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Recent Books, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A List of Books Received by Michigan Law Review

A Revisionist Theory Of Abstention, Barry Friedman

Michigan Law Review

This article offers a straightforward model for identifying cases in which abstention threatens federal rights - and so is inappropriate and cases in which federal rights are not so threatened and state interests require abstention. Part I provides some background on the abstention doctrines, clarifying· the competing premises that must be reconciled in order to develop a coherent, unified abstention doctrine. Part II then sets out the basis for the revisionist theory and the manner in which it would operate, arguing that a federal trial forum only need be - and only should be - available where necessary to protect …

Contract Law, Default Rules, And The Philosophy Of Promising, Richard Craswell

Michigan Law Review

Among the topics addressed by moral philosophy is the obligation to keep one's promises. To many philosophers, there is something strange (or, at least, something calling for explanatie1n) in the idea that moral obligations can be created simply by an individual's saying so yet this is what seems to happen when a person makes a promise. Consequently, there is by now a large body of literature attempting to identify the exact source and nature of this moral obligation.

Part I of this article presents a more detailed survey of recent philosophical writings about promises, for the benefit of legal readers …

Untangling The Market-Participant Exemption To The Dormant Commerce Clause, Dan T. Coenen

Michigan Law Review

This article explores the market-participant rule. Part I traces the rule's evolution and shows how it has proven less rigid than some initially feared. Part II probes the roots of the rule by challenging justifications for it suggested by other observers. Part III offers an alternative theory of the market-participant doctrine, arguing in particular that it rests on a cluster of rationales that properly have led· the Court to uphold marketplace preferences as the "general rule." Part IV builds on Part III to advance a new, four-part framework for evaluating market-participant issues. Part V then uses that framework to apply …

Looking A Gift Of Stock In The Mouth: Donative Transfers And Rule 10b-5, Carol J. Sulcoski

Michigan Law Review

This Note explores whether a gift of stock can constitute a "sale" for the purposes of section lO(b) of the 1934 Act and rule lOb-5 promulgated thereunder. Part I reviews the relevant 1934 Act provisions, and concludes that although the statute's language and legislative history do not mention gifts of stock as such, they support the inclusion of gifts within the statute's scope. Part II examines a limited line of cases holding that a bona fide charitable gift is not a sale under section 16(b) of the 1934 Act. This Part concludes that section 16(b) cases are not dispositive of …

Vol. 39, No. 11, November 29, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Campbell Board Announces Semi-Finalists •RG Football Contest: 1L Martin Leads Pack •This is only a Test •Ruminations at Decade's End •Thank You •Berlin Wall Is Falling Down •Huskers, Blue Slighted By Media •Test Taking Tips •Use Bowls for College Football Playoffs •Law in the Raw

Vol. 39, No. 10, November 15, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Judge Posner Delivers Cooley Lectures •FLP to Honor Local Judge •Some Things Never Change •Classifieds •Farewell to Superclerk •Low Degree of Volition? •Harold Reveals His Bowl Predictions •Vikings, Eagles Clash •Winter 1989 Grade Curves •A Survival Guide for First-Years •Law School-Induced Psychopathology •The Final Chapter •Law in the Raw

Vol. 38, No. 9, November 8, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Drachman Honors Women Lawyers •Posner to Deliver Cooley Lectures •EDF Director to Speak on Movement's Future •The Libertarian Ethos •Survey of Winter 1989 Courses •Classifieds •Lions Improving--Take The Points •Nebraska Should Have Won, Illinois to Beat U-M •Rams, Giants Battle: Week Ten •The 1989 RG Football Bowl Contest •Law Student: This Is Your Week •Law in the Raw

Vol. 39, No. 8, November 1, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Fellowship Honors Law School Professor •Reynolds, Chambers Debate Decisions •Committees Address Student Senate •Registration Horror •Go Ask Dothan, Alabama •Classifieds •Survey of Winter 1989 Courses •Colorado To Beat Huskers •Into the Great Outdoors •Rare Species Inhabits Hutchins •Vikings, Rams Battle: Week Nine •The Sex Drive: An Alternative •Rice Favored to Win Heisman •Law in the Raw

"Let Congress Do It": The Case For An Absolute Rule Of Statutory Stare Decisis, Lawrence C. Marshall

Michigan Law Review

The sporadic way that various members of the Supreme Court and the legal community treat the principle of stare decisis is increasingly striking. At times, the rule of stare decisis appears to be trotted out in defense of decisions that were actually reached on quite independent grounds. At other times, the dictates of the rule appear to be casually ignored when other factors call for the overruling of a precedent. It is tempting, therefore, to dismiss the rule of stare decisis as a mere rhetorical device, much like the question of whether a Supreme Court nominee's judicial philosophy is an …

The Great Gatsby, The Black Sox, High Finance, And American Law, Allen Boyer

Michigan Law Review

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the great novel of America in the 1920s. It is about someone pursuing a girl, and, more than that, it is about someone pursuing a dream. Jay Gatsby is someone who believes in the American dream of success. His life plays out the most famous piece of repartee between Fitzgerald and Hemingway - that the rich are very different from you and me, because they have more money. Gatsby is a man who thought that if he had the money, he would be rich, and could therefore be different.

After reading …

The Constitution's Accommodation Of Social Change, Philip A. Hamburger

Michigan Law Review

Did the framers and ratifiers of the United States Constitution think that changes in American society would require changes in the text or interpretation of the Constitution? If those who created the Constitution understood or even anticipated the possibility of major social alterations, how did they expect constitutional law - text and interpretation - to accommodate such developments?

The effect of social change upon constitutional law was an issue the framers and ratifiers frequently discussed. For example, when AntiFederalists complained of the Constitution's failure to protect the jury trial in civil cases, Federalists responded that a change of circumstances might, …

Insuring Rule 11 Sanctions, Cary Coglianese

Michigan Law Review

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 requires courts to sanction attorneys who file frivolous papers. Since 1983, when the rule was amended, attorney sanctions have emerged as an increasingly significant aspect of civil litigation in the United States.

Can these and other attorneys find coverage for sanctions under their existing policies? Should they be allowed to obtain coverage for sanctions at all? This Note addresses these questions and attempts to sketch the landscape surrounding the looming issue of insurance coverage for rule 11 sanctions. To determine whether sanctions can and should be insurable, it is necessary first to understand the …

Vol. 38, No. 7, October 25, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Special Collections Department Exhibits University Books •Chief Justice Lectures on Judiciary •Positive Verdict on Visit •Post-Modern Racial Ruminations •Whither the Democrats on Capital Gains? •Debate Will Keep Eyes on the Prize •Chief Justice Rehnquist Discusses Samuel Chase Trial •Amnesty International Forms Chapter •LSSS Announces Party for Friday •Classifieds •Cowboys Should Finally Win a Game •Notre Dame Is Acting Like Miami •Spirits of Halloween Visit Superclerk •A Halloween Tale •Halloween Videos: Available at the Store Near You •Vikings, Giants Clash on Monday Night •Deplorable Developments in Sports •Nightmares on Tappan Street •Law in the Raw

Vol. 38, No. 6, October 18, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Rehnquist to Speak to Law School Community •Senate Discusses Budget •Ellsworth Study Qualifies Validity of Eyewitness Testimony •Sports Committee Announces Winners •Money Matters •Equal Opportunity to Discriminate •Working for Covington: Hazardous to Your Health? •Hellish Interviews •Equal Opportunity Should Be Reality In Interviewing •LSSS Budget Requests and Allocations •SFF: How They Do What They Do •Ellsworth Sees Problems With Expert Witnesses •Classifieds •Husbands-In-Law •Denver Is This Year's Surprising NFL Contender •My Biggest Trial •From the Dining Hall Cuisine Scene •Top 10 College Football Teams Since 1968 •On Gunners: The Response* •Bears and Browns Brawl •Law in the Raw

Vol. 38, No. 5, October 11, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Twitchell Comes North for Fall Semester •Israeli Professor Supports Intifada •Form.er Editor Faults RG Coverage •Unconscionable Unconsciousness •Redskins, Giants Rumble •Rams Are NFL's Best •U-M to beat State in a Squeaker •Law in the Raw

Vol. 38, No. 4, October 4, 1989, University Of Michigan Law School

Res Gestae

•Duke Professor Culp Visits Michigan •Social Committee Calendar Set •Ethics Charges Dismissed •Cheaters Should Be Punished •The Broader View •Why the Stagnation in Women's Admissions? •Does Michigan Need Another Journal? •LSSS First Year Election Statements •Classifieds •Pipe Smoking: It's Not Just for 50's Reruns •Copier Goes Berserk, Film at 11 •On Gunners: The Morality of Gunning •Giants, Eagles Clash: N.F.L. Week 5 •Football Season Gets Underway •Key Games: Colorado- Nebraska, Miami- N.D. •The Photocopier Strikes Back •Law in the Raw

Libel Reform: An Appraisal, C. Thomas Dienes

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Today, I am going to talk about the law of libel. A major part of my work at U.S. News is prepublication review of U.S. News and World Report and The Atlantic. I make difficult decisions such as assessing the risk that the Ayatollah Khomeini might sue the magazine for libel. I am not sure if you can libel the Ayatollah, but be careful if you do-he has very potent remedies. I will not focus on the law of libel as it is practiced in Michigan or in other states today. Instead, I want to examine proposals for the …

A Primer On Power Balancing Under The National Labor Relations Act, James B. Zimarowski

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The focus of this Article is twofold. First, it addresses the substantive power control mechanisms established and regulated by the National Labor Relations Board (Board) and the courts. Second, it examines the power balancing methodology embraced by these dispute resolution forums. This Article takes the position that power balancing analysis designed to achieve the NLRA's multidimensional policies is a more fruitful endeavor than the analysis of economic efficiency or a partisan approach subject to political considerations.

Toward A Rational Scheme Of Interstate Water Compact Adjudication, Joseph W. Girardot

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note argues that the current method of resolving interstate water compact disputes is seriously flawed and that the current practice of invoking the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction to resolve these cases should be altered. This Note contends that the compact itself should contain structural dispute resolution procedures insisted upon by Congress before any grant of approval is given to the agreement. Part I of this Note examines the history of the compact clause of the Constitution and its application in interstate relations. Part II explores how a poorly drafted, yet fairly representative, water allocation compact led two states to …

The Constitutional Conundrum Of Black Lung Appeals: Two Proposed Solutions, Pete S. Michaels

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Part I of this Article explains the statutory requirements that a black lung benefits claimant must meet and how these claimants' failure to meet statutory prerequisites results in the dismissal of their claims. Part II argues that the current procedures are inadequate to protect the rights of black lung benefits claimants. Dismissal of their claims violates the petitioners' rights to due process of law and pro se representation. Part III proposes two solutions to the crisis. The first proposal is simply a form that would be distributed to all claimants explaining the procedures they must follow to avoid dismissal. Part …

The Lessons Of Miller And Hudnut: On Proposing A Pornography Ordinance That Passes Constitutional Muster, Martin Karo, Marcia Mcbrian

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note first reviews the evolution of obscenity law, concentrating on the modern obscenity test formulated in Miller v. California, including its requirement that any obscenity prosecution must be based on a state statute, not merely on the common law. It then examines the elements of the Miller test, arguing that legislatures may determine statewide "community standards" of patently offensive depictions of sexual conduct and discusses the permissibility of legislative expansion of pornography regulation beyond the present boundaries. Part II examines the federal courts' analysis of the civil rights-based antipornography ordinance passed in Indianapolis. Part III suggests standards for …

Tenants' Rights In Police Power Condemnations Under State Statutes And Procedural Due Process, Eric Wills Orts

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note explores the legal arguments available to tenants who want to resist arbitrary or unjustified condemnations of their buildings. Part I provides an overview of the legal and constitutional structure of the police power to condemn buildings. Part II analyzes state statutes governing the condemnation of buildings. Focusing on the statutory rights to notice and opportunity for a hearing provided to tenants, Part II concludes that a majority of states provide inadequate protection for tenants facing eviction by condemnation. Part II then proposes statutory reform, based on an approach taken by a minority of states. Part III demonstrates that …

Law Without Mind, Steven D. Smith

Michigan Law Review

A large part of the work done by lawyers and judges involves the interpretation of enacted law - primarily, statutes and the Constitution. Not surprisingly, legal scholars offer a good deal of advice, usually unsolicited, about how the task of interpretation should be performed. At present, such scholarly advice commonly recommends variations on an approach that may be called "present-oriented interpretation." This approach discourages judges from equating a law with its historical meaning or "original understanding." Instead, it urges them to construe statutes and constitutional provisions in a way that will render the law "the best it can be" in …

Corporate Life After Death: Cercla Preemption Of State Corporate Dissolution Law, Audrey J. Anderson

Michigan Law Review

This Note discusses CERCLA's preemption of state corporate dissolution law. Although CERCLA contains a preemption clause intended to specify CERCLA's relationship with other laws, this clause addresses only state laws that impose stricter standards than those contained in CERCLA, and does not address state laws that, like dissolution laws, remove liability from a party otherwise liable under CERCLA. Courts, therefore, have also looked to section 107 of CERCLA, which imposes liability against specified parties "[n]notwithstanding any other provision or rule of law," to determine CERCLA's general relationship with state law. Through such an analysis, courts have agreed that CERCLA does …

Principles, Politics, And Constitutional Law, Mark Tushnet

Michigan Law Review

The contrast in Senator Thurmond's performance in hearings concerning Judge Bork, whose nomination he supported, and Justice Marshall, whose nomination he opposed, suggests the apparently cynical view that one's position on the proper scope of senatorial inquiry during a nomination depends upon one's position on the merits of the nomination. Much has been written, usually provoked by controversial nominations, about the proper scope of senatorial inquiry. The press of immediate controversy, however, diverts attention from more fundamental issues about the nature of constitutional government, to which I devote this essay.

Recent Books, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A List of Books Received by Michigan Law Review

Antitrust's Protected Classes, Herbert Hovenkamp

Michigan Law Review

For purposes of argument, this essay assumes that efficiency ought to be the exclusive goal of antitrust enforcement. That premise is controversial. Nonetheless, several economic and legal theorists, primarily among the Chicago School of economics and antitrust scholarship, have developed an Optimal Deterrence Model based on this assumption. The Model is designed to achieve the optimum, or ideal, amount of antitrust enforcement. The Model's originators generally believe that there is too much antitrust enforcement, particularly enforcement initiated by private plaintiffs. I intend to show that, even if efficiency is the only antitrust policy goal, a broader array of lawsuits should …

Compensation For Constitutional Torts: Reflections On The Significance Of Fault, John C. Jeffries Jr.

Michigan Law Review

This essay is about a neglected aspect of the problem of redressing constitutional violations. Most discussions focus on incentive effects. Unconstitutional conduct can be discouraged by the "hands-on" mechanism of reform by injunction or, more commonly, through the indirection of deterrence. Deterrence issues include selection of the penalties needed to deter official misconduct; the risk that they may also inhibit legitimate government activity; the recruitment of private attorneys general to augment enforcement; and various costs of administration. These and other aspects of deterrence pervade discussions in the Supreme Court. They are also debated in a rich and sophisticated secondary literature. …

State Takeover Statutes Revisited, Richard A. Booth

Michigan Law Review

I have a confession to make. The title of my article that appeared recently in this review, The Promise of State Takeover Statutes, was deliberately chosen for its shock value. Since few if any reflective works have supported state takeover statutes, it occurred to me that a title suggesting there was something positive in them might get someone's attention. Clearly it did. In a recent piece entitled Missing the Point About State Takeover Statutes, Professors Lyman Johnson and David Millon take issue with my title. I say that they take issue with my title because it does not …