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Class Of 1998 Incoming Il Law Students, St. Mary's University School Of Law, St. Mary's University School Of Law

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Photographs of incoming law students for the St. Mary’s University School of Law, class of 1998

A Short History Of Hearsay Reform, With Particular Reference To Hoffman V. Palmer, Eddie Morgan And Jerry Frank, Michael S. Ariens

Faculty Articles

Much of the history of the American law of evidence, including its most contentious issue, hearsay, is the story of stasis and reform. The case of Hoffman v. Palmer represents one of few cases concerning hearsay known by name, and illustrates that “false” evidence has often been used to caution against efforts proclaiming “radical reform” of the law of evidence.

In this case involving a collision between a car and a train, the critical question was: Is the defendant railroad permitted to introduce into evidence the transcript of a question and answer session made two days after the accident between …

Robert Wilburn Calvert, The Prudentialist In Memoriam., L. Wayne Scott

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Can A Twenty-First Century Texas Tolerate Its Nineteenth Century Judicial Selection Process Commentary., Charles Bleil

St. Mary's Law Journal

Judicial selection by popular election is no longer practical in Texas. Texans must question the adequacy of the Texas judicial selection process for the next century. The history of Texas has seen the implementation of various methods for selecting the judiciary. Initially, the creation of courts by the Republic of Texas’s Constitution required joint ballot of both houses of the Texas Congress to select judges. However, in 1876, Texas began holding elections for jurists by popular vote. This enactment was in response to the drafters’ desire to limit government intervention during the Reconstruction era. Although the suitability of popular election …

Chief Justice Calvert: Man Of Imperturable Integrity In Memoriam., Thomas M. Reavley

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Shading Of America: Keynote Address Before The 1995 National Conference Of Law Reviews Address., Antonia Hernandez

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Appellate Review Of Criminal Cases In Texas., Ellen Bloomer Mitchell

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article guides Texas practitioners in effectively preparing and presenting criminal cases on appeal. Its primary focus concerns the standards of review appellate courts use in determining the merits of the issues raised before them and, equally important, proper preservation and presentation of those issues. This Article does not exhaust the matters which may be raised on appeal in a criminal case. Rather, it covers a variety of issues and errors commonly raised in the “ordinary” criminal appeal. Understanding and utilizing this information in the presentation of issues on appeal will help the practitioner direct the appellate court to find …

Federalism Revisited: The Supreme Court Resurrects The Notion Of Enumerated Powers By Limiting Congress's Attempt To Federalize Crime Comment., Larry E. Gee

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment argues the federal system must be preserved and the Supreme Court should build upon the interpretation of the Commerce Clause in United States v. Lopez to reinstate the Framers’ vision of federalism. The social justifications for the Court’s expansive construction of the Commerce Clause during the past sixty years no longer existed to justify the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Part II of this Comment traces the background of Commerce Clause jurisprudence, focusing on social justifications for traditional rubber stamping of Congress’s broad exercises of power. Part III reviews the Fifth Circuit’s reasoning in deeming the Gun-Free …

Beauty And The Beast: Physical Appearance Discrimination In American Criminal Trials Comment., David L. Wiley

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment considers physical appearance discrimination by jurors in criminal trials. It proposes remedial measures to eliminate discrimination and effectuate the underlying purposes of jury trials. Part II of this Comment examines the psychological process of corporeal attribution and discusses the underlying philosophic dichotomy of image and substance. It surveys the role modern American culture plays in discrimination in the American criminal law system and discusses parallel relationships between race, sex, and physical appearance discrimination. Part IV explores constitutional ramifications of fostering and promoting physical appearance discrimination in criminal trials. Finally, Part V presents remedies designed to ensure criminal defendants …

The Texas Home Equity Controversy In Context Forum - Introduction., James W. Paulsen

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Essay provides some historical and legal context for the Texas home equity debate during the 1990s. It begins with an examination of early Texas homestead law, which did not clearly prohibit home equity lending. Part II describes the genesis of the homestead exemption in Texas. Public policy surrounding the homestead law had at least three components: protection of debtors, protection of women, and the fostering of an independent spirit in Texas settlers. Part III evaluates the Texas Constitution’s 1876 ban on home equity loans and the subsequent public debate up until the 1970s. Although criticism of the prohibition on …

A Settlement Offer Above Policy Limits Does Not Trigger An Insurer's Stowers Duty To Act Reasonably., James Martin Truss

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Towards Equal Opportunity In Canada: New Approaches, Mixed Results Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas - Commentary., John Hucker

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Cutting Costs - Cutting Care: Can Texas Managed Health Care Systems And Hmos Be Liable For The Medical Malpractice Of Physicians., Jim M. Perdue, Stephen R. Baxley

St. Mary's Law Journal

One of the most common forms of managed health care is the health maintenance organization (HMO). An HMO is a quasi-insurance arrangement which provides health care to subscribers for a prepaid monthly fee. These have been attractive as they offer health care at lower cost to consumers. Health care brokers have developed four standard models of HMOs— “staff model,” “group model,” “network model,” and “independent practice association” (IPA) model. Given the degree of control HMOs exercise over member-physicians under any of the above models, Texas courts should hold HMOs liable for their member-physicians’ malpractice under the doctrine of vicarious liability, …

Texas's New Habeas Corpus Procedure For Death-Row Inmates: Kafkaesque - And Probably Unconstitutional., James C. Harrington, Anne More Burnham

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Erisa: Reformulating The Federal Common Law For Plan Interpretation, George Lee Flint Jr

Faculty Articles

In order to develop the federal common law of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), courts must consider the history, foundations, and policies of ERISA. However, federal courts have yet to conduct this process. This failure is explained by either the fundamental nature of the American adversary system leading to the undermining of congressional intent, or the failure of the incompetent federal judiciary to follow legislative intent. Conclusively, the lack of developing federal common law has resulted in ERISA law that is hostile to participants and the policies that Congress intended ERISA to foster.

Although seldom following …

The Texas Homestead: The Last Bulwark Of Liberty Forum., Henry B. Gonzalez

St. Mary's Law Journal

For more than 155 years Texans have adamantly supported the principle that the fundamental need for shelter justifies strict constitutional protection of homes from creditors in all but a few situations. This Article discusses where homestead protection came from and why it should not be lightly discarded. The Texas Constitution contains many rights and liberties for the protection and benefit of the state’s citizens. Unique among these treasured liberties is the protection of a person’s homestead from forced sale or foreclosure by creditors. A group of bankers and other financiers—for whom a homestead is nothing more than collateral and a …

Private Plaintiffs May Not Maintain Aiding And Abetting Suits Under Securities Exchange Act Section 10(B) And Securities And Exchange Commission Rule 10b-5., Ginger E. Margolin

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Central Bank v. First Interstate Bank, the United States Supreme Court held that private plaintiffs may not maintain aiding and abetting suits under Securities Exchange Act Section 10(b) and Security and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-5. The Court views Section 10(b) of the 1934 Act as a “catchall antifraud provision” that makes the use of “any manipulative or deceptive device or contrivance” in contravention of the provision a violation of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules if such acts occur during the purchase or sale of securities. Rule 10b-5 is substantially the same as Section 10(b). However, neither Section 10(b) …

Did We Treaty Away Ker-Frisbie Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas., Timothy D. Rudy

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article explores whether U.S. ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Civil and Political Covenant) provides the American judiciary with reason to jettison the Ker-Frisbie doctrine. If the United States does not forego use of the Ker-Frisbie doctrine the country will violate its international obligations arising from a major human rights treaty. Part II discusses the customary norm of international law which forbids—and the American rule which permits—forcible abductions overseas. It also reviews whether extraterritorial abductions violate customary international law. Part III discusses applicability of the Civil and Political Covenant to the Ker-Frisbie doctrine and details …

Appellate Review Of Criminal Cases In Texas - Foreword Foreword., Charles F. Baird

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

The Subjection Of Women . . . Still: Unfulfilled Promises Of Protection For Women Victims Of Domestic Violence Comment., James Martin Truss

St. Mary's Law Journal

Throughout American history, women have fought to realize a full and independent legal identity, equal to men. Nonetheless, issues such as domestic violence have often remained obscured due partly to the judicial system’s reluctance to intrude into “family matters.” Although courts have long-since renounced the common-law rule which allowed a husband to discipline his wife, the plight of the battered woman remained largely ignored by courts and legislatures. The pervasiveness and severity of domestic violence are widely documented. On June 1, 1991, the Texas Supreme Court created the Gender Bias Task Force of Texas (Task Force) to consider whether gender …

Multiple Unities In The Law, Emily A. Hartigan

Faculty Articles

In a world newly in touch with its diversity, ethics must struggle with the impact difference has on coherence. There is a crucial dilemma more profound than how to avoid violating the canons of ethics, or how to dodge disciplinary proceedings. For the lawyer in a world of plural ethics—the dilemma posed by the primary tension in ethics today between reason and spirit.

There are multiple unities of meaning in which a lawyer works, a sort of multijurisdictionalism. These multiple unities, these many worlds, are emblematic of a time in which people are recognizing that multiculturalism is not a trendy …

Legal Training Handbook For The Ukrainian Military, Jeffrey F. Addicott

Faculty Articles

In May of 1995, a democracy building project between The Judge Advocate General of Ukraine and United States Army lawyers was completed in Kiev. Over the course of this eight-month project, from September 1994 to May 1995, United States Army judge advocates from the International and Operational Law Division, Office of The Judge Advocate General, worked directly with Colonel Alexander Bokov, Chief, Legal Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in developing a legal training handbook for Ukrainian soldiers.

The handbook, entitled “Code of Conduct for Participants in Military Operations,” now serves as the primary training guide for instructing …

Immigration Law: The Immigration Consequences Of Criminal Activity, Genevieve Hebert Fajardo, Lorelei Ritchie

Faculty Articles

Immigration laws in the United States may affect prisoners, possibly resulting in deportation. Some convicted prisoners who are aliens may be subject to deportation dependent upon the government’s ability to prove by clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that they fall into a deportable category. Providing prisoners with sufficient knowledge and answers to potential deportation questions stemming from criminal convictions may delay and thwart these proceedings.

By beginning with a categorization of the different types of immigrants in this country, a convicted prisoner will be better able to determine for themselves whether they are subject to deportation. If they are, this …

In Re Oluloro: Risk Of Female Genital Mutilation As Extreme Hardship In Immigration Proceedings Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas - Recent Development., Patricia Dysart Rudloff

St. Mary's Law Journal

On March 23, 1994, in In re Oluloro, Immigration Judge Kendall Warren’s decision indicated the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) should consider human rights abuses directed at women. The overriding concern was the possibility that two young U.S. girls would suffer female genital mutilation (FGM) if the INS deported their mother to Nigeria. In reaching the decision to suspend the mother’s deportation, Judge Warren condemned FGM as “cruel and serv[ing] no known medical purpose.” Judge Warren ruled the practice presented an extreme hardship for the girls. Unfortunately, the court’s ruling has no precedential value because the INS did …

Home Equity Reform In Texas Forum., Jerry Patterson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas citizens should vote on home equity reform to be able to decide for themselves whether they desire the benefits of home equity borrowing. Texas is the only state in the nation that prohibits homeowners from using their home equity as they see fit such as to educate their children, to start or expand small businesses, or to enjoy their retirement years. Critics to home equity reform in Texas do not fully understand the scope of the amendments or the benefits that come with reform. The myth that equity loans would trigger an increase in foreclosure rates cannot be documented …

The Spoliation Tort: An Approach To Underlying Principles., Steffen Nolte

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

J.E.B. V. Alabama Ex Rel. T.B.: Excellent Ideology, Ineffective Implementation., Nancy J. Cutler

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

International Law Of Trade Preferences: Emanations From The European Union And The United States., Kele Onyejekwe

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article posits that the increase of tariff arrangements, like the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), is evidence of the “hardening” of a body of international trade-preference law. It contends that the law of trade preferences is widely practiced in international affairs and the developed nations which terminate all trade preferences for developing countries most likely engage in illegal conduct under international law. Classical international law principally consisted of the law between nations and an international law of trade preferences in any form was unthinkable. Thus, neither international cooperation nor a duty for developed countries to assist developing countries is …

The Size Of A Government Body Is Not Subject To A Vote Dilution Challenge Under Section 2 Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965., Peter J. Beverage

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Holder v. Hall, the Court held the size of a government body is not subject to a vote dilution challenge under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Act consists of two primary components, Sections 2 and 5, designed to eliminate and prevent subtle voting practices and procedures utilized to obstruct minority voter participation. Section 5 requires states with a history of discriminatory voting practices to obtain federal preclearance before changing a voting standard, practice, or procedure. Section 2 addresses the existing methods utilized to deny or abridge a citizen’s right to vote.  In Holder, the …

Use Of A Pen Register May Be A Search Within The Purview Of Article I, Section 9 Of The Texas Constitution., Angie Patrick

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Richardson v. State, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted Richardson’s second petition for discretionary review to determine whether law enforcement’s use of a pen register constitutes a search. The use of a pen register may be a search within the purview of Article I, Section 9 of the Texas Constitution. Courts use the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy test, from Katz v. United States, to determine whether a search has occurred under the Fourth Amendment. In Richardson, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reviewed whether the use of a pen register equates to a search despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s determination in …