Law Commons^™

Recent Development: New Limits On Banks Lending To Foreign Nations, Charles S. Sanger

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Although not directly tied to the foreign debt problem, the recent loss of congressional confidence in United States bank regulatory agencies caused by the failure of the Continental Illinois Bank may also compel reevaluation of the Act. The purported failure of the regulators to discover the extent of Continental Illinois' imprudent loans has led several legislators and regulators to call for greater supervision of lending institutions.

This Recent Development will briefly examine the International Lending Supervision Act of 1983, including the regulatory scheme that predated the Act and the restrictions the Act places on the private banking industry in the …

Books Received, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Japan's Reshaping of American Labor Law By William B. Gould Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1984. Pp.xii, 166. $19.95.

World Economic Outlook By The Staff of the International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund,1984. Pp. ix, 162. $15.00.

Recent Multilateral Debt Restructurings With Official and Bank Creditors By E. Brau and R.C. Williams Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 1983. Pp. vii, 28. $5.00.

The Fund, Commercial Banks, and Member Countries By Paul Mentre Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 1984. Pp. v, 35. $5.00.

International Law and the New States of Africa By Yilma Makonnen New York: Unipub, 1983. Pp. …

Recent Decisions, Lucy C. Gratz, Laurel C. Williams

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Arbitration Transnational Antitrust Claims are Nonarbitrable under the Federal Arbitration Act and Article II (1) of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards--Mitsubishi Motors Corp. v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc., 723 F.2d 155 (1st Cir.1983), cert. granted, 105 S. Ct. 291 (1984).

Lucy C. Gratz

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International Banking--The International Banking Act of 1978 Limits the States' Ability to Regulate Foreign Bank Entry, "Conference of State Bank Supervisors v. Conover," 715 F.2d 604 (D.C. Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 104 S. Ct. 1708 (1984).

Laurel Comstock Williams

Fraud In The International Transaction: Enjoining Payment Of Letters Of Credit In International Transactions, Stephen J. Leacock

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Sztejn principles present to issuing banks a perplexing dilemma in international letter of credit transactions. Issuing banks that have received notice of fraud in the underlying transaction may yet be presented with documents that apparently conform to the letter of credit requirements by a seller who is not a holder in due course. If the bank refuses payment and a court determines that the fraud was not sufficiently egregious, the bank will be liable for breach of contract between the bank and the seller. But if the bank relies on the doctrine of separation and pays the draft, and …

Case Digest, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

MILITARY ACTIVITIES OF THE PROVISIONAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY FALL WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE POLITICAL OFFENSE EXCEPTION TO THE TREATY OF EXTRADITION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED KINGDOM--In the Matter of the Requested Extradition of Joseph Patrick Thomas Doherty, Crim. Misc. No. 83-1(S.D.N.Y. Dec. 12, 1984).

THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT PERMITS THE DEPORTATION OF AN ALIEN WHEN THE IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE ESTABLISHES BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE THAT THE ALIEN, UNDER THE AEGIS OF NAZI GERMANY, PERSONALLY AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATED IN THE PERSECUTION OF INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE OF THEIR POLITICAL OPINIONS--Laipenieks v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, No. …

Book Review: The Winding-Up Of Insolvent Companies In England And France, Keith M. Lundin

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Livadas provides an especially adept analysis and comparison of the treatment of employees of insolvent companies in the two countries. The author convincingly demonstrates that a French "liquidation des biens" protects employee wages, benefits, and claims more extensively than an English winding-up proceeding. The French requirement of compulsory insurance to protect the wages of employees and the special privilege afforded employees against the immovable assets of a French company are without analogy in English winding-up law. Livadas punctuates the chapters on the liabilities of officers and directors, which are generally more strict in France than in England, and the priorities …

The Export-Import Bank Of The United States And South Africa: The Effects Of The Evans Amendment, Anthony N. Vance

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Evans Amendment is an example of legislation that had the opposite effect of that which was congressionally intended. The Amendment was designed as a compromise to keep the Eximbank in South Africa, but its effect has been the termination of Eximbank activity in that country.

The United States exporters that expected to be hurt by the termination of Bank activity have apparently been largely unaffected because of the availability of other financing sources, particularly within South Africa. As a result, foreign competitors with uninterrupted financing support from their own governments have failed to make significant inroads into the business …

Recent Decisions, Jonathan F. Mack, Jesse T. Wilkins, Joseph A. Dijulio

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Constitutional Law--Grandfather Clause in International Emergency Economic Powers Act Permits the President to Ban Travel to Cuba without Declaring an Emergency Regan v. Wald, 104 S. Ct. 3026 (1984)

Jurisdiction--Bank may not Assert Act of State Doctrine as Defense in Action on Certificate of Deposit Garcia v. Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., 735 F.2d 645 (2d Cir. 1984).

Jurisdiction--Commercial Activity as Applied to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Act of State Doctrine Braka v. Bancomer, S.A., 589 F. Supp. 1465 (S.D.N.Y. 1984)

Rethinking Exclusion--The Rights Of Cuban Refugees Facing Indefinite Detention In The United States, Richard A. Boswell

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article will build upon the stable foundation presented in the arguments that challenged, the "Nishimura" maxim, and will discuss major flaws in the practice of indefinitely detaining excludable aliens in the context of the Cubans who have been detained in various parts of the United States since their arrival in 1980. First, the Article focuses on the practical merits of the use of indefinite detention as a means of immigration policy. The Article concludes that the practice, which is extremely expensive, does not appear to limit mass migrations, and offers, at best, only a few benefits. Second, the Article …

The Pitfalls Of International Commercial Arbitration, James M. Rhodes, Lisa Sloan

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The purpose of this Article is to examine the pitfalls of international arbitration on a broad scale. These pitfalls can be roughly grouped into two categories: (1) those endemic to the process of dispute resolution by a "private extra-judicial tribunal which derives its power from the agreement of the parties,"2 including difficulties unforeseen in the drafting of the agreement that add delay, complications, and expense to the proceedings; and (2) those related to using the rules of a particular institution. Ideally, planning and skillful drafting can eliminate both types of pitfalls and preserve the advantages of arbitration over other available …

Book Review, Robert C. Effros

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Mr. Crossick and Ms. Lindsay have collaborated to produce an analytical work entitled European Banking Law. The analysis is composed of four main sections: banking, credit, capital movement, and securities. Each section contains a description of the applicable major laws and regulations in the countries of the European Economic Community (EEC) as well as Portugal and Spain, and includes a summary of the relevant EEC directives and their supporting studies. On the whole, the authors' product is successful and useful, particularly in describing the EEC's attempts to accomplish the difficult task of harmonizing and coordinating banking and financial laws within …

A Tax Policy Analysis Of Bob Jones University V. United States, Charles O. Galvin, Neal Devins

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article questions the tax policy model that the Court articulated in Bob Jones University. The authors believe that the Court's recognition of the primacy of IRS rule making is undesirable because the IRS, as an executive agency, is susceptible to the influence of the incumbent administration's policy objectives. Further, even though the life-tenured status of judges insulates the courts from external political pressures, significant problems a real so present in a model in which the courts occupy a primary role in formulating tax policy. In sum, Congress is better suited than either the courts or the IRS to determine …

The Parol Evidence Rule: Promissory Estoppel's Next Conquest?, Michael B. Metzger

Vanderbilt Law Review

The parol evidence rule, at first glance, seems to be such a candidate for many reasons. The parol evidence rule has confused" and dissatisfied legal scholars for a long time; for example, Professor Wigmore condemned the rule as "the most discouraging subject in the whole field of evidence."' Bringing the rule within estoppel's domain could simplify the application of the rule,' and legal scholars should appreciate anything that could clarify and rationalize its application. Furthermore, that promissory estoppel already has made substantial incursions into the province of the Statute of Frauds may portend a similar role for promissory estoppel in …

Human Leukocyte Antigen Testing: Technology Versus Policy In Cases Of Disputed Parentage, Patricia B. Blumberg

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Note assumes that the judicial trend of using HLA test results as affirmative evidence" will continue, and accepts the proposal that these results are scientifically reliable.' The Note will focus on the policy considerations and arguments that should affect the admissibility of the HLA blood test as affirmative evidence in various disputed parentage cases.This Note first examines the use of HLA test results to determine the paternity of illegitimate children who do not have a legal father, and concludes that courts should admit the results unconditionally in these circumstances. Second, the Note analyzes the use of the HLA blood …

The First Amendment And Nonpicketing Labor Publicity Under Section 8(B)(4)(Ii)(B) Of The National Labor Relations Act, Lee Goldman

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article attempts to provide the appropriate constitutional analysis of restrictions on nonpicketing labor publicity. Part II describes the relevant statute and illustrative cases, including the Supreme Court's DeBartolo decision, that have raised but not resolved the first amendment issues concerning nonpicketing labor publicity. The cases focus attention on two restrictions the courts have imposed on nonpicketing labor publicity-the "producer-distributor" and the "for the purpose of" requirements. Part III analyzes the protected status of the nonpicketing labor speech by comparing nonpicketing labor publicity with labor picketing and commercial speech-two areas that bear superficial similarity to nonpicketing labor publicity and that …

Twisting The Purposes Of Discovery: Expert Witnesses And The Deposition Dilemma, Steven D. Parman

Vanderbilt Law Review

The system of discovery that the Federal Rules establish theoretically entitles all parties in civil actions, prior to commencement of trial, to disclosure of all relevant nonprivileged information in he possession of any person. Thus, federal discovery rules should not force litigants to choose between failing to depose a party-opponent's expert witness and thereby preparing inadequately for trial, and deposing the expert witness and consequently risking that opposing counsel will use the deposition against him at trial without the benefit of cross-examination. Part H of this Note reviews common law disagreement over the appropriateness of expert witness discovery and the …

Defending The Citadel: The Dangerous Attack Of "Reasonable Good Faith", Stanley Ingber

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article presents arguments that are designed to influence the Court's deliberations, to create a basis for critiquing the Court's opinions once rendered, and to provide guidance for state courts, which soon may need to decide whether a good faith exception is consistent with their state constitutions and procedures. To place the subsequent discussion in context, part I of the Article briefly sketches the historical development of the exclusionary rule. Part II develops the general arguments against the exclusionary rule and the specific arguments in favor of a good faith exception. Part III exposes the conceptual flaws of the exception …

Federal Supervision Of State Water Quality Standards Under The Clean Water Act, Jeffrey M. Gaba

Vanderbilt Law Review

Renewed interest in an expanded role for water quality standards in the regulatory scheme has developed recently. This inter-est is due in part to the perception that the use of water quality standards is a particularly "cost-effective" approach to pollution control. At least in theory, water quality standards are set no higher than necessary to achieve the desired environmental goal.Further, as more and more industrial facilities achieve compliance with technology based requirements, attention has begun to focus on additional techniques including water quality standards, for imposing more stringent limitations." Finally, since states set water quality standards a regulatory scheme centered …

Rulemaking Under Section 14(E) Of The Exchange Act: The Sec Exceeds Its Reach In Attempting To Pull The Plug On Multiple Pro Ration Pools, David J. White

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Recent Development first considers the problems that gave rise to the adoption of revised rule 14d-8, the rationale that three members of the Commission articulated in support of the rule,' and the rationale of the two members who opposed it. The Recent Development then examines two judicial decisions, one that considers the validity of the current tender offer practices under the Williams Act and rule 14d-8'8 and another that analyzes the rule making authority of the SEC under sections 14(e) and 23(a) of the Exchange Act. Relying primarily upon congressional hearings and debates,' the Recent Development next discusses the …

Substantial Similarity Between Video Games: An Old Copyright Problem In A New Medium, Steven G. Mcknight

Vanderbilt Law Review

Courts have faced a variety of imaginative arguments advocating that video games not receive copyright protection but unanimously have rejected them. A more difficult copyright issue for courts has been deciding whether one video game illegally has copied another. Of the cases involving illegal video game copying that courts presently have decided, only Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electric Corp." has found copyright infringement by a video game that was not virtually identical to the original game.

Part II of this Recent Development discusses the requirement in copyright infringement actions that, in proving copying, a defendant's allegedly infringing …

First Amendment Protection Of Artistic Entertainment: Toward Reasonable Municipal Regulation Of Video Games, John E. Sullivan

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Note proposes that video game software, the driving force of all video game entertainment, is an artistic creation of a video game designer. Because the United States Supreme Court repeatedly has recognized that artistic expression and entertainment are forms of expression that the first amendment protects, video game software deserves first amendment protection. Video game software is the "heart and soul"" of the video game, and first amendment protection, therefore, also should blanket the game itself. Accordingly, free "speech" liberties give video game manufacturers, distributors, and operators a fundamental right to purvey the protected expression; and the public a …

Alternative Approaches To Valuing The Health Impacts Of Accidents: Liability Law And Prospective Evaluations, W. Kip Viscusi

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The task of valuing accidental injuries and deaths is intrinsically difficult for two reasons. First, unlike standard consumer commodities, individual health is not traded explicitly on the market. It may be traded implicitly as with wage premiums for risky jobs, but these implicit prices must be estimated statistically. The second problem is that the value one places on any economic commodity depends on the welfare one can derive from it. Since adverse health effects influence the welfare one can obtain from any given level of income, the value of one's health status depends on the context in which such values …

Frameworks For Analyzing The Effects Of Risk And Environmental Regulations On Productivity, W. Kip Viscusi

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The existence of a negative relationship between the regulatory burden and capital investments, and consequently productivity,is not controversial. A conventional model of this type is developed in Section I. If, however, these regulations change over time and firms' investment decisions are irreversible, there will be additional distortions, as shown in Section II. In Section III, I show that uncertainty regarding these regulatory changes exacerbates the adverse productivity effects even for risk-neutral firms.

Independent Political Action Groups: New Life For The Fairness Doctrine, Charles D. Ferris, L. Gregory Ballard

Vanderbilt Law Review

During the past decade, independent political action committees (PACs) have grown dramatically as an alternative source of funding for political candidates. Congress and many commentators have expressed fear over the potential political power of these independent expenditure groups, which are not accountable to political parties. In their Article Messrs. Ferris and Ballard argue that the political broadcasting laws, particularly the Fairness Doctrine, serve as essential barriers to PACs' attempts to dominate the political process through unrestricted spending on political advertising. Although some critics have denounced the Fairness Doctrine, which requires broadcasters to provide balanced coverage of controversial issues, as outdated …

Federal And State Roles In Telecommunications: The Effects Of Deregulation, Eli M. Noam

Vanderbilt Law Review

During the past decade, federal telecommunications regulatory policy has changed its focus from a goal of universally available and affordable residential service to one of economic efficiency. In changing its regulatory focus, the federal government has indirectly deprived the states of the means to accomplish their goal, which remains one of insuring universally available and affordable residential service. In his Article Professor Noam examines the evolution of the traditional federal-state coregulatory system, contrasts the emerging federal regulatory approach with the states' policies, and discusses the reasons for federal predominance in telecommunications regulation.He argues that the reorientation in federal regulatory policy …

Cable Franchising And The First Amendment, William E. Lee

Vanderbilt Law Review

In awarding and regulating cable franchises, cities often extract from cable operators promises and conditions such as access channels in exchange for exclusive use of public rights-of-way. Professor William Lee in this Article argues that this cable franchising process violates the first amendment rights of cable operators. Professor Lee rejects the two rationales for municipal cable regulation by contending that cable is not a natural monopoly in every market and that cable's use of public rights-of-way requires content neutral regulation. The exacting of conditions such as access channels, however, is not content neutral regulation. Furthermore, censorship decisions that municipalities require …

Global Governance Of Global Networks: A Survey Of Transborder Data Flow In Transition, Anne W. Branscomb

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Article's examination of the development of the international system of information exchange limits its inquiry to transnational transport of computer generated and machine readable digital data via electronic transmission. This definition includes voice,image, characters, and other symbols transported by satellite, microwave, cable, or conventional radio in a converged digital bitstreams that does not discriminate between types of communications services. These delivery systems now are called integrated services digital networks (ISDNs) The last part of the Article examines the legal environment in which these networks currently are developing.

National Labor Relations Act: The Roles Of The Nlrb And The Courts Of Appeals After Pullman-Standard In Determining Employer Motivation In Section 8 (A)(3) Dual Motive Cases, William E. Anderson

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Note advocates use of the Pullman-Standard Title VII model to define the proper roles of the Board and the courts of appeals in determining discriminatory intent in section 8 (a)(3) dual motive cases. Part II of this Note discusses the current confusion concerning the amount of discretion a court of appeals owes the Board's finding of discriminatory intent in dual motive cases. Part II also traces the Supreme Court's failure to define clearly the proper roles of the Board and the courts of appeals in finding discriminatory intent, the confusion this failure has caused, and the Board's unsuccessful attempt …

Cable Television's Emerging Two-Way Services: A Dilemma For Federal And State Regulators, Frank W. Lloyd

Vanderbilt Law Review

Cable television as an entertainment medium has been the subject of various federal, state, and local regulatory schemes since its inception in the 1950's. The introduction of nonvideo two-way cable services that provide a capacity for responsive data and voice transmission between users of the two-way system has renewed interest in the appropriate role of government in the regulation of two-way cable services. Telephone companies in particular have pressed state and federal regulators to identify cable two-way systems as common carriers and to impose on them two-way cable common carrier regulations. In this Article Mr. Frank Lloyd discusses actual and …

Markets For Money -- Does The Garn-St.Germain Money Market Deposit Account Overcompete With Mutual Funds, Betty R. Turner

Vanderbilt Law Review

Since 1980 the financial marketplace has experienced a period of rapid evolution during which financial institutions have abandoned their differentiated product and service lines, within government regulatory limits, to compete with each other in obtaining funds from depositors and investors. For example, only commercial banks historically provided checking account services; now, many depository and nondepository institutions offer transaction services similar to checking accounts. The thrift institutions --savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, and credit unions -- provide their customers with "checking" account services through negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts and share draft accounts. Investment banking houses, nondepository institutions,introduced …