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Full-Text Articles in Law
Gallenthin V. Kaur: A Comparative Analysis Of How The New Jersey And New York Courts Approach Judicial Review Of The Exercise Of Eminent Domain For Redevelopment, Ronald K. Chen
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article explores two explanations for why New Jersey and New York take different approaches to judicial review of exercises of eminent domain. Part I examines the approach of both states and their differing procedures for review of administrative agency determinations. Part II discusses how each states' courts and legislatures define "blight." Part III examines how New York's approach leaves municipal officials and redevelopers free to use the more flexible concept of "underutilization" as a proxy for "blight."
Austria's Pre-War Brown V. Board Of Education, Maria L. Marcus
Austria's Pre-War Brown V. Board Of Education, Maria L. Marcus
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article discusses the Austrian Constitutional Court's 1931 decision in which it held that the University of Vienna's regulations dividing students into ethnically based groups was unconstitutional. The article compares the similarities and differences between this case and later critical American equal opportunity cases including Brown v. Board of Education and suggests that an understanding of the current racial challenges is most effective by examining both global and American perspectives. This article explores the balance between maintaining universities autonomy and ensuring that racism does not foster in an institution free from judicial intervention. In discussing two cases, this article points …
Reflections Upon Judicial Independence As We Approach The Bicentennial Of Marbury V. Madison: Safeguarding The Constitution's "Crown Jewel", Honorable Gerald E. Rosen, Kyle W. Harding
Reflections Upon Judicial Independence As We Approach The Bicentennial Of Marbury V. Madison: Safeguarding The Constitution's "Crown Jewel", Honorable Gerald E. Rosen, Kyle W. Harding
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article traces the history of judicial independence from the drafting of the Constitution and the Supreme Court's articulation of judicial review in Marbury v. Madison. It addresses the obstacles encountered during the ratification process and the reaction to the Marbury decision. The Article then summarizes the continued challenges to judicial independence, from President Roosevelt's "court-packing" plan to characterizations of judicial activism in Lochner v. New York. The Article concludes by warning that judges must remain vigilant against the impact of the highly partisan political process and the advent of powerful special interest groups.
September 11, 2001: The Constitution During Crisis: A New Perspective, Lori Sachs
September 11, 2001: The Constitution During Crisis: A New Perspective, Lori Sachs
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Comment examines how the United States should react to the threat of domestic terrorism while maintaining citizens' civil liberties in the wake of the events on September 11, 2001. The Comment first compares and contrasts three classic theories of democracy: constitutional democracy, representative democracy and deliberative democracy. It next describes how representative and constitutional democracy were applied during the Japanese internment during World War II. Part III compares the Japanese internment to the challenges after the September 11 attacks and analyzes the roles different branches should have in protecting civil liberties. Finally, the Comment recommends applying a theory of …
Trying To Fit An Oval Shaped Island Into A Square Constitution: Arguments For Puerto Rican Statehood, Jose D. Roman
Trying To Fit An Oval Shaped Island Into A Square Constitution: Arguments For Puerto Rican Statehood, Jose D. Roman
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Comment focuses on the limits placed on Puerto Rico under the United States Constitution and concludes that Puerto Rico must become the 51st state to improve its status under the Constitution. It explores Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States and its unusual position under the Constitution. This Comment then examines the voting rights issues facing Puerto Ricans, including a First Circuit case which denied Puerto Ricans the right to vote in presidential elections. The Comment concludes that this case was correctly decided and the Supreme Court, in other decisions, has only recognized a limited right to vote under …
Reconstructing The Takings Doctrine By Redefining Property And Sovereignty, John Martinez
Reconstructing The Takings Doctrine By Redefining Property And Sovereignty, John Martinez
Fordham Urban Law Journal
In 1987, the Supreme Court decided three cases involving "takings" challenges to governmental exercise of the power to control land use. This trilogy of cases affirmed the continuing validity of a three-part analytical model in addressing the takings problem: (1) is private property involved; (2) has governmental action so affected it as to require a remedy; and (3) what remedy should be provided? This Article critically examines that model and argues that the first two questions are fundamentally indistinguishable and that to treat them as distinct inquiries is unworkable. The Article then proposes a functional approach under which individuals are …
Should The Capital Vote In Congress? A Critical Analysis Of The Proposed D.C. Representation Amendment , U.S. Senator Orrin G. Hatch
Should The Capital Vote In Congress? A Critical Analysis Of The Proposed D.C. Representation Amendment , U.S. Senator Orrin G. Hatch
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article describes H.J. Res. 554, the proposed Amendment to obtain voting representation for D.C. It gives a historical overview of the District and its efforts to gain national representation, and presents a critical analysis of the case for District representation, including a summary of the arguments made in favor of the proposed amendment, as well as the constitutional and policy objections to the D.C. Amendment. The article concludes that proponents of the amendment conflate representation of the citizens of the District with representation of the District, and overlook its place as a neutral seat of government.
Towards A Constitutional Right To Counsel In Matrimonial Litigation, Gary R. Matano
Towards A Constitutional Right To Counsel In Matrimonial Litigation, Gary R. Matano
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The marriage institution is the basic unit in the anatomical composition of American society as it exists today. The right to marry and the right to divorce when marriage fails have long been held in the highest esteem by our nation's courts. But some citizens of the State of New York are judicially denied the right to terminate their marriages because they are indigents. The court has denied indigents their requested assignments of counsel when the assistance of counsel was unquestionably necessary for prospective matrimonial litigants. The first problem posed by that holding is that it operates as a virtual …
Speedy Trials: Recent Developments Concerning A Vital Right, Stephen F. Chepiga
Speedy Trials: Recent Developments Concerning A Vital Right, Stephen F. Chepiga
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Historically, Anglo-American law has jealously guarded the right of an accused to have a speedy trial in a criminal prosecution. It is extended to defendants in federal cases by the sixth amendment to the Constitution. Through incorporation into the fourteenth amendment, the protection is likewise available to defendants in state prosecutions. Notwithstanding constitutional provisions and Supreme Court decisions, the concept of a speedy trial has always been ambiguous. Until recent times it has been considered a matter that could only be defined in the context of the special circumstances of individual cases. The right was said to be “consistent with …
Elimination Of Arbitrary Automobile Stops: Theory And Practice, Gary D. Stumpp
Elimination Of Arbitrary Automobile Stops: Theory And Practice, Gary D. Stumpp
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The authority of the police to enforce the statutory restrictions governing vehicle and traffic laws has often been considered to be concomitant with a right to stop motorists arbitrarily to determine their compliance. Recently, some courts have eroded this power, to protect the constitutional rights guaranteed to individuals under the fourth amendment. In their consideration of these arbitrary automobile stops, the courts have utilized a balancing process. They consider the state interest in promoting public safety on the highways through the guaranteed enforcement of the relevant laws, as well as the duty of the police to detect and control crime. …
Eminent Domain--Blight Declaration--Extensive Delay In Initiating Condemnation After Declaration Of Blight May Constitute A Taking Under State Constitution, Janine P. Hornicek
Eminent Domain--Blight Declaration--Extensive Delay In Initiating Condemnation After Declaration Of Blight May Constitute A Taking Under State Constitution, Janine P. Hornicek
Fordham Urban Law Journal
In 1958, the City of Trenton examined the possibility of redeveloping a large portion of its downtown area. In 1967, after a tortuous planning process, the land designated for redevelopment was declared blighted. Plaintiff, the owner of a large commercial building in this redevelopment area, alleged that in 1963 it began losing tenants because of the widespread publicity given to the threatened condemnation. After the 1967 declaration of blight, the area deteriorated markedly. By 1973, plaintiff’s building was almost entirely vacant, yielding $6,300 in rent compared to costs of $9,500 in insurance changes and $30,000 in annual property taxes. Plaintiff …
Comment: The Constitutionality Of Local Anti-Pollution Ordinances
Comment: The Constitutionality Of Local Anti-Pollution Ordinances
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Local governments have recently expanded their efforts to abate pollution problems. The constitutionality of such local ordinances under both federal and state law, however, has not yet been adequately determined. In order to clarify the constitutional limits of local environmental laws, it is necessary to examine the relevant questions raised by both the United States Constitution and the various state constitutions. Part I of this comment will deal with the federal-local conflicts and Part II will discuss the state-local conflicts. In each of the two sections, relevant legislation in the environmental field will be discussed. Finally, a model statute will …