Law Commons^™

The Forum Defendant Rule In Arkansas, Scott Dodson

Scott Dodson

This article analyzes the circuit split (between the Eighth Circuit and the other circuits) on the jurisdictionality of the forum defendant rule, the rule that prevents a resident defendant from removing a state case to federal court on diversity grounds.

European Law In American Courts: Foreign Law As Evidence Of Domestic Law, Eric A. Engle

Eric A. Engle

The article outlines instances where the U.S. Supreme Court has considered E.U. laws (and foreign law, generally) in its decision making process to explain how and when foreign law may be succesfully invoked by litigants.

“The (Cisg) Road Less Travelled”: Grecon Dimter Inc. V. J.R. Normand Inc., Antonin I. Pribetic

Antonin I. Pribetic

This case comment discusses two recently released Canadian decisions on the enforceability of arbitration clauses from the perspective of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 CISG). At first glance, the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in GreCon Dimter Inc. v. J.R. Normand Inc. appears to be a case upholding the primacy of international commercial arbitration, choice of forum and choice of law clauses. Upon closer scrutiny, however, the Supreme Court of Canada failed to consider the application of the CISG to the overall dispute. Interestingly, the same choice of forum and choice of …

A Return To Objectivity In Admiralty Tort Jurisdiction?, Graydon S. Staring

Graydon S. Staring

This paper discusses an important opinion, Tagliere v. Harrah’s Illinois Corp. giving effect to words long ignored in the Admiralty Extension Act in the setting of materials adapted from some of a longer article in preparation, tentatively entitled “The Admiralty Jurisdiction Whole: Delusions of “Purpose”.

Bringing Locus Into Focus: A Choice-Of-Law Methodology For Cisg-Based Concurrent Contract And Product Liability Claims, Antonin I. Pribetic

Antonin I. Pribetic

The article discusses choice-of-law theories for both contractual and tort/product liability claims governed by the CISG. The underlying theme is that concurrent claims are not necessarily equivalent claims. While concurrent liability in contract and tort (namely, product liability) may be applicable or alternative remedies available, the focus of the CISG is the harmonization of rules governing international sale contracts. The article argues that factors such as the place of injury or where the damages are sustained are less relevant than the situs of the contract, based upon the view that, without privity of contract, the concurrent tort would not arise. …

South Dakota Tribal Court Handbook (Revised Edition), Frank Pommersheim

Frank Pommersheim

The South Dakota Tribal Court Handbook is designed to provide an informative and ready resource for the practicing bar in South Dakota as well as for the tribal and statewide community at large. The overarching objective of this effort is to facilitate ongoing communication, understanding, and respect for tribal courts and tribal court personnel.

Jurisdiction And Discretion In Hybrid Law Cases, John F. Preis

John F. Preis

An enduring debate in the federal courts field is which branch of the federal government has the power to control federal jurisdiction. While some commentators and judges assert that the judiciary has the implicit authority to refine the boundaries of its jurisdiction, others argue that Article III vests that authority with Congress only and judicial modification of jurisdiction is illegitimate. In focusing almost entirely on the constitutional legitimacy of the question, this debate has overlooked an important consideration. That is, even if the judiciary may legitimately wield discretion in setting its jurisdiction, is such discretion functionally appropriate?

This Article argues …

Corporate Militaries And States: Actors, Interactions And Reactions, Benedict Sheehy

Benedict Sheehy

Following the military forces of the US and the UK, PMF's make up the third largest contingent in Iraq. The article examines the interaction between states and PMF's, problems with their use for both contracting states and those where the PMF is operating. It provides six case studies and an examination of state legal responses.

Reflections On The Admiralty Prospects Of Mixed Policies, Graydon S. Staring

Graydon S. Staring

The existence of admiralty jurisdiction determines not only access to a federal court sitting in admiralty, but also, when suit is brought elsewhere, the law to be applied. The recent Kirby decision in the Supreme Court and Folksamerica decision in the Second Circuit open the prospect of a more liberal access to admiralty jurisdiction and to the law of marine insurance, where the policy applies, or may apply, to non-marine risks.

The Hague Convention On Choice Of Court Agreements, Antonin I. Pribetic

Antonin I. Pribetic

The Hague Choice of Court Convention, concluded on June 30th, 2005, represents a significant step forward towards improved harmonization of international trade law by providing greater certainty and predictability for parties involved in business-to-business (B2B) agreements and transnational litigation. The Hague Choice of Court Convention offers a viable alternative to arbitration as a method of transnational dispute resolution. At a minimum, functional reciprocity between Contracting States is more likely to be achieved through this multilateral treaty, which codifies the private international law principles of comity, good faith and order and fairness, espoused by most common law courts, including the Supreme …

Juvenile Execution, Terrorist Extradition, And Supreme Court Discretion To Consider International Death Penalty Jurisprudence, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

European human rights law and multilateral conventions have raised United States death penalty policy to an international level. Treaties and international institutions have impacted the extradition of capital offenders and influenced the development of human rights law within the United States. Refusal to extradite without assurances that the death penalty will not be imposed has continuing ramifications for the implementation of transnational counter-terrorism measures. Determining a contemporary standard of decency regarding cruel and unusual punishment, what shocks the public conscious, or what constitutes torture depends upon what societal parameters one uses. The Supreme Court's readiness to examine international developments in …

Svensk Domstols Behörighet Vid Gränsöverskridande Varumärkestvister – Särskilt Om Internetrelaterade Intrång [Jurisdiction In Cases Of Cross-Border Trademark Infringements], Ulf Maunsbach

Ulf Maunsbach

No abstract provided.

No Longer Little Known But Now A Door Ajar: An Overview Of The Evolving And Dangerous Role Of The Alien Tort Statute In Human Rights And International Law Jurisprudence, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

Human rights’ and other international law activists have long worked to add teeth to their tasks. One of the most interesting avenues for such enforcement has been the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”). The ATS has become the primary vehicle for injecting international norms and human rights into United States courts – against nation-states, state actors, and even private individuals or corporations alleged to actually or in complicity or conspiracy been responsible for supposed violations of international law. This Symposium Article provides an overview of the ATS evolution (or revolution), discusses the most recent significant development in the evolution arising from …

Strangers In A Strange Land - Transnational Litigation, Foreign Judgment Recognition, And Enforcement In Ontario, Antonin I. Pribetic

Antonin I. Pribetic

Well into the new millennium, the landscape of international business commerce continues to change dramatically. As many companies expand into global markets, the extant business reality of prosecuting or defending lawsuits arises from companies relying upon standard or boiler plate contracts or invoices when selling goods and services to customers or buying products from suppliers or third parties. This article discusses transnational contractual and litigation issues in Canada, with specific application to the province of Ontario. This article first addresses, from an Ontario company perspective, the importance of incorporating choice of forum, choice of law, and time of the essence …

Os Embargos De Retenção Por Benfeitorias Nas Ações Executivas 'Lato Sensu', Nelson Rodrigues Netto

Nelson Rodrigues Netto

No abstract provided.

Toward Normative Rules For Agency Interpretation: Defining Jurisdiction Under The Clean Water Act, Robert R.M. Verchick

Robert R.M. Verchick

Wetlands advocates, from environmentalists to duck hunters, dodged a bullet last year when the Bush Administration dropped plans to narrow its jurisdiction over streams and wetlands. The decision marked a key chapter in a story that began in 2001, when the Supreme Court invalidated part of the Migratory Bird Rule, a regulation that for many years had supported federal protection over some intrastate wetlands. The Court's broad rejection of this narrow rule sent federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act into a tailspin. The decision opened debates about tributaries and intermittent streams in the Southwest. It also appeared to narrow …

Extraterritorial Jurisdiction: Can Rico Protect Human Rights? A Computer Analysis Of A Semi-Determinate Legal Question, Eric A. Engle

Eric A. Engle

Uses AI to model RICO racketeering law to examine an uncertain area of law: Whether RICO gives a private right to damages for extraterritorial wrongs.

Tribal Courts And Federal Courts: A Very Preliminary Set Of Notes For Federal Courts Teachers, Frank Pommersheim

Frank Pommersheim

No abstract provided.

Some Reflexions Concerning Jurisdiction In Cases On Cross-Border Trademark Infringements Through The Internet, Ulf Maunsbach

Ulf Maunsbach

No abstract provided.

Wrong Claim, Wrong Party, Wrong Court: Assessing The Petition Brought By A Coalition Of Clergy, Lawyers, & Professors On Behalf Of Detainees Held By The U.S. Military In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, John C. Eastman

John C. Eastman

This brief article assesses the merits of the habeas corpus petition filed by a group of Los Angeles-based attorneys and professors on behalf of terrorists being detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It argues that the petitioners had no standing; that the Central District of California had no geographic connection and therefore no jurisdiction; and that the Constitution's guarantee of the writ of habeas corpus did not does not extend to non-citizens beyond the borders and sovereign authority of the United States.

Antitrust And International Regulatory Federalism, Andrew T. Guzman

Andrew T Guzman

In this Essay, Andrew Guzman proposes internationalization of antitrust law to supplant current methods of antitrust regulation across national borders. Specifically, instead of relying on local regulation, bilateral agreements between states, or a choice-of-law rule for antitrust enforcement, countries should adopt universal substantive standards. Moreover, Guzman recommends the World Trade Organization (WTO), which already employs a dispute resolution mechanism, as the governing forum for international antitrust issues. There, states can negotiate transfer payments in one international transaction to achieve agreement in another. Upon evaluating Professor Eleanor Fox’s proposal of a stand-alone World Competition Forum that would specialize exclusively in international …

Forgotten Equity: The Enforcement Of Forum Clauses, Graydon S. Staring

Graydon S. Staring

When courts differ widely and sharply on which of three or four procedural courses shouold be taken to enforce a contractual right of unquestioned validity, and every such course openly strains orthodox procedural doctrine, we may suslpect they are all wrong. We can confirm that they are wrong when we recognize the right in question is not a procedural incident at all but the right to a substantive performance, bargained for by the parties, that has about it an illusory appearance of procedure and, because of its substance, does not fit comfortably within merely procedural doctrine. Such is the right …

Constitutional Structure As A Limitation On The Scope Of The "Law Of Nations" In The Alien Tort Claims Act, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

Jurisdiction matters. Outside of the set of jurisdictional constraints, the judiciary is at sea; it poses a threat to the separation of powers and risks becoming a dangerous and domineering branch. Jurisdictional limitations serve a particularly important function when the judiciary is dealing with issues of international law. Since much of international law concerns foreign relations, the province of the executive and, in part, the legislature, the danger that the judiciary will act in a policy-making role or will frustrate the functions of the political branches is especially great. The Framers of the Constitution were particularly concerned with constructing a …

Dispelling The Myths Of Pendent And Ancillary Jurisdiction: The Ramifications Of A Revised History, Mary Brigid Mcmanamon

Mary Brigid McManamon

No abstract provided.

Note, Alien Corporations And Federal Diversity Jurisdiction, Geoff Moulton

Geoff Moulton

No abstract provided.