Legal History Commons^™

Foreseeing Greatness? Measurable Performance Criteria And The Selection Of Supreme Court Justices, James J. Brudney

The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Working Paper Series

This article contributes to an ongoing debate about the feasibility and desireability of measuring the "merit" of appellate judges--and their consequent Supreme Court potential--by using objective performance variables. Relying on the provocative and controversial "tournament criteria" proposed by Professors Stephen Choi and Mitu Gulati in two recent articles, Brudney assesses the "Supreme Court potential" of Warren Burger and Harry Blackmun based on their appellate court records. He finds that Burger's appellate performance appears more promising under the Choi and Gulati criteria, but then demonstrates how little guidance these quantitative assessments actually provide when reviewing the two men's careers on the …

Judicial Power & Civil Rights Reconsidered, David E. Bernstein, Ilya Somin

George Mason University School of Law Working Papers Series

Michael Klarman's "From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality" is an important contribution to the scholarly literature on both the history of the civil rights struggle and judicial power more generally. Klarman argues that for much of the twentieth century, the Supreme Court was very reluctant to rule in favor of African American civil rights claimants, and had little impact when it did.

Klarman is right to reject traditional accounts that greatly exaggerated the Supreme Court's willingness and ability to protect minorities. However, he overstates his case. The Court's views on the …

A Culturally Correct Proposal To Privatize The British Columbia Salmon Fishery, D. Bruce Johnsen

George Mason University School of Law Working Papers Series

Canada now faces two looming policy crises that have come to a head in British Columbia. The first is long-term depletion of the Pacific salmon fishery by mobile commercial ocean fishermen racing to intercept salmon under the rule of capture. The second results from Canadian Supreme Court case law recognizing and affirming “the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada” under Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982. This essay shows that the economics of property rights provides a joint solution to these crises that would promote the Canadian commonwealth by way of a privatization auction …

The Tenuous Case For Conscience, Steven D. Smith

University of San Diego Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper Series

If there is any single theme that has provided the foundation of modern liberalism and has infused our more specific constitutional commitments to freedom of religion and freedom of speech, that theme is probably “freedom of conscience.” But some observers also perceive a progressive cheapening of conscience– even a sort of degradation. Such criticisms suggest the need for a contemporary rethinking of conscience. When we reverently invoke “conscience,” do we have any idea what we are talking about? Or are we just exploiting a venerable theme for rhetorical purposes without any clear sense of what “conscience” is or why it …

Montesquieu's Mistakes And The True Meaning Of Separation, Laurence Claus

University of San Diego Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper Series

“The political liberty of the subject,” said Montesquieu, “is a tranquility of mind arising from the opinion each person has of his safety. In order to have this liberty, it is requisite the government be so constituted as one man needs not be afraid of another.” The liberty of which Montesquieu spoke is directly promoted by apportioning power among political actors in a way that minimizes opportunities for those actors to determine conclusively the reach of their own powers. Montesquieu’s constitution of liberty is the constitution that most plausibly establishes the rule of law. Montesquieu concluded that this constitution could …

Two Early Codes, The Ten Commandments And The Twelve Tables: Causes And Consequences, Alan Watson

Scholarly Works

Comments on the legal history of the ten commandments and the Roman Twelve Tables, and a comparison of the two legal collections. This paper also discusses the peculiarities in the traditions behind the collection of these laws; and the rules of behavior between humans covered by these laws.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: India, Navoneel Dayanand

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of India. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: Singapore, Calvin Wl Ho

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of Singapore. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: Thailand, Ngamnet Triamanuruck, Sansanee Phongpala, Sirikanang Chaiyasuta

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of Thailand. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: People's Republic Of China, Zengguang (Bill) Huo, Yuhua Shi

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of the People's Republic of China. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: Indonesia, Yosea Iskandar

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of Indonesia. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: South Korea, Oh Seung Jin

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of South Korea. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: Japan, Junko Gono, Mitsutaka Hibino, Koh Hinokawa, Sonosuke Kamiya, Hirofumi Maki, Shigeki Nishiyama, Hirotoshi Osajima, Masahiro Oshima, Yurika Yamauchi

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of Japan. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Overview Of Legal Systems In The Asia-Pacific Region: Republic Of China, Taiwan, Peggy (Pei Yi) Wen

Overview of Legal Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region (2004)

This article provides a general description of the legal system of Taiwan. It further discusses aspects of legal education and legal practice in that country.

Whose Music Is It Anyway? How We Came To View Musical Expression As A Form Of Property, Michael W. Carroll

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

Many participants in the music industry consider unauthorized transmissions of music files over the Internet to be theft of their property. Many Internet users who exchange music files reject this characterization. Prompted by the dispute over unauthorized music distribution, this Article explores how those who create and distribute music first came to look upon music as their property and when in Western history the law first supported this view. By analyzing the economic and legal structures governing music making in Western Europe from the classical period in Greece through the Renaissance, the Article shows that the law first granted some …

The Lingering Effects Of Copyright's Response To The Invention Of Photography, Christine Farley

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

In 1884, the Supreme Court was presented with dichotomous views of photography. In one view, the photograph was an original, intellectual conception of the author-a fine art. In the other, it was the mere product of the soulless labor of the machine. Much was at stake in this dispute, including the booming market in photographs and the constitutional importance of the originality requirement in copyright law. This first confrontation between copyright law and technology provides invaluable insights into copyright law's ability to adapt and accommodate in the face of a challenge. An examination of these historical debates about photography across …

The Unitary Executive During The Third Half-Century, 1889-1945, Christopher S. Yoo, Steven G. Calabresi, Laurence D. Nee

All Faculty Scholarship

Recent Supreme Court decisions and the impeachment of President Clinton has reinvigorated the debate over Congress's authority to employ devices such as special counsels and independent agencies to restrict the President's control over the administration of the law. The initial debate focused on whether the Constitution rejected the executive by committee employed by the Articles of the Confederation in favor of a unitary executive, in which all administrative authority is centralized in the President. More recently, the debate has begun to turn towards historical practices. Some scholars have suggested that independent agencies and special counsels have become such established features …