Law Commons^™

The Solution To The Real Blackmail Paradox: The Common Link Between Blackmail And Other Criminal Threats, Ken Levy

Ken Levy

Disclosure of true but reputation-damaging information is generally legal. But threats to disclose true but reputation-damaging information unless payment is made are generally criminal. Most scholars think that this situation is paradoxical because it seems to involve illegality mysteriously arising out of legality, a criminal act mysteriously arising out of an independently legal threat to disclose conjoined with an independently legal demand for money. But this is not quite right. The real paradox raised by the different legal statuses of blackmail threats to disclose and disclosure itself involves a contradiction between our strong intuition that blackmail threats should be criminal …

Immigration Policing And Federalism Through The Lens Of Technology, Surveillance, And Privacy, Anil Kalhan

Anil Kalhan

With the deployment of technology, federal programs to enlist state and local police assistance with immigration enforcement are undergoing a sea change. For example, even as it forcefully has urged invalidation of Arizona’s S.B. 1070 and similar state laws, the Obama administration has presided over the largest expansion of state and local immigration policing in U.S. history with its implementation of the “Secure Communities” program, which integrates immigration and criminal history database systems in order to automatically ascertain the immigration status of every individual who is arrested and booked by state and local police nationwide. By 2012, over one fifth …

The Fda And The Ftc Join Forces,, Robert Sanger

Robert M. Sanger

To those of us in the trenches dealing with civil and criminal enforcement of government regulation, it is not surprising that more than one federal agency will join in an investigation. Sometimes this takes the form of a “tag along” where, for instance, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may follow up on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) white collar fraud case to assert the claim that taxes were not paid on the ill-gotten proceeds of the transaction. There are other cases where two federal agencies both attempt to take the lead in an investigation and clash in a “turf” …

Recent Landmark Criminal Law Decisions Of The Supreme Court: The Jurisprudence Of The Supreme Court: Fair Trial, Juvenile Justice, The Death Penalty, And The Right To Counsel, Richard Klein

Richard Daniel Klein

The Supreme Court has recently adjudicated some crucial issues regarding criminal matters and constitutional jurisprudence. The Court expanded the constitutional authority vested in Congress, provided defendants with constitutional remedies and protections, indicated that even a substantial amount of publicity surrounding a trial does not warrant a change of venue, left defense attorneys in awe of their new-found obligations, and settled important divisions among the U.S. circuit courts of appeal. Skilling v. U.S. revealed that a change of venue based on a claim of a tainted jury pool presents a difficult, if not impossible task, for criminal defendants. Padilla expanded the …

Gridland: An Allegorical Critique Of Federal Sentencing, Erik Luna

Erik Luna

No abstract provided.

A Criminal Quartet: The Supreme Court's Resolution Of Four Critical Issues In The Criminal Justice System, Richard Klein

Richard Daniel Klein

No abstract provided.

Warrant Requirement -- The Burger Court Approach, Robert Bloom

Robert Bloom

No abstract provided.

Inevitable Discovery: An Exception Beyond The Fruits, Robert Bloom

Robert Bloom

No abstract provided.

Welcome To Anytown, U.S.A. - Home Of Beautiful Scenery (And A Convicted Sex Offender): Sex Offender Registration And Notification Laws In E.B. V. Verniero, David Dematteo

David DeMatteo

No abstract provided.

New Legal Challenge To Guantanamo Confinement, Robert Sanger

Robert M. Sanger

We will discuss in this article a new Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed in the federal court relating to the non-release of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay notwithstanding the order of the Administration for their release. As of this writing, the President of the United States has issued orders releasing at least 40 detainees, including Ahmed Adnan Ajam who is the subject of the new Petition. Ironically, under the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Years 2011-20131 (“NDAA”), the President is restricted from releasing detainees under the NDAA which was enacted as a partisan rider to defense …

Justice For Girls: Are We Making Progress?, Francine Sherman

Francine T. Sherman

Social expectations that girls behave obediently, modestly, and cautiously result in the detention and incarceration of girls who fight back at home or in intimate relationships and who are victims of sexual exploitation. The structural discrimination that supports detaining and incarcerating girls for violating these norms is both hard to see and hard to challenge. It is often hidden behind outward good will toward girls and legitimate expressions of concern for their vulnerability and possible victimization; and it is facilitated by the many opportunities for multifactored, "best interests" -based discretionary decisions built into the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. …

The Anniversaries Of The Right To Counsel And Thecreation Of The Public Defender’S Office,, Robert Sanger

Robert M. Sanger

There has been much celebration this year of the 50th Anniversary of the Gideon decision1 rendered by the United States Supreme Court in March of 1963. Gideon guaranteed that indigent persons accused of crime would be entitled to representation. It has been said for some time now, that the full promise of Gideon has never been realized. Nevertheless, the right to counsel in criminal cases is an important constitutional right.

2013 also marks the 120th Anniversary of the first public proposal of a public defender system which was introduced in Chicago in 1893. It also marks the 99th anniversary of …

Deciding Death, Michael Meltsner

Michael Meltsner

No abstract provided.

The National Academy Of Sciences And Juvenile Justice, Robert Sanger

Robert M. Sanger

In March of 1863, during the height of the Civil War in the United States, President Abraham Lincoln founded the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). This spring, the NAS celebrated its 150th anniversary. President Barack Obama gave a speech praising the history of the organization and noting its many achievements. The NAS brings together the finest scientific minds to assist the government on scientific matters from the military, to the space program, to education, to medicine, to global warming, to industrial science, to engineering, to cybersecurity.

The National Academy of Sciences also assists the Federal Judicial Center and the Administrative …

Sequester The Drug War: Drug Control Spending And The Opportunity To Stop Throwing Good Money After Bad, Leo Beletsky

Leo Beletsky

No abstract provided.

Extraterritoriality And The Sexual Conduct Of Australians Overseas, Danielle Ireland-Piper

Danielle Ireland-Piper

In April 2010, the Australian Parliament inserted Division 272 into the Criminal Code (Cth).[1]3 The division is entitled ‘Child sex offences outside Australia’ and contains various offences relating to sexual intercourse or sexual activity, even where that activity takes place overseas. The title of its predecessor (Part IIIA of the Crimes Act 1914) was ‘Child Sex Tourism’. However, the scope of the offences under both Part IIIA and Division 272 extends to conduct that takes place overseas with no territorial nexus to Australia other that the Australian citizenship or residency of the offender. For example, an Australian citizen who is …

Public Wrongs And The ‘Criminal Law’S Business’: When Victims Won’T Share, Michelle Dempsey

Michelle Madden Dempsey

Amongst the many valuable contributions that Professor Antony Duff has made to criminal law theory is his account of what it means for a wrong to be public in character. In this chapter, I sketch an alternative way of thinking about criminalization, one which attempts to remain true to the important insights that illuminate Duff’s account, while providing (it is hoped) a more satisfying explanation of cases involving victims who reject the criminal law’s intervention.

3qs: The Lasting Impact Of Historic Gideon Ruling, Jason Kornwitz

Daniel S. Medwed

No abstract provided.

Panelist, Can Law Schools Prepare Students To Be Practice Ready?, R. Michael Cassidy

R. Michael Cassidy

No abstract provided.

Traces Of A Libertarian Theory Of Punishment, Erik Luna

Erik Luna

No abstract provided.

The Curious Case Of Corporate Criminality, Erik Luna

Erik Luna

No abstract provided.

Mandatory Minimalism, Erik Luna, Paul Cassell

Erik Luna

One of us (Cassell) is a former federal judge nominated by President George W. Bush, now a “conservative” scholar whose work is often supportive of law enforcement, the death penalty, and the rights of crime victims. The other (Luna) is a “libertarian” who tends to be suspicious of government and adamant about abuses of power, including those by police and prosecutors, and his scholarship has expressed the need for wholesale criminal justice reform (especially in the federal system). If we could find common ground on ways to modify federal mandatory minimums, we hoped that policymakers might share this agreement, perhaps …

Por Um Law No Mundo: Fundamentos Jusfilosóficos Do Instituto Da Adoção Como Direito Humano, Paulo Barrozo

Paulo Barrozo

Este ensaio articula os fundamentos jusfilosóficos do direito humano e cosmopolita dos jovens privados de autêntica relação pais-filhos de serem adotados, tendo assim acesso à experiência de crescer como fihas ou filhos. Esta visão jusfilosófica da adoção como direito humano é contraposta à abordagem, até então predominante, consequencialista-filantrópica da adoção. Uma vez apresentados os fundamentos jusfilosóficos em questão, cinco principais distinções emergem entre a adoção como direito humano e a visão tradicional da adoção. Primeiro, a perspectiva da adoção como direito humano reconhece o fato de que negligência e abuso de jovens é proporcionalmente e em termos absolutos mais frequente …

The Eighth Amendment As A Warrant Against Undeserved Punishment, Scott Howe

Scott W. Howe

Should the Eighth Amendment prohibit all undeserved criminal convictions and punishments? There are grounds to argue that it must. Correlation between the level of deserts of the accused and the severity of the sanction represents the very idea of justice to most of us. We want to believe that those branded as criminals deserve blame for their conduct and that they deserve all of the punishments that they receive. The deserts limitation is also key to explaining the decisions in which the Supreme Court has rejected convictions or punishments as disproportional, including several major rulings in the new millennium. Yet, …

“Germans Are The Lords And Poles Are The Servants”: The Trial Of Arthur Greiser In Poland, 1946, Mark Drumbl

Mark A. Drumbl

No abstract provided.

Strategic Austerity: How Some Law School Affordability Initiatives Could Actually Improve Learning Outcomes, R. Michael Cassidy

R. Michael Cassidy

The legal profession is facing profound and perhaps irreversible changes. Whether you view these striking demographics as a “crisis” likely depends on the location of your perch. If you are a tenured professor at a T14 law school or a senior partner at an NLJ 250 firm, you may view the trends we have been discussing today as cyclical corrections. If you are an unemployed graduate looking for work or an untenured professor at a lower-tier school that is struggling to stay afloat, you may be more likely to view these trends as permanent and paradigm shifting.

While applications to …

Determining The Retroactive Reach Of Decriminalization And Diminished Punishment, Harold Krent

Harold J. Krent

No abstract provided.

Regulatory Crime: Solutions, Lucian Dervan

Lucian E Dervan

On November 14, 2013, Professor Dervan was called to testify before the United States House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary Over-Criminalization Task Force. Available here is his written testimony. In his written testimony, Professor Dervan examines the phenomenon of over-criminalization, particularly in the regulatory area, and offers several recommended solutions for Congressional adoption. First, he recommends the adoption of a default rule for mens rea. Second, he recommends the adoption of a default rule applying mens rea to all material elements of an offense. Third, he recommends the codification of the Rule of Lenity. Finally, along with some additional …

White Collar Over-Criminalization: Deterrence, Plea Bargaining, And The Loss Of Innocence, Lucian Dervan

Lucian E Dervan

Overcriminalization takes many forms and impacts the American criminal justice system in varying ways. This article focuses on a select portion of this phenomenon by examining two types of overcriminalization prevalent in white collar criminal law. The first type of over criminalization discussed in this article is Congress’s propensity for increasing the maximum criminal penalties for white collar offenses in an effort to punish financial criminals more harshly while simultaneously deterring others. The second type of overcriminalization addressed is Congress’s tendency to create vague and overlapping criminal provisions in areas already criminalized in an effort to expand the tools available …

The Wire And Alternative Stories Of Law And Inequality, Robert Power

Robert C Power

No abstract provided.