Law Commons^™

Grounding Into A Double Standard: Understanding & Repealing The Curt Flood Act, Brett J. Butz

Brett J Butz

This article calls for an end to Major League Baseball’s statutory exemption from antitrust regulation for acts that are considered part of the “business of baseball.” The Curt Flood Act, as it is colloquially called, was a Congressional mistake; the product years of faulty analysis and absurd holdings by the Supreme Court. This article will explain how the exemption came to fruition, outline the various problems with its inception, and conclude by proposing that Major League Baseball should be subject to antitrust regulations, just like all other professional sports leagues.

An ‘All Of The Above’ Theory Of Legal Development, Larry A. Dimatteo

Larry A DiMatteo

The paper provides a brief background of Nathan Isaacs, his work, and his theory of legal development. Invariably, when analyzing Isaacs’ claim that history proves that law developments in cycles (status to contract to status) the role of Jewish legal history in the development of his thought will play an important role in understanding his theory. Isaacs’ was that rare scholar knowledgeable in the common law, as well as, civil law. A pragmatic realist, as well as a devote Jew. He was a legal historian and very much a man of the present. He possessed a Ph.D. in Economics, and …

From Oxford To Williamsburg: The Evolution Of Legal Education And Law Libraries Across The Pond, James S. Heller

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Admissibility Of Dna Evidence: Italy Under Attack, Adina Rosenfeld

Adina Rosenfeld

The purpose of this paper is to compare the differences and similarities in the evidentiary rules for DNA in Italy and in the United States in the light of their two different legal traditions. This note will compare American and Italian rules of evidence and procedure for the admissibility of DNA in criminal trials and analyze the most relevant differences between the two systems. Based on this comparison, the note will argue that Amanda Knox would not have been convicted of murdering her roommate in American lower court because the DNA evidence would not have been admissible. In Italy, Knox …

Ain’T I A Woman, Too?: The Thirteenth Amendment, In Defense Of Incarcerated Women’S Reproductive Rights, Alexandria Gutierrez

Alexandria Gutierrez

In her memoir, Harriet Ann Jacobs highlights the unique impact slavery had on women. The physical dominion imposed upon female slaves included both internal and external bodily control. Beyond sexual exploitation, the bodies of female slaves were used for a type of labor for which their male counterparts were not capable: reproduction. Forced pregnancy in the slavery context was a tragic and violative experience affecting women physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Long after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, slavery-like practices lived on through social, political, and economic mechanisms. In the penological context, peonage laws, penal plantations, and chain gangs were …

In Memorium: Bernard Wolfman, Michael A. Fitts

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Line In The Sand: The Affair Between Henry Ii And Thomas Becket, Deana Perry

Deana Perry

No abstract provided.

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Bush V. Gore: The Worst (Or At Least Second-To-The-Worst) Supreme Court Decision Ever, Mark S. Brodin

Mark S. Brodin

In the stiff competition for worst Supreme Court decision ever, two candidates stand heads above the others for the simple reason that they precipitated actual fighting wars in their times. By holding that slaves, as mere chattels, could not sue in court and could never be American citizens, and further invalidating the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in new territories, Dred Scott v. Sanford charted the course to secession and Civil War four years later. By disenfranchising Florida voters and thereby appointing popular-vote loser George W. Bush as President, Bush v. Gore set in motion events which would lead …

The Letter Of Richard Wyche: An Interrogation Narrative, Christopher G. Bradley

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This is a translation, with introduction, of the Letter of Richard Wyche—one of only two heresy interrogation narratives from medieval England written from the perspective of the accused heretic.

The Letter is an autobiographical account of Richard Wyche’s interrogation, in 1402-1403, at the hands of church officials. Wyche originally composed the Letter in (Middle) English but it survives only in a Latin translation, alongside other forbidden texts in a manuscript now in Prague. Wyche wrote and covertly sent away this Letter to an audience of intimates sympathetic to the cause (the so-called Wycliffite or Lollard heresy) before his interrogations ended. …

Advising Presidents: Robert H. Jackson And The Problem Of Dirty Hands, William Casto

William Casto

ABSTRACT Not so long ago, legal advice given to President George W. Bush regarding torture sparked considerable controversy, and discussions were frequently distorted by rancorous partisanship. The present essay uses advice given to President Franklin Roosevelt by Attorney General, later Justice, Robert Jackson as a laboratory for exploring the ethical dimensions of the advisory relationship. In particular, this essay examines the president’s unilateral decision in 1940 to transfer fifty destroyers to the British. That Destroyer Deal is distant in time and is now relatively uncontroversial. Today, everyone agrees with the substantive policy of helping Great Britain against Nazi Germany. The …

Punishment's Justification, Jeffrey T. Renz

Jeffrey T Renz

Kant’s late 18th Century articulation of retribution and Bentham and Mill’s 19th Century theory of deterrence have survived as the chief justifications for punishing criminals. The two have always been in competition, despite some attempts (chiefly by John Rawls and H.L.A. Hart) to have one serve the other.

The debate between retributivists and utilitarians has recently taken on new life. See C. Flanders, Retribution and Reform, 70 Md. L. Rev. 8 (2010); D. Gray & J. Huber, Retributivism for Progressives: A Reply to Professor Flanders, 70 Md. L. Rev. 141 (2010); D. Markel, Bentham on Stilts: The Bare Relevance of …

The Oregon And California Railroad Grant Lands’ Sordid Past, Contentious Present, And Uncertain Future: A Century Of Conflict, Michael Blumm

Michael Blumm

This article examines the long, contentious history of the Oregon & California Land Grant that produced federal forest lands now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (“O&C lands”), including an analysis of how these lands re-vested to the federal government following decades of corruption and scandal, and the resulting congressional effort that created a management structure supporting local county governments through overharvesting the lands for a half-century. The article proceeds to trace the fate of O&C lands through the “spotted owl wars” of the 1990s, the ensuing Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP), the timber salvage rider of 1995, and the …

Federalist Or Friends Of Adams: The Marshall Court And Party Politics, Mark A. Graber

Mark Graber

No abstract provided.

Theorizing American Freedom (Reviewing Aziz Rana, The Two Faces Of American Freedom (2010)), Anthony O'Rourke

Book Reviews

This is a review essay of The Two Faces of American Freedom, by Aziz Rana. The book presents a new and provocative account of the relationship between ideas of freedom and the constitutional structure of American power. Through the nineteenth century, Rana argues, America’s constitutional structure was shaped by a racially exclusionary, yet economically robust, concept that he calls “settler freedom.” Drawing on the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of settler colonial studies, as well as on the vast historical literature on civic republicanism, Rana contends that the concept of settler freedom necessitated a constitutional framework that enabled rapid territorial expansion and …

Book Review, Christian G. Samito (Ed.). Changes In Law And Society During The Civil War And Reconstruction: A Legal History Documentary Reader. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2009. 352 Pages. $29.50 (Paper), Thomas Reed

Thomas J Reed

No abstract provided.

The Great Onyx Cave Cases -- A Micro-History, Bruce Ziff

Bruce Ziff

Controversies surrounding property rights to the Great Onyx Cave in Kentucky have given rise to two legendary decisions with enduring legal importance. The first of these, Edwards v. Sims (1929), is a leading authority on the extent of ownership below the surface of land. The second, Edwards v. Lee's Administrator (1936), concerns the appropriate measure of damages for trespass. Stripped to essentials, the facts that led to these rulings are quite straightforward: E discovered a cave beneath his surface, which he developed into a thriving tourist attraction. However, it turns out that approximately one-third of the cave passes below, well …

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Justice John Marshall Harlan I, Richard Maloy

Richard Maloy

No abstract provided.

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Circumventing The Electoral College: Why The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Survives Constitutional Scrutiny Under The Compact Clause, Michael Brody

Michael Brody

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVC) presents an emerging legal issue that straddles the line between political science and law. The NPVC is an interstate compact in which member states will allocate all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national vote, as opposed to the traditional state vote. The bill would not be effective until states possessing a majority of the nation's electoral votes (270) have become members. If enacted by enough states, the NPVC would all but put an end to the Electoral College, and the United States would essentially move to a direct national …

What We Can Learn About The Art Of Persuasive From Candidate Abraham Lincoln: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Three Speeches That Propelled Lincoln Into The Presidency, Michael W. Loudenslager

Michael W. Loudenslager

Abraham Lincoln is renowned as an impressive orator and writer, and historians have long studied his speeches and writings. However, commentators largely have not focused upon the persuasive techniques utilized by Lincoln in his speeches. Lincoln was an experienced litigator, and over the course of his legal career, he tried a voluminous number of cases, was involved in several appeals before the United States Supreme Court, and argued numerous times before the Illinois Supreme Court. These experiences helped Lincoln cultivate various manners of persuading judges and juries. Similarly, one major goal of Lincoln’s speeches, as with any politician, was to …

Mistaken Assumptions: The Roots Of Stanford V. Roche In Post-War Government Patent Policy, Sean M. O'Connor

Sean M. O'Connor

The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 was built on a mistaken assumption that “contractors”—recipients of federal funding—were securing assignments of inventions from their employees. The roots of this assumption go back to a 1947 Attorney General report on government patent policy that glossed over its own detailed finding that universities were in many cases not doing so. Because other types of contractors, including private firms and nonprofit research institutions, generally were securing title, the report concluded that “most” contractors were doing so. The report itself was the culmination of a century of confusing and conflicting legal developments with regard to both …

Assent Is Not An Element Of Contract Formation, Val D. Ricks

Val D. Ricks

Nearly everyone describes assent as an element of the law of contract formation. But it is not an element. Contract formation requires promise and consideration. Consideration requires exchange. Exchange implies assent. So though it is possible to have assent without consideration, it is impossible to have consideration without assent. As long as consideration is required, then, a separate requirement of assent is duplicative (and superfluous). The Restatement (Second) waffled on this issue. This paper shows how assent doctrines became part of contract law in the early 1800s, and why, and what role those doctrines now play. It is a limited …

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Why Harlan Fiske Stone (Also) Matters, Eric H. Schepard

Eric H Schepard

Harlan Fiske Stone has been largely overlooked in the recent legal literature even though his legacy should influence how we resolve contemporary legal problems. This article examines Stone’s archived correspondence, his speeches and opinions, and numerous secondary sources to demonstrate why he is more important now than at any time since his death in 1946. As Attorney General from 1924-25, Stone’s decision to prohibit the Bureau of Investigation (BI, today’s FBI) from spying on domestic radicals established a framework that should guide the troublesome relationship between domestic intelligence and law enforcement that reemerged after September 11, 2001. As an Associate …

Reconstruction And Empire: Legacies Of The U.S. Civil War And Puerto Rican Struggles For Home Rule, 1898-1917, Sam Erman

Sam Erman

The Civil War and U.S. Empire transformed U.S. relationships among race, law, and constitutionalism in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Traditional accounts portray these events as iterative, with Republicans and the Supreme Court abandoning ideals of Reconstruction just in time for the United States – through annexation from Spain of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines – to take a deliberate imperial turn in 1898-1899. That account is wrong. As recent scholarship has anticipated, debates over meanings of the Civil War, the early postbellum period, and the Reconstruction Amendments to the Constitution raged on into the 20th century. Puerto Rican …

The Shifting Interpretations Of Interpol’S Article Three, Kyle Rene

Kyle Rene

Article Three of INTERPOL’s Constitution prohibits INTERPOL from undertaking “any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.” Notwithstanding this prohibition, INTERPOL itself has taken an active role in pursing the perpetrators of one of the most politically, religiously, and racially charged forms of crime, terrorism. The following Note discusses how INTERPOL has rationalized its pursuit of terrorists in light of Article Three’s mandate. The Note concludes by reassessing the value of Article Three, showing how, although Article Three has been interpreted to afford INTERPOL the latitude to pursue terrorists, it nonetheless represents an effective means of …