Digital Commons Network^™

Ethics, Law Enforcement, And Fair Dealing: A Prosecutor's Duty To Disclose Nonevidentiary Information, David Aaron

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rethinking The Tough Sentencing Of Teenage Neonaticide Offenders In The United States, Christine A. Fazio, Jennifer L. Comito

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Imposing Duties On Witnesses To Child Sexual Abuse: A Futile Response To Bystander Indifference, Jessica R. Givelber

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dead Man Talking: Competing Narratives And Effective Representation In Capital Cases Essay., Jeffrey J. Pokorak

St. Mary's Law Journal

As Karl Hammond’s case indicates, to serve justice, balance between the Kill Story and Human Story is necessary in a capital trial. This Essay seeks, through deconstruction of Karl Hammond’s case, to identify and illustrate the values of telling these combating stories. Part III describes the Kill Story and the Human Story in Karl’s case from the record of his trial, appeals, and petitions. Part III also demonstrates how the failure to tell one side of the story in either the guilt-innocence phase or the punishment phase can have a prejudicial effect on the jury’s decision. Part IV then discusses …

The Jurisprudence Of Willfulness: An Evolving Theory Of Excusable Ignorance, Sharon L. Davies

Duke Law Journal

Ignorantia legis non excusat-ignorance of the law does not excuse-is a centuries-old criminal law maxim familiar to lawyer and layperson alike. Under the doctrine, an accused finds little protection in the claim "But, I did not know the law," for all are presumed either to be familiar with the law's commands or to proceed in ignorance at their own peril. The ignorant must be punished along with the knowing, the maxim teaches, to achieve a better educated and more law-abiding populace and to avoid the easy-to-assert and difficult-to-dispute claim of ignorance that would otherwise flow from the lips of any …

Getting Out Of This Mess: Steps Toward Addressing And Avoiding Inordinate Delay In Capital Cases, Dwight Aarons

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Professional Athletes-Held To A Higher Standard And Above The Law: A Comment On High-Profile Criminal Defendants And The Need For States To Establish High-Profile Courts, Laurie Nicole Robinson

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Racial Disparity And The Death Penalty, John C. Mcadams

Law and Contemporary Problems

McAdams examines the rhetoric and data supporting the "mass market" version of the racial disparity thesis. The system is racist in that it punishes those who kill whites more severely than those who kill blacks.

The Quality Of Justice In Capital Cases: Illinois As A Case Study, Leigh B. Bienen

Law and Contemporary Problems

Bienen uses Illinois as a case study of injustice in capital cases. The quality of justice in the trial and appeal of capital cases in Illinois is of a very low standard.

Oliphant And Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Over Non-Indians: Asserting Congress's Plenary Power To Restore Territorial Jurisdiction, Geoffrey C. Heisey

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

At Least Treat Us Like Criminals: South Carolina Responds To Victims' Pleas For Equal Rights, Thad H. Westbrook

South Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comparative Law Symposium: Is There A European Advantage In Criminal Procedure: Preface, Carl M. Selinger

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Adding A Comparative Perspective To American Criminal Procedure Classes, Albert W. Alschuler

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Main-Streaming Comparative Criminal Justice: How To Incorporate Comparative And International Concepts And Materials Into Basic Criminal Law And Procedure Courses, Richard S. Frase

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

European Perspectives On The Accused As A Source Of Testimonial Evidence, Gordon Van Kessel

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Silencing Nullification Advocacy Inside The Jury Room And Outside The Courtroom, Nancy J. King

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Jurors in criminal cases occasionally "nullify" the law by acquitting defendants who they believe are guilty according to the instructions given to them in court. American juries have exercised this unreviewable nullification power to acquit defendants who face sentences that jurors view as too harsh, who have been subjected to what jurors consider to be unconscionable governmental action, who have engaged in conduct that jurors do not believe is culpable, or who have harmed victims whom jurors consider unworthy of protection. Recent reports suggest jurors today are balking in trials in which a conviction could trigger a "three strikes" or …

Can Inordinate Delay Between A Death Sentence And Execution Constitute Cruel And Unusual Punishment?, Dwight Aarons

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Is Miranda Dead, Was It Overruled, Or Is It Irrelevant, Alfredo Garcia

St. Thomas Law Review

This Article will proceed in three stages. Part I will provide the historical, social, and political backdrop to the Miranda opinion. It will discuss the pragmatic basis for the path that the Court chose to follow in Miranda. Part II will underscore the attempts to overrule Miranda and the Court's almost instant departure from its doctrinal foundation. In doing so, the argument is that the Court's retreat can be viewed in large measure as a reaction to the negative response the opinion engendered, both politically and socially. It also can be viewed as the logical outcome of the Court's need …

Publicity In High Profile Criminal Cases, H. Patrick Furman

St. Thomas Law Review

Many may wonder about the wisdom of having a criminal lawyer discuss the ethical problems associated with high profile cases. Over the past few years, the performances of criminal lawyers on the public stage have been decidedly uneven with respect to professionalism and ethical behavior. We witnessed the spectacle of People v. Simpson. There, it seemed that the lawyers spent more time in front of the camera than in front of the bench. Ironically, after the trial, half of the lawyers got their own television shows. The Simpson trial was an event which deserved to be labeled a trial only …

Another Three Strikes Law: An In Depth Look At Florida's Prisoner Releasee Reoffender Punishment Act, Desiree M. Cuason

St. Thomas Law Review

Part I of this Comment will provide a brief historical background of Florida's sentencing guidelines and present an in-depth analysis contrasting various "Three Strikes You're Out" laws throughout the nation and the Florida Act. Part II will discuss certain conflicts which may result from the passage of the Act. Part III will discuss future impact on issues such as increased workload, prison overcrowding, and the shifting of discretionary power from the judiciary to the prosecutor. Finally, Part IV will propose alternatives to further the goals of prevention and incapacitation.

Islamic Law In Sudan: A Comparative Analysis, Kent Benedict Gravelle

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

Since the late 1970's, Islamic fundamentalism and violence has spread from the Middle East to as far away as Algeria in West Africa and Mindanao, an island in the Philippines.

Battered Women Syndrome As A Tort Cause Of Action, Heather Tonsing

Journal of Law and Health

The focus of this Note is the upcoming development of a new tort cause of action which would afford battered women full recovery and also help alleviate a growing public health epidemic. This Note argues that battered women syndrome is a valid psychological theory which has a place in civil litigation as a recognized cause of action. Although the theory is criticized by feminist scholars who believe that the testimony may perpetuate gender bias in criminal trials, the syndrome is still advantageous for women seeking redress in civil courts. Part I examines the phenomenon of battered women syndrome and its …

An Argument For Preserving The Agency Defense As Applied To Prosecutions For Unlawful Sale, Delivery, And Possession Of Drugs, Scott W. Parker

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

State V. Lovejoy: Hung Juries And Retrial Vs. Double Jeopardy And Collateral Estoppel, Nicole M. Ellis

Cleveland State Law Review

This article argues that the Supreme Court of Ohio's decision in Lovejoy helps to preserve the purpose of our criminal laws, which is to protect society. The article starts by recapping the events leading up to trial, then it breaks down the court decisions on appeal. The analysis of these decisions arrives at the conclusion that allowing a defendant to be retried on charges in which the accused was not previously acquitted, but rather the jury was hung or there was a mistrial, does not frustrate justice but instead greatly increases the opportunities for justice. In addition, the accused is …

Where We Have Been, And Where We Might Be Going: Some Cautionary Reflections On Rape Law Reform, The Sixty-Eighth Cleveland-Marshall Fund Lecture , Joshua Dressler

Cleveland State Law Review

We should always be looking to see where we are, how we got there, and where we appear to be going. My purpose in this article has been to ask those questions in the context of rape law. In evaluating rape reform, I have tried to be fair-minded and balanced in my observations. I have suggested areas in which the law should go further to protect against sexual misconduct, but I have also expressed my belief that rape law reform threatens to move in undesirable directions. In particular, I have argued that there is a risk that courts will follow …

Commentary - Co-Opting Compassion: The Federal Victim's Rights Amendment, Lynne Henderson

St. Thomas Law Review

This Commentary will explore some of the jurisprudential and practical issues by examining the nature of victims' rights and victimization. After a brief introduction to the history of victim's rights amendments in the United States, this Commentary will explore the images in the rhetoric that lead to unreflective support for victims' rights, then turn to images of justice and arguments for a particular kind of victims' rights, together with a critique of that vision. Finally, this Commentary suggests some alternative approaches and programs that promise to be more helpful to victims of crime than any constitutional amendment would be.

Practicing Criminal Law: A Jewish Law Analysis Of Being A Prosecutor Or Defense Attorney, Michael J. Broyde

Faculty Articles

Our secular society cycles as to whether it glorifies defense attor­neys or prosecutors. Sometimes, we adore defense attorneys­ -- they are the lawyers who ensure that innocents are not punished, "L.A. Law" is the show to watch, and the attorneys to imitate. Other times, we revere prosecutors -- they are the lawyers who punish evil­doers, "Law and Order" is the show to watch, and the attorneys to imitate. Jewish tradition recognizes the inherent ethical difficulties with the conduct of both types of attorneys.

Jewish law recognizes that the societal imposition of the criminal justice system on citizens, who otherwise function …

Retribution Revisited: A Reconsideration Of Feminist Criminal Law Reform Strategies, Dianne L. Martin

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Were the last 30 years of feminist law reform activity around criminal justice misdirected? Or, if not misdirected, have the efforts been appropriated and manipulated by the New Right? This commentary reflects on this history, and on the failures of the retributive justice project generally, and argues for a reexamination of both. The discussion focuses on the tactics of the New Right and on the retributive goals of some victims' rights organizations as a means of highlighting the unintended consequences of key feminist initiatives around violence against women. Finally, the commentary identifies alternatives to retribution and a need for careful …

The Irony Of Harmless Error, Charles S. Chapel

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Wielding The Double-Edge Sword: Charles Hamilton Houston And Judicial Activism In The Age Of Legal Realism, Roger Fairfax

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

A new progressive movement in the law profoundly affected the American judicial climate of the 1930s and 1940s. The jurisprudence of American Legal Realism, which sprang from the progressive American sociological jurisprudence, boasted the adherence of some of America's most influential legal minds. Legal Realism, which complemented the New Deal reform legislation emerging in the 1930s, advocated judicial deference to legislative and administrative channels on matters of social and economic policy. Judicial activism, which had been used as a tool for the protection of economic rights since the late nineteenth century, was seen as inimical to progressive social reform and, …