Law Commons^™

Children As Proto-Citizens: Equal Protection, Citizenship, And Lessons From The Child-Centered Cases, Catherine E. Smith, Susannah W. Pollvogt

Scholarly Articles

The rights of children have recently taken a prominent role in the popular and judicial consciousness. This is largely due to litigation over marriage equality. In authoring the majority opinion in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013), Justice Kennedy cited tangible and psychic harm to the children of same-sex couples as a basis for invalidating the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Post-Windsor, myriad state and federal courts similarly have recognized the manner in which state-level marriage bans inflict harm on the children of same-sex couples. Yet, while courts have recognized the significance of harm to children …

Safety V. Surgery: Sex Reassignment Surgery And The Housing Of Transgender Inmates, Tammi S. Etheridge

Scholarly Articles

Rather than continue to ignore the discrepancy between allowing transgender prisoners access to hormone therapy and sexual reassignment surgery while permitting prison administrators to decide whether there is adequate housing to warrant such treatment, courts should enforce the use of such medically necessary treatments when prescribed by a doctor. Although prisons may be justified in their concerns of safety, it is time to amend the structure of the prison industrial complex so that all prisoners are safe and free from abuse. Moving forward, prisons might consider classifying and housing each prisoner on a case-by case basis or constructing non-punitive housing …

Amicus Brief In United States V. Windsor By Scholars For The Recognition Of Children's Constitutional Rights, Tanya Washington, Catherine Smith, Susannah Pollvogt

Scholarly Articles

This amicus brief filed by Scholars of the Constitutional Rights of Children in Windsor turns the spotlight on children in same-sex families. The brief enumerates the many ways Section 3 of DOMA impairs children's interests by denying federal recognition of their parents' marriages. The brief was cited in Respondent's Brief to the Supreme Court for its central thesis: children are a vulnerable demographic which deserves government action that serves their interests, not government action that impairs their interests.

Looking To Torts: Exploring The Risks Of Workplace Discrimination, Catherine E. Smith

Scholarly Articles

Tort law plays a powerful role in defining cognizable harms and allocating responsibility based on concepts of fault, individual and community interests, social values, morality, compensation, deterrence, and notions of fairness. So, the idea that it may serve as a source of guidance in employment discrimination law, and in particular, in one of the most intractable debates within employment discrimination jurisprudence--the requirement of discriminatory intent--is not "unreasonable." To shift from an intentional discrimination mindset to one focused on risks of discrimination will not be easy. Hopefully, this brief inquiry has offered some food for thought.

Toil And Trouble: How The Erie Doctrine Became Structurally Incoherent (And How Congress Can Fix It), Alan M. Trammell

Scholarly Articles

The Erie doctrine is still a minefield. It has long been a source of frustration for scholars and students, and recent case law has exacerbated the troubles. Although other scholars have noted and criticized these developments, this Article explores a deeper systemic problem that remains undeveloped in the literature. In its present form, the Erie doctrine fails to protect any coherent vision of the structural interests that supposedly are at its core—federalism, separation of powers, and equality.

This Article argues that Congress has the power to fix nearly all of these problems. Accordingly, it proposes a novel statute to revamp …

And Now A Crisis In Legal Education, James E. Moliterno

Scholarly Articles

The current crisis in legal education coincides with a crisis in the practice of law. Law practice has changed as a result of technology, globalization, and economic pressures. The market for legal education's product, law graduates, have diminished. Law schools cannot remain the same in this environment. Except for a very small number of elite schools, those that do not adjust are at serious risk of failing.

An economic change has taken place against a system in which mostly corporate clients willingly paid for the training of beginners at major law firms. Law firms could absorb those costs if partners …

The Effects Of The Lubanga Case On Understanding And Preventing Child Soldiering, Mark A. Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

On March 14, 2012, a trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, a rebel leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for child-soldier-related crimes. Some months later, Lubanga was sentenced to a prison term of fourteen years. On August 7, 2012, an ICC trial chamber issued its decision regarding the principles and procedures to be applied to reparations in the Lubanga case. This Article unpacks the relationships between the Lubanga proceedings and how the international community conceptualizes, and strives to prevent, child soldiering. This Article contends that the Lubanga proceedings reinforce, and incubate, a …

La Huella De Ius Et Veritas, Fernando Loayza Jordán

Scholarly Articles

Antes de escribir estas líneas, no pude evitar revivir los episodios más significativos de mi estadía en IUS ET VERITAS. El día en que anunciaron mi ingreso a la Asociación. Las interminables sesiones de edición y revisión. Las amanecidas. Las correrías previas a los eventos y la satisfacción de llenarlos. El día que me eligieron Director de Publicaciones. Las larguísimas sesiones de Consejo Directivo. Aquella memorable conversación tras la cual decidí postularme como Director Ejecutivo. Las reprimendas en el trabajo cuando llegaba tarde por alguna reunión de la Asociación. Ese evento en Tacna el fin de semana antes de finales. …

Cad’S Cradle: Untangling Copyrightability, Derivative Works, And Fair Use In 3d Printing, Kyle Dolinsky

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Continuing War With Asbestos: The Stalemate Among State Courts On Liability For Take-Home Asbestos Exposure, Meghan E. Flinn

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

“Kill The Sea Turtles” And Other Things You Can’T Make The Government Say , Scott W. Gaylord

Washington and Lee Law Review

In Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, the Supreme Court confirmed that there is no heckler’s veto under the government speech doctrine. When speaking, the government has the right to speak for itself and to select the views that it wants to express. But the Court acknowledged that sometimes it is difficult to determine whether the government is actually speaking. Specialty license plates have proven to be one of those difficult situations, raising novel and important First Amendment issues. Six circuits have reached four separate conclusions regarding the status of messages on specialty license plates. Three circuits have held that specialty …

Standing At A Constitutional Divide: Redefining State And Federal Requirements For Initiatives After Hollingsworth V. Perry, Scott L. Kafker, David A. Russcol

Washington and Lee Law Review

In Hollingsworth v. Perry, the Supreme Court denied standing to proponents of the California initiative prohibiting same-sex marriage, who wished to appeal a federal district court judge’s decision declaring the initiative unconstitutional. As suggested by the dissent, Hollingsworth has severe consequences for the twenty-four states in which the people can bypass elected officials and legislate directly through the initiative. The Supreme Court has established a clear constitutional divide between state and federal standing requirements for initiatives. Whereas states provide generous standing to proponents so officials do not exclusively control the defense of the people’s initiative process, the Supreme Court …

Goals And Governance In Municipal Bankruptcy, Juliet M. Moringiello

Washington and Lee Law Review

The years from 2011 to 2013 were remarkable in municipal bankruptcy terms. During those years, several cities and counties took the rare step of filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code. When Detroit filed for bankruptcy in July 2013, it became the largest city measured by both population and outstanding debt to file for Chapter 9. The recent filings challenge the conventional wisdom that Chapter 9 is poorly tailored to the rehabilitation needs of larger cities and counties. Those who have written about Chapter 9 in the past twenty years have treated Chapter 9 and state intervention …

Teaching Llcs Through A Problem-Based Approach, Michelle M. Harner, Robert J. Rhee

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Teaching Llcs By Design, Anne M. Tucker

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Asbestos Wars: In Three Parts, David Partlett

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comment: 3d Printing, Sarah K. Wiant

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Dwindling Of Revlon, Lyman P.Q. Johnson, Robert Ricca

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

U.S. Judicial Independence: Victim In The “War On Terror” , Wayne Mccormack

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Innovation In Teaching Llcs: Introduction, Lyman P.Q. Johnson

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indistinguishable From Magic: A Wizard’S Guide To Copyright And 3d Printing, James Grimmelmann

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comment: Knowledge Circles And The Duty Of Care, Jill M. Fraley

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Scholars’ Supreme Court Amicus Brief In Support Of Neither Party: Petrella V. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Douglas Laycock, Mark P. Gergen, Doug Rendleman

Scholarly Articles

The appeal to the Supreme Court in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer deals with the equitable defense of plaintiff’s laches before suing for copyright infringement. Laches is unreasonable and prejudicial delay. MGM allegedly violated plaintiff’s copyright repeatedly over a period of many years; the statute of limitations has not run on the most recent violations. Plaintiff argues that laches should never apply to a cause of action with a statute of limitations. Defendant argues that laches should bar all relief if defendant relied on plaintiff’s failure to sue earlier, without having to match defendant’s reliance to the remedies plaintiff seeks.

This scholars’ …

W&L Law Fall Scholarship Celebration 2013, Nora V. Demleitner

Library Events

On November 14, 2013, the Washington and Lee Law Library hosted a first-of-its-kind Fall Scholarship Celebration. The event took place in the Law Library's main reading room from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

On display were dozens of scholarly articles, books, chapters, and amicus briefs authored by the W&L Law faculty and student body during 2012 and 2013, with hundreds of additional works accessible online through the Scholarly Commons institutional repository.

Faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators mingled with law students over hors d'oeuvres and wine to peruse the formidable scholarly output of the W&L Law community. Spouses, alumni, faculty from …

Table Of Contents

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

No abstract provided.

Masthead & Front Matter

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

No abstract provided.

A Napoleonic Approach To Climate Change: The Geoengineering Branch, Anthony E. Chavez

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Climate change is an inevitable consequence of human greenhouse gas emissions. Without substantial changes in anthropogenic causes of climate change, there will be severe negative impacts on our planet. Complete abolition of greenhouse gas emissions, however, is not possible, nor will it necessarily stop the negative impacts of climate change. Therefore, substantial research must be done in geoengineering to understand better how we can positively act to avert significant climate change. Given the practical difficulties and potential effects, there must be comprehensive oversight. Currently, differing national laws makes this difficult. Additionally the United States laws do not properly cover climate …

Environmental Overreach: The Eu’S Carbon Tax On International Aviation, Surya Gablin Gunasekara

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

On November 27, 2012—without the fanfare of a Rose Garden ceremony—President Obama signed into law a bill that forbids United States airlines from participating in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (“EU ETS”). Environmental organizations bemoaned the President’s decision after having urged him to veto the bill. Supporters of the law hailed the passage as a win for American sovereignty, preventing an illegitimate and disingenuous environmental tax on U.S. carriers and passengers. This article addresses the aviation industry’s role in global climate change, and offers an in-depth analysis of the EU ETS and the European Commission’s decision to include international …

Is It Time To Revoke The Tax-Exempt Status Of Rural Electric Cooperatives?, W. G. Beecher

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Rural electric cooperatives (RECs) were created with government assistance in the mid-1930s as part of a campaign to bring electricity to rural areas in an effort to improve economic output and quality of living. By the early 1950s, the entirety of America had access to electricity, fulfilling the federal government’s mission. Today, these cooperatives strongly resemble their for-profit counterparts, but remain tax-exempt under § 501(c)(12) of the Internal Revenue Code. This note will argue that, in light of the changes that RECs have undergone and the environment in which they now operate, their tax-exempt status is no longer warranted and …

Clean Air V. Electric Reliability: The Case Of The Potomac River Generating Station, James W. Moeller

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Environmental activists considered the shutdown of the Potomac Station a victory for environmental sustainability and a victory for the cause of clean air. Additionally, citizens of Alexandria, Virginia found this to be a victory over the “outdated” polluting coal burning power plant. Looking at the history of the Potomac Station, however, shows that without significant increases in transmission capacity to the mid-Atlantic, the Potomac Station could never have been shut down. This article addresses the case of the Potomac Station and the role of the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the …