Law Commons^™

Executive Power In Youngstown's Shadows, Patricia L. Bellia

Journal Articles

Fifty years after it was handed down, the Supreme Court's decision in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer is among the most important of the Court's separation of powers cases. This Article explores two quite different legacies of the Youngstown case. First, Youngstown has a symbolic or rhetorical power, in that it stands as an example of a court invalidating the actions of a coordinate branch of government in a politically delicate context. When a court wields this weapon, it can take some cover in Youngstown's shadows, and the possibility of a court exercising this power disciplines the executive …

The Rehnquist Court And Criminal Procedure, Stephen F. Smith

Journal Articles

Much of recent discussions of conservative judicial activism has concerned the revival of federalism-based limits on Congress during the Rehnquist Court. The allure of federalism as a topic for discussion is understandable, yet I argue that constitutional criminal procedure provides a better context within which to test the Rehnquist Court's commitment to judicial restraint. In this Essay, I examine the topic at hand against the background of the many important developments that have taken place in criminal procedure on Rehnquist's watch. The results of this examination are surprising because they suggest that activism is not necessarily the antithesis of restraint. …

Can Contested Disciplinary Actions Be Considered In Subsequent Termination Proceedings? An Analysis Of United States Postal Service V. Gregory, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case U.S. Postal Service v. Gregory, 534 U.S. 1, 2001. The author expected the case to examine whether, under the Civil Service Reform Act, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) abuse its discretion when it considers prior discipline that is currently being challenged by the employee in ongoing grievance proceedings?

With All Due Deference: What Constitutes The Exercise Of "Independent Judgment" In The Workplace? An Analysis Of Nlrb V. Kentucky River Community Care, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case NLRB v. Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., 532 U.S. 706 (2001). The author expected the Court to examine two issues: (1) What is the appropriate interpretation of the statutory phrase "independent judgment" as used in § 2(11) of the National Labor Relations Act in defining which individuals are supervisors; and (2) Who has the burden of proving that an employee meets the definition of supervisor?

Whose Team Am I On Anyway - Musings Of A Public Defender About Drug Treatment Court Practice, Mae C. Quinn

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Do Agency Employees Have A Right To Union Representation When Questioned By An Oig Investigator? An Analysis Of Nasa V. Flra, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case NASA v. Federal Labor Relations Authority, 527 U.S. 229 (1999). The author expected the case to raise the question of whether the Office of Inspector General within a federal agency is acting as a representative of the agency when it conducts investigatory interviews of agency employees, so as to trigger the employee's right to union representation.

The Rome Treaty For An International Criminal Court: A Flawed But Essential First Step, Douglass Cassel

Journal Articles

Last summer more than 150 UN member states met in Rome to negotiate a treaty to establish a permanent international criminal court. Following years of preparatory meetings in New York and five weeks of negotiation in Rome, they voted 120 to seven, with twenty-one abstentions, for a treaty to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC) to hear future cases of genocide, serious war crimes and crimes against humanity. Most of the world's democracies-western and central Europe together with countries like Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, South Africa and South Korea-supported the ICC. Only two democracies-the U.S. and Israel-voted against, thereby …

Terry, Race, And Judicial Integrity: The Court And Suppression During The War On Drugs, Jack B. Weinstein, Mae Quinn

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Does A Conspiracy To Terminate At-Will Employment Constitute An Injury To Property? An Analysis Of Haddle V. Garrison, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case Haddle v. Garrison, 525 U.S. 121 (1998). The author expected the Court to determine whether the termination of an at-will employee can be compensible under 42 U.S.C. § 1985, one of the Reconstruction Era Civil Rights Act.

Who's Responsible? Employer Liability For Supervisors' Hostile-Environment Sexual Harassment: An Analysis Of Faragher V. City Of Boca Raton, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775 (1998). The author expected the Court to address the issue of under what circumstances an employer is liabile under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for a supervisor's sexual harassement that creates a hostile work environment.

The Scope Of Employer Liability For Employee Exposure To A Hazardous Substance: No Harm, No Foul? An Analysis Of Metro-North Commuter R.R. Co. V. Buckley, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case Metro-North Commuter R.R. Co. v. Buckley, 521 U.S. 424 (1997). The author expected the Court to decide whether a railroad worker who is covered by the Federal Employer's Liability Act who has been exposed to asbestos because of employer negligence but who has not developed an asbestos-related disease can recover damages for emotional distress caused by the exposure.

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied: May A Prisoner's Challenge To Parole Revocation Be Delayed Until The Sentence Is Completed And Then Dismissed As Moot?, Jimmy Gurule

Journal Articles

A preview of Spencer v. Kemna, a 1997 Supreme Court case where a prison inmate challenged the revocation of his parole by the state of Missouri. This case is significant because the inmate initiated his challenge while in prison and continued it after he had served his sentence and was released. Substantial confusion exists in case law regarding whether such a challenge would be considered moot after the inmate had completed serving his or her sentence. At issue is if the “collateral consequences” rule applies to challenges against parole revocations. The Court has ruled that challenges by individuals against their …

The Secret Lives Of The Four Horsemen, Barry Cushman

Journal Articles

"Outlined against red velvet drapery on the first Monday of October, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction, and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Van Devanter, McReynolds, Sutherland, and Butler. They formed the crest of the reactionary cyclone before which yet another progressive statute was swept over the precipice yesterday morning as a packed courtroom of spectators peered up at the bewildering panorama spread across the mahogany bench above." Or so Grantland Rice might have written, had he been a legal realist. For more than two generations scholars …

Will The Supreme Court Sound The Death Knell For Political Patronage? An Analysis Of O'Hare Truck Services, Inc. V. City Of Northlake, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case O'Hare v. City of Northlake, 518 U.S. 712 (1996). The author expected the Court to analyze whether political patronage infringes on First Amendment rights.

Direct Democracy And Hastily Enacted Statutes, John C. Nagle

Journal Articles

Phil Frickey qualifies as the leading explorer of the borderline between statutory interpretation and constitutional law. Frickey explores ways to mediate the borderline between statutory interpretation and constitutional adjudication in the context of direct democracy. His is an enormously helpful attempt to reconcile the constitutional issues discussed by Julian Eule and the statutory interpretation issues discussed by Jane Schacter. I agree with many of Frickey's suggestions. Indeed, I will suggest some additional devices that can perform the same role. But I wonder whether Frickey has proved more than he set out to accomplish. The problems of direct democracy are special, …

Cooperating With The Prosecutor: How Many Motions Does It Take To Secure A Sentence That Is Less Than The Mandatory Minimum Provided By Statute?, Jimmy Gurule

Journal Articles

A preview of Melendez v. United States, a 1996 Supreme Court case in which a convicted cocaine dealer appealed his mandatory 10 year sentence under the federal statutes on the grounds that he had cooperated with the prosecutor. While the United States Congress has authorized courts to impose sentences below the mandatory minimum set by the statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for defendants who provide substantial cooperation with the prosecution, courts can only do so at the request of the prosecutor. At issue in this case, where the prosecutor requested a sentence lower than the Guidelines minimum but not …

How To Count To Fifteen: Determining The Jurisdictional Scope Of Title Vii: An Analysis Of Walters V. Metropolitan Educational Enterprises Inc., Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case Walters v. Metropolitan Educational Enterprises, Inc., 519 U.S. 202 (1997). The author expected the Court to consider how the number of employees of a particular employer should be counted for for purposes of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Double Jeopardy Dilemma: Does Criminal Prosecution And Civil Forfeiture In Separate Proceedings Violate The Double Jeopardy Clause?, Jimmy Gurule

Journal Articles

A preview of two 1996 Supreme Court cases. In the first case, US v. Ursery, a convicted narcotics dealer filed a motion to dismiss his criminal sentence on the grounds that it had violated the double jeopardy clause because he had already received a civil forfeiture judgment for the same crime. The second case, US v. $405,089.23, involves a similar situation, with a convicted felon filing a motion to dismiss his civil forfeiture case on the grounds that he had received a criminal sentence for the same crime earlier. The article argues that the two cases are significant because the …

Corrections Day, John Copeland Nagle

Journal Articles

In July 1995, the House of Representatives established a Corrections Day procedure for fixing statutory mistakes. This article traces the history of the corrections day idea, beginning with suggestions offered by Justices Cardozo and Ginsburg many years apart. The article also recounts the early applications of Correction Day by the House. This article describes the problem of statutory mistakes: what they are, and who makes them. It explains that statutory mistakes do exist, regardless of how one defines mistake. Congress, agencies, and the courts all make mistakes, though the responsibility for them ultimately resides with Congress, the author of the …

The More Things Change…: Superficial State Constitutional Analysis At The New York Court Of Appeals, James A. Gardner

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

An Independent Contractor Speaks His Mind: Can He Lose His Government Contract? An Analysis Of Heiser V. Umbehr, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case Heiser v. Umbehr, 515 U.S. 1172 (1995). The author expected the Court to consider whether, and to what extent, a governmental unit can take into account an independent contractor's poltical speech in making decisions regarding the award or termination of government contracts.

Can A Deficiency Notice To A Non-Filing Taxpayer Shorten The Time To Claim A Refund In The Tax Court?, Matthew J. Barrett

Journal Articles

Each year, about three million people overpay their federal income taxes but don't file returns. Taxpayers usually have three years to claim a refund. When a non-filer waits more than two years before seeking a refund, the IRS often seeks more tax because the taxpayer has not filed. If the taxpayer appeals to the Tax Court to avoid paying the additional tax, the IRS says the refund period is only two years. Now the Supreme Court decides if a deficiency notice can shorten the time to claim a refund in the Tax Court.

Are Litigating Attorneys Debt Collectors Under The Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act?, Tang Thi Thanh Trai Le

Journal Articles

In 1986 Congress amended the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to include attorneys under the definition of debt collector. Now the Supreme Court is asked to determine if the law applies to attorneys suing debtors on behalf of clients, not just when they conduct debt-collection activities.

If the Supreme Court affirms the decision of the Seventh Circuit, thus finding for Jenkins, attorneys who litigate cases involving collection of debts may find themselves subject to liability for communications with the consumer or the consumer's attorney regarding the litigation. Furthermore, these attorneys would face personal liability for any violations of the Act …

Multiple Punishment For Similar Crimes: Is The Double Jeopardy Clause Violated?, Jimmy Gurule

Journal Articles

Criminal defendants often are charged and convicted of multiple offenses. And often one offense is a lesser included offense of another, which means that proving one offense proves the other. If the offender is sentenced for both crimes, is the prohibition against double jeopardy violated? That is the question the Supreme Court addresses in this drug trafficking case, a case in which two concurrent life imprisonment sentences were imposed for virtually the same conduct.

Are Back Pay And Damages In Age Discrimination Cases Subject To Income Taxes?, Matthew J. Barrett

Journal Articles

The Internal Revenue Code excludes damages received "on account of personal injuries" from federal income taxation. In this case, the Supreme Court decides if back pay and damages received under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act qualify for this exclusion. The Court's decision could affect thousands of workers who have brought, or may bring, federal age discrimination claims after losing their jobs in downsizings. It may also resolve the tax status of punitive damages.

'If I Knew Then What I Know Now': The Role Of After-Acquired Evidence In Employment Discrimination Cases: An Analysis Of Mckennon V. Nashville Banner, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company, 513 U.S. 352 (1995). The author expected the Court to address whether after acquired evidence of employee misconduct is a complete defense for an employer's termination decision which would otherwise violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act or is it relevant only to the scope of the remedy afforded to an employee terminated in violation of the Act.

Professional Employee Or Supervisory Employee: Are Nurses Protected By The Nlra? An Analysis Of Nlrb V. Health Care & Retirement Corp., Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case NLRB v. Health Care and Retirement Corp. of America, 511 U.S. 571 (1994). The National Labor Relations Act protects employees' right to unionize and their actions aimed at improving working conditions. The Act does not, however, protect supervisory employees on the premise that employers deserve the undivided loyalty of their agents. In this case, the Court is asked to decide if nurses who direct the work of aides and orderlies are employees protected from discharge in their efforts to improve working conditions, or are supervisors who can be fired for such conduct.

Can The Government Change Tax Laws Retroactively?, Matthew J. Barrett

Journal Articles

This case presents an issue regarding the constitutionality of retroactive taxes. In December 1987, to correct a drafting oversight, Congress retroactively amended the requirements of a federal estate tax deduction enacted in October 1986. The Ninth Circuit, using a lenient test, invalidated the amendment’s retroactive application to a December 1986 transaction. Now the case is before the Supreme Court whose decision should indicate whether the Court will relax the almost overwhelming barriers to a successful attack on retroactive taxation established by its earlier cases.

Does Sec Rule 10b-5 Provide An Implied Private Right Of Action For Aiding And Abetting Securities Fraud?, Matthew J. Barrett

Journal Articles

This case concerns the civil liability of persons who aid and abet securities fraud in violation of federal law. First, the Supreme Court will decide if federal securities law recognizes an implied private right of action against those who aid and abet securities fraud. Second, if the Court concludes that there is a private right of action, it is asked to decide if recklessness satisfies the mental-state requirement which lower courts have held is a prerequisite for imposing civil liability.

Does Sexual Harassment Require Proof Of Psychological Injury? An Analysis Of Harris V. Forklift Systems, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc., 510 U.S. 17 (1993). The author expected the Court to address whether, under Title VII the Civil Rights Act of 1965, a plaintiff is required to prove that he or she suffered psychological injury as a result of sexual harassment in the workplace in order to prove a hostile-environment.