Law Commons^™

Front Matter

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Treaties Establishing Icao And Imo – A Comparative Study, Ruwantissa Indranath Abeyratne

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

The comparison between air law and maritime law reveals both similarities and distinctions rooted in the unique frameworks of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and The International Maritime Organization (IMO). While both entities were established through separate treaties, the Chicago Convention birthed ICAO, emphasizing the organization’s Assembly, Council, and auxiliary bodies. In contrast, the IMO Convention, also known as the Convention on the International Maritime Organization, forms the basis for IMO’s structure and functions as outlined in its preamble. The core objectives of IMO revolve around fostering collaboration among governments to enhance regulatory frameworks for international maritime trade. This …

Front Matter

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Proposed Methodologies To Cure The No-Fly List’S Current Violations Of The Due Process Clause For Affected U.S. Citizens, Sierra Stone

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Often, the No-Fly List is a helpful tool that increases the safety of commercial aviation for U.S. citizens flying domestically and internationally. The TSA and various intergovernmental agencies utilize a nomination process and those who meet the requisite criteria are added to a database and can be entered into the No-Fly List. Once being placed on the “List,” an individual is no longer allowed to board a flight flying anywhere within or over U.S. airspace. However, for a small number of people, this deprivation of the ability to fly came unjustifiably and without realistic opportunities to be removed from the …

Unconscionability And Poverty, Mark G. Kelman

SMU Law Review Forum

Matthew Desmond made the claim in Evicted, his powerful work on housing insecurity, that those concerned with alleviating poverty should focus not merely on ensuring that poor people have higher disposable incomes, but on countering the exploitative price gouging that depresses the value of whatever income they have. This suggests the possibility that it might be a worthwhile anti-poverty strategy for courts to use the unconscionability doctrine to regulate exploitative contracts.

Three main issues follow from considering this possibility: (1) Do the poor actually pay more for goods of the same quality? (2) If they indeed pay more, do …

A Tribute To Lackland H. Bloom, Jr., Jeffrey D. Kahn

SMU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Choosing Your Judge, Alexander Gouzoules

SMU Law Review

Accounts of American litigation pose a contradiction: forum shopping is acceptable, but judge shopping is not. Formal disfavor toward judge shopping is pervasive, and attempts by parties to manipulate the assignment of their case are deemed abusive and even sanctionable. Nevertheless, sophisticated judge-shopping tactics have proliferated in specific areas of the law—particularly in challenges to executive-branch policies and in the reorganization of large companies under Chapter 11. In these disparate areas of law, judge-shopping strategies have been deployed in high-profile cases, ranging from a challenge to the FDA’s authorization of an abortion drug to the opioid-driven bankruptcy of Purdue Pharma. …

Reversing Grutter, Lackland H. Bloom Jr.

SMU Law Review

In 2023, the Supreme Court modified its 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger. That decision had allowed colleges, graduate schools, and professional schools to explicitly consider race in the admissions process. In two cases decided together, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University and University of North Carolina, a 6–3 majority of the Court held that colleges could not employ a general racial preference but could take account of how race affected the specific applicant. The decision was based on the Court’s understanding of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act …

Book-And-Claim System For Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Christine Kranich, Sarah J. Haas

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

This Article provides an overview of the regulatory (legal) framework in which the decarbonisation of aviation is embedded, with a focus on European law. The Article further provides updates on EU-ETS, CORISA, RED III and the minimum quota of SAF supply in accordance with Refuel EU Aviation up to October 2023. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) will be described in detail in this Article, and it is further explained that the use of SAF could significantly contribute to aviation becoming “greener”. As the availability of SAF is still rather scarce, the Article revolves around a mechanism of a global book-and-claim system …

Still Far From Home – How Personal Jurisdiction Doctrine Undercuts The Montreal Convention’S “Fifth Jurisdiction” For “Wandering Americans”, Hans Huggler

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

The rapid growth of global air travel in the mid-20th century gave rise to the problem of the “wandering American”—American residents whose air travel injury claims could not be heard in United States courts under the Warsaw Convention’s Article 28. Prominent cases prompted adoption of a “fifth jurisdiction” in the Montreal Convention’s Article 33, allowing injury suits in the Contracting State where an injured passenger had her “principal and permanent residence” so long as the international carrier served the forum. U.S. officials toasted their success in providing Americans with a domestic forum, but the adoption of the fifth jurisdiction did …

Space ‘Tourism’: A Framework For Ensuring ‘Safe And Orderly Development’ Lessons Learnt From The U.S. And Aviation, Sarah J. Fox

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

In August 2023, following its successful mission, Virgin Galactic announced the intention to provide scheduled services into space. Yet, this paper sets out to present evidence to argue that, from an international (U.N.) perspective, there has been a lack of activity to establish safeguards and to ensure a fit for purpose governance and oversight mechanism is in place for this new and growing sector—space tourism. The research is undertaken by way of a comparison law/policy analysis which factors in key historic events across both aviation and space. The main focus is given to the developments and approach of …

Critical Race Theory: Counter-Storytelling The Case Of ‘Old Frank’ And The Daniel Family Cemetery, Mark C. Grafenreed

SMU Law Review Forum

The Texas Historical Commission (“THC”), a legislatively enacted agency of the State of Texas, has erected and disseminated nearly 17,000 historical markers across the state’s vast 268,596 square miles and 254 counties with one express purpose: “To protect and preserve the state’s historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education, enjoyment, and economic benefit of present and future generations.” Unfortunately, the histories of both the United States and Texas are under siege. Politically charged and fear driven constituents have fully devoted their collective time, energy, and financial resources to destroying the perceived new boogeyman, Critical Race Theory (“CRT”). Since January …

Moore, The Sixteenth Amendment, And The Underpinnings Of The Deemed Repatriation Provision, Christopher H. Hanna

SMU Law Review Forum

In Moore v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a rare Sixteenth Amendment case. On its face, the case deals with deemed repatriation, a discrete provision of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that included in income past accumulated earnings held abroad. This short Article seeks to contextualize the deemed repatriation provision in terms of why it was passed and how it comports with principles underlying the U.S. tax code. Drawing on firsthand experience researching and drafting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Article shows the analysis that went into enacting the provision, focusing on …

The Quad (The 2023 Alumni Magazine), Southern Methodist University, Dedman School Of Law

The Quad (Law Alumni Magazine), 1988-present

• Celebrating 75 years of the SMU Dedman Law Clinical Program

• Raggio endowed lecture: A conversation with Amal Clooney

• Faculty spotlights on Professor Eric Ruben and Carla L. Reyes

• SMU Dedman Law Tax Program with impressive influence

Cocaine And Corruption: The Rise In Drug Trafficking In Ecuador And Why It Isn’T Being Stopped, Ella Sicking

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

A state of emergency in Ecuador continues to be in effect as cocaine trafficking and gang violence become increasingly problematic. What started as cartel rivalries and increased cocaine production in bordering countries, Peru and Colombia, has turned into a full-scale drug war in Ecuador, stirring humanitarian and governmental concerns about the mounting violence in the once peaceful country. Increased regulation and United States intervention might be the only approach to save Ecuador from becoming a country ravaged by violence and run by the cartels, but local governmental corruption is currently acting as a barrier to a timely solution. While quick …

The Consequences Of Gender-Affirming Care: A Survey Of U.S. And U.K. Law, Caroline Hoch

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

The prevalence of youth experiencing “gender dysphoria” over the last decade has exploded. More minors than ever before are identifying as a different gender than their biological sex. Yet, there is a divergence among nations regarding what care is best for minors questioning their gender identity. The United Kingdom has begun to move away from prescribing minors puberty blockers and hormone therapies, as the federal government in the United States seeks to protect and promote gender-affirming care for youth. The response among the states is far more fractured. Some states have imposed bans on gender-affirming care for minors. While there …

Confirm Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez To The Fifth Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

SMU Law Review Forum

The United States Senate must expeditiously confirm United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez, who has definitely earned appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and will become the appellate court’s initial Latina member. This regional circuit effectively resolves substantial appeals, enjoys a large judicial complement, and certainly possesses a reputation as the nation’s most conservative appellate court. Ramirez, whom President Joe Biden nominated in mid-April, decidedly provides remarkable gender, experiential, ideological, and ethnic judicial diversity and has rigorously served as a Magistrate Judge and Assistant United …

Redefining “No Evidence Of A Breach” In Election Security, Yunsieg P. Kim

SMU Law Review Forum

For legal purposes, we rightly understand the lack of evidence to mean a lack of existence. For example, many candidates in the 2022 elections baselessly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. But, absent evidence of systemic fraud, the law correctly determines that President Biden was duly elected. If the law entertained any outlandish assertion regardless of evidentiary support, accusers could peddle whatever claims they please, forcing the accused to disprove them. Similar to the legal understanding of “no evidence,” many appear to believe that no evidence of a security breach in our voting equipment indicates no breach. For …

Bordering On Solutions: A Comparative Study Of Mexican And U.S. Policies To Address Human Trafficking Along The Mexico-United States Border, Taylor Rosenbleeth

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

Mexico and the United States both contend with the issue of human trafficking and implement measures to address this prevalent challenge, not only within their respective territories, but also along their shared border region. Despite significant efforts, both nations encounter obstacles in their anti-trafficking endeavors. The U.S. promotes a comprehensive legal framework, exemplified by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, yet faces criticism regarding deportation policies and inadequate victim support mechanisms. In contrast, Mexico has demonstrated progress through legislative advancements such as the 2012 anti-trafficking law and initiatives like the "Blue Heart" campaign, yet the country struggles with …

U.S.-Canadian Wildfire Cooperation, Nicholas Smetzer

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

Record-breaking wildfires are striking the United States and Canada with troubling, increasing frequency. As wildfires know no borders, climate change-related wildfires will increasingly damage the ecosystems and economies of both nations unless they develop an efficient system of cooperation to deal with this shared threat. As the U.S. and Canada share similar cultures, legal systems, and interests in preserving their ecosystems and air qualities, these countries are in a unique position to share intelligence and resources to properly address the scale of these disasters. Scholars such as Madison Gaffney have noted the potential for current legislation to expand and treat …

The Future Of Peace: Solutions For Arbitration Procedures Between Israeli And Saudi Arabian Entities, Avi Steinberg

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

Israel and Saudi Arabia are not natural partners. Despite a murky future at the present, peace between the two is on the horizon. With the advent of the Abraham Accords, a historic initiative by the Trump Administration to foster peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Israel has reached previously unthinkable diplomatic heights. Israeli citizens can now visit places like Dubai. Through remarkable events such as this, now the future beckons that an Israeli deal with Saudi Arabia appears to be the next step towards comprehensive peace in the region. Of course, with peace comes a trade agreement. With that …

Anti-Hero Or Villain: Analyzing Varying Competition Laws By Comparing Global Responses To Continued Competition Concerns Surrounding Ticketmaster After The Eras Tour, Ashley Watson

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

Antitrust laws in the United States regarding ticket sellers and re-sellers have failed to properly protect consumers and ensure sufficient competition. Ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour demonstrated how the current Ticketmaster and Live Nation monopoly creates a system where consumers have no choice but to deal with website failures, price-gouging, and hidden fees. The original approval of the Ticketmaster and Live Nation merger must be re-evaluated to protect consumer interests and ensure a lack of competition is not resulting in consumer harm. Scholars have written extensively about antitrust law in the United States and beyond, but The …

Chatgpt And Works Scholarly: Best Practices And Legal Pitfalls In Writing With Ai, Bill Tomlinson, Andrew W. Torrance, Rebecca W. Black

SMU Law Review Forum

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have raised questions about whether the use of AI is appropriate and legal in various professional contexts. Here, we present a perspective on how scholars may approach writing in conjunction with AI and offer approaches to evaluating whether or not such AI-writing violates copyright or falls within the safe harbor of fair use. We present a set of best practices for standard of care with regard to plagiarism, copyright, and fair use. As AI is likely to grow more capable in the coming years, it is appropriate to begin integrating AI into scholarly writing …

How To Solve The Initial Appearance Crisis, Malia N. Brink, Pamela R. Metzger, Jiacheng Yu

Deason Center Reports

Across the United States, people are arrested and held behind bars for days, weeks, and sometimes even months, without ever seeing a judge or attorney. These delays violate the United States Constitution’s promise that an arrested person—who is innocent unless proven guilty—will have prompt access to the courts, the assistance of counsel, and a fair and speedy trial.

These due process milestones begin at initial appearance: the first time an arrested person sees a judge about their case. At an initial appearance, the judge should inform an arrested person of the charges against them. The judge should also make an …

Returning Individual Research Results From Digital Phenotyping In Psychiatry, Francis X. Shen, Matthew L. Baum, Nicole Martinez-Martin, Adam S. Miner, Melissa Abraham, Catherine A. Brownstein, Nathan Cortez, Barbara J. Evans, Laura T. Germine, David C. Glahn, Christine Grady, Ingrid A. Holm, Elisa A. Hurley, Sara Kimble, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Kimberlyn Leary, Mason Marks, Patrick J. Monette, Jukka-Pekka Onnela, P. Pearl O'Rourke, Scott L. Rauch, Carmel Shachar, Srijan Sen, Ipsit Vahia, Jason L. Vassy, Justin T. Baker, Barbara E. Bierer, Benjamin C. Silverman

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Psychiatry is rapidly adopting digital phenotyping and artificial intelligence/machine learning tools to study mental illness based on tracking participants’ locations, online activity, phone and text message usage, heart rate, sleep, physical activity, and more. Existing ethical frameworks for return of individual research results (IRRs) are inadequate to guide researchers for when, if, and how to return this unprecedented number of potentially sensitive results about each participant’s real-world behavior. To address this gap, we convened an interdisciplinary expert working group, supported by a National Institute of Mental Health grant. Building on established guidelines and the emerging norm of returning results in …

Reforging The Master’S Tools: Critical Race Theory In The First-Year Curriculum, Benjamin M. Gerzik

SMU Law Review Forum

This Article examines why and how critical race theory (CRT) should be taught as a mandatory component of the first-year law school curriculum. Learning the fundamentals of critical race theory is not only important to empathetically understand and serve those around you, but necessary to understand the law as it is. The law’s past and future require this. This Article first makes the positive argument for critical race theory’s necessity in legal education, showing that it rises above normative (albeit virtuous) justifications. It then briefly summarizes what critical race theory is by outlining its central tenets, as well as what …

"With All Deliberate Speed": The Ironic Demise Of (And Hope For) Affirmative Action, Vinay Harpalani

SMU Law Review Forum

This Essay examines the history of affirmative action, the recent Supreme Court oral arguments in the cases of SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC Chapel Hill, the perspective of each individual Justice on these cases, and the prospects for the Court’s rulings. It frames these issues around the irony of Brown v. Board of Education II (1955), where the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that school desegregation occur “with all deliberate speed.” Many critical commentators view this ironic phrase as a signal to Southern states to resist desegregation, even as it literally seemed to embody urgency. This Essay argues …

Using Nlp To Model U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Katherine Lockard, Robert Slater, Brandon Sucrese

SMU Data Science Review

The advantages of employing text analysis to uncover policy positions, generate legal predictions, and inform or evaluate reform practices are multifold. Given the far-reaching effects of legislation at all levels of society these insights and their continued improvement are impactful. This research explores the use of natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to predictively model U.S. Supreme Court case outcomes based on textual case facts. The final model achieved an F1-score of .324 and an AUC of .68. This suggests that the model can distinguish between the two target classes; however, further research is needed before machine learning models …

The Latin American Union? Lessons For Latin America From The European Union And The International Monetary Fund On The Promises, Challenges, And Need For Regional Economic Integration, Jaime Andrés Collazo

The International Law Review Association Student Forum

The concept of a Latin American union has been a long-standing idea, but recent advocacy from the continent's leading political figures for economic and political integration has reignited a debate in the region as to its feasibility and desirability. The impetus behind such advocacy includes bolstering economic connections, enhancing global standing, increasing regional autonomy, and collaboratively addressing modern challenges such as pandemics, climate change, and social inequality. This comment will explore the history of efforts to integrate the region, analyze the promises, challenges, and implications of establishing a common market and a common currency as documented in the creation of …

Prepublication Publications, Gregory Scott Crespi

SMU Law Review Forum

Many law professors now post essentially complete drafts of their articles on SSRN and/or on university-sponsored working paper websites prior to submitting those articles for journal review and possible publication. This “prepublication publication,” so to speak, is useful for both authors and their readers, but it raises some self-plagiarism issues. There does not yet appear to be a broad consensus among journal editors on how those issues should be addressed. I argue that this increasingly common practice of SSRN and working paper prepublication of articles prior to their submission for journal review should be recognized as entirely appropriate, particularly if …