Law Commons^™

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Environmental Law, Kelley A. Kinney, Andrea West Wortzel

University of Richmond Law Review

This article reviews the key environmental developments at the federal and state levels during the period from June 1996 to June 1998. Legislation and judicial decisions are presented topically. Certain issues, such as public participation and environmental justice, are playing an increasing role and will likely impact all media.

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Insurance Law, Terrence L. Graves

University of Richmond Law Review

This article will summarize and discuss case decisions and statutory changes in the field of insurance law that have taken place over the last two years. As in years past, most of the cases involve automobile coverage, particularly uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Other areas covered by this article include the following: liability insurance, automobile medical payments coverage, insurance regulation, fire insurance, and homeowners insurance.

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Technology And The Law, Diane E. Horvath, John S. Jung

University of Richmond Law Review

During its 1998 Session, the Virginia General Assembly passed forty-three bills related to technology that were signed into law. Of these, six bills were proposed by the Joint Commission on Technology and Science ("JCOTS"). This article summarizes several enacted bills and provides reference numbers for each bill discussed in the 1998 Acts of Assembly ("1998 Acts"). Given the breadth, depth, and speed of the technological revolution, the purpose of this article is to discuss succinctly the most significant 1998 legislative actions related to technology in areas of substantive law, practice, and procedure.

From Rio To Kyoto: A Study Of The Involvement Of Non-Governmental Organizations In The Negotiations On Climate Change, Chiara Giorgetti

Law Faculty Publications

This Article analyzes the influence of non-governmental actors on the negotiations of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC or the Convention). In particular, it evaluates the methods employed by NGOs in furthering their substantive agendas, the interaction among various non-governmental actors, and the results of their efforts. This Article considers two kinds of NGOs: business and environmental. Environmental NGOs (ENGOs) are the self-defined representatives of environmental interests. They campaign for the strict reduction of all gases that induce climate change. On the other side, business NGOs (BNGOs) typically represent the interests of those industries that are involved in the …

The Role Of Nongovernmental Organizations In The Climate Change Negotiations, Chiara Giorgetti

Law Faculty Publications

The role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in monitoring the implementation of international treaties, their relevance in the organization of development projects, and their importance in the representation and education of civil society has been acknowledged and valued by both international organizations and national governments. Nongovernmental actors also play an important role in the negotiations of international agreements. Moreover, many UN agencies work closely with NGOs. NGOs have played an important part in numerous environmental conventions, and their role is becoming more clearly defined. The presence of NGOs has also been instrumental in the evolution and development of many international environmental …

Will Tabloid Journalism Ruin The First Amendment For The Rest Of Us?, Rodney A. Smolla

Law Faculty Publications

Imagine that we set out to classify news organizations as falling into one of two Platonic "idealized forms," the "serious" journalists on the one hand, and the "tabloid" journalists on the other. In the pursuit of this happy exercise we might attempt to list the attributes that we tend to associate with each of these idealized forms. ...

From Paparazzi To Hidden Cameras: The Aggressive Side Of A Free And Responsible Press, Rodney A. Smolla

Law Faculty Publications

This article examines the complex of cultural effects and possible legal responses in the wake of the Princess of Wales' death. To say that the paparazzi were complicit in her death is to forget that, in spite of their frequently invasive means of obtaining news, these were also the kind of journalists who were complicit in the public celebration of her life. Had the Hutchins Commission this tragedy to include in its deliberations about press responsibility, it likely would have stated its indignation and suggested Diana's death as more evidence that journalists be regulated. But this article argues that aggressive …

Dangerous Crossing: State Brownfields Recycling And Federal Enterprise Zoning, Michael Allan Wolf

Law Faculty Publications

Urban policymakers over the past two decades have engineered a curious and potentially dangerous intersection of late 20th Century policies designed to foster the rebirth of America's distressed urban regions. First, we find widespread enthusiasm about the potential for reusing brownfields 1 (typically contaminated urban sites), which has stimulated an impressive range of initiatives at all levels of government. 2 Second, after more than a decade of sitting on the sidelines and watching the states battle over the ideal range of incentives that will most effectively drive inner-city redevelopment, the federal government finally entered the fray in the 1990s with …

Quit-Claiming The Doctrine Of Discovery: A Treaty-Based Reappraisal, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The discovery doctrine is one of the baseline legal concepts that has worked to seriously disadvantage the land rights of indigenous nations in the United States because it asserts, as one of its definitions, that the "discovering" European nations and their successor states, gained legal title to Indian lands in North America. The author argues, using comparative colonial and early American treaty, legislative, and other historical data, that this definition is a legal fiction. In historical reality, discovery was merely an exclusive and preemptive right that vested in the discovering state the right of first purchase.

"Yer Outa Here!" A Framework For Analyzing The Potential Exclusion Of Expert Testimony Under The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Stephen D. Easton

University of Richmond Law Review

It does not take long for even a casual observer of criminal and civil trials to make two observations about expert witnesses. The first of these observations comes almost immediately: experts are vitally important to the judicial process. In many trials, the outcome largely depends upon which set of impressively credentialed experts the jurors (and the judge) believe. The second observation generally comes later than the first: a significant amount of shoddy "science," phony logic, faulty analysis, sleight of hand, and other assorted junk enters the courtroom dressed up in the emperor's clothes of expert testimony.

Leaving The Door Ajar: The Supreme Court And Assisted Suicide, Melvin I. Urofsky

University of Richmond Law Review

In June, 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that a constitutional right to assisted suicide exists in neither the Due Process nor the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. But while a federal right does not exist, the Court made it quite clear that the states had ample leeway in which to fashion law on this issue; moreover, the concurring opinions of five Justices strongly implied that, should the states enact legislation that would severely limit end-of-life choices, the Supreme Court would revisit the issue. Far from slamming the door shut on assisted suicide, the Court left it more than …

Casting The Net: Another Confusing Analysis Of Personal Jurisdiction And Internet Contacts In Telco Communications V. An Apple A Day, Donnie L. Kidd Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

The fascination of the Internet and "cyberspace" is its sense of boundlessness. A user seemingly can go anywhere, be anyone, and do anything in a virtual world of information and interactivity. Actions on-line, however, often may have real world ramifications. The demarcation line between the physical and cyberspace "worlds" is not so pronounced that actions occurring in one have no effect in the other.

University Of Richmond

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Third Circuit: Gender, Race, And Ethnicity- Task Force On Equal Treatment In The Courts, Dolores K. Sloviter

University of Richmond Law Review

The March 1993 vote of the Judicial Conference of the United States endorsing the provision of the proposed Violence Against Women Act that encouraged circuit judicial councils to conduct studies with respect to gender bias in their respective circuits provided an official imprimatur of approval to such inquiries by the policy making body of the federal courts. Thereafter, the extent to which each federal circuit undertook to accept the invitation to proceed may have depended in large part on the zeal for the inquiry by the chief judge of the circuit or his or her delegated committee.

Eighth Circuit: Gender Fairness Task Force, Lyle E. Strom

University of Richmond Law Review

In July of 1993, the Judicial Council of the Eighth Circuit adopted a resolution for the creation of a task force to study and report on the impact or effect of gender in the administration of justice in the Eighth Circuit. Chief Judge Richard Arnold appointed United States District Judge Diana Murphy of Minnesota to establish the Task Force. A task force of thirty members, consisting of circuit, district, magistrate and bankruptcy judges, employees of the courts, representatives from the offices of the United States Attorneys and Federal Public Defenders, attorneys who practice in federal court, and professors of law, …

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Legal Issues Involving Children, Robert E. Shepherd Jr.

University of Richmond Law Review

Compared with the intensive focus on juvenile justice issues in Virginia between 1994 and 1996, and the significant statutory changes generated by that focus, the past two years have been relatively serene, at least for juvenile law. Legislative activity about juvenile justice has been subdued, and few cases have interpreted the major legislative changes wrought during that three-year period, or their effects. The 1998 legislative session did result in the demise of the family court initially created five years earlier contingent on the provision of adequate funding for the court at some future session. The provision of funding for the …

Information Vs. Commercialization: The Internet And Unsolicited Electronic Mail, Karin Mika

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

In November of 1996, the District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania allowed America Online to prohibit a business from using the Internet for sending bulk, unsolicited electronic mail.[1] The decision highlighted some intriguing issues related to how the Internet interacts with the current legal framework and how legal standards that have adequately encompassed most business uses for emerging technologies are not a perfect fit for issues related to the Internet. This article will focus on the current struggle to fit the Internet into some type of existing legal framework, especially with respect to Internet business uses. It will focus primarily on …

Regulatory Change In The Energy And Telecommunications Industries - Overview, Barry J. Waldman

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Recent changes in the telecommunications industry and the emerging momentum for change in the regulation of the energy industry have provided a unique opportunity to reevaluate the regulatory models that have predominated in these fields. As these proposed changes are promulgated and begin to take effect and find practical form, crucial questions of implementation become the focus of the debate and the practice of regulatory law. Basic questions are ripe for consideration, such as: Will the regulators be State or Federal Agencies? What form should this regulatory power take? Will legislators and regulators focus on new players in the industry …

New Combinations: Changing Technologies And Infrastructures And The Business Organizations That Will Deal With Them., Alexander F. Skirpan Jr., Steven J. Rosenstock, Pat Bennett, Douglas Taylor, Alex B. Best

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

This tale is somewhat unique. It is probably one of the few panels, or the only panel in which there is a certain level of agreement. In fact, every one in this room probably has the basic agreement with this panel, that changes in regulation and changes in policy that we are struggling with are driven by changes in technology. This panel has been put together to look at changes in technology. It has three overall goals. The first is, as you heard one of the panels this morning talk about, to talk about technology itself to try to gain …

A Brave New World Of Free Speech: Should Interactive Computer Service Providers Be Held Liable For The Information They Disseminate?, Sarah Becket Boehm

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Millions of people worldwide use online services to communicate via e-mail; to post and read messages on bulletin boards; to receive news, financial information and updated sports scores; and to gather information. Nearly anyone with access to the Internet can post information without having the facts verified or the content edited, so it is extremely likely that if they post defamatory material, it can find its way around the world in a matter of minutes. Due to the anonymous nature of the Internet, the author of the defamatory material may never be discovered. Assuming the author cannot be traced, the …

Richmond Law Magazine: Winter 1998

Richmond Law Magazine

Features:

Creating Global Connections

The Animating Ideal of the Statesman-Laywer

A Literalist Proposes Four Modest Revisions To U.C.C. Article 3, Timothy R. Zinnecker

University of Richmond Law Review

I first taught a Payment Systems class during the fall of 1994. Not having taken the course in law school, and bringing very little "real world" experience in this area of commercial law to the classroom, I approached the task of teaching the course with some degree of fear and trepidation. I had already taught Secured Transactions, so I was familiar with the challenges of teaching a statutory course to a reluctant audience scarred by horror stories of their predecessors. I also audited a Payment Systems course taught by a colleague during the summer, so I had a good start …

University Of Richmond Law Review

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Death In The Federal Courts: Expectations And Realities Of The Federal Death Penalty Act Of 1994, John P. Cunningham

University of Richmond Law Review

"Thou shalt not kill." These four words have echoed throughout the churches, judicial courts, and political meeting places of men and women for time immemorial. Along with their deep religious and political significance, they carry with them a haunting contrast to the current state of mankind: men and women can kill other men and women-legally. In the United States, this "legal" killing, commonly referred to as the "death penalty," traditionally takes place within the confines of the individual state judicial systems, and generally involves the execution of felons tried and convicted of some form of intentional murder.

The Eastern District Of Virginia: A Working Solution For Civil Justice Reform, Heather Russell Koenig

University of Richmond Law Review

It has been referred to as "the fastest, fairest, federal court in the country," "the most efficient, professional federal court in the nation," the court "known for moving things along quickly" and where "cases zoom through the system faster than at any other federal court in the nation." Where is this court that is "so efficient that it could be used as a model for the rest of the country?" It is the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Domestic Relations, Lynne Marie Kohm

University of Richmond Law Review

Within the past year, there have been changes of formidable importance in many major areas of domestic relations, both nationally and in Virginia. This article will review the major judicial and legislative developments in family law in Virginia in the context of national domestic relations law, with an eye toward trends in Virginia.

University Of Richmond Law Review

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tribal-State Affairs: American States As 'Disclaiming' Sovereigns, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The history of tribal-state political relations has been contentious from the beginning of the republic. As a result of these tensions, the relationship of tribal nations and the federal government was federalized when the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788. Thus, a number of states, especially in the West, were required in their organic acts and constitutions to forever disclaim jurisdiction over Indian property and persons. This article analyzes these disclaimer clauses, explains the factors that have enabled the states to assume some jurisdictional presence in Indian Country, examines the key issues in which disclaimers continue to carry significant weight, …

The Indigenous Peoples Of The Usa: Issues And Challenges Of Native Americans, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Vine Deloria, Jr., the most important Indian chronicler of indigenous political, legal, and religious experience in the U.S. in the last thirty years, noted recently that Indian life, particularly the experience of reservation-based tribal peoples, "has only the slightest resemblance to the conditions of three decades ago, and the current situation has elements of hope and portents of disaster." This observation is even more realistic as we sit at the dawn of the new millennium. The 560 indigenous polities in the U.S.—374 Indian nations, tribes, bands, communities, and Pueblos in the lower 48 states; 226 are Alaska Native villages and …

Will Tribes Ever Be Able To "Trust" Their Federal Trustee?, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

It is widely reported that the federal government has a trust relationship with the Indian peoples of this land, one of the many distinctive features of the indigenous/federal relationship. Despite the importance of this concept, legal and political commentators and, surprisingly, federal policy makers have radically conflicting definitions of what the trust relationship actually means.