Law Commons^™

Standing, Justiciability, And All That: A Behavioral Analysis, Robert A. Sedler

Vanderbilt Law Review

Whenever suit is brought in a federal court to challenge the constitutionality or validity of governmental action, the initial response of the government is, almost invariably, "The Court should not hear this case." Several arguments are frequently used. If a state law or action of a state official is challenged, the state will argue that the suit should have been brought in state court' and that the federal court should"abstain" pending a state court determination of state law. When administrative action is challenged, the principal defenses are failure to exhaust administrative remedies and nonreviewability of the action. If the plaintiff …

Evidence Of Producer's Due Care In A Products Liability Action, Robert A. Bernstein

Vanderbilt Law Review

In a products liability case, evidence of defendant's due care in the manufacturing or processing operation can be a potent and sometimes critical factor in the decision of a judge or jury.' The question remains,however, whether such evidence is properly admissible under contemporary versions of the implied warranty and strict liability theories that have fashioned the recent revolution in consumer product law. The leading chronicler of the revolution, Dean Prosser, has noted the practical importance of the issue and has concluded, apparently without reservation, that in the ordinary case evidence of the defendant's due care is immaterial. The reasoning is …

Congressional Power To Define The Presidential Pocket Veto Power, Arthur S. Miller

Vanderbilt Law Review

Two recent exercises of the "pocket veto" by President Nixon have evoked controversy over the constitutional distribution of power and responsibility for negativing congressional actions! On December 14,1970, Congress sent to the President Senate Bill 3418, the Family Practice of Medicine Act. The bill had originated in the Senate, which recessed at the close of business on December 22, 1970, until 12:00 o'clock noon on December 28. Before recessing, unanimous consent had been given the Secretary of the Senate to receive messages from the President during this period. At about the same time House of Representatives Bill 3571, a private …

Recent Development, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Comment will explore the origin, evolution, and refinement of the common-law classifications, with particular focus upon recent decisions abrogating these distinctions in favor of a broader standard of ordinary care under the circumstances.

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The problem of defining a landowner's' responsibility toward persons who come upon his premises has been the subject of longstanding controversy. While some commentators have argued that the limited responsibility placed by the common law on landowners does not comport with modern principles of negligence liability proponents of the common-law standards have urged that the common-law scheme of entrant classes--trespasser, licensee, invitee--provides a workable approach …

Congressional Amnesty For War Resisters: Policy Considerations And Constitutional Problems, Louis Lusky

Vanderbilt Law Review

The protean term "amnesty" is not mentioned in the Constitution,but it has been used elsewhere in many different senses: clemency for convicted criminals, clemency for offenders not yet apprehended or prosecuted, and immunity from punishment for acts not yet committed that ordinarily would be criminal. The term has been employed whether the offenders were listed by name or specified by general classification,and it has sometimes been used as a synonym for the constitutional term"pardon." On occasion the substance of amnesty has been granted without use of the term at all. In this article, the term "amnesty" is used in its …

Recent Developments, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Confession of judgment procedures' have seldom received unrestricted legislative approval by the states--the vast majority of jurisdictions have enacted legislation either to eliminate the practice entirely or to limit severely its use. Unrestricted employment of the procedure in consumer transactions is prevalent only in the states of Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio, which account for a preponderance of the confessed judgments in the United States today. Although the constitutional validity of cognovit notes has been questioned on numerous occasions, the Supreme Court had never addressed this issue until its recent decisions upholding the use of these devices in D.H. Overmyer Co. …

Recent Cases, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

RECENT CASES

Antitrust--Sham Exception--Allegations of Purposeful and Concerted Use of Adjudicatory Processes to Harass and Deter Parties From Having Free Access to These Processes Constitute a Cause of Action Under Antitrust Laws

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Criminal Procedure--Confessions--Determination of Confession's Voluntariness by Preponderance of the Evidence Is Not Violative of Fifth Amendment Prohibition Against Self-Incrimination

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Landlord and Tenant--Forcible Entry and Detainer Statute--Provisions for Immediate Trial and Limitation of Triable Issues Not Violative of Due Process or Equal-Protection Clauses

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Securities Regulation-Section 16(b) of Securities Exchange Act of 1934--Insider May Sell Enough Stock To Bring His Holdings Below Ten Percent and Within Six …

Book Reviews, Garrett Power, Joseph M. Boyd, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

The Environmental Law Reporter in the Classroom

The Environmental Law Reporter' is a cumulative monthly loose-leaf service devoted chiefly to the environmental issues confronting private attorneys, governmental officials, and teachers. During the fall semester of 1971, the Reporter was employed as a text for the University of Maryland's basic course in environmental law. This review will attempt to measure its potential as a teaching tool.

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Guidebook for Litigation

The common law is still the most useful and flexible weapon in the arsenal of those who care enough about the quality of our environment to do something about it. This …

Citation In Lieu Of Arrest: The New California Law, Floyd F. Feeney

Vanderbilt Law Review

Sixty years ago, before the traffic infraction became a common occurrence, police departments found it necessary to make physical arrests in the case of each traffic violation. As the number of violations mounted, however, the arrest procedure proved to be too cumbersome and demanding. This led to the invention of a new procedure, the citation of promise to appear. The new system proved to be both convenient and practical and in short order it virtually replaced the old arrest procedure. Surprisingly, however, the invention of the new procedure did not lead to a rethinking of the need to arrest and …

The Impact Of The Tax Reform Act Of 1969 On The Supply Of Adequate Housing, Kenneth J. Guido, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

Hidden by the storm surrounding the more controversial changes in the Tax Reform Act of 1969 are subtle alterations in the tax structure that may significantly affect the rate and nature of real estate development. The Tax Reform Act amended provisions of the Internal Revenue Code directly applicable to real estate investments,' purposefully redesigning them in the hope of stimulating the construction and rehabilitation of rental housing, particularly low-income housing. The changes in the basic tax structure relative to real estate investments are an attempt to continue a national policy established in 1949, that of providing a "decent home and …

The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act Of 1971: A Significant New Environmental Statute, Julian C. Juergensmeyer

Vanderbilt Law Review

Tennessee's new Water Quality Control Act' is one of the most significant pieces of environmental legislation to be produced in recent years. It is destined not only to revamp water pollution control in Tennessee but also to serve as a model for legislation in other states. The Act and commentary written by its drafter, Professor Frank E. Maloney, are printed following this article. Consequently, no attempt will be made to summarize the entire Act or to provide a detailed guide for its use. The purpose of this introductory article is to examine the salient, often innovative, features of the Act …

The Tennessee Water Quality Control Act Of 1971, Frank E. Maloney

Vanderbilt Law Review

The text of the Act and commentary that follows is the product of a larger study undertaken by Professor Maloney at the request of the 87th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee. This study was the subject of a seminar on environmental protection at the Vanderbilt University School of Law. Four of the participating students--Elbert E. Edwards, III, Thomas H. Graham, Robert D. McCutcheon, and Paul L. Sloan--drafted the proposed statute and commentary under Professor Maloney's supervision with the research assistance of the other members of the class. For many sections of the statute, the drafters drew heavily from …

Recent Cases, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Topics Discussed in Recent Cases:

Administrative Law--Freedom of Information Act--Unclassified Documents Physically Connected with Classified Documents May Not Be Withheld Under the National Security and Foreign Affairs Secrets Exemption

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Antitrust--Treble Damage Class Actions--Privity with Defendant Required To Maintain Suit

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Constitutional Law--Equal Protection-State Probate Code Discriminating in Favor of Males Violates Equal Protection Clause

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Constitutional Law--Federal Preemption--Atomic Energy Act Requires Exclusive Federal Regulation of Radioactive Discharges from Nuclear Power Plants

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Corporations -Shareholder Suits -Shareholder May Inspect Corporate Records Only for Proper Purpose Ger-mane to his Economic Interest As Shareholder, Not Merely To Further his Own Social and …

Mr. Wade And Wade Torts, James H. Wildman

Vanderbilt Law Review

We, his students, have never called him "Mr. Wade;" nor have we called him "Professor Wade." These words do not sound even faintly familiar. Yet Mr. Wade can rightfully claim major responsibility for the causal connection between Vanderbilt law student and Vanderbilt lawyer. Indeed, in this connection, the sine qua non rule applies to Mr. Wade. To the older of us, much of the detail of his visage and style have doubtless been lost--the jabbing hand, the lanky, angular figure, the Abe Lincoln face, the outstretched arms with fingers intertwined, the hands thrust deeply into pockets jingling change, and the …

Recent Developments, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

The doctrine of sovereign immunity' prohibits the courts from assuming jurisdiction of a foreign sovereign without that sovereign's voluntary acquiescence, and the act of state doctrine prohibits the courts from assuming jurisdiction to judge the acts of a foreign sovereign performed within the geographical borders of its own country. In the United States, a judicial determination of self-restraint under either of these two doctrines effectively operates to bar further litigation on complaints brought against foreign governments or their instrumentalities and on complaints brought against private individuals, but based on the acts of their sovereigns. Despite the common policy foundations of …

John W. Wade: Gentle Scholar, Pilot Lawyer, Roger J. Traynor

Vanderbilt Law Review

His contributions to the work of the American Law Institute, his career as the dean of a first-rate law school, and his essays on restitution,torts, and conflict of laws would be more than enough to place John Wade in the first rank of American lawyers. The very constructiveness of his work makes him pre-emininently a modern teacher and lawyer.

John W. Wade: Friendly Critic And Sensitive Scholar, Wex S. Malone

Vanderbilt Law Review

The teacher could boast only three or four years of maturity over his students; hence, he was vulnerable and was often at-tacked with considerable spirit. From the beginning John Wade faced me with the kind of challenge that can be both the delight and the despair of a beginning law teacher. His characteristic mode of attack by way of imperturbable but relentless prodding will be recalled with admiring pleasure by more than a generation of his own law students. This role of the friendly, reflective skeptic, which is so fundamental a part of the intellectual make-up of John Wade, has …

Some Implications Of The Constitutional Privilege To Defame, Robert E. Keeton

Vanderbilt Law Review

In this issue of the Vanderbilt Law Review we honor an extraordinary scholar, teacher, and Dean. It is a happy circumstance that the editors have offered us this opportunity at a time when we can confidently predict that Dean Wade will continue to serve us with great distinction in years ahead. The present article concerns some pending problems in the law of defamation that have already attracted Dean Wade's active interest. This seems a particularly fitting subject for inclusion in a symposium celebrating not only his distinguished past service but also a commencement incident to his release from decanal responsibility.

Defective Products: Abnormal Use, Contributory Negligence, And Assumption Of Risk, Dix W. Noel

Vanderbilt Law Review

This article will attempt to analyze these three general kinds of conduct on the part of the plaintiff, giving attention to basic tort principles and to traditional distinctions. Special emphasis will be placed on the functions of court and jury in resolving questions posed by situations in which injury is caused both by a defective product and by the plaintiff's handling of that product. It will be shown that a court's choice of policy factors as a basis for strict liability may affect considerably its final decision.

Variation On Libel Per Quod, Laurence H. Eldredge

Vanderbilt Law Review

During the nineteenth century it became settled common law in England and in the United States that in any action for libel, as distinct from slander, the plaintiff could recover damages without pleading or proving that he had in fact suffered any damages as a result of the publication. The American Law Institute accepted this as sound law. Volume III of the Restatement of Torts, published in 1938, stated the rule in section 569: "One who falsely, and without a privilege to do so, publishes matter defamatory to another in such a manner as to make the publication a libel …

Omnibus Crime Control And Safe Streets Act Of 1968-Grand Jury Witness Standing To Suppress Illegally Obtained Evidence, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 19681 attempts to regulate the use of electronic surveillance and wiretap within fourth amendment guidelines developed by the judiciary. If evidence has been obtained in violation of the Act, the Act prohibits its introduction into judicial, legislative, and administrative proceedings. As recent courts of appeals cases indicate, however, one primary question has arisen concerning the operation of this exclusionary rule in the specific context of a grand jury proceeding: May a grand jury witness challenge the admissibility of evidence obtained in violation of the Crime Control Act?

Equal Protection--Defacto Racio-Economic Classifications Not Constitutionally Suspect, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

The fourteenth amendment's prohibition that "no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws has long been held to require not only that each person be afforded a "fair" administration of state statutory commands, but also that the laws themselves be "equal."' This requirement of equal laws, however, has not been interpreted to mean that statutes must apply uniformly to all persons; rather the courts have held that legislatures may fashion laws that affect separate classes of persons unequally, as long as the classifi- cations involved are reasonable. While this judicial standard of …

Doctrines Of Sovereign Immunity And Act Of State--Conflicting Consequences Of State Department Intervention, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

The doctrine of sovereign immunity' prohibits the courts from assuming jurisdiction of a foreign sovereign without that sovereign's voluntary acquiescence, and the act of state doctrine prohibits the courts from assuming jurisdiction to judge the acts of a foreign sovereign performed within the geographical borders of its own country. In the United States, a judicial determination of self-restraint under either of these two doctrines effectively operates to bar further litigation on complaints brought against foreign governments or their instrumentalities and on complaints brought against private individuals, but based on the acts of their sovereigns. Despite the common policy foundations of …

Dean John Webster Wade, Robert J. Farley

Vanderbilt Law Review

John Wade began his teaching career at Ole Miss the next year after graduation from Harvard. It was a difficult initiation because many of his students were former contemporaries and all of the faculty were his former instructors. He handled this situation with natural dignity and the assurance of superior capability, yet modestly and conscientiously. Although during the next several years he was offered visiting position elsewhere, both Chancellor Butts and Dean Kimbrough found that they could not spare him. Perhaps they would not recommend him for a leave of absence because they were afraid of losing such a prize. …

John W. Wade: An Appreciation, Reber Boult

Vanderbilt Law Review

Without going back to the year of his advent as Dean when the placement of law graduates was largely a catch-as-catch-can proposition, but starting with the academic year 1965-66, there were approximatly 35 law firms, government agencies, or other entities that sent representatives to the Law School to interview candidates and to make offers for legal opportunities. During the 1971-72 academic year, there were over 100 such interviewers, a number of whom represented some of the most prestigious law firms in the United States. This record of achievement speaks eloquently of the end work product of the Vanderbilt School of …

John W. Wade And The Development Of The Vanderbilt Law School, Paul H. Sanders

Vanderbilt Law Review

John W. Wade made a decided imprint upon the Vanderbilt Law School in the years before he became Dean in 1952. His contributions to the development of the institution were impressive, not only as a skillful "case-method" teacher in the classroom, but also as Faculty Editor for volumes two through five of the Vanderbilt Law Review at a time when this position entailed responsibilities for all phases of the publication greatly in excess of those imposed upon the Faculty Adviser in later years. Without question he was the person most responsible for the firm and early establishment of the Vanderbilt …

Products Liability And Choice Of Law: The United States Proposals To The Hague Conference, Willis L.M. Reese

Vanderbilt Law Review

Among Dean Wade's many accomplishments is his recent appointment as a member of the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Private International Law. One of the functions of this Committee is to render advice on what position should be taken by the United States on the various matters considered by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. The initial topic considered at the first meeting of the Advisory Committee attended by Dean Wade was what should be the choice-of-law rules for products liability. It seems appropriate that in these essays written in his honor there should be mention of the …

Limitations On Liability For Economic Loss Caused By Negligence: A Pragmatic Appraisal, Fleming James, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

Even if liability for indirect economic consequences of negligence may in some cases be too broad and open-ended to be endured, care should be taken to see whether that is true in all types of situations; if it is not true, one must examine whether a rule may be fashioned to separate the wheat from the chaff. In this discussion it has been assumed that if the pragmatic consideration has any validity, it is in the field of indirect economic loss rather than that of physical damage. As one commentator put it, "only a limited amount of physical damage can …

Judicial Protection Of The Environment: A New Role For Common-Law Remedies, Frank E. Maloney

Vanderbilt Law Review

There is a tendency today to look to the legislatures to provide the cure for all environmental maladies,' and to overlook or underrate the potential of common-law remedies to assist in the proper solution of these problems. Although it is undoubtedly true that in some jurisdictions the common-law remedies have been interpreted so restrictively as to make them practically useless as tools for environmental protection, a number of forward-looking courts are developing and applying the law in a way much more favorable to the environment. Other courts that have remained uncommitted may be in a position to follow current trends …

Book Review, Neill H. Alford, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

For the decade 1960-1970, any available prize for the most stimulating product of interest to estate planners by an individual writer certainly should go to Dean Thomas L. Shaffer' for "Death, Property, and Lawyers." This is an imaginative and stimulating book. A practicing lawyer who gives close attention to Dean Shaffer's work should be aided in evaluating his relationships with his estate planning clients. Even if this lawyer cannot be brought to a detailed evaluation, he at least will be brought to the threshold of introspection. Dean Shaffer does not attempt to unravel the whole "psychological story" in estate planning; …