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Full-Text Articles in Law

Simplified Courts Can't Solve Inequality, Colleen F. Shanahan, Anna E. Carpenter Jun 2019

Simplified Courts Can't Solve Inequality, Colleen F. Shanahan, Anna E. Carpenter

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

State civil courts struggle to handle the volume of cases before them. Litigants in these courts, most of whom are unrepresented, struggle to navigate the courts to solve their problems. This access-to-justice crisis has led to a range of reform efforts and solutions. One type of reform, court simplification, strives to reduce the complexity of procedures and information used by courts to help unrepresented litigants navigate the judicial system. These reforms mitigate but do not solve the symptoms of the larger underlying problem: state civil courts are struggling because they have been stuck with legal cases that arise from the …


No Justice In Utah's Justice Courts: Constitutional Issues, Systemic Problems, And The Failure To Protect Defendants In Utah's Infamous Local Courts, Samuel P. Newton, Teresa L. Welch, Neal G. Hamilton Jan 2012

No Justice In Utah's Justice Courts: Constitutional Issues, Systemic Problems, And The Failure To Protect Defendants In Utah's Infamous Local Courts, Samuel P. Newton, Teresa L. Welch, Neal G. Hamilton

Utah OnLaw: The Utah Law Review Online Supplement

Utah’s justice of the peace courts look and feel exactly like district courts, yet they lack the benefits and protections afforded to citizens charged with more serious offenses. Utah should strongly consider abolishing its justice courts in order to integrate them into a statewide system of justice that would “keep the peace” for all of the state’s citizens. If Utah does not abolish its justice courts, then it should implement the procedures and reforms outlined in this Article. Utah continues to have an opportunity to provide meaningful, and constitutional, justice administered at its local level. Once these reforms were implemented, …


Romancing The Court, Jane M. Spinak Jan 2008

Romancing The Court, Jane M. Spinak

Faculty Scholarship

Problem-solving courts, created at the end of the 20th century, make court-based solutions central to addressing significant societal problems, such as substance abuse and its impact on criminal activity and family functioning. Yet, lessons gleaned from over 100 years of family court history suggest that court-based solutions to intractable social problems have rarely been effective. This article asks three questions of the problem-solving court movement: What problem are we trying to solve? Is the court the best place to solve the problem? What are the consequences of giving authority to a court for solving the problem? Answering those questions through …


Judicial Reform: Setting The Prairies Afire, Monroe G. Mckay Mar 1983

Judicial Reform: Setting The Prairies Afire, Monroe G. Mckay

Michigan Law Review

A Review of A Blueprint for Judicial Reform edited by Patrick B. McGuigan and Randall R. Rader


The Politics Of Judicial Reform, Michigan Law Review Mar 1983

The Politics Of Judicial Reform, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Politics of Judicial Reform edited by Philip L. Dubois


American Court Management: Theories And Practices, Michigan Law Review Mar 1983

American Court Management: Theories And Practices, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A Review of American Court Management: Theories and Practices by David J. Saari


An Appellate Court Dilemma And A Solution Through Subject Matter Organization, Daniel J. Meador Jan 1983

An Appellate Court Dilemma And A Solution Through Subject Matter Organization, Daniel J. Meador

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The recent litigation explosion presents a two-pronged dilemma for American appellate courts. If, on the one hand, the number of appellate judges is not expanded to keep abreast of growing case loads, there is a risk that courts will rely too heavily on professional staff, thereby watering down the decision-making process. If, on the other hand, the number of judges is proportionately increased with the growth in appellate litigation, the number of three-judge decisional units will also increase, thereby threatening predictability and uniformity in the law of the jurisdiction. This Article undertakes to explain that dilemma and to offer a …


Oral Argument And Expediting Appeals: A Compatible Combination, Joy A. Chapper Jan 1983

Oral Argument And Expediting Appeals: A Compatible Combination, Joy A. Chapper

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The purpose of this Article is to explore these issues in light of Sacramento's experience with the expedited appeal procedure. The data presented here are drawn from an evaluation of the first twelve months of the procedure's operation. This evaluation was based on court records of the more than one hundred cases that followed the expedited procedure to completion, in-person interviews with members of the court and court staff, and telephone interviews with participating attorneys. Part I briefly sets out the new procedure and the context in which this procedure was introduced and integrated. Part II discusses the conclusions that …


Judicial Selection In New York: A Need For Change, James Edward Lozier Jan 1975

Judicial Selection In New York: A Need For Change, James Edward Lozier

Fordham Urban Law Journal

On February 27, 1974 Chief Judge Charles D. Breitel of the New York State Court of Appeals addressed the New York Legislature regarding the "State of the Judiciary and Judicial System" and presented dramatic proposals for the reform of the New York state court system. In resurrecting the problem of court reform, the Chief Judge focused in part on one particularly controversial area-the selection of the judiciary. New Yorkers, as well as many other Americans, have become increasingly cognizant of the problem of inefficient administration of the judicial system by some of our nation's state and federal judges. A full …