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2020

Brooklyn Law School

State and Local Government Law

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Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Law

Functional Statehood In Contemporary International Law, William Thomas Worster Dec 2020

Functional Statehood In Contemporary International Law, William Thomas Worster

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The international community lacks a form of territorial-based, international legal personality distinct from statehood, and yet, non-state, territorial entities of varying degrees of autonomy or independence need to function within the international community in some form. Some of these entities cannot be recognized as states because their creation violates jus cogens norms, though others are not recognized based on an assessment that they may not fully qualify as a state or that there are political reasons to refuse recognition. However, existing states still need to engage with these territorial quasi-states through the only paradigm the international community has—statehood. For example, …

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It’S 1919 Somewhere: What Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association V. Thomas Means For The National Hangover Of The Twenty-First Amendment, The Dormant Commerce Clause, And Federal Legalization Of Intoxicating Substances., Evan W. Saunders Dec 2020

It’S 1919 Somewhere: What Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association V. Thomas Means For The National Hangover Of The Twenty-First Amendment, The Dormant Commerce Clause, And Federal Legalization Of Intoxicating Substances., Evan W. Saunders

Brooklyn Law Review

The United States has a drinking problem; or rather, an alcohol problem. In the aftermath of Prohibition and the passage of the Twenty-First Amendment, the Supreme Court has struggled to settle upon an overarching regulatory system for alcohol that is amenable to both the federal government and the states. Most recently, in Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas, the Court further asserted that alcohol should be treated just like any other good under the Dormant Commerce Clause. This note examines the Court’s Twenty-First Amendment jurisprudence leading up to Tennessee Wine, and suggests an alternate interpretation of the amendment …

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Your Uber Driver Is Here, But Their Benefits Are Not: The Abc Test, Assembly Bill 5, And Regulating Gig Economy Employers, Brian A. Brown Ii Dec 2020

Your Uber Driver Is Here, But Their Benefits Are Not: The Abc Test, Assembly Bill 5, And Regulating Gig Economy Employers, Brian A. Brown Ii

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

In September 2019, California passed Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) which adopts the ABC test as the standard for determining whether an individual worker is an employee or an independent contractor. This legislation is aimed at gig economy employers, such as Uber, whose workers are arguably misclassified as independent contractors, ultimately denying them access to benefits and the ability to unionize. This Note will discuss AB 5 by identifying the successes and pitfalls of the legislation. While AB 5 is a step in the right direction, the bill still needs to be refined to avoid gaps in enforcement. Further, this …

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Cyber-Insecurity: The Reasonableness Standard In Internet Of Things Device Regulation And Why Technical Standards Are Better Equipped To Combat Cybercrime, Chynna Rose Foucek Dec 2020

Cyber-Insecurity: The Reasonableness Standard In Internet Of Things Device Regulation And Why Technical Standards Are Better Equipped To Combat Cybercrime, Chynna Rose Foucek

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

While the Internet of Things (IoT) has created an interconnected world via phones, laptops, and even household devices, it is not infallible. As cyber-attacks increase in frequency, affecting companies of all sizes and industries, IoT device manufacturers have become particularly vulnerable, due in large part to the fact that many companies fail to implement adequate cybersecurity protocols. Mass data breaches occur often. However, these companies are not held accountable due to the use of the reasonableness standard in existing cybersecurity legislation, which is flexible and malleable. In 2019, the California Legislature enacted a cybersecurity law specific to IoT device manufacturers. …

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A History Of Consumer Class Actions In State Courts, Anne Fleming Dec 2020

A History Of Consumer Class Actions In State Courts, Anne Fleming

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Most historians date the “modern” class action to the 1966 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Yet, the class action or “representative suit” has a longer, unexplored history in the state courts. In the late 1930s and 1940s, a group of scrappy, first-generation lawyers tried to build their businesses by aggregating the small-sum claims of many consumers. The defendants in these cases were, for example, lenders who failed to comply with the technicalities of state disclosure mandates, and utility companies that charged consumers extra fees. Each consumer’s claim was small, but, as a group, the claims could yield …

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Decriminalizing Prostitution: Embracing The Swedish Model By Removing The Mistake-Of-Age Defense From New York’S Stop Violence In The Sex Trade Act, Carley Cooke Dec 2020

Decriminalizing Prostitution: Embracing The Swedish Model By Removing The Mistake-Of-Age Defense From New York’S Stop Violence In The Sex Trade Act, Carley Cooke

Journal of Law and Policy

In recent years, New York has re-focused on the widely debated topic of how to best manage and regulate prostitution in the United States. As a state-level issue, the debate presents an invaluable opportunity to re-examine how New York as a society views sex work. The answer in New York focuses on the idea that sex work is real work, where workers should be able to carry out their profession without stigma or fear of arrest. As it stands, the proposed reform largely focuses on decriminalizing both the purchase and sale of sex. This approach contrasts with the legal structure …

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The People’S Business: The Case For Amending New York Civil Rights Law Section 50-A, Jeffrey T. Hazelton Jun 2020

The People’S Business: The Case For Amending New York Civil Rights Law Section 50-A, Jeffrey T. Hazelton

Brooklyn Law Review

For more than forty years, New York Civil Rights Law section 50-a has harmed New Yorkers by shielding the release of police officers’ “personnel records,” including in the aftermath of substantiated complaints of misconduct. With the aid of numerous New York Court Appeals decisions, this statute progressively transformed from a relatively nuanced protection for testifying officers during trial, to its ultimate status as an outright bar to virtually all public disclosures. In fact, the New York Court Appeals has even held that section 50-a supersedes New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), thereby prohibiting even redacted FOIL disclosures. By prioritizing …

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Prosecuting Misconduct: New York’S Creation Of A Watchdog Commission, Danielle Robinson Jun 2020

Prosecuting Misconduct: New York’S Creation Of A Watchdog Commission, Danielle Robinson

Brooklyn Law Review

Prosecutors play an integral role in America’s inherently adversarial criminal justice system and thus have a significant impact on the individual liberties of accused citizens. Therefore, they have long since been subject to continuous scrutiny by the public, which in turn leads to criticism of state legislatures for not addressing the issue. The state of New York attempted to meet this challenge of prosecutorial misconduct head-on as part of a multi-pronged criminal justice reform agenda with the creation of a first-in-the-nation commission on prosecutorial conduct (CPC). At this point in time, the CPC has been held unconstitutional. This note will …

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Limited Scope Lottery: Playing The Odds On Your Ability To Withdraw, Lianne S. Pinchuk Jun 2020

Limited Scope Lottery: Playing The Odds On Your Ability To Withdraw, Lianne S. Pinchuk

Brooklyn Law Review

Limited scope representation, also called unbundled representation, has become widespread and widely used over the past three decades. While the American Bar Association has amended its model rules to expressly permit such representation, it failed to amend its model rules governing withdrawal. Some states have been more proactive than others in confronting potential withdrawal issues in limited scope representation. Those states that have attempted to remedy the withdrawal/termination issues have created specific rules governing limited scope engagements allowing for easier withdrawal by attorneys in such matters. Neither New York nor the American Bar Association have promulgated rules (or model rules) …

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“Estonia’S Gift To The World”: The Implementation Of A Blockchain Protocol For Corporate Governance In New York, Sydney Lauren Abualy Jun 2020

“Estonia’S Gift To The World”: The Implementation Of A Blockchain Protocol For Corporate Governance In New York, Sydney Lauren Abualy

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

The traditional procedures of corporate governance are not designed to resolve issues related to close outcomes of corporate votes, empty voting practices, the proxy voting protocol, verification of shareholder identities, and access to corporate records. Blockchain technology allows all corporate shareholders to participate in corporate governance more conveniently, with increased transparency, on a secure network. Estonia sought to revolutionize corporate governance by facilitating the development of a blockchain based e-voting protocol for shareholders of companies listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange to vote in shareholder meetings. After unsuccessful attempts, New York stands well behind other states, such as Delaware, in …

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South Dakota V. Wayfair: An Ill-Conceived Blow To The Free Flow Of Interstate Commerce, Revel Shinn Atkinson Jun 2020

South Dakota V. Wayfair: An Ill-Conceived Blow To The Free Flow Of Interstate Commerce, Revel Shinn Atkinson

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

For more than a century, brick-and-mortar retailers have been losing local customers—first with the rise of mail-order houses and then more acutely with the rapid growth of online retail. As a result, states have noticed a significant loss in sales tax revenue. While an equivalent amount of tax is typically still owed to the state in the form of a use tax, which is to be remitted to the state by the customer, because these taxes are not automatically collected at the time of the sale, customers have overwhelmingly elected not to pay them. In an effort to recover this …

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Unmasking The Villain: Exposing Scammers’ Identities To Defeat Harmful Calls, Katherine Teng Jun 2020

Unmasking The Villain: Exposing Scammers’ Identities To Defeat Harmful Calls, Katherine Teng

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Since 1991, Congress has attempted to limit unwanted phone calls through legislative efforts. However, past and current laws remain ineffective as scam call complaints continue to increase while the harm of these calls remains severe. Currently, the laws affecting telecommunication regulation focus on reactive measures rather than preventative solutions. Most recently, Congress has passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, which will require telecommunication companies to implement SHAKEN/STIR technology to end scam calls before they reach consumers. While this is the most progressive legislation addressing scam calls, this Note will suggest that phone numbers be registered to …

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Saving Small Business From The Big Impact Of Data Breach: A Tiered Federal Approach To Data Protection Law, Nadia Udeshi Jun 2020

Saving Small Business From The Big Impact Of Data Breach: A Tiered Federal Approach To Data Protection Law, Nadia Udeshi

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Small businesses provide a significant positive impact on the American economy. However, the current fragmented federal and state data protection and breach notification legal scheme puts the viability of small businesses at risk. While the probability of data breaches occurring continues to increase, small businesses lack the financial and technological resources to contend with the various state and federal laws that impose different monetary penalties and remedial requirements in the event of such breaches. To preserve the viability of small businesses, Congress should enact a centralized, multi-tiered federal data protection and breach notification framework that preempts state laws, imposes minimum …

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Living Landmarks: Equipping Landmark Protection For Today’S Challenges, Kyle Campion May 2020

Living Landmarks: Equipping Landmark Protection For Today’S Challenges, Kyle Campion

Journal of Law and Policy

The past few decades have brought tremendous change to New York City as gentrification continues its march through many of the city’s neighborhoods. This change has transformed formerly neglected neighborhoods into highly desired locations. While these changes have introduced potential benefits to the transformed areas, they have also put immense economic pressure on important local establishments, such as diners, bars, and other informal gathering spaces that played an important role in their communities before the neighborhoods became “hot.” Increasingly, this pressure has resulted in the shuttering of many such local establishments. Their disappearance represents not only a loss of an …

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The Legal History Of State Legislative Vacancies And Temporary Appointments, Tyler Yeargain May 2020

The Legal History Of State Legislative Vacancies And Temporary Appointments, Tyler Yeargain

Journal of Law and Policy

We love paying attention to special elections. They operate as catharsis for opposition parties and activists, easily serve as proxies for how well the governing party is doing, and are ripe for over-extrapolation by prognosticators. But in thirty states and territories throughout the United States, state legislative vacancies are filled by a combination of special elections and temporary appointments. These appointment systems are rarely studied or discussed in academic literature but have a fascinating legal history that dates back to pre-Revolutionary America. They have substantially changed in the last four centuries, transitioning from a system that, like the Electoral College, …

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