some form of IFRS.

It is inefficient for two major accounting standards to govern provinces around the world. Currently, U.S. issuers operate under one set of accounting standards, …

What's It All About? Finding The Appropriate Problem Definition In Mediation, Leonard L. Riskin, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

In this article, we propose four mechanisms to enable mediation participants to explore problems broadly and then to decide what problem definition is most appropriate for the mediation of their case:

• A three-step systematic method for determining the problem to be addressed;
• Two variations of a rule that could be adopted by courts (and private providers) that would require lawyers or mediators to implement this systematic way of working with problem definition; and
• A new rule under which a court (or private) mediation program would offer to customize any mediation in order to seek the most appropriate problem definition

We …

Over Under Or Through: Physicians, Law, And Health Care Reform, William M. Sage

Faculty Scholarship

My purpose in this commentary is twofold. First, I want to offer a few thoughts on why the American medical profession sometimes has a hard time accepting law on its own terms. Second, I want to suggest that even “good law” from the perspective of the medical profession—should it overcome its habits of resistance—may still be bad health policy for the United States.

Review Of Outlawed Pigs: Law, Religion, And Culture In Israel, Pnina Lahav

Faculty Scholarship

In "Safe Treyf' (http://soc.qc.cuny.edu/Staff/levine/SAFE-TREYF.pdf), Gaye Tuchman and Harry G. Levine explain how Chinese Food helped New York Jews overcome the Jewish Taboo on eating pork. Chinese Food "disguises the tabooed ingredients by cutting, chopping, and mincing them.... [It] could be adopted by rebellious Jews because the forbidden substances were so disguised that dishes did not reflexively repulse and so undermine their ability to rebel." Daphne Barak-Erez, a professor at the faculty of law at Tel Aviv University, has written a fine book in which she looks at the history of the pork taboo-but from the perspective of Israeli Jews.

This …

Pandemic Preparedness: A Return To The Rule Of Law, Wendy K. Mariner, George J. Annas, Wendy E. Parmet

Faculty Scholarship

Current discussions of pandemic influenza and emergency preparedness would do well to heed the lessons of US Airways flight 1549, which landed in the Hudson River in January 2009. This article examines what past emergencies teach us about how to prevent or control epidemics and argues that it is time for a return to the rule of law in pandemic preparedness. The most important resource in emergency preparedness is a healthy, resilient population, which depends importantly on sustainable systems of medical care and public health. Preparedness thus requires more money than law. After September 11, 2001, however, federal emergency preparedness …

A Quality Life, Frances H. Miller

Faculty Scholarship

DEDICATION OF ISSUE TO ALLAN MACURDY

Allan Macurdy passed away June 23, 2008. Mr. Macurdy was a visiting associate professor at the Boston University School of Law and the director of Boston University’s Office of Disability Services. Mr. Macurdy was also a graduate of the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences (’84) and the School of Law (’86).

The following three pieces are memories of Mr. Macurdy by Professor Frances Miller, Professor Larry Yackle and William S. Richardson School of Law Dean Aviam Soifer. The tragedy of Mr. Macurdy’s passing, a noted disability rights advocate, was only underscored by …

Managing Agricultural Water Use During Drought: An Analysis Of Contemporary Policies Governing Georgia's Flint River Basin, Mark Masters, Ronald Cummings, Brigham Daniels, Kristen Rowles, Douglas Wilson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Corruption In Our Courts: What It Looks Like And Where It Is Hidden, Stratos Pahis

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Dairies In New Mexico: The Environmental Implications Of A New Industry, Denise D. Fort, Anthony Edwards

Faculty Scholarship

The dairy industry, at first blush, might seem to be an odd growth industry for New Mexico, but the last decade has seen an extraordinary expansion of the industry in the state. The presence of the industry has consequences for the state in several domains, including water quantity and water quality, as well as economics, animal welfare and state finances. This article is an attempt to characterize these implications for water policy and to solicit insights from those who are familiar with the industry.

Patents And Growth: Empirical Evidence From The States, Glynn S. Lunney Jr

Faculty Scholarship

In the Uruguay Round, negotiators for the United States persuaded its trading partners to incorporate uniform minimum standards for the protection of intellectual property rights ("IPRs") directly into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Although individual countries may adopt higher standards for protection, the agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ("TRIPs") imposed on all countries the fairly high standards of protection then existing in only a relative handful of countries. Proponents of TRIPs argue that the agreement is trade-related and will prove to mutually enhance the welfare of countries that are net exporters of IPR goods, …

Creating A Paternalistic Market For Legal Rules Affecting The Benefit Promise, Brendan S. Maher

Faculty Scholarship

Notwithstanding the fact that ERISA was enacted to protect employee benefits, courts have narrowly construed the relief available when benefits are denied, out of concern that a stronger remedy would be too costly for the system to bear. Judges, I argue, are ill-equipped to make this policy judgment. Instead, a regulated, subsidized, paternalistic market should be created to permit the benefit players themselves to choose and price the strength of the remedy they desire. This is a superior means to reach the right level of remedial strength for the most players. To protect against undesirably weak remedial options being selected, …

Evaluating The Economic Performance Of Property Systems, James Bessen

Faculty Scholarship

How should the economic performance of property systems be evaluated? Benefit-cost analysis is widely used to evaluate non-market based regulation when prices are not available. Market prices provide better information for property systems, but market prices are not necessarily socially optimal when property rights are imperfect. This paper discusses two practical approaches to evaluating the performance of property systems, one based on an analysis of institutional performance, the other based on measuring incentives. As an illustration, I show how these approaches might be used to evaluate the US patent system.

Massachusetts Zappers - Collecting The Sales Tax That Has Already Been Paid, Richard Thompson Ainsworth

Faculty Scholarship

No other New England state is as vulnerable to Zappers as is the State of Massachusetts. Zappers and related software programming, Phantom-ware, facilitate an old tax fraud – skimming cash receipts. In this instance skimming is performed with modern electronic cash registers (ECRs).

Zappers are a global revenue problem, but to the best of this author’s knowledge they have not been uncovered in Massachusetts. A global perspective says: it is highly unlikely that Zappers are not in the Commonwealth – we just need to find them. In fact, using a Quebec template, tax losses from Zappers and related frauds in …

Dirty Business: Legal Prophylaxis For Nosocomial Infections, Robert E. Steinbuch

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Commencement Address, Cuny School Of Law, Margaret E. Montoya

Faculty Scholarship

Who we are, how we see ourselves, how we want to be seen, what we value, how our memories connect us to specific histories in specific places — we communicate this information best through narratives. In Spanish we sometimes call such stories cuentos — an accounting. I encourage all of you to take time over the next few days to celebrate your graduation, this singular accomplishment of your lives, by accounting — by telling stories to those who have helped you, held you up, fed you, wiped your tears, paid your bills. Share your recollections.

Online Communication Technology And Relational Development, Anita D. Bhappu, Noam Ebner, Sanda Kaufman, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

Key to success in negotiation is managing and enhancing relationships. This concept can be difficult to convey in short-term executive training courses where students have little time for relational development. Not to worry: the authors assert that by strategically using online communication before, during, and after such courses, students can effectively both train for, and depend on, good relations at a distance.