Law Commons^™

Courts Have Decided A Wide Range Of Issues, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In 2006, as in most years, the New York courts have decided a broad range of land use issues. This article summarizes the impacts of several of these important decisions. Specifically, this article covers the following land use topics: affordable housing, statute of limitations, res judicata, standing to sue, enforcement of injunctions, takings law, vested rights, property annexation, religious land uses, New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), and judicial review of local board actions.

Affordable Housing In The New York Courts: A Case For Legislative Action, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article reviews the position of the New York courts on the obligation of local governments to zone for affordable housing and concludes that it is time for legislative action at the state level. Although municipalities are beginning to adopt inclusionary zoning ordinances, most are doing little to eliminate barriers to housing or stimulate needed production. Additional encouragement, guidance, and resources are needed to create an adequate supply of affordable housing. After a review of the affordable housing cases, this article reviews what other state legislatures have done in recent years, and proposes the adoption of a Local Housing Planning …

Court Prods Municipality: Other States Offer Large Number Of Models To Consider, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The state legislature’s decision to leave the creation of affordable housing to New York’s local governments has resulted in a segmented, slowly evolving, and insufficient resolution to a statewide problem. For example, the Orange County Supreme Court, in Land Master v. Montgomery, struck down a zoning law that eliminated all as-of-right multifamily development, in a municipality where affordable housing was in urgent need. This article reviews comprehensive initiatives from other states, and suggests that through the adoption of a state legislation and planning, the affordable housing problem is rectifiable

Tax Practice In A Circular Revolution: A Review Of Pli's Circular 230 Deskbook, Bridget J. Crawford

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This short review essay evaluates the Practicing Law Institute's Circular 230 Deskbook by Jonathan G. Blattmachr, Mitchell M. Gans and Damien Rios. For attorneys, accountants and others who "practice" before the IRS, the Circular 230 Deskbook is a masterful analysis and an important guide to the Internal Revenue Service's labyrinthine rules and regulations governing tax penalties, reportable transactions and the conduct of tax practitioners.

Most tax attorneys and accountants have reacted to the recent changes to Circular 230 by appending banner notices to all written communications. Without fully understanding the underlying rules, however, a practitioner cannot be sure that a …

Affordable Housing: A Case For State Legislative Action, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Efforts by municipalities to promote affordable housing have proven to be insufficient as evidenced by the skyrocketing real estate prices in the New York metropolitan area. Historically, New York courts have struggled with the affordable housing issue, often issuing inconsistent decisions on what types of local laws are unconstitutionally exclusionary. By utilizing other states’ initiatives as a guide, New York can create a comprehensive affordable housing bill that will effectively provide for affordable housing and relieve some of the pressures on the judiciary caused by past ambiguous legislation.

Historical Overview Of The American Land Use System: A Diagnostic Approach To Evaluating Governmental Land Use Control, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article describes how the American land use system has evolved to address recent environmental and economic development problems. It begins by tracing the history of the legal system used in the United States to control private sector land development and demonstrates how it achieved the flexibility needed to respond to modern challenges. The American land use system has paid a price for this flexibility: it is not a coherent whole, but rather a fragmented mosaic of legal influences. Impressive examples of cohesion are cited that suggest a strategic approach to reforming the system so that it can become an …

Sustainable Energy Law In Latin America, Victor M. Tafur

Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation addresses legal issues at the intersection of energy and environmental law in Latin America. It is intended for legal and non–legal researchers, scholars and decision-makers in the Latin American region and worldwide, as a contribution to understanding the complexities and particularities involved at the nexus of energy and environmental law in the Latin American context. To achieve these goals, the study analyses the legal principles behind energy and environmental regulation in the region, compares specific energy and environmental laws in various countries of Latin America, and advances several theses as a result of the analysis.

Carpe Diem: An Opportunity To Reclaim Lawyers' Independence, Louis A. Craco

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Good Intentions: Why The Supreme Court's Decision Upholding Affirmative Action Admission Programs Is Detrimental To The Cause, Leslie Yalof Garfield

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

Why Health Courts Are Unconstitutional, Amy Widman

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

Inclusionary Zoning In Westchester County, New York: Is It A Viable Tool To Reduce A County-Wide Housing Crisis?, Ann S. Matthews

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

Is There A Compelling Interest To Compel ? Examining Pre-Hearing Subpoenas Under The Federal Arbitration Act, Dean W. Sattler

Pace Law Review

No abstract provided.

Exile Or Opportunity? The Benefits Of Mastering U.S. Law, Mark R. Shulman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Internalizing Gender: International Goals, Comparative Realities, Darren Rosenblum

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article uses the example of international women's political rights to examine the value of comparative methodologies in analyzing the process by which nations internalize international norms. As internalized in Brazil and France, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women suggests possibilities for (and possible limitations of) interdisciplinary comparative and international law scholarship. Indeed, international law scholarship is divided between theories of internalization and neorealist challenges to those theories. Comparative methodologies add crucial complexity to internalization theory, the success of which depends on acknowledging vast differences in national legal cultures. Further, comparative methodologies expose important …

Inclusionary Zoning: The Effect Of Market Forces On Local Housing Law, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

As the price of housing continues to rise in the New York metropolitan area, municipalities have begun creating inclusionary housing ordinances to ensure working families have a place to call home. This article analyzes the effects of inclusionary zoning ordinances on the economics of affordable housing and suggests several potential methods that local, state, and federal government may utilize to ease the financial burden on developers willing to construct affordable housing projects.

Best Brief For Appellee: Eighteenth Annual Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, Amanda Edge-Gougeon, Michael Bentley

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Best Brief For Intervenor: Eighteenth Annual Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, Bryce Baker, Justin Garratt, Mari Lane

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

2006 Judges' Edition Bench Memorandum: Eighteenth Annual Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, Erin Flanagan

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

David Sive Award For Best Brief Overall: Eighteenth Annual Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, Patrick Muench, Matthew Mcdonald, Dionne Padilla

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Local Housing Efforts: The Maturation Of Laws Promoting Affordability, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

A shortage of workforce housing, especially in the New York metropolitan area where real estate prices are rapidly increasing, has long been a critical land use issue. Since amendments to New York state law that explicitly stated municipalities’ implied power to incentivize affordable housing, municipalities have begun to create innovative laws to promote affordable housing. This review describes some of the basic concepts behind the affordable housing movement, and the considerations of local legislatures in defining, and providing for affordable housing.

Moot Court Diplomacy, Mark R. Shulman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Nonprofit Sector: Myths And Realities, James J. Fishman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Transcript from Who Profits from Nonprofits? A Symposium on Nonprofit Organizations. I have followed the development of CUNY Law School from its founding, and I really have to salute you. I do not know exactly where legal education is going, but I think CUNY is going to get there before other law schools, including my own. Today, I am going to explore some of the myths and realities of the nonprofit sector.

Revisiting The Tense Relationship Between The U.S. Supreme Court, Administrative Procedure, And The National Environmental Policy Act, Jason J. Czarnezki

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article addresses the possibility, under the prevailing understanding of NEPA, that an agency might draft a comprehensive report containing information about potential environmental effects and alternate approaches to a proposed plan--and then wholly disregard all of this information in making its final decision. Although an agency may contend that it has “considered” the environmental consequences of alternative courses of action, what if these factors have no actual impact on its final decision? Hypothetically, an agency could simply “steamroll” toward its preferred decision, hurdling NEPA's procedural obstacles without genuinely considering potential environmental harms or the means to avoid them.

This …

A Strategy For Developing Stationary Biodiesel Generation, Karl R. Rábago

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the drivers of change in the electricity system and the opportunities presented for biodiesel electric generation in this context. This paper also introduces the primary issues facing increased utilization of biodiesel—both those that challenge increased use of the fuel and those that support this use. Finally, the paper presents key elements of a strategy for realizing the potential of an electric generation infrastructure that incorporates more distributed biodiesel generation in the near term and even more distributed energy resources over the longer term.

The Explained Award Of Damocles: Protection Or Peril In Securities Arbitration, Jill I. Gross

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

NASD's proposed rule change requiring arbitrators to provide written explanations in arbitration awards upon the customers' request (the “explained award proposal”), which was published for public comment in July 2005, is the clearest example of NASD's proposing a rule change in response to investors' complaints. “We have found that investors want to know more about how a panel reaches its decision,” stated NASD Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert R. Glauber in announcing the explained award proposal. “By giving investors the option of requiring a written explanation of an arbitration panel's decision, we will increase investor confidence in the fairness …

The Dubitante Opinion, Jason J. Czarnezki

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

A dubitante (pronounced d[y]oo-bi-tan-tee) opinion indicates that “the judge doubted a legal point but was unwilling to state that it was wrong.” Judges rarely write dubitante opinions or use the term, and informal polling suggests not many legal scholars are aware of the practice. This short essay endeavors to shed some light on the use of the term dubitante in judicial opinions and spark discussion as to the merits of the dubitante opinion--What is a dubitante opinion? When was the term first used, and how often is the term used? Who uses it and how? What are the consequences of …

Securities Mediation: Dispute Resolution For The Individual Investor, Jill I. Gross

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Part I of this article will provide a brief history of ADR in the securities industry (primarily arbitration), and then will describe the emergence of mediation as an alternative to arbitration. Part II will explore the state and federal statutory regulations that arguably govern the securities mediation process, and their impact on procedural and substantive justice. In particular, this section will review the applicability to and impact on securities mediation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (1934 Act), the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), and state mediation statutes, including the Uniform Mediation Act. In this section, I will argue that …

The Right To Food: Holding Global Actors Accountable Under International Law, Smita Narula

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Economic globalization represents both an unmet opportunity and a significant challenge for the fulfillment of social and economic rights, including the right to food. While corporate sector accountability and the responsibility of international financial institutions (IFIs) to ensure social and economic rights are now at the forefront of the globalization discourse, greater attention must be paid to how these actors can be held accountable under international law. The existing human rights legal framework is ill-equipped to deal with violations committed by non-state actors, such as transnational corporations (TNCs), and multi-state actors, such as IFIs. Using the right to food as …

The Modern Age Of Informed Consent, Barbara L. Atwell

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This essay explores the informed consent ramifications of the confluence of these two phenomena: developments in medical technology and emerging adulthood. In particular, it explores consent to medical treatments by emerging adults that are both elective and irreversible. In such cases, policy considerations dictate that additional safeguards be implemented to ensure that the consent given is truly informed. Part II of this essay provides an overview of the informed consent doctrine and outlines a variety of advancements in elective medical technology. Part III explores the concept of emerging adulthood. Part IV suggests that when emerging adults seek medical treatments that …

The Necessity Of Sex Change: A Struggle For Intersex And Transsex Liberties, Noa Ben-Asher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article is composed of four Parts. The first Part explores two legal struggles for intersex and transsex goals. The main litigation propositions and structures of the two movements are contrasted, especially the meanings that the two movements offer for the terms “medical necessity,” “cosmetic surgery,” and “medical experimentation.” While Part I takes a critical approach to some of the strategies discussed, the main purpose is to describe the mirroring aspects of the two advocacy movements. The second Part locates these contemporary legal narratives regarding sex change in the broader history of sex change in the twentieth-century United States, emphasizing …