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Washington's 2002 Parentage Act: A Step Backward For The Rights Of Nonmarital Children, Stacey Scriven Bernstein Jan 2006

Washington's 2002 Parentage Act: A Step Backward For The Rights Of Nonmarital Children, Stacey Scriven Bernstein

Seattle University Law Review

The purpose of this Comment is to encourage the Washington legislature to amend the WPA and to suggest potential avenues for challenging the Act if it is not amended. Part II of this Comment provides the historical and legal context necessary to analyze and critique the WPA. Part III discusses the WPA's serious shortcomings and explores one potential constitutional challenge to the Act. Part IV contains recommendations for amending the WPA.


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2006

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Killing Jim Crow And The Undead Nondelegation Doctrine With Privately Enforceable Federal Regulations, Brian J. Sutherland Jan 2006

Killing Jim Crow And The Undead Nondelegation Doctrine With Privately Enforceable Federal Regulations, Brian J. Sutherland

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment has two goals. First, it seeks to contextualize, within the reality of institutional racism, the debate over the private enforceability of federal regulations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. On the one hand, the regulations promulgated pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already include many provisions which effectively confront the vestiges of racially discriminatory law and policy. The logical inference is that these perfectly proscriptive federal regulations ought to be enforceable, through private lawsuits if necessary, in order to enjoin and deter such policy and procedure. On the other hand, federal administrative agencies have …


Improving The Construction And Litigation Resolution Process: The 2005 Amendments To The Washington Condominium Act Are A Win-Win For Homeowners And Developers, Mark F. O'Donnell, David E. Chawes Jan 2006

Improving The Construction And Litigation Resolution Process: The 2005 Amendments To The Washington Condominium Act Are A Win-Win For Homeowners And Developers, Mark F. O'Donnell, David E. Chawes

Seattle University Law Review

On August 1, 2005, significant amendments to the Washington Condominium Act (WCA) became effective. These amendments were intended to substantially reduce water infiltration in multiunit residential buildings and to simplify the condominium construction dispute resolution process. The heart of the amendments is the implementation of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures, as well as fee-shiftingprovisions which require the non-prevailing party to pay the attorney fees and costs of the prevailing party. A decade of lawsuits brought under the WCA by condominium owners associations against builders and developers, and in turn by builders against subcontractors, alleging defects in the ability of the …


The Market Participant Doctrine And The Clear Statement Rule, David S. Bogen Jan 2006

The Market Participant Doctrine And The Clear Statement Rule, David S. Bogen

Seattle University Law Review

When the state acts as a market regulator, the dormant Commerce Clause invalidates discriminatory regulation without the need for an order against the state. The courts simply refuse to enforce the state law on the ground that it is unconstitutional. When the state acts as a market participant, however, the court would have to direct its order against the state or its officials to negate the discrimination. This produces a direct confrontation with the state, the same kind of confrontation the clear statement rule was designed to avoid. Part II of this article examines the theory of the dormant Commerce …


Employer Vicarious Liability For Voluntary Relationships Between Supervisors And Employees, Carrie E. Fischesser Jan 2006

Employer Vicarious Liability For Voluntary Relationships Between Supervisors And Employees, Carrie E. Fischesser

Seattle University Law Review

It is somewhat radical to suggest that an employer should not be held vicariously liable for an employee's voluntary submission to sexual advances where the alleged harasser is a supervisor, and this approach is a marked departure from existing assumptions regarding sexual harassment. Most decisions and writings on the topic have imposed--under a traditional agency theory-- vicarious liability upon the employer for the sexually harassing conduct of its supervisors.4 Specifically, courts addressing this issue have held that “[t]here is no question that a ‘tangible employment action’ occurs when a supervisor abuses his authority to act on his employer's behalf by …


Tegman V. Accident & Medical Investigations, Inc.: The Re-Modification Of Modified Joint And Several Liability By Judicial Fiat, Victor J. Torres Jan 2006

Tegman V. Accident & Medical Investigations, Inc.: The Re-Modification Of Modified Joint And Several Liability By Judicial Fiat, Victor J. Torres

Seattle University Law Review

This Note explores the Tegman decision in the context of joint and several liability between negligent and intentional actors within Washington State. Part II places Washington tort law into perspective, including the doctrine of joint and several liability, both before and after the Tort Reform Act of 1986. Part III discusses the Tegman decision, methods used in other jurisdictions for dealing with similar situations, and potential solutions to the problems posed by the Tegman holding. Finally, Part IV concludes and urges both the court to reconsider its ruling in Tegman and the legislature to clarify its intent.


Harry Potter, Ruby Slippers And Merlin: Telling The Client's Story Using The Characters And Paradigm Of The Archetypal Hero's Journey, Ruth Anne Robbins Jan 2006

Harry Potter, Ruby Slippers And Merlin: Telling The Client's Story Using The Characters And Paradigm Of The Archetypal Hero's Journey, Ruth Anne Robbins

Seattle University Law Review

This Article focuses on the relationship of mythology and folklore heroes to everyday lawyering decisions regarding case theory when the audience is a judge or panel of judges rather than a jury. This Article adds to the discourse by beginning a conversation about what might be termed “applied legal storytelling.” The term pertains to ideas of how everyday lawyers can utilize elements of mythology as a persuasive technique in stories told directly to judges--either via bench trials or via legal writing documents such as briefs--on behalf of an individual client in everyday litigation. Parts II and III of this Article …


Circular 230 Opinion Standards, Legal Ethics And First Amendment Limitations On The Regulation Of Professional Speech By Lawyers, David T. Moldenhauer Jan 2006

Circular 230 Opinion Standards, Legal Ethics And First Amendment Limitations On The Regulation Of Professional Speech By Lawyers, David T. Moldenhauer

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Article discusses the background, scope, and requirements of the Circular 230 rules. Part III discusses the ethical rules applicable to tax opinions, compares these rules to the Circular 230 opinion standards, and concludes that the Circular 230 standards impose substantially greater requirements on practitioners than, and in certain respects conflict with, the ethical rules. Part IV discusses First Amendment case law and commentary regarding professional speech, and proposes that professional speech regulations be analyzed by a model that defines permissible regulation of professional speech by reference to the role of the profession in society and accepted …


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2006

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Corporate Investigations, Attorney-Client Privilege, And Selective Waiver: Is A Half-Privilege Worth Having At All?, Colin P. Marks Jan 2006

Corporate Investigations, Attorney-Client Privilege, And Selective Waiver: Is A Half-Privilege Worth Having At All?, Colin P. Marks

Seattle University Law Review

This article will explore both the various problems that arise with a policy that essentially mandates waiver of the attorney-client privilege as well as the limited appeal of the selective waiver theory as a compromise position. It concludes that selective waiver is inadequate in addressing the many problems created by policies that coerce waiver and that a more desirable solution is to eliminate or amend the governmental policies that coerce waiver. Part II of this article explains and explores the metes and bounds of the attorney-client privilege and work-product protection. Part III explains the development of the selective waiver theory, …


Washington's New Rules Of Professional Conduct: A Balancing Act , Johanna M. Ogdon Jan 2006

Washington's New Rules Of Professional Conduct: A Balancing Act , Johanna M. Ogdon

Seattle University Law Review

Part II begins by exploring the history of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Part II then briefly turns to the origins of the modern debate over candor and confidentiality and focuses on two of the most essentially opposed and well known scholars on the issue, Judge Marvin Frankel and Professor Monroe Freedman. Part III dissects Washington's newly adopted RPC, focusing on Rules 1.6 and 3.3. Part IV suggests that although the new rules mostly balance a client's interest in confidentiality with a court's interest in candor, attorneys should be given the discretion to reveal client confidences when necessary. In conclusion, …


Founded Suspicion: The Ninth Circuit's Response To Almeida Sanchez, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2006

Founded Suspicion: The Ninth Circuit's Response To Almeida Sanchez, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Considering the difficulty of interdicting smugglers and aliens at the Mexican border, the Ninth Circuit's ready acceptance of founded suspicion to justify searches near the border is not surprising. The United States Supreme Court, however, has consistently held that the mere presence of an important governmental interest does not justify vitiating Fourth Amendment protections. The Fourth Amendment requires courts to scrutinize closely the interests of the individual prior to concluding that the interests of the government, however exigent and compelling, are paramount. This comment, after analyzing the conceptual underpinnings of automobile seizure law and "stop and frisk"--the possible grounds supporting …


The Value Of Government Tort Liability: Washington State's Journey From Immunity To Accountability, Debra L. Stephens, Bryan P. Harnetiaux Jan 2006

The Value Of Government Tort Liability: Washington State's Journey From Immunity To Accountability, Debra L. Stephens, Bryan P. Harnetiaux

Seattle University Law Review

Part I of this Article traces Washington's history with the common law doctrine of government immunity from tort liability. It also identifies other distinct common law immunities protecting executive, legislative, and judicial functions-immunities that lay dormant during the reign of sovereign immunity. Part II discusses the legislature's broad waiver of sovereign immunity in 1961 and the legislature's subsequent reaffirmation of the waiver. It also notes isolated instances in which the legislature has partially restored immunity or otherwise limited tort liability. Part III addresses the development of case law interpreting the scope of government tort liability in light of the legislative …


Restoring Property Rights In Washington: Regulatory Takings Compensation Inspired By Oregon's Measure 37, Kelly Michelle Kelley Jan 2006

Restoring Property Rights In Washington: Regulatory Takings Compensation Inspired By Oregon's Measure 37, Kelly Michelle Kelley

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment provides a background of regulatory takings jurisprudence, outlining both the U.S. Supreme Court's and Washington courts' respective analyses of regulatory takings challenges under the takings clauses of both the U.S. and Washington Constitutions. Part III discusses the threshold compensation statutes that have been enacted by four states in an effort to remedy the problem of regulatory takings. Part IV examines Oregon's Measure 37 and the lawsuit that validated its constitutionality. Part V analyzes Washington's proposed property rights measure, Initiative 933, and argues that Washington needs a regulatory takings compensation statute. Finally, Part VI concludes that …


The Rush To The Goblin Market: The Blurring Of Quill'S Two Nexus Tests, H. Beau Baez Iii Jan 2006

The Rush To The Goblin Market: The Blurring Of Quill'S Two Nexus Tests, H. Beau Baez Iii

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Article begins with a brief introduction to sales and use taxes in the United States. Although these taxes are complementary in nature, they are treated differently for constitutional purposes. This Part then examines the Due Process Clause and Commerce Clause constraints on state taxation, which are animated by very different concerns. Next, this Part explores footnote eight in Quill to dispel the notion that Quill established a facts-and-circumstances test. The section concludes by discussing the problems lower courts have had in applying the Quill nexus tests. The primary problem encountered by the lower courts, exemplified by …


Up And Down And Back Again: Troubled Childhood Childhood Notwithstanding, Washington's Stand Alone Estate Tax Deserves To Be Defended, Christine M. Mumford Jan 2006

Up And Down And Back Again: Troubled Childhood Childhood Notwithstanding, Washington's Stand Alone Estate Tax Deserves To Be Defended, Christine M. Mumford

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment evaluates the history of Washington's estate tax from the pre-2005 frozen scheme, through the Supreme Court's analysis and mandate in Estate of Hemphill v. State, and up to the legislation enacted in May 2005. Part II provides a background on EGTRRA and evaluates the extent of its changes nationwide. Part III critically reviews Washington's estate tax history, and examines both the seminal Initiative 402 and the legislative history supporting the shift away from federal conformation. Part IV analyzes how the court's 2005 ruling provided the catalyst for legislative change, and provides a summary of Hemphill and the arguments …


Naked Came I: Jurisdiction-Stripping And The Constitutionality Of House Bill 3313, Jason J. Salvo Jan 2006

Naked Came I: Jurisdiction-Stripping And The Constitutionality Of House Bill 3313, Jason J. Salvo

Seattle University Law Review

In his law review article, Professor Henry Hart responded to the questions of whether Congress had unlimited control of federal jurisdiction and whether this control was consistent with other provisions in the Constitution. Though Professor Hart's article has been widely debated, his overarching thesis is generally accepted: Congress' power to restrict Supreme Court jurisdiction is bound by the requirement that the Court's “essential functions” may not be trammeled, but Congress' power to restrict lower federal court jurisdiction is broad. This Comment will build on Professor Hart's thesis, arguing that the essential functions of the federal judiciary are broader than what …


Thou Shalt Not Zone: The Overbroad Applications And Troubling Implications Of Rluipa's Land Use Provisions, Daniel P. Lennington Jan 2006

Thou Shalt Not Zone: The Overbroad Applications And Troubling Implications Of Rluipa's Land Use Provisions, Daniel P. Lennington

Seattle University Law Review

With five years of caselaw interpreting RLUIPA and a split among the courts regarding the breadth of the statute, now is an appropriate time to examine the statute's track record and consider its future. This Article will first examine RLUIPA's background, its text, and exactly what Congress intended when it passed the statute. Next, this Article will explain how courts have split on the application of RLUIPA's land use provisions, and in some cases, made it nearly impossible to zone churches, synagogues, mosques or any other religious land uses. Finally, this Article will propose a simple solution--an amendment to RLUIPA, …


Between A Man And His God: Violating The First Amendment Through Compelled Behavior Modification, Charles Davis Jan 2006

Between A Man And His God: Violating The First Amendment Through Compelled Behavior Modification, Charles Davis

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Note discusses the facts leading up to Boone v. State and the First Amendment arguments raised by Boone. Part III offers a brief historical perspective on religion in the American legal system, emphasizing specific developments relevant to Boone's case. Part IV analyzes the court's fatally flawed analysis, and Part V addresses the ramifications of the holding and offers some suggestions.


Volume Index, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2006

Volume Index, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Denial Of Recovery To Nonresident Beneficiaries Under Washington's Wrongful Death And Survival Statutes: Is It Really Cheaper To Kill A Man Than To Maim Him?, Jonathan James Jan 2006

Denial Of Recovery To Nonresident Beneficiaries Under Washington's Wrongful Death And Survival Statutes: Is It Really Cheaper To Kill A Man Than To Maim Him?, Jonathan James

Seattle University Law Review

Although courts have expressed repugnance for discrimination against nonresidents as far back as the early 1900s and recognized that it was out of date even in their time, it is the refusal of Washington courts to question the constitutionality of such legislative enactments which has allowed this injustice to continue unabated for almost 100 years. It is time that the courts in Washington finally realize that such discriminatory legislation must succumb to the protections provided by both the United States and Washington Constitutions and find these statutes unconstitutional. To do otherwise would allow a tortfeasor an “undeserved and morbid windfall” …


Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review Jan 2006

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.


Compassion Inaction: Why President Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives Violate The Establishment Clause, Martha A. Boden Jan 2006

Compassion Inaction: Why President Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives Violate The Establishment Clause, Martha A. Boden

Seattle University Law Review

The Administration's Faith-Based Initiatives would fail a constitutional challenge under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Applying the three-pronged test developed in Lemon v. Kurtzman and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, this Comment concludes that the Initiatives, (1) though purportedly secular, have been enacted for a sectarian purpose and are not neutral toward religion; (2) are coercive and fail to fulfill the condition of private choice because the rural poor, such as those in Franklin County, Washington, whom the Initiatives target, realistically cannot choose between non-religious and sectarian service providers; and (3) to the extent that Initiative funded programs can …


Introductory Essays, Kellye Testy, Thomas J. Holdych, Robert Medved Jan 2006

Introductory Essays, Kellye Testy, Thomas J. Holdych, Robert Medved

Seattle University Law Review

Congratulations to the Law Review for its first thirty years and many thanks to each and every graduate who, during their tenure on the Law Review, made it what it is today. May your outstanding work be an inspiration for those whom follow. After all, look at what four students with typewriters and carbon paper did in 1975!


Designating The Dangerous: From Blacklists To Watch Lists, Daniel J. Steinbock Jan 2006

Designating The Dangerous: From Blacklists To Watch Lists, Daniel J. Steinbock

Seattle University Law Review

This Article aims to remedy that gap with respect to one important component of the country's current anti-terrorism strategy watch lists and to suggest some ways to avoid the worst excesses of the 1950s. A comparison of the two periods also serves to shed some light on the question of whether our institutions have learned from the experiences of the past in striking the balance between security and civil liberties. Part II of this Article gives a brief and broad-brush description of the McCarthy era blacklists and loyalty-security programs. Part III then describes the operation, bases for inclusion, and uses …


The Limitations Of Legislatively Imposed Damages Caps: Proposing A Better Way To Control The Costs Of Medical Malpractice, Nancy L. Zisk Jan 2006

The Limitations Of Legislatively Imposed Damages Caps: Proposing A Better Way To Control The Costs Of Medical Malpractice, Nancy L. Zisk

Seattle University Law Review

This Article considers whether state damages caps are constitutional and examines recent studies suggesting that damages caps are not achieving their intended goals. Given the mounting evidence against the effectiveness of damages caps and the questions about their constitutional validity, this Article proposes moving away from legislative caps on damages. Instead, this Article argues for a modified market model based on a combination of improved care, which would include improvements in service; better peer review; and, if necessary, legislation which would be designed to protect the confidentiality of peer review, reduce frivolous lawsuits, and regulate insurance rate increases. Part II …