Law Commons^™

Evaluating The Sex Discrimination Argument For Lesbian And Gay Rights, Edward Stein

Faculty Articles

The sex discrimination argument for lesbian and gay rights analyzes laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in terms of sex discrimination. For example, sodomy laws that prohibit only same-sex sexual activities are analyzed as discriminating on the basis of sex because they prohibit women from doing something men are permitted to do, that is, have sex with women. This argument has been championed by some scholars and litigators, and it has persuaded some judges. Edward Stein shows that there are sociological, theoretical, moral, and practical problems facing the sex discrimination argument. He suggests that there are better …

Which Means To An End Under The Uniform Mediation Act, Andrea Kupfer Schneider

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Are Tax "Benefits" For Religious Institutions Constitutionally Dependent On Benefits For Secular Entities?, Edward A. Zelinsky

Faculty Articles

The Supreme Court generally conditions tax exemptions, deductions, and exclusions for religious organizations and activities upon the simultaneous extension of such benefits to secular institutions and undertakings. The Court's position flows logically from its acceptance of the premise that tax exemptions, deductions, and exclusions constitute subsidies. However, the "subsidy" label is usually deployed in a conclusory and unconvincing fashion. The First Amendment is best understood as permitting governments to refrain from taxation to accommodate the autonomy of religious actors and activities; hence, tax benefits extended solely to religious institutions should pass constitutional muster as recognition of that autonomy.

The Cash Balance Controversy Revisited: Age Discrimination And Fidelity To Statutory Text, Edward A. Zelinsky

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

In Defense Of Making Government Pay: The Deterrent Effect Of Constitutional Tort Remedies, Myriam E. Gilles

Faculty Articles

Legal economists are concerned with setting optimal deterrence levels. Armed with information concerning the public and private costs and benefits of a particular harmful activity, the legal economist seeks to set a “price” for the activity which, to some socially optimal extent, minimizes external costs while retaining external benefits. If the economist's information is perfect, he can predict precisely how an economically rational actor will respond to a particular price and achieve optimal deterrence of activities whose costs outweigh their benefits.

Unfriendly Actions: The Amicus Brief Battle At The Wto, Andrea Kupfer Schneider

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Cross-Testing, Nondiscrimination, And New Comparability: A Rejoinder To Mr. Orszag And Professor Stein, Edward A. Zelinsky

Faculty Articles

In their response to my article in this symposium issue of the Buffalo Law Review, Peter Orszag and Norman Stein advance their analysis of cross-testing, new comparability and the nondiscrimination norm. I write this brief rejoinder both to clarify the areas of our disagreement and to complete our dialogue.

Is Cross-Testing A Mistake: Cash Balance Plans, New Comparability Formulas, And The Incoherence Of The Nondiscrimination Norm, Edward A. Zelinsky

Faculty Articles

The increasing tendency of large employers to convert their traditional defined benefit pension plans to the cash balance format has engendered substantial controversy, both within the qualified plan community and among the general public. The rise of "new comparability" plans has yet to generate the same level of popular or political concern, perhaps because such plans have largely been embraced by smaller employers. However, among pension mavens, new comparability has occasioned strong supporters and equally firm detractors.

The Law Of White Spaces: Race, Culture, And Legal Education, Peter Goodrich, Linda G. Mills

Faculty Articles

The scene, drawn from memory, is a first-year law school classroom. It is the early 1980s and the class is on civil procedure. The teacher is a white woman. She is nervous, and the class is dominated by students who provide standard right answers to formulaic law school questions. Other points of view, particularly those of a critical or feminist nature, are either passed over quickly or ignored. Questions of color are never mentioned. More than that, the teacher never calls on any African-American students. Students of color are either ignored completely or told, when they have questions, “We are …

Representational Standing: U.S. Ex Rel. Stevens And The Future Of Public Law Litigation, Myriam E. Gilles

Faculty Articles

In May 2000, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v. U.S. ex rel. Stevens, a seemingly predictable 11th Amendment case. In upholding the plaintiff's Article III standing to bring that case, however, the Court suggested a theory of "representational standing" that holds the potential to radically transform the entire body of law governing the ability of private citizens to seek, through the federal courts, the vindication of broadly-held public interests.

Over the past 30 years, the Court's increasingly restrictive standing jurisprudence has effectively precluded private citizens from playing a meaningful role in public …

Reading The Clean Air Act After Brown & Williamson, Michael Herz

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Internet Business Model Patents: Obvious By Analogy, Margo A. Bagley

Faculty Articles

Part I of this Article provides a look at Internet business model patents in light of key patentability requirements mandated by the Patent Act. Part II traces the evolution of the analogous art component of the non-obviousness determination and illustrates how the malleability of the doctrine, as exemplified in several Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decisions, has particular relevance to prior art definitions for Internet business model patents. Part III of this Article then examines the doctrine of equivalents and explores how the likelihood of improper application of this doctrine in the Internet business model context is increased. …

"Closet Case": Boy Scouts Of America V. Dale And The Reinforcement Of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Transgender Invisibility, Darren L. Hutchinson

Faculty Articles

This Article argues that the Supreme Courts decision in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale misapplies and ignores controlling First Amendment precedent and incorrectly dermes "sexual identity" as a clinical or biological imposition that exists apart from expression or speech. This Article provides a doctrinal alternative to Dale that would protect vital interests in both equality and liberty and that would not condition, as does Dale, sexual "equality" upon the silencing of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

Regulation Of Religious Proselytism In The United States, Howard O. Hunter, Polly J. Price

Faculty Articles

This article will consider various aspects of the U.S. legal system that affect proselytism. Although the United States has had a longstanding constitutional guarantee of the “free exercise” of religion, there are nonetheless significant constraints upon free exercise directly relating to proselytism. Some legal commentators, including Douglas Laycock, have argued that our decentralized system of government leads to insufficient protection of religious liberty, especially for religious minorities.Most case law on the subject in the United States, as well as most attempts to regulate behavior by ordinance or statute, have developed in response to groups or individuals that are outside the …

Identity Crisis: "Intersectionality," "Multidimensionality," And The Development Of An Adequate Theory Of Subordination, Darren L. Hutchinson

Faculty Articles

This Article arises out of the intersectionality and post-intersectionality literature and makes a case against the essentialist considerations that informed HRC's endorsement of D'Amato. Part I discusses the pitfalls that occur when scholars and activists engage in essentialist politics and treat identities and forms of subordination as conflicting forces. Part II examines how essentialism negatively affects legal theory in the equality context. Part III considers the historical motivation for and the efficacy of the "intersectionality" response to the problem of essentialism. Part III also extensively analyzes the "multidimensional" critiques of essentialism offered by the most recent school of thought in …

Defining “Church” In American Law, Michael S. Ariens

Faculty Articles

Balancing the autonomy of religious organizations against regulatory laws remains both a difficult and hotly contested issue. It is helpful to survey labor, property, tax, and education laws to illustrate the tensions between religion and government in American law.

Labor law cases show the autonomy of religious organizations concerning governmental regulations through the National Labor Relations Act and Title VII. In regard to church property, the government has an interest in regulating how religious organizations buy and sell land, run day care centers and food kitchens, raise and borrow money, commit torts, and enter into contracts. Section 501(c)(3) of the …

A Guide To Resources On Careers In Foreign And International Law, Robert H. Hu

Faculty Articles

Law librarians are often asked by law students and even practicing attorneys, “How do I begin a career in foreign and international law practice?” The student or attorney asking this question frequently is seeking recommendations for books, articles, or other information resources on the topic. The same situation arises in a law school’s career services office. For these reasons, a guide has been compiled to help law librarians and placement officials assist individuals who are interested in pursuing career opportunities in foreign and international law practice.

This guide is divided into four sections: Perspectives on International Law Practice, Membership Organizations, …

The Word And The Law, By Milner S. Ball (Book Review), Emily A. Hartigan

Faculty Articles

Milner Ball’s The Word and the Law has become a widely quoted work, and has already taken its place in the continuing tale of law and religion. The text presents itself in typical Ball fashion: richly and eloquently written, densely noted with weighty references, alive with stories and the voices of those with whom Ball has conversed.

A striking innovation in this book is Ball’s creation of a space in his text for the stories of those who are both his peers and not his peers, giving over the “pulpit” to women, edgy Jews, and Native Americans, all of whom …

Building Democracies With Southern Command’S Legal Engagement Strategy, Jeffrey F. Addicott, Guy B. Roberts

Faculty Articles

Fostering democracies and encouraging military establishments, which are subject to the rule of law, is vital to United States national security interests. In this regard, the American warfighting unified commands mirror the overall U.S. national security policy of peacetime engagement, not only by maintaining close contacts with friendly governments for the purpose of imparting democratic ideals and principles, but by focusing this commitment to support new democracies through detailed engagement plans.

U.S. Southern Command’s engagement plan for Latin America creates a “community of democratic, stable, and prosperous” nations. This plan also provides a blueprint for democracy-building in the context of …

Distinguishing The Concept Of Strict Liability For Ultra-Hazardous Activities From Strict Products Liability Under Section 402a Of The Restatement (Second) Of Torts: Two Parallel Lines Of Reasoning That Should Never Meet, Charles E. Cantú

Faculty Articles

Strict liability for ultra-hazardous activities is entirely different from strict products liability. Since strict liability has been applied to so-called dangerous or ultra-hazardous activities, the application has been limited to instances where the defendant has, for his own purpose, created an abnormal risk of harm to those surrounding him, and therefore should pay for any resulting injury. Section 520 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts explains how one weighs the risk of harm emanating from ultra-hazardous activities against the appropriateness to its surroundings. This is not, however, how one determines the applicability of strict liability in the area of defective …

Church-State Constitutional Issues: Making Sense Of The Establishment Clause And That Godless Court?: Supreme Court Decision On Church-State Relationships (Book Reviews), Michael Ariens

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Why Marriage?, Martha Albertson Fineman

Faculty Articles

Reflection on the prospect of varied, individualized possibilities for the meaning of marriage suggests, that in order to answer the question "why marriage?" we must first consider "what marriage?" or more succinctly, "what is marriage?" Questioning what marriage actually is calls attention to the institution's individualized and malleable nature. By contrast, a focus on "why marriage" highlights the societal function and rationale for the institution. I will discuss each question-the "what" as well as the "why" of marriage.

Genealogy Of A State-Engineered “Model Minority”: “Not Quite/Not White” South Asian Americans, Tayyab Mahmud

Faculty Articles

This is review essay based on Vijay Prashad, The Karma of Brown Folk (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press 2000). It engages the saga of immigration of South Asian to the United States. A primary focus is on the matrix of identity formation within the grammar of imperialism. It explores how modern regimes of power/knowledge constitute racialized subjects. The deployment of the "model minority" discourse is examined as it relates to South Asian Americans. Structures of power and strategies of resistance among South Asian Americans are highlighted and it is argued that building solidarities among all subordinated is the only viable …

Interpreting Mineral And Royalty Deeds: The Legacy Of The One-Eighth Royalty And Other Stories, Laura H. Burney

Faculty Articles

Mineral and royalty deeds are notoriously difficult to interpret. Courts complicate the interpretive process in at least two ways. First, they produce opinions that fail to appreciate and explain unique oil and gas concepts. Second, they render deed records unreliable. A variety of title problems flow from this instability. However, a common trait is frequently encountered: the influence of the one-eighth royalty provision typically used for decades in oil and gas leases. Unfortunately, courts have failed to acknowledge this influence. For this reason, title litigation will continue to loom under the legacy of the one-eighth royalty, and title examiners will …

Sentencing Reform In The Other Washington, David Boerner, Roxanne Lieb

Faculty Articles

Washington State's sentencing reform in the early 1980s encompassed all felonies, including those resulting in sentences to prison and jail; the state also enacted the first and only sentencing guidelines for juvenile offenders. Several lessons are suggested from Washington's experience: sentencing guidelines can change sentencing patterns and can reduce disparities among offenders who are sentenced for similar crimes and have similar criminal histories; a sentencing commission does not operate as an independent political force, except when such delegation serves the legislature's purpose; guidelines are policy-neutral technologies that can be harnessed to achieve the legislature's will; in states where citizen initiatives …

Los Angeles As A Single-Cell Organism, Robert S. Chang

Faculty Articles

In this article, Professor Robert S. Chang discusses the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart scandal. Professor Chang compares Los Angeles to a single-celled organism that lives according to three basic survival rules. These three rules are: 1) keep out that which is undesirable, 2) isolate and control that which cannot be kept out, and 3) expel, whenever possible, undesirable elements. The author first discusses some of the historical antecedents to the Rampart scandal in Los Angeles. The author then discusses how the United States as a whole has historically acted according to the three basic survival rules exhibited by a …

Placid, Clear-Seeming Words: Some Realism About The New Formalism (With Particular Attention To Promissory Estoppel), Sidney Delong

Faculty Articles

This Article examines the recent doctrinal shift from realist jurisprudence to the “new formalism” as it arises in the creation of contract obligation. Many recent decisions involving promissory estoppel appear to display a trend away from reliance protection in the commercial world. While these decisions are formalist insofar as they favor textual forms over contextual forms, the Author argues that this trend is more properly characterized as a realist effort. This Article examines promissory estoppel in the commercial world and suggests that the “new formalism”, driven by the most “realist” of motives, will expunge liability for promissory estoppel in the …

Game Theory And Customary International Law: A Response To Professors Goldsmith And Posner, Mark A. Chinen

Faculty Articles

In a pair of recent articles, Professors Jack Goldsmith and Eric Posner have used game theoretic principles to challenge the positivist account of customary international law. Their writings join other early attempts to apply game theory to the international law sources. This article has two purposes. The first is to evaluate game theory's potential for yielding greater insight into customary international law and international law more generally. The second is to respond to the conclusions about customary international law drawn by Professors Goldsmith and Posner. In Part I, Professor Chinen discusses the approach proposed by these two scholars. Traditionally, customary …

Beyond Eco-Imperialism: An Environmental Justice Critique Of Free Trade, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Faculty Articles

The article contributes to the trade and environment literature by assessing the claim that industrialized country proposals to integrate environmental protection into the WTO trade regime constitute environmental imperialism - the imposition of industrialized country values and preferences on less powerful nations. This claim is usually based on two distinct premises. The first is that environmental protection is a luxury that poor countries can ill afford. The second is that wealthy countries have played a leadership role in the protection of the global environment. The article questions these assumptions. It argues that environmental protection is essential to well-being of the …

I Know That I Taught Them How To Do That, Laurel Oates

Faculty Articles

Teachers have complained for years that students could not transfer their skills from one class to another, and employers have complained that the students could not apply the skills they learned in class to real world tasks. This article delves into the issues involved in students acquiring skills and the ability to transfer those to skills to similar tasks. The article describes the four steps involved in transfer identified by researchers: problem representation, search and retrieval, mapping, and application.