Law Commons^™

Why We Need Legal Philosophy, Randy E. Barnett

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Do we need legal philosophy? Legal philosophy or jurisprudence, like many other areas of philosophy, is of intrinsic interest to many people. But this does not tell us whether or why we need it. The answer suggested by Lon Fuller is that legal philosophy has - or should have - implications for lawyers, judges, legislators and law professors. And yet in 1952 Fuller concluded that: "Judged by this standard I don't think we can claim that the last quarter of a century has been a fruitful one for legal philosophy in this country - certainly not in terms of immediate …

From Sovereignty To Process: The Jurisprudence Of Federalism After Garcia, Andrzej Rapaczynski

Faculty Scholarship

On February 19, 1985, the Supreme Court, in Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority, overruled its 1976 decision in National League of Cities v. Usery. Although the continued vitality of National League of Cities had been in question in recent years, the Court's abrupt repudiation of the very principle announced in that case is an event of considerable significance, beyond showing, one more time, that the rule of stare decisis has a limited application in the Court's modern constitutional adjudication. Garcia's importance lies, above all, in revealing the absence of anything approaching a well elaborated theory of federalism that …

The Rico Nexus Requirement: A "Flexible" Linkage, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that the RICO "nexus" requirement can be interpreted to limit effectively this overbroad use of RICO without emasculating the statute. The "nexus requirement" is generally described as defining the word "through" in section 1962(c), the provision of RICO that makes it illegal to "conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of [an] enterprise's affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity." This language establishes the necessity of proving a relationship between the enterprise and the racketeering. Once evidence of the alleged enterprise and the predicate racketeering acts has been submitted, the final element of proof must …

The Future Of The Common Law Tradition, Alan Watson

Scholarly Works

What, then, can one say about the common law tradition as it will develop in the relatively near future? In terms of the future development of the common law systems, three facts seem certain and decisive. In the first place, there has been, as a matter of observable fact, a great shift in the balance of lawmaking in the common law world from judicial precedent to legislation, which together comprise the two main sources of law. In the second place, there is a deep awareness in the common law countries of a crisis in lawmaking, an awareness that is probably …

Truth And Hierarchy: Will The Circle Be Unbroken?, David Fraser

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Text And Intellect, Monroe E. Price

Articles

The article explores the intersection of Jewish identity, legal education, and professional practice, arguing that the Talmudic tradition of rigorous textual analysis and ethical inquiry has profoundly shaped the legal thinking and contributions of Jewish lawyers and judges, such as Justice Philip Halpern. It suggests that this tradition, emphasizing precision in language, respect for authority, and the pursuit of justice, provides a unique lens for understanding law as both a moral and social force.

A Response To Fish And White, Richard H. Weisberg

Articles

The article explores the dynamic interplay between the text and its interpreter within legal and literary hermeneutics, emphasizing the balance between the text's inherent qualities and the reader's contextual influences. It mediates between Fish's emphasis on professional context guiding interpretation and Fiss's advocacy for objective textual constraints, while highlighting White's view that judicial opinions should be complex and poetic, integrating cultural context.

Consequences Of Supreme Court Decisions Upholding Individual Constitutional Rights, Jesse H. Choper

Michigan Law Review

The thrust of this Article is to attempt to ascertain just what differences the Court's judgments upholding individual constitutional rights have made for those who fall within the ambit of their protection. It seeks to address such questions as: What were the conditions that existed before the Court's ruling? How many people were subject to the regime that was invalidated by the Justices? Was the Court's mandate successfully implemented? What were the consequences for those affected? At a subjective level, were the repercussions perceived as salutary by those (or at least most of those) who were the beneficiaries of the …

Thoughts On Decisionmaking, Patricia M. Wald

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Taking Needs Seriously: Observations On The Necessity For Constitutional Change, Arthur S. Miller

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Philosophical Hermeneutics: Toward An Alternative View Of Adjudication, James J. Hamula

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Response To D.A.J. Richards' Defense Of Freewheeling Constitutional Adjudication, Raoul Berger

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Florida Industrial Development Bond Financing Act: The Need For Judicial Consistency, Dennis Scholl, Marc D. Jimenez

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Revitalizing American Liberalism, David Gregory

Buffalo Law Review

Book review of Brue Ackerman's Reconstructing American Law

The Quest For Silence: Faulkner's Lawyer In A Comparative Setting, Richard H. Weisberg

Articles

The article explores William Faulkner's portrayal of Gavin Stevens, a fictional lawyer, highlighting his evolution as a character and his unique place within the tradition of literary lawyer figures. The analysis focuses on Gavin's development in The Town, where he learns the value of silence and observation, distinguishing him from other lawyers in literature who often remain static in their personal growth. The article situates Gavin within a broader literary context, comparing him to characters from works by authors like Dickens and Twain, and argues for his significance as a complex and sympathetic character.

Fuller On Legal Education, Robert S. Summers

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Connecticut V. Johnson: Can Sandstrom Error Ever Be Harmless?, Charles A. Dorff Jr.

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Froud V. Celotex Corp.: Rebirth Of An Adage, 17 J. Marshall L. Rev. 781 (1984), Thomas F. Londrigan

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Statutory Interpretation In America: Dipping Into Legislative History, Part I, Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Legal Theory And The Obligation Of A Judge: The Hart/Dworkin Dispute, Philip Soper

Book Chapters

Confronted with standards beyond those obvious in purpose and rule, the positivist, says Dworkin, has two choices. He must either claim that such standards are only discretionary and hence not legally binding, or he may concede their binding status and argue that he identifies them as legal standards through reference, in some more complex way, to his theoretical master test.

There is, however, a third possibility. The positivist might admit that some standards bind judges but explain that they play a role in the legal system sufficiently different from that of ordinary rules and principles to justify excluding them from …

The Jurisprudence Of The Connecticut Constitution, Richard Kay

Faculty Articles and Papers

No abstract provided.

Hart's Definition And Theory In Jurisprudence Again, Robert Birmingham

Faculty Articles and Papers

No abstract provided.

Negligent Performance Of Service Contracts And The Economic Loss Doctrine, 17 J. Marshall L. Rev. 249 (1984), Timothy L. Bertschy

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Container Corporation Of America V. Franchise Tax Board: State Taxation Of Foreign Income And The Worldwide Combined Unitary Method: The United States Supreme Court Passes The Buck To Congress, 17 J. Marshall L. Rev. 587 (1984), Daniel Frommeyer

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

On Complaining About The Burger Court, Robert F. Nagel

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Federal Coconspirator Exception: Action, Assertion, And Hearsay, Christopher B. Mueller

Publications

No abstract provided.

Statutory Interpretation In America: Dipping Into Legislative History, Part Ii, Reed Dickerson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Notes On A Bicentennial Constitution: Part I, Processes Of Change, William W. Van Alstyne

Faculty Scholarship

With the approach of the Bill of Rights bicentennial, this paper takes the cause for celebration as an equally important occasion for critique. This work argues that the most distinguishing aspects of our Constitution are not the Bill of Rights, federalism, and separation of powers, but rather the availability of judicial review, the political insulation of federal judges, and the limited mechanisms available for constitutional change.

Aspects Of Puritan Jurisprudence; Comment On Berman, Revolution And Law: Ii The Puritan Revolution And English Law, Barbara Aronstein Black

Faculty Scholarship

In his learned and informative lecture on the Puritan Revolution and English law, Professor Berman tells us that England in the seventeenth century witnessed fundamental, revolutionary change, both religious and legal; a "Puritan belief system" became dominant and the English constitution and laws were transformed. According to Professor Berman, while there have been studies of the interconnections between religious change and constitutional change, nobody has attempted to relate overall change in the legal system to change in the belief system. However, "the new law that emerged in England as a result of the upheavals of 1640 and 1689 must be …

The Interpretation Of Contracts Governing Corporate Debt Relationships, William W. Bratton Jr.

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.