Digital Commons Network^™

The Eminent Domain Path Out Of A Public Pension Crisis, Adam Riff

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Standing Of The Public Interest, Amitai Etzioni

Barry Law Review

No abstract provided.

Testing Constitutional Pluralism In Strasbourg: Responding To Russia's "Gay Propaganda" Law, Jesse W. Stricklan

Michigan Journal of International Law

In 2013, the Russian Federation amended Federal Law No. 436-FZ, “On Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development” (2013 law), introducing language making illegal the public discussion—or, in the law’s words, “propagandization”—of what it called “non-traditional sexual relationships.” Undertaken during a period of increasing domestic and international hostility, the law was intended by the government to be a bold, two-fold rejection of supposedly “European” values: first, as resistance to the gay rights movement, which is presented as unsuitable for Russia; and second, as a means of further weakening the freedom of expression in Russia. On both …

Suspicious Person Ordinances - Due Process Standards; Columbus V. Thompson, Joel R. Campbell

Akron Law Review

In the absence of circumstances involving First Amendment rights, we are left without guidelines as to the conduct which may be made criminal by local suspicious person ordinances. Because of this lack of adequate standards, a case by case determination of criminal conduct under the various ordinances is necessary. In Thompson the defendant's conduct was questionable and the court found the ordinance unconstitutionally vague. We can only hope that this decision has a sufficient impact upon law enforcement officials and local courts to minimize the injury resulting from vagueness.

Suspicious Person Ordinances - Due Process Standards; Columbus V. Thompson, Joel R. Campbell

Akron Law Review

In the absence of circumstances involving First Amendment rights, we are left without guidelines as to the conduct which may be made criminal by local suspicious person ordinances. Because of this lack of adequate standards, a case by case determination of criminal conduct under the various ordinances is necessary. In Thompson the defendant's conduct was questionable and the court found the ordinance unconstitutionally vague. We can only hope that this decision has a sufficient impact upon law enforcement officials and local courts to minimize the injury resulting from vagueness.

Rescue Units Operated By Municipal Fire Departments: Their Status Under The Doctrine Of Municipal Immunity, John D. Shuff

Akron Law Review

At the outset it should be indicated that the view taken by this writer does not purport to be unbiased. Rather, it is his intent to place a few more munitions in the arsenal of those who propose that the doctrine of municipal sovereign immunity be abrogated in its entirety.

The first part of the discussion (Section II) will focus upon the background and current status of the municipal immunity doctrine, with special emphasis upon the governmental-proprietary distinction. Section III will discuss the effects and interpretations of the Uniform Traffic Act and how they relate to municipal immunity. In addition, …

Presidential Impoundment Of Funds: A Constitutional Crisis, Gerald A. Figurski

Akron Law Review

It seems that our maligned Congress, so docile at times in the face of presidential aggrandizement of power, is forging a constitutional crisis. The basic issue involved is whether the President has authority, either constitutional or statutory, to refuse to spend funds appropriated by Congress. The questions pursued in the following pages are basically four: does the President have the (1) statutory, (2) historical, (3) case, or (4) constitutional authority to continue to impound?

The "Compulsory School Attendance" Case: Wisconsin V. Yoder, Michael Buchicchio

Akron Law Review

It is an important constitutional doctrine that a law generally constitutional "on its face," may be unconstitutional "as applied" in specific instances. The Amish case marks the first occasion that the Court has clearly articulated that exception in favor of a minority religious group. It would appear that compulsory education laws are-"on their face"--within a state's constitutional powers, but under the facts of this case, the First Amendment requires that the Amish be exempt.

Fourth Amendment Right To Privacy: When Is It Reasonable To Search A Minor?, Ashley Moruzzi

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Second Amendment Challenges: Getting Strict With Judges, Lauren Dwarika

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Swatting Political Discourse: A Domestic Terrorism Threat, Matthew James Enzweiler

Notre Dame Law Review

This Note will attempt to address the question of whether or not incidents of swatting aimed at contrary political ideals meet the characterization of domestic terrorism in the post–9/11 era. In particular, there will be consideration of the extent to which treatment of political swatting as domestic terrorism is consistent with the maintenance of the delicate balance between public safety concerns and protection of the constitutional values of free speech and free expression. This Note will proceed in four parts. Part I will examine the growth of telecommunication manipulation practices from products of curiosity to an alarming means of intimidation …

Exclusion And Equality: How Exclusion From The Political Process Renders Religious Liberty Unequal, Philip Hamburger

Notre Dame Law Review

Exclusion from the political process is a central question in American law. Thus far, however, it has not been recognized how religious Americans are excluded from the political process and what this means for religious equality. Put simply, both administrative lawmaking and § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code substantially exclude religious Americans from the political process that produces laws. As a result, apparently equal laws are apt, in reality, to be unequal for religious Americans. Political exclusion threatens religious equality. The primary practical conclusion concerns administrative law. It will be seen that this sort of “law” is made through …

The Inversion Of Rights And Power, Philip Hamburger

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Public Danger, James Dawson

Cardozo Law Review

This Article provides the first account of the term "public danger," which appears in the Grand Jury Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Drawing on historical records from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Article argues that the proper reading of "public danger" is a broad one. On this theory, "public danger" includes not just impending enemy invasions, but also a host of less serious threats (such as plagues, financial panics, jailbreaks, and natural disasters). This broad reading is supported by constitutional history. In 1789, the first Congress rejected a proposal that would have replaced the phrase "public danger" in the …

Sixth Amendment; Right To Counsel; Use Of Prior Uncounseled Convictions; Lewis V. United States And Baldasar V. Illinois, Rita Marks

Akron Law Review

Once again the Supreme Court has spoken on the issue of the right to counsel. Within three months the Court rendered two decisions which appear to be inconsistent, not only with one another, but with prior decisions of the Court

The Need For Judicial Restriction On The Use Of Drug Detecting Canines, William R. Pomeroy

Akron Law Review

The purpose of this comment is to examine these issues, outline the conflicting positions, and attempt to forecast the direction the courts may take in their effort to bring some harmony to this unsettled (and to some, unsettling) area of law. Few people would attempt to deny law enforcement officials the use of this highly effective and relatively unintrusive law enforcement tool. Yet there are those who fear that the unsettled questions concerning limits on the use of this tool may lead to serious abuse, and who raise the specter of unlimited government intrusion should this type of investigatory activity …

Denial Of Tax Exempt Status For Racially Discriminatory Schools, Bob Jones University V. U.S., Margaret K. Cassidy

Akron Law Review

The extent to which the government may deny tax-exempt status in order to further its goal of eliminating racial discrimination is a question of paramount importance. The United States Supreme Court recently addressed this question in the case of Bob Jones University v. U.S., a consolidated action which involved a conflict between two established public policies: racial equality and religious freedom. The Court held that this nation's policy of racial equality overrides any interest that an educational and religious institution may have in promoting racial discrimination.

Escobedo And Miranda Revisited, Arthur J. Goldberg

Akron Law Review

Shortly before the close of the 1983 term, the Supreme Court of the United States decided two cases, U.S. v. Gouveia and New York v. Quarles, which in effect overruled Escobedo v. Illinois and undermined Miranda v. Arizona.

Seizure By Roadblock: Decisional Law On The Constitutionality Of Drunk Driving Roadblocks, Scott Freed

Akron Law Review

This comment will examine decisions addressing the constitutionality of roadblock stops. First, it will examine Delaware v. Prouse and other Supreme Court decisions which have developed what is referred to as the neutral criteria standard for judging the reasonableness of temporary automobile seizures at roadblock-type stops. Under the neutral criteria standard, law enforcement officers may conduct suspicionless seizures of vehicles at roadblocks for certain specific purposes. The neutral criteria standard requires that the seizure be carried out pursuant to a plan embodying explicit, neutral limitations on the conduct of individual officers. Second, the comment will examine decisions which have found …

Of Flags And Menorahs: The Power Of Individual And Governmental Symbolic Speech, Mark F. Kohler

Akron Law Review

The aim of this article will be to explore the nature of symbolic speech, both individual and governmental. Using Johnson and Allegheny County as a backdrop, four themes will emerge from the article. First, both individuals and government speak and speak powerfully through symbols and symbolic conduct. Second, medium-based regulation of individual speech should receive careful judicial scrutiny. Third, unlike individual symbolic expression, governmental symbolic speech is subject to substantial content-based restrictions. Finally, careful distinctions must be drawn between government-initiated symbolic speech and governmental endorsement of individual symbolic speech.

Drug-Impaired Police Officers/Fire Fighters And The Reasonable Suspicion Standard: Whose Turn It Is To Give Condolences To The Innocent Victim's Family?, Robert G. Remis

Akron Law Review

Part I of this comment will provide a brief overview of the general constitutional concerns of random drug testing. Part II will discuss random drug testing as applied to police officers and fire fighters. Part III will begin by addressing the public/private employer distinction, and the balancing of the conflicting interests. Part III will end by discussing the effects of drugs, the deterrent effect of drug testing programs, and the costs associated with employee drug use.

Arizona V. Roberson: Further Extending The Bright-Line, Ronald Mark Wells

Akron Law Review

This casenote will summarize the case scenario and holding in Arizona v. Roberson. To place Roberson in context, it will then examine the legal history of the fifth amendment right to counsel and will critically analyze Roberson by questioning the necessity of its holding, reviewing the Court's cost/benefit analysis, and examining the dangers of overextending the rule in Edwards. Finally, this casenote will discuss Roberson's potential impact.

Private Property, The Takings Clause And The Pursuit Of Market Gain, Charles H. Clarke

Akron Law Review

This Article proposes a fair return model for the takings clause. This conception of the clause has been an operating principle of welfare capitalism for decades. The Article rejects the model of laissez faire capitalism that once dominated the landscape of the nation's constitutional system and may come back again.

Another Casualty Of The War . . . Vagrancy Laws Target The Fourth Amendment, T. Leigh Anenson

Akron Law Review

This Comment will review the origins of the vagrancy law and its traditional abuses. It will then examine decisions discussing the vagrancy law's constitutionality under the Due Process clause void-for-vagueness doctrine and the courts' attempted remedy of explicit standards as to place, scope, or purpose. The remainder of this Comment will discuss the constitutionality of these revised vagrancy laws under the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable seizures.

The Second Rodney King Trial: Justice In Jeopardy?, Robert C. Gorman

Akron Law Review

This Comment will trace the roots of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the U.S. Constitution and provide a detailed look at the development of the dual sovereignty doctrine. After this overview, it will analyze the historical, legal and policy arguments advanced by supporters and opponents of the doctrine. It will examine proposals for altering or abolishing the doctrine. Finally, in light of the underlying analysis, it will revisit the Rodney King case and examine whether the defendants' second trial - or any successive prosecution - is justified.

National Organization For Women V. Scheidler: Rico A Valuable Tool For Controlling Violent Protest, Suzanne Wentzel

Akron Law Review

This Note will examine the recent decision of the United States Supreme Court in National Organization for Women v. Scheidler that allows courts to apply RICO to non-economic enterprises. This Note will first discuss the problems that arise from protest, as well as a brief historical background of the RICO statute. It will further analyze the legal reasoning behind the Supreme Court's decision to apply RICO to anti-abortion protesters, and explore the possible First Amendment implications of such a decision.

"A Thug In Prison Cannot Shoot Your Sister": Ohio Appears Ready To Resurrect The Habitual Criminal Statute - Will It Withstand An Eighth Amendment Challenge?, Thomas R. Goots

Akron Law Review

The State of Ohio appears ready to pass a habitual offender statute. This Comment will take a closer look at habitual offender statutes in general and Ohio's past attempts at habitual offender statutes. The Comment will focus on the possible Eighth Amendment challenge to the proposed Ohio statute, by examining a hypothetical defendant.

The Constitutional Politics Of Interpreting Section 5 Of The Fourteenth Amendment, Christopher P. Banks

Akron Law Review

This essay analyzes the Rehnquist Court’s Section 5 cases by first, in Section I, establishing how the Supreme Court has historically assumed the task of interpreting Congress’ power to act under the Fourteenth Amendment. Two periods, Reconstruction and then the mid- 1960s, are examined because they present contrasting views about the scope of what the Fourteenth Amendment and its enforcement section means. Section II then surveys Section 5 cases from the Rehnquist Court in order to illustrate how its jurisprudence mirrors the antifederalist rhetoric established in the post-reconstruction era while, not surprisingly, departing from the principles set forth in the …

Overgeneralization Of The Hot Pursuit Doctrine Provides Another Blow To The Fourth Amendment In Middletown V. Flinchum, Nathan Vaughn

Akron Law Review

Unreasonable searches of the home have often been regarded as a serious infringement upon one’s right to privacy. The right to privacy is currently recognized by a variety of governments and has existed for hundreds of years. Although the Constitution does not grant an express right to privacy, the Supreme Court has consistently acknowledged the rights of personal privacy and zones of privacy. Affording extra protection to the home seems to show that our right to privacy is at its peak behind closed doors.

Unfortunately, the list of exceptions to the warrant requirement is large and continuously growing. These exceptions …

Intestacy Concerns For Same-Sex Couples: How Variations In State Law And Policy Affect Testamentary Wishes, Megan Moser

Seattle University Law Review

As the number of same-sex couples increases in the United States, concerns regarding the evolution of federal and state law, with respect to rights for same-sex couples, also continue to rise. As marriage is not always available to same-sex couples, they often face very different legal issues than couples in a traditional marriage. Because marriage is typically not a legal cause of action, the question of a marriage’s validity often arises incidentally to another legal question, such as the disposition of a decedent’s estate.