Law Commons^™

Posner's Pragmatism And Payton Home Arrests, Matthew A. Edwards

Washington Law Review

In recent years, Richard A. Posner, a respected federal appellate judge and prolific scholar, has been at the vanguard of a resurgence of interest in legal pragmatism. Posner and other scholars have called for judges to expand their horizons beyond conventional legal reasoning and to embrace interdisciplinary methodology and empirical research in the legal decisionmaking process. At the same time, however, prominent jurisprudential scholars have expressed both practical and philosophical objections to Posner's controversial prescription for increased judicial reliance on social science research. This Article seeks to explore the value and limits of Posner's pragmatism and empirical inquiry in the …

Sovereign Impunity: The "Uniform Laws" Theory Tries (And Fails) To Take A Bankruptcy-Sized Bited Out Of The Eleventh Amendment, Cecily Fuhr

Washington Law Review

Sovereign immunity represents the principle that a state cannot be subjected to suit without its consent. In bankruptcy proceedings, it is sometimes necessary for a debtor to file an adversary proceeding against a creditor to determine the dischargeability of a debt. When the creditor is a state, the exercise of sovereign immunity by that state can pose an obstacle to the total discharge of debts contemplated by the bankruptcy system. Courts have found unconstitutional recent attempts by Congress to abrogate states' sovereignty in § 106(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. In response, some courts have adopted a "uniform laws" theory. This …

Forum-Selection Clauses In Consumer Clickwrap And Browsewrap Agreements And The "Reasonably Communicated" Test, Kaustuv M. Das

Washington Law Review

Although forum-selection clauses in clickwrap and browsewrap agreements have been addressed in only a limited number of decisions, they are likely to become increasingly relevant with the growth of e-commerce. Courts that have enforced forum-selection clauses in click-wrap and browsewrap agreements have often done so without determining whether the consumer received notice of the clause. When courts have addressed notice, they have not used any uniform standard for determining adequacy of notice. Forum-selection clauses in dlickwrap and browsewrap agreements further the policies underlying the Supreme Court's decisions in MIS Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co. and Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc. v. …

Lavine V. Blaine School District: Fear Silences Student Speech In The Ninth Circuit, Shannon M. Mcminimee

Washington Law Review

In LaVine v. Blaine School District, the Ninth Circuit allowed a school to expel a student for writing a poem about a school shooting. The court held that the school did not violate the student's First Amendment rights because the school could reasonably forecast that the student would cause a substantial disruption or material interference with school activities. This Note argues that the LaVine court incorrectly applied the established standards for evaluating the constitutionality of a school's decision to expel a student. The LaVine court also unwisely extended the Tinker doctrine to a new area of student speech. In …

What's Yours Is Mine: Reform Of The Property Division Regime For Unmarried Couples In New Zealand, Virginia Grainer

Washington International Law Journal

In February 2002, when the Property (Relationships) Act came into force, unmarried couples in New Zealand became subject to the same legislative regime for division of property that has applied to married couples since the 1970s. The statutory regime is based on a deferred community property principle. Both partners are free to deal with their own property during the relationship, but at the end of the relationship all property is classified as either relationship property or separate property. Relationship property usually includes all property acquired by either party during the relationship. There is a presumption that this property must be …

A Comparative Analysis Of Selected Aspects Of Patent Law In China And The United States, Louis S. Sorell

Washington International Law Journal

China's recent admission to the World Trade Organization will bring increased attention to China's patent law, especially as foreign companies expand their technology-based presence in China. This Article summarizes the development of patent law in the United States and China, and compares various aspects of Chinese and American patent law. These aspects include the administrative and judicial hierarchy of the American and Chinese patent systems, patentability requirements, infringement and validity issues, the availability of injunctive relief, and the determination of monetary damages. The Article also discusses the compulsory licensing provisions of China's patent law. Similarities and differences of each patent …

Translation And Analysis Of The Doctrine Of Information Security Of The Russian Federation: Mass Media And The Politics Of Identity, Douglas Carman

Washington International Law Journal

The Doctrine of Information Security of the Russian Federation was one of the first policy documents issued by President Vladimir Putin's Security Council. The Doctrine, ostensibly drafted as a security policy document, was severely criticized by the Russian press and civil libertarians for its undue attention to the mass media and the prominence of politicized symbols of identity. The document extends the conventions of security policy discourse into the domain of information, thus legitimizing state intervention in the production of social knowledge. The Doctrine's textual representation of threat, or "discourse of danger," delimits the boundaries of national identity and legitimizes …

Awakening Hong Kong's Sleeping Lion: A Case For Increased Use Of O 62 R 8, Gregor A. Hensrude

Washington International Law Journal

Hong Kong, like much of the world, is facing public criticism about the operation and accessibility of its civil litigation system. One judge and scholar has suggested increased use of a litigation rule requiring solicitors to pay any costs wasted by their misconduct. By comparing this rule to its counterparts in the United Kingdom and the United States, it becomes apparent that such a solution could work to improve litigation in Hong Kong. Increased use of the rule would compensate parties injured by abusive litigation tactics and deter solicitors from engaging in misconduct to line their pockets or win for …

Rescued At Sea, But Nowhere To Go: The Cloudy Legal Waters Of The Tampa Crisis, Jessica E. Tauman

Washington International Law Journal

On August 26, 2001, the Norwegian cargo ship MV Tampa rescued 438 passengers from a sinking ferry in the Indian Ocean. Most of the rescued were migrants from Afghanistan on their way to Australia. When the Tampa reached Australian waters, it was refused entry and a weeklong standoff between Norway, Indonesia, and Australia ensued. A shipmaster's duty to rescue is well established in international law, recognized by both the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. What is not clear is whether a corresponding legal duty applies …

Rising Seas And Disappearing Islands: Can Island Inhabitants Seek Redress Under The Alient Tort Claims Act?, Rosemary Reed

Washington International Law Journal

Sea levels are rising as a result of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and global warming. The rising seas threaten to submerge many Pacific Island nations within the next century. The island inhabitants have sought help from the global community, but thus far have been denied assistance. However, the island inhabitants could seek redress in U.S. District Courts against major greenhouse gas emitters under the Alien Tort Claims Act. To satisfy the ATCA's requirement that tort claims must be in violation of international law, the islanders could claim that they are victims of environmental human rights violations and possibly genocide. While …

"Pacific Solution"? The Sinking Right To Seek Asylum In Australia, Emily C. Peyser

Washington International Law Journal

On August 26, 2001, Australia attracted worldwide media attention by refusing entry to over 430 Afghan and Iraqi asylum seekers who were rescued at sea by a Norwegian freighter. Australia's Parliament subsequently passed legislation to heighten already strict migration laws pertaining to boat migrants. Even though Australia is party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, recent developments in national asylum policies retreat from the legal obligations, as well as the spirit, of these international treaties. Australia, however, is not the only country acting to deter boat migrants; the United States, for example, …

International Jurisdiction And Enforcement Of Judgments In The Era Of Global Networks: Irrelevance Of, Goals For, And Comments On The Current Proposals, Jonathan A. Franklin, Roberta J. Morris

Librarians' Articles

Last fall a Symposium at Chicago-Kent College of Law entitled "Constructing International Intellectual Property Law: The Role of National Courts," held on October 18-19, 2001, brought together scholars interested in a group of problems related to the relationship between harmonized rules of international civil procedure and diverse nationally-based rules of intellectual property. Subsequently, extensive discussions between the authors developed this Article into its present form.

Appendix: Acronyms And Abbreviations, Cheryl Rae Nyberg

Librarians' Chapters in Books

Acronyms and abbreviations that are used throughout this book and that are found in Washington and other legal materials are listed below, along with the full names or titles they represent. The list includes publications (the full titles are printed in italics); bar associations and legal organizations; U.S. and Washington agencies, boards, commissions, and departments; legal terms; court rules; statutes; and electronic databases and services. This list is representative, not comprehensive.

Nonlegal Resources, Peggy Roebuck Jarrett

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction
• Finding People, Organizations, Agencies, and Corporations
• Finding Factual Information
• Writing Resources

Legislative History, Initiatives, And Bill Tracking, Peggy Roebuck Jarrett

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction
• How a Bill Becomes a Law
• The Process of Researching Legislative History in Washington
• Sources of Legislative History Documents
• Researching Initiatives and Referenda
• Legislative Bill Tracking
• Tips on Using the Legislature's Search Feature

Managing Your Library, Jonathan A. Franklin

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Managing Your Library
• Hiring a Librarian
• Selecting Materials
• Managing Your Library: A Selected Bibliography
• Library Support Services in King County
• Document Delivery Services
• Legal Publishers and Distributors: A Selected List of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho Legal Publishers
• Publishers of Current Washington Legal Periodicals

Historical And Archival Sources, Cheryl Rae Nyberg, Ann Hemmens

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction
• Statehood History
• Constitutions and Constitutional Conventions
• Territorial Session Laws and Codes
• Territorial Legislative Assembly
• Territorial and Early State Courts
• Territorial Governors and Gubernatorial Archives
• Agency Documents and Archives
• Other Sources on Washington Government and Legal history
• Washington State Archives
• Unique Collections
• Selected Online Resources

Administrative Decisions And Materials, Cheryl Rae Nyberg

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction
• Administrative Agencies' Functions and Procedures
• Multi-Agency Sources of Administrative Decisions
• Agency-Specific Sources
• Databases
• Administrative Agency Decisions at a Glance

How To Use A Law Library, Ann Hemmens

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• The Basics of a Law Library
• Services
• Collection Organization
• Locating Items in the Collection
• Online Searching
• Everything Is Online, Right?
• Law Libraries in Washington State
• Library of Congress Call Numbers

Local Government Law, Mary Ann Hyatt

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction and General Texts on Local Government Law
• Secondary Sources
• Public Records
• Primary Sources: Legislative
• Primary Sources: Administrative
• Washington City Codes
• Washington County Codes
• Library and Office Directory

Washington Practice Materials, Nancy Mcmurrer

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction
• Encyclopedic Sources
• Subject-Specific Resources
• Litigation Aids
• Ethics Opinions
• Directories
• Current Awareness: Bar Publications and Legal Newspapers
• Subject List of Practice Resources

Fundamentals Of Legal Research In Washington, Mary Whisner

Librarians' Chapters in Books

• Introduction
• Secondary Sources
• Statutes
• City and County Codes
• Administrative Regulations
• Case Law
• Case Finding Tools
• Attorney General Opinions
• Citator Services
• Citation Format
• Washington Courts Style Sheet

The Criminal Law Of The People's Republic Of China (1997): Real Change Or Rhetoric?, Ian Dobinson

Washington International Law Journal

The 1997 Criminal Law supposedly heralds the beginning of a new era in Chinese jurisprudence and criminal justice. There are doubts, however, over the degree to which the revisions are substantial or symbolic. On the one hand, it can be argued that by making the criminal justice system more rational and predictable, China is moving much closer to the "rule of law" as that term is understood in the West. On the other, it can be argued that the changes are mainly illusory and that, underneath the veneer of rhetoric, China's criminal justice system remains a crude and arbitrary tool …

The 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty With Japan And The Territorial Disputes In East Asia, Seokwoo Lee

Washington International Law Journal

There are currently three territorial disputes over islands in East Asia in which Japan is a disputant: against Russia, over the Kurile Islands; against China and Taiwan, over the Senkaku Islands; and against Korea, over the Liancourt Rocks. Although all the claimants marshal support for their cases from historical sources, it cannot be denied that much of the uncertainty surrounding the territorial demarcation is a by-product of immediate post-World War II boundary decisions and territorial dispositions. The final disposition of territories in East Asia at the end of World War II was effected by the San Francisco Peace Treaty of …

Japan's Implementation Of The Oecd Anti-Bribery Convention: Weaker And Less Effective Than The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, David L. Heifetz

Washington International Law Journal

In November 1997, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD") adopted the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions ("OECD Convention"). The preamble of the OECD Convention states that "bribery is a widespread phenomenon in international business transactions, ... which raises serious moral and political concerns, undermines good governance and economic development, and distorts international competitive conditions." All member countries signed the OECD Convention and thus were committed to implement it via the passage of domestic legislation by December 31, 1999. The Japanese promulgated new anti-bribery provisions to satisfy the mandates of the OECD …

Atlantic Salmon, Pacific Bound: Initiative, Defiance, Courage, And Indian Tribes In Environmental Law, William H. Rodgers, Jr.

Articles

I want to address my remarks to the students of the University of Maine School of Law who will face a great deal of unfinished legal business on the topics of salmon, Indian tribes, and environmental law.

Elsewhere, I have derived what I describe as the five virtues of effective action (genius, high-leveraging, symbolism, optimism, courage). People of achievement, lawyers or otherwise, are familiar with these virtues and display them in many creative forms.

Next, I will peer through this lens of effective action at some key moments in the history of Atlantic-Pacific Salmon Interactions. This coming together has been …

The Washington Equal Access To Justice Act: A Substantial Proposal For Reform, D. Greg Blankinship

Washington Law Review

Under the Washington Administrative Procedures Act, a party can challenge an agency action in superior court. The Washington Legislature adopted the Equal Access to Justice Act, which provides fees to qualified parties that prevail in judicial reviews of agency actions, to encourage individuals and small businesses to oppose unjust agency actions. The effectiveness of this fee-shifting provision is significantly limited because awards are not authorized when a court decides that the agency action is substantially justified. The legislature should remove this limitation. Where the agency action involves factual determinations or the interpretation of statutes or regulations within the expertise of …

The Error Of Kim V. Lee And Equitable Subrogation: Why Birfucating Lien Priorities Is A Better Remedy, Brad A. Goergen

Washington Law Review

Normally, the priority of an interest in real property is determined according to the date when the interest was recorded in the Recorder's Office of the county in which the property is located. The first interest recorded has first priority. When an interest is satisfied, junior interests are elevated to the next priority level. If a landowner is forced to sell the property to satisfy a debt through foreclosure, the priority of interests determines the order for distributing sale proceeds. Equitable subrogation is a remedy whereby a court gives a subsequent interest holder priority over a prior recorded interest because …

Just Who Is The Person Having Ordinary Skill In The Art? Patent Law's Mysterious Personage, Joseph P. Meara

Washington Law Review

Various patent validity and infringement questions are decided against the standard of the "person having ordinary skill in the art" (Phosita). For example, under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a), an invention must be nonobvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be granted a patent. In this context, the Federal Circuit has set out six factors for measuring the level of skill of Phosita, yet the court has provided remarkably little guidance in their use and their relationship to nonobviousness. This situation has led to confusion and difficulties among courts trying to assess Phosita's skill. This Comment argues that …

Does The Ghost Of Lochner Haunt Mission Springs? Ruminations On § 1983 Due Process Claims In Light Of Mission Springs, Inc. V. City Of Spokane, Mark K. Funke

Washington Law Review

The last time the Washington Supreme Court applied substantive due process in a land use case was in Mission Springs, Inc. v. City of Spokane in 1998. Since then, the Washington Law Review has published four commentaries that address substantive due process in Washington land use, all of which characterize Washington's substantive due process law as producing undesirable results. However, none of the available commentary takes into consideration that there are two types of substantive due process cases in Washington land use. In one type, courts strike down local ordinances, while in the other they enforce the lawful application of …