Law Commons^™

State Government—The Arkansas Freedom Of Information Act—Houston We Have A Problem: A Coach And A Comptroller Illustrate The Repercussions Of Releasing Electronic Information Through The Arkansas Freedom Of Information Act, Alexander Justiss

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

FOIA provides a necessary oversight by which Arkansans can monitor the actions of those within the government. FOIA ensures that its purpose may not be thwarted by prohibiting the transfer, withdrawal, or destruction of documents in an attempt to prevent their release to the public. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government are subject to the FOIA. FOIA statutorily exempts certain public records that would otherwise be accessible to Arkansans. Additionally, the Arkansas Constitution provides numerous safeguards to protect the privacy rights of individuals.

Issues arise with electronic communication under FOIA so various judicial and Attorney General opinions …

". . . See Erie.": Critical Study Of Legal Authority, Kris Franklin

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

Good citation requires critical analysis because well-supposed legal analysis requires a layered understanding of how legal authority may be used in different ways. Simultaneously, it demands good judgment in making the best decisions about how to introduce and employ the relevant cases on a particular case. Teaching how to cite legal authorities includes framing because all legal authorities are potential tools for argument. In deciding whether and how to deploy cases, statutes, and other forms of legal authority, advocates must resolve two interrelated questions in rapid sequence:

1. Can I frame or characterize the authority in question in a particular …

Sales Of Personal Property As Secured Transactions Under Article 9 Of The Uniform Commercial Code, D. Fenton Adams

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

The principal focus of Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) has always dealt with transactions intended by the parties to create security interests in personal property. In 1998, the sponsors of the UCC approved a sweeping revision of Article 9; however, the main focus of the Article was not changed. § 9-109(a)(1) of revised Article 9 provides: "[e]xcept as otherwise provided in subsection (c) and (d), this Article applies to (1) a transaction, regardless of its form, that creates a security interest in personal property or fixtures by contract," and § 1-201(37) of the Code, although modified to …

Putting It All Together: Law Schools' Role In Improving Appellate Practice, Stella J. Phillips

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

Lawyers make four critical mistakes in current appellate practice. First, many appellants' lawyers do not seem to understand that only some orders may be appealed. Second, appellants often lose their appeals because of the issues about which they argue have not been preserved in the lower court for appellate review. Third, many appellants are unsuccessful because they frame their argument without reference to the appropriate standard of review. Finally, the pressure of client’s expectations and filing deadlines often leads lawyers to become careless when preparing their briefs.

Appellants must know and adhere to court rules about the content, composition, and …

Securities Law—The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934—'Round And 'Round We Go: The Supreme Court Again Limits The Circumstances In Which Federal Courts May Hold Secondary Actors Liable Under Section 10(B) And Sec Rule 10b-5. Stoneridge Investment Partners, Llc V. Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., 128 S. Ct. 761 (2008)., W. Taylor Marshall

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

In Stoneridge Investment Partners, LLC v. Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., the Supreme Court addressed the plaintiffs' bar's most recent theory for recovery against secondary actors under section 10(b): "scheme liability." Rejecting the theory as beyond the scope of liability intended by Congress, the court sharply narrowed the circumstances under which courts may hold secondary actors liable under section 10(b) and SEC Rule 10b-5. Although Stoneridge clearly limits the circumstances in which federal courts may hold secondary actors liable under section 10(b) and SEC Rule 10b-5, lower federal courts have historically alleviated the harshness of the Supreme Court's approach to securities litigation by …

Danforth, Retroactivity, And Federalism, J. Thomas Sullivan

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

[Tru/Fals]Isms: A Statistical Analysis Of Several Arkansas Judicial Election Bromides, Honorable Timothy Davis Fox

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Family Law & Civil Procedure - Daddy Dilemma: Should The Truth Matter? Martin V. Pierce, No. 06-950, 2007 Wl 1447911 (Ark. May 17, 2007), Katie S. Allen

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Criminal Law - The Supreme Court Expands The Witt Principles To Exclude A Juror Who Would Follow The Law. Uttecht V. Brown, 127 S. Ct. 2218 (2007)., Brooke A. Thompson

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Judicial Selection: It's More About The Choices Than Who Does The Choosing, Honorable Lavenski R. Smith

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Post-Amendment 80 Judicial Politics In Arkansas: Have The Changes Undermined The Argument For Selection By Appointment?, Jay Barth

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Pushing Weight, André Douglas Pond Cummings

Faculty Scholarship

The plight of the black athlete in United States professional and collegiate sports reflects a historical road burdened by strident discrimination, yielding assimilation and gleeful exploitation. As African American athletes began to be permitted to enter the lineups of storied professional sports clubs beginning in the 1950s, they did so only on the strict conditions placed upon them by the status quo white male dominated regime. Often the very terms of black athlete participation required a rigid commitment to - covering - racial identity and outright suppression of self. Once African American athletes burst onto the nation's consciousness in the …

Progress Realized? The Continuing American Indian Mascot Quandary, André Douglas Pond Cummings

Faculty Scholarship

To some, American Indian mascots represent strength, power, reverence, and dignity. For others, Native American mascots are deeply offensive and mock tradition and sacred culture. Historically, professional and collegiate athletic teams have unabashedly sported American Indian mascots and monikers, and it has not been until recent decades that this issue has arisen as offensive or insensitive. In the past thirty or so years, there have been many high school and university administrations that have voluntarily switched their team mascot and moniker from an American Indian to a race-neutral one. Still, some university administrations and many professional sports franchises strenuously eschew …

Mere Thieves, Robert E. Steinbuch

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Intellectual Property Piracy: Perception And Reality In China, The United States, And Elsewhere, Aaron Schwabach

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Drowning In Wetlands Jurisdictional Determination Process: Implementation Of Rapanos V. United States, Kenneth S. Gould

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

Today, through court interpretation and administrative agency adoption of related regulations, § 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972 (the "Act") has become the major tool for protection of wetlands. Section 404(a) requires a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers for "the discharge of dredged or fill material into the navigable waters at specified disposal sites." If the Corps concludes that development activity might harm wetlands subject to Corps jurisdictional protection, it can decline to issue a permit to allow development or issue a permit under conditions designed to protect the wetlands from harm.

In the …

It Takes A Village To Solve The Problems In Legal Education: Every Faculty Member's Role In Academic Support, Melissa J. Marlow

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

This article suggests a fundamental shift in the way traditional faculty view their role in academic support, from merely assisting with academic support duties to becoming equally responsible with academic support faculty for student achievement. The article explores how legal education arrived at the current division of labor in teaching weaker students. Additionally, it examines why the current situation is not the best plan of action for maximizing student learning. Finally, it touches upon possible solutions that would work toward uniting law school faculty in their common purpose of preparing all students for the rigors of legal practice.

Some factors …

Standing In The Way Of Clarity: Hein V. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., Mark Wankum

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

This article deals with the often misunderstood and maligned issue of taxpayer standing. It seeks to explore the Court's standing jurisprudence as it has evolved from "cases and controversies" to a modern constitutional doctrine. The article begins with a discussion of the Framers' judiciary and the development of a modern standing doctrine. It then turns to the area of taxpayer and citizen suits, exploring the judicial landmarks and landmines from Frothigham v. Mellon to Flast. Next, applications and limitations of the Flast test during the Burger, Rehnquist, and early Roberts Courts are explored, before turning to the most recent decision …

Darned If You Due Process, Darned If You Don't! Understanding The Due Process Dilemma For Punitive Damages In Title Vii Class Actions, Paul Edgar Harold, Tracy L. Cole

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

When Congress expanded the remedies available to Title VII the plaintiffs in the Civil Rights Act of 1991 to include compensatory and punitive damages, it did not realize that it was creating a minefield for certifying would-be Title VII class actions. The Fifth Circuit thoroughly explored many of the new pitfalls and hazards in its landmark opinion in Allison v. Citgo Petroleum Corp. This article attempts to critically evaluate a recent post-Allison trend whereby Title VII plaintiffs seeking class certification have foregone their claims for compensatory damages while still seeking punitive damages. Plaintiffs, relying on the Supreme Court's recent cases …

Constitutional Law—First Amendment & Freedom Of Speech—Students May Be Regarded As Closed-Circuit Recipients Of The State's Anti Drug Message: The Supreme Court Creates A New Exception To The Tinker Student Speech Standard. Morse V. Frederick, 127 S. Ct. 2618 (2007), Megan D. Hargraves

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

This note argues that the Supreme Court's decision in Morse significantly weakens students' free speech rights. Although the Court stated that students "do not shed their constitutional rights at the school house gates," its decisions, in effect, weakens Tinker's important holding that students are entitled to First Amendment protection. The note asserts that the Court's opinion broadens schools' authority to regulate student speech in ways that are contrary to fundamental First Amendment values and explicitly allows schools to engage in highly suspect viewpoint discrimination.

The note first examines some of the fundamental First Amendment values at stake in student speech …

A Tribute To One Of Arkansas's Greatest Pioneers Of Progress, Christopher C. Mercer Jr.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Judge George Howard, Jr.: A Personal Rumination, Honorable Morris S. Arnold

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Little Rock School District's Quest For Unitary Status, Honorable Robert L. Brown

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

This essay discusses the major judicial benchmarks affecting the Little Rock School District since Brown v. Board of Education, andl additionally touches on attitudinal stumbling blocks between the races where problems continue to arise and where suspicions run deep.

After some forty years of litigation the Little Rock School District has been declared unitary in all respects by the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. There are judicial benchmarks since Brown and three cases bear mentioning. The initial focus of the essay is on the unitary-status decisions handed down by the Federal District Court, and specifically by …

Tribute To Honorable George Howard, Jr., Honorable Leon Holmes

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

From Little Rock To Seattle And Louisville: Is "All Deliberate Speed" Stuck In Reverse?, Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Susan Eaton

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

More than 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education, in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District, the Supreme Court issued a much anticipated, sharply divided opinion concerning the conscious use of a student’s "race" in plans to desegregate now de facto segregated public schools. The Court found unconstitutional the race-inclusive methods used by the Seattle and Louisville public school officials who were attempting to create racially integrated schools.

In order to understand the full impact of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions regarding school desegregation, an analysis of the Seattle and Louisville plans and the Court’s reasoning …

Harry Ashmore And "The Crisis Mr. Faubus Made", Elizabeth Jacoway

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comments Made At The Ben J. Altheimer Symposium On The 50th Anniversary Of The Central High Crisis Held At The Ualr William H. Bowen School Of Law, John W. Walker

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

History Of The Alternative Desegregation Plan And The Black Community's Perspective And Reaction, Johanna Miller Lewis

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Employment & Disability Law—Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990—The Weight Of Personal Responsibility: Obesity, Causation, And Protected Physical Impairments, Matthew Glover

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

On July 26, 1990, Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which became effective two years later. Because the ADA lacked a list of all the disabilities it covered, courts have considered obesity and morbid obesity to be disabilities in some cases but not in others, notwithstanding the legislation’s desire for clarity and consistency in eliminating discrimination against the individuals with disabilities.

There seems to be a trend towards presuming that obesity is a matter of personal responsibility rather than a protected disability. The most recent developments in obesity jurisprudence have held that morbid obesity—absent evidence of physiological causation—was …

Cooper V. Aaron: Development And Implementation Of The Litigation, Judith Kilpatrick

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.