Digital Commons Network^™

Can An Ethical Person Be An Ethical Prosecutor? A Social Cognitive Approach To Systemic Reform, Lawton P. Cummings

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Professional And Conviction Integrity Programs: Why We Need Them, Why They Will Work, And Models For Creating Them, Barry Scheck

Cardozo Law Review

The best way to effectively prevent Brady violations and other forms of prosecutorial misconduct that cause wrongful convictions is internal regulation of the District Attorney's office. Civil liability, state or bar disciplinary action, the stigma of appellate reversal, and the threat of criminal prosecution have failed to provide effective deterrence against Brady violations as well as other forms of misconduct. However, the lack of alternatives is not the reason why internal regulation is the most promising way to prevent Brady violations, but rather because prosecutors themselves are in the best position to implement procedures that achieve this goal.

Prosecutorial offices, …

The “Licentiousness” In Religious Organizations And Why It Is Not Protected Under Religious Liberty Constitutional Provisions, Marci A. Hamilton

Articles

No abstract provided.

U.S. Legal Education Methods And Ideals: Application To The Japanese And Korean Systems, Matthew J. Wilson

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article examines the adoption of American-style legal education in Japan and South Korea, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges these reforms present. While these countries aim to enhance legal professionalism and competency by integrating practical skills and interactive teaching methods, they face significant cultural, structural, and systemic barriers. The analysis underscores the importance of adapting legal education to local contexts while balancing theoretical and practical training to meet global legal demands.

Comparison And Analysis Of Korea And Japan Status Of Forces Agreements And Their Implications For Iraq's Sofa, Jiyoung Cha

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The note examines the tension between protecting U.S. military personnel's rights and respecting host nations' sovereignty through Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs), focusing on cases from Korea, Japan, and Iraq. It argues that while SOFAs are designed to protect U.S. soldiers, they often infringe on host countries' sovereignty, leading to diplomatic tensions. The analysis highlights the imbalance in SOFAs, favoring the U.S. and undermining host nations' sovereignty, as perceived by citizens and governments. The author suggests that the U.S. needs to adjust its SOFA approach to avoid diplomatic tensions, recommending a more balanced jurisdictional framework.

Documentation, Documentary, And The Law: What Should Be Made Of Victim Impact Videos?, Regina Austin

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

A V. State Of Israel, Eliezer Rivlin, Edmond E. Levy, Dorit Beinisch, Edna Arbel, Miriam Naor, Salim Joubran, Elyakim Rubinstein, Ayala Procaccia, Asher Grunis

Translated Opinions

Facts: The appellant was arrested on suspicion of membership in an illegal organization, and had been the subject of: a. a decision by the authority in charge to postpone the appellant’s first meeting with an attorney by three days; and b. a decision, rendered two days after his arrest, to extend his detention by an additional ten days. The Jerusalem District Court rejected the state’s request to have the appeal of the detention extension decision deliberated in the absence of the appellant; and the state successfully appealed that decision to the Supreme Court. The appeal against the extension of the …

The Prop 8 Decision And Courtroom Drama In The Youtube Age: Why Camera Use Should Be Permitted In Courtrooms During High Profile Civil Cases, Matthew E. Feinberg

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The Geography Of Criminal Law, Adam Benforado

Cardozo Law Review

When Westerners explain the causes of actions or outcomes in the criminal law context, they demonstrate a strong tendency to overestimate the importance of dispositional factors, like thinking, preferring, and willing, and underestimate the impact of interior and exterior situational factors, including environmental, historical, and social forces, as well as affective states, knowledge structures, motives, and other unseen aspects of our cognitive frameworks and processes. One of the situational factors that we are particularly likely to overlook is physical space - that is, landscapes, places, natures, boundaries, and spatialities. Our shortsightedness comes at a great cost. Spatial concerns shape legal …

2010 Cardozo Life (Issue 1), Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Life Magazine

Table of Contents:

Around Campus, page 3

Faculty Briefs, page 16

An Interview with Dean Matthew Diller, page 22

In Memory of Samuel Heyman (1939-2009), page 28

Federal Court or Military Commission for Guantanamo Detainees?, page 32

An Officer and an Attorney: Making a Difference, page 34

Criminal Defense Clinic Scores Wins for Students, Clients, and Its Graduates, page 38

Alumni News, page 48

Culture-Based Crimes Against Women In Societies Absorbing Immigrants - Rejecting The "Mistake Of Law" Defense And Imposing Harsher Sentencing, Gabriel Hallevy

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that the mistake of law defense is irrelevant in cases of culture-based crimes against women, particularly honor killings, committed by immigrants in Western societies. It asserts that such crimes, often justified by cultural preservation, warrant harsher sentencing rather than leniency due to cultural ignorance. The analysis distinguishes between first-generation immigrants and refugees, emphasizing that refugees should not receive special treatment in legal accountability. The article advocates for stricter legal measures to address these crimes and minimize their occurrence.

Mandatory Mediation: An Oxymoron? Examining The Feasibility Of Implementing A Court-Mandated Mediation Program, Dorcas Quek

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

The introduction of the "multi-door courthouse" concept at the Pound Conference is said to have ushered in a modern era of dispute resolution within the United States. This watershed event in the history of Alternative Dispute Resolution ("ADR") spawned greater involvement by the courts in ADR. Court-annexed ADR programs were set up throughout the U.S. and legislation was enacted to encourage the use of ADR. In 1983, Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure was amended to exhort courts to consider the "possibility of settlement" or "the use of extrajudicial procedures to resolve the dispute" at pre-trial conferences. …

Restoring Human Trafficking Victims Through Victim-Offender Dialogue, Carina Patritti

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note will explore the pros and cons of using victim-offender dialogue in cases of human trafficking. In the first part of the Note, a background on human trafficking will be provided, including current statistics on human trafficking cases and the effects on victims. Restorative justice will be discussed in the second part of the note, with specific emphasis on VOD. The third part of the Note will explore how the criminal system has used VOD, beginning with low-level crimes and then exploring how VOD has been applied to serious and violent crimes. This Note will then propose the application …

Sects' Offenders: The Inefficacy Of Sex Offender Residency Laws And Their Burdens On The Free Exercise Of Religion, Amol N. Sinha

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Public Interest(S) And Fourth Amendment Enforcement, Alexander A. Reinert

Articles

Fourth Amendment events generate substantial controversy among the public and in the legal community. Yet there is orthodoxy to Fourth Amendment thinking, reflected in the near universal assumption by courts and commentators alike that the amendment creates only tension between privately held individual liberties and public-regarding interests in law enforcement and security. On this account, courts are faced with a clear choice when mediating Fourth Amendment conflicts: side with the individual by declaring a particular intrusion to be in violation of the Constitution or side with the public by permitting the intrusion. Scholarly literature and court decisions are accordingly littered …

National Security And The Shadows Of Judicial "Common Sense", Alexander A. Reinert

Articles

The article critiques Peter Margulies's analysis of cognitive biases in judicial decision-making within national-security cases, particularly his proposed evidentiary presumption to address these biases. While acknowledging Margulies's contribution to the discussion, the article argues that his characterization of cases and proposed solution may oversimplify the complexities of judicial deference and interventionism. It suggests that the central issue in these cases is not excessive deference or interventionism but rather the government's resistance to transparency and the disclosure of sensitive information. The article advocates for a more nuanced approach, emphasizing managed discovery processes to balance national-security concerns with constitutional rights.

Retribution And The Experience Of Punishment, John Bronsteen, Christopher Buccafusco, Jonathan S. Masur

Articles

In a prior article, we argued that punishment theorists need to take into account the counterintuitive findings from hedonic psychology about how offenders typically experience punishment. Punishment generally involves the imposition of negative experience. The reason that greater fines and prison sentences constitute more severe punishments than lesser ones is, in large part, that they are assumed to impose greater negative experience. Hedonic adaptation reduces that difference in negative experience, thereby undermining efforts to achieve proportionality in punishment. Anyone who values punishing more serious crimes more severely than less serious crimes by an appropriate amount - as virtually everyone does …

Welfare As Happiness, John Bronsteen, Christopher Buccafusco, Jonathan Masur

Articles

Perhaps the most important goal of law and policy is improving people’s lives. But what constitutes improvement? What is quality of life, and how can it be measured? In previous articles, we have used insights from the new field of hedonic psychology to analyze central questions in civil and criminal justice, and we now apply those insights to a broader inquiry: how can the law make life better? The leading accounts of human welfare in law, economics, and philosophy are preference-satisfaction - getting what one wants - and objective list approaches - possessing an enumerated set of capabilities. This Article …

Due Process And Targeted Killing Of Terrorists, Richard Murphy, Afsheen John Radsan

Cardozo Law Review

"Targeted killing" is extra-judicial, premeditated killing by a state of a specifically identified person not in its custody. States have used this tool, secretly or not, throughout history. In recent years, targeted killing has generated new controversy as two states in particular - Israel and the United States - have struggled against opponents embedded in civilian populations. As a matter of express policy, Israel engages in targeted killing of persons it deems members of terrorist organizations involved in attacks on Israel. The United States, less expressly, has adopted a similar policy against al Qaeda - particularly in the border areas …

Disclosure Of Juror Identities To The Press: Who Will Speak For The Jurors?, Kenneth J. Melilli

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that courts misapply the First Amendment right of access by disclosing juror identities, which can lead to harassment. It advocates for concealing juror information to protect them, similar to how soldiers are protected after service. The solution proposed is to respect jurors' preferences regarding disclosure.

Privacy In The Age Of Tracking Technology: Why G.P.S. Technology Should Not Be Used To Track Process Servers, Talia E. Neri

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that the expansion of GPS technology in the process service industry and workplace surveillance raises significant Fourth Amendment concerns, as it erodes privacy expectations and creates a chilling effect on personal autonomy. While courts have upheld the use of GPS in certain employment contexts, the author contends that such surveillance often outweighs its benefits, particularly when less intrusive alternatives are available. The analysis critiques the legal standards governing surveillance, particularly the "readily available" standard from United States v. Kyllo, and advocates for a more balanced approach that prioritizes privacy protections.

The Future For Collected Prosecutorial Evidence At The International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda, Gerda Visser

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article focuses on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and its Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), emphasizing the need to balance the preservation of sensitive information with the public's right to access historical records. It highlights the ICTR's role in developing international criminal law standards and the challenges of managing its vast archive, particularly regarding witness protection, privacy, and future prosecutions. The article proposes establishing an international judicial archive with a legal reviewing body to oversee access to the OTP database, ensuring transparency while safeguarding sensitive data.

2009 Commencement Exercises, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Commencement

Order of Exercises

Processional:

Herbert C. Dobrinsky, Vice President for University Affairs, Yeshiva University; Herald

Presiding:

Morton Lowengrub, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Yeshiva University; Chief Marshal

Richard M. Joel, President, Yeshiva University

National Anthem:

Cantor Ira W. Heller, Class of 2008

Invocation:

Rabbi Ozer Glickman, Adjunct Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Welcome:

Kathryn O. Greenberg, Chair, Board of Directors, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Class of 1982

Remarks:

David Rudenstine, Dean, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Vice President for Legal Education, Yeshiva University

Commencement Address:

Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, Supreme Court of …

Towards A More Reasonable Approach To Free Will In Criminal Law, Stephen O'Hanlon

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

This paper questions criminal law's strong presumption of free will. Part I assesses the ways in which environment, nurture, and society influence human action. Part II briefly surveys studies from the fields of genetics and neuroscience which call into question strong assumptions of free will and suggest explanations for propensities toward criminal activity. Part III discusses other "causes" of criminal activity including addiction, economic deprivation, gender, and culture. In light of Parts I through III, Part IV assesses criminal responsibility and the legitimacy ofpunishment. Part V considers the possibility of determiningpropensity for criminal activity based on assessing causal factors and …

Catching Up: The Need For New York State To Amend Its Juvenile Offender Law To Reflect Psychiatric, Constitutional And Normative National Trends Over The Last Three Decades, Michelle Haddad

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The note argues that New York's Juvenile Offender Law of 1978 is outdated and in need of reform. Enacted in response to a tragic crime, the law shifted juvenile justice from rehabilitation to punishment, allowing children as young as 13 to be tried as adults. However, advancements in psychological understanding of adolescent brain development, constitutional rulings, and international trends emphasize the need for a more nuanced, rehabilitative approach. The note advocates for amending the law to reflect these developments and prioritize individualized consideration of juvenile cases.

Reality Bites: The Illusion Of Science In Bite-Mark Evidence, Erica Beecher-Monas

Cardozo Law Review

More than a decade after Daubert, years after the amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence, and long after the courts in Frye jurisdictions started examining the empirical basis for expert claims before permitting such testimony in their courtrooms, judges are still evading their gatekeeping duties when it comes to criminal cases. A prime example of this can be found in bite-mark testimony. Although it comes dressed in the illusion of science, having experts with advanced degrees, a fancy name (forensic odontology), professional associations, and professional journals, that illusion belies the reality that bite-mark evidence utterly lacks empirical support …

2009 Cardozo Life (Issue 1), Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Life Magazine

Table of Contents:

Around Campus, page 3

Faculty Briefs, page 24

An Interview with Bernhard Schlink, page 34

“You shall love the stranger, for you yourselves were once strangers in the land of Egypt.”, page 40

Arguing Ashcroft v. Iqbal: A View from the Lectern, page 48

Their Defining Moments, page 52

Alumni News, page 58

Revisiting The Un Protocol On Human Trafficking: Striking Balances For More Effective Legislation, Kalen Fredette

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

Human trafficking is a growing global criminal concern. This paper assesses several national and multi-national efforts to combat human trafficking, focusing particularly on the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Protocol). Ultimately, the rise in trafficking offenses compared to the sparse number of convictions strongly suggests the inadequacy of the national and multinational efforts currently in play. This paper will take a fresh look at key provisions of the recent Protocol in light of newly published data on trafficking, and will explore possible modifications to the instrument which may increase its effectiveness. …

An Unnecessary Convenience: The Assertion Of The Uniform Code Of Military Justice ("Ucmj") Over Civilians And The Implications Of International Human Rights Law, Dan E. Stigall

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The expansion of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to include jurisdiction over civilians during contingency operations raises significant legal and human rights concerns, particularly regarding due process and equality under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). While the UCMJ aims to maintain military order, its application to civilians may not meet the ICCPR's requirements for necessity and fairness, potentially undermining the U.S.'s international reputation. However, proponents argue that military jurisdiction can sometimes advance human rights and accountability, suggesting a need for balanced solutions.

Bad Medicine: On Disciplining Physician Felons, Milton Heumann, Brian Pinaire, Simon Burger

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Perhaps it is the white coat or the degrees encased and mounted on the wall. Perhaps it is the Hippocratic Oath that new physicians recite and that established physicians have putatively internalized over time, or perhaps it is the title, "Doctor," which conjures up images of a stethoscope, a black bag, house calls, nurture, and trust. When we are sick, we head to the doctor. Young children are urged to become doctors. When we watch television or go to the movies doctors are, with certain recent exceptions, portrayed in a positive light as compared to lawyers or politicians. In this …