Law Commons^™

Jane Doe, On Behalf Of Herself And All Others Similarly Situated: Radovan Karadzic In United States District Court, Susan L. Ronn

Seattle University Law Review

In perhaps the only method available to respond with power to the horrors of "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Muslim women turned to a United States court for redress under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) The district court denied jurisdiction. This Article examines the opinion of the United States District Court in Doe v. Karadzic and concludes that Jane Doe and all others similarly situated should find redress in the courts of the United States for the brutalities inflicted upon them. Federal courts should not interpret the ATCA and the TVPA so narrowly …

Double Jeopardy—Civil Forfeitures And Criminal Punishment: Who Determines What Punishments Fit The Crime, Barbara A. Mack

Seattle University Law Review

This Article will attempt to distill from this confusion a meaningful double jeopardy policy, applicable to parallel civil and criminal proceedings, that takes into account the history of double jeopardy, recent changes in statutory law, and the contemporary chaotic state of parallel civil and criminal proceedings. Under current law, double jeopardy protects against three abuses: (1) a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal, (2) a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction, and (3) multiple punishments for the same offense. This Article will show that the multiple punishments prong has little basis in law, other than reliance …

Equity For Whom? Defining The Reach Of Non-Literal Patent Infringement, Peter K. Schalestock

Seattle University Law Review

The doctrine of equivalents began as a tool creating judicial flexibility to shield patent holders from piracy through minor variations on their inventions. Over time, two trends have transformed it from shield to sword. First, plaintiffs have persuaded courts to allow claims of infringement by equivalents even where there is no evidence of copying or other fraud. Second, as juries have decided more and more infringement cases, their sympathy for patent holders has had a greater impact on equivalents cases. Together, these trends have worked a gross distortion on the doctrine of equivalents. The doctrine should not be used to …

Litigation Outcomes In State And Federal Courts: A Statistical Portrait, Theodore Eisenberg, John Goerdt, Brian Ostrom, David Rottman

Seattle University Law Review

"U.S. Juries Grow Tougher on Plaintiffs in Lawsuits," the New York Times page-one headline reads. The story details how, in 1992, plaintiffs won 52 percent of the personal injury cases decided by jury verdicts, a decline from the 63 percent plaintiff success rate in 1989. The sound-byte explanations follow, including the notion that juries have learned that they, as part of the general population, ultimately pay the costs of high verdicts. Similar stories, reporting both increases and decreases in jury award levels, regularly make headlines. Jury Verdict Research, Inc. (JVR), a commercial service that sells case outcome information, often is …

Toward A Pragmatic Model Of Judicial Decisionmaking: Why Tort Law Provides A Better Framework Than Constitutional Law For Deciding The Issue Of Medical Futility, Brent D. Lloyd

Seattle University Law Review

Recognizing that courts will eventually have to confront the issue of medical futility, this Comment argues that there is no principled basis for omitting these difficult questions from a legal analysis of the issue and that courts should therefore decide the issue in a manner that honestly confronts them. Specifically, the argument advanced here is that courts confronted with cases of medical futility should decide the issue under principles of tort law, rather than under principles of constitutional law. The crux of this argument is that tort principles provide an open-ended analytical framework conducive to considering troublesome questions like those …

How We Teach: A Survey Of Teaching Techniques In American Law Schools, Steven I. Friedland

Seattle University Law Review

A person's law school teaching is predicated on or supported by one or more learning theories, therefore, Part II of this Article discusses cognitive and developmental learning theories and how they relate to law school teaching methods. Part III explains the teaching survey that was sent to the law schools, including the questionnaire used and the type of respondents who answered. Part IV of the Article reproduces the questionnaire results. Part V analyzes those results. This Article concludes that teaching methods should be consciously related to the learning process. Only by focusing on how students learn can a teacher truly …

Washington's Becca Bill: The Costs Of Empowering Parents, Alison G. Ivey

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment gives a practical overview of the Becca Bill and its provisions and addresses the potentially dangerous ramifications of the bill. Part II of this Comment gives a brief history of the trends in juvenile justice in this country, establishing a context for what led to the Becca Bill's passage. Part III of this Comment gives a brief history of Washington's statutes dealing with status offenders. This section then outlines the key portions of the Becca Bill, focusing primarily on the “lockup” provision and new petitions available to parents in order to obtain court intervention into the lives of …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Preface: Double Jeopardy In Washington And Beyond, Justice Philip A. Talmadge

Seattle University Law Review

The prohibition against double jeopardy is of ancient lineage in western civilization. In a ringing and scholarly dissent that rewards reflection, Justice Hugo Black said:

Fear and abhorrence of governmental power to try people twice for the same conduct is one of the oldest ideas found in western civilization. Its roots run deep into Greek and Roman times. Even in the Dark Ages, when so many other principles of justice were lost, the idea that one trial and one punishment were enough remained alive through the canon law and the teachings of the early Christian writers. By the thirteenth century …

The Double Jeopardy Implications Of In Rem Forfeiture Of Crime-Related Property: The Gradual Realization Of A Constitutional Violation, Andrew L. Subin

Seattle University Law Review

Over the past decade, the government has escalated its "war on drugs." Although the "war" has not decreased drug use or limited the availability of drugs on the street, the government continues to sacrifice the constitutional rights of its citizens in an effort to escalate the hostility. Since the "zero tolerance" policy of the Reagan Administration, the government has relied heavily on the forfeiture of property related to drug crimes as a tool to deter and punish the illegal distribution of drugs. The federal forfeiture statute, 21 U.S.C. § 881, allows the government to seize any property used to facilitate …

You Wanna Do What? Attorneys Organizing As Limited Liability Partnerships And Companies: An Economic Analysis, Mark Rosencrantz

Seattle University Law Review

Although many states have embraced the concept of limited liability for attorneys, approval is not universal. Rhode Island and California statutorily ban attorneys from practicing in such forms. Further, even those states that have embraced the concept recognize concerns that, under a limited liability scheme, the quality of attorney work may suffer, and sufficient funds may not be available for potential plaintiffs. This Comment argues that attorneys should be allowed to limit their liability by using the LLP and LLC forms to provide relief from the upsurge of liability because traditional arguments against attorneys' use of such forms ignore the …

Product Liability Law In The Federal Arena, Sherman Joyce

Seattle University Law Review

The law of product liability has been created by state judges and legislatures. Although not widely noticed, this tradition changed when Congress enacted the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994. That legislation established an eighteen-year statute of repose for claims brought by non-commercial passengers injured or killed in accidents involving light aircraft. Until that time, product liability law had been exclusively a function of state law. Nevertheless, product liability reform legislation has been the subject of extensive examination and scrutiny by Members of the United States Congress for one and a half decades. This Article analyzes the constitutional underpinnings for …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Nafta And The Changing Role Of State Government In A Global Economy: Will The Nafta Federal-State Consultation Process Preserve State Sovereignty?, A.J. Tangeman

Seattle University Law Review

Both state and federal leaders will need to work together to preserve state sovereignty in the face of challenges posed by trade agreements. Greater federal-state communication will balance the struggle between the federal government's goal in promoting free trade and individual state governments' interests in protecting their sovereignty. Part II of this Comment examines the federalist principles that influence the existing federal-state framework of authority. Part II also discusses the federal government's constitutional authority over state compliance with U.S. trade obligations and whether states have any constitutional or legal authority to demand more autonomy in conducting their trade and commerce. …

Washington's Sexually Violent Predator Statute: Constitutionally Sound And The Best Alternative For The Problem Of Violent Predators, Carla B. Keegan

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that the SVP statute is not only constitutionally sound, but is also the best alternative for the problem of sexually violent predators. Part II describes the SVP statute and how it came to be enacted. Next, in examining the constitutionality of the statute, Part III briefly describes the decision rendered by the Washington Supreme Court in 1993 which upheld the SVP statute, as well as the federal district court's 1995 ruling, which held the statute to be unconstitutional. In arguing that the statute is constitutional, Part IV addresses and refutes the arguments made by the federal district …

The Four Phases Of Promissory Estoppel, Eric Mills Holmes

Seattle University Law Review

Case law accurately delineates the four evolutionary stages of promissory estoppel. As an overview, promissory estoppel has evolved in American case law in four developmental stages: (1) Estoppel Phase, consisting initially of “defensive equitable estoppel” to estop contract defenses based on statutes of limitations and the statute of frauds. In the second part of this first phase, courts have extended “estoppel” based on representations of facts to “promissory” representations and enforced the promissory basis of the representation, thereby creating an affirmative theory of relief. Thus, this first phase of promissory estoppel consists of defensive equitable estoppel and offensive equitable estoppel. …

Begging The Federal Question: Removal Jurisdiction In Wrongful Discharge Cases, Michael D. Moberly

Seattle University Law Review

This Article analyzes the federal question jurisdiction issue in the context of state law claims for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy articulated in federal law. Part II of this Article contains a general discussion of the public policy exception to the employment at will rule. Part III discusses removal and federal question jurisdiction. Part IV analyzes cases relevant to the issue of federal question removal jurisdiction in the wrongful discharge context, including the United States Supreme Court's decisions in Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals v. Thompson and Christianson v. Colt Industries Operating Corp. This Article concludes that a wrongful discharge …

Washington State Constitutional Limitations On Gifting Of Funds To Private Enterprise: A Need For Reform, David D. Martin

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that the donative intent analysis shields government proprietary transactions from proper review by seeking only prima facie evidence of consideration.This Comment is divided into four parts. First, it traces the historical emergence of the current standard of constitutional analysis under Article VIII, sections 5 and 7. Second, the Comment discusses the court's constitutional analysis and its relation to the historical intent of the framers, and proposes a new standard of review. Third, the proposed and current standards are applied to two instances of modern public financial assistance to private enterprise: legislative financing of a thoroughbred racetrack, and …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.

State V. Riker, Battered Women Under Duress: The Concept The Washington Supreme Court Could Not Grasp, Ann-Marie Montgomery

Seattle University Law Review

Although some people have the option of going to the police after receiving threats on their lives, this was not the case for Deborah Riker: Deborah is a battered woman. Since age nine, Deborah suffered repeated torture and abuse at the hands of men who were in her life. In 1987, Deborah met Rupert Burke, a man who abused both women and drugs. When Burke threatened both Deborah and her sister, Deborah did what he told her to do: she soldhim cocaine. As a result, Deborah was charged with delivery and possession of cocaine. Deborah's case presented the classic defense …

Tribute To Professor James E. Beaver, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Doubting Thomas: Confirmation Veracity Meets Performance Reality, Joyce A. Baugh, Christopher E. Smith

Seattle University Law Review

At the close of the United States Supreme Court's 1994 term, Justice Clarence Thomas became the center of news media attention for his important role as a prominent member of the Court's resurgent conservative bloc. More frequently than in past terms, Thomas's opinions articulated the conservative position for his fellow Justices. According to one report, "The newly energized Thomas has shown little hesitancy this term in leading the conservative charge. Another article referred to Thomas's "full-throated emergence as a distinctive and articulate judicial voice." Thomas's new prominence, assertiveness, and visibility have been attributed to his emergence from the shadows of …

When The Constable Blunders: A Comparison Of The Law Of Police Interrogation In Canada And The United States, Robert Harvie, Hamar Foster

Seattle University Law Review

This Article explores the Supreme Court of Canada's use of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in limiting police interrogations and compares its case decisions with cases from the Supreme Court of the United States. Part II of this Article examines the purposes and policies underlying sections 10(b), 7, and 24(2) of the Charter. Part III then examines the application of sections 10(b) and 7 in situations where (1) suspects are interrogated by uniformed police officers or other persons known to be in authority, and (2) suspects are interrogated surreptitiously by persons not known to be in authority. In both …

The Implications Of National Security Safeguards On The Commercialization Of Remote Sensing Imagery, Youssef Sneifer

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment offers a critique of the national security restrictions contained in the United States policy and regulations and the uncertainty they inject into the commercialization of remote sensing imagery. After providing a brief technical description of remote sensing technology and the market realities associated with remote sensing imagery, this Comment analyzes the legislation and regulations affecting the private sector's commercialization and dissemination of remote sensing imagery with a special emphasis on national security concerns. Specifically, it reviews the Clinton Administration's policy with regard to the commercialization of remote sensing imagery, tracing its origins to the international obligations of the …

The Denial Of A State Constitutional Right To Bail In Juvenile Proceedings: The Need For Reassessment In Washington State, Kathleen A. Baldi

Seattle University Law Review

Article I, section 20 of the Washington Constitution states that "[a]ll persons charged with crimes shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offenses when the proof is evident, or the presumption great." Despite seemingly unequivocal language that this constitutional provision is applicable to "all persons," the Washington Supreme Court, in Estes v. Hopp, declared that juveniles do not have a constitutional right to bail. The Estes court engaged in little constitutional analysis, but instead, reasoned that juvenile proceedings are civil in nature and that article 1, section 20 applies only in criminal proceedings. Central to the Estes …

Washington Defendants' New Right Of Pre-Trial Flight, Christopher T. Igielski

Seattle University Law Review

Certainly, it is only by disregarding the "victim's rights" that one can begin to fathom the Washington Supreme Court's decision in State v. Jackson. This decision reversed the conviction of a man who raped his four-year-old niece on Christmas Eve in 1979, causing her to contract gonorrhea. Following his arraignment, Jackson fled and failed to appear at his trial. After attempts to locate Jackson failed, a trial was held in absentia' and he was found guilty of rape, with sentencing suspended pending his return to custody. Jackson evaded the law for nearly thirteen years.'0 Shortly after his eventual capture …