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Class Of 2004 Incoming Il Law Students, St. Mary's University School Of Law, St. Mary's University School Of Law

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Photographs of incoming law students for the St. Mary’s University School of Law, class of 2004

Defining “Church” In American Law, Michael S. Ariens

Faculty Articles

Balancing the autonomy of religious organizations against regulatory laws remains both a difficult and hotly contested issue. It is helpful to survey labor, property, tax, and education laws to illustrate the tensions between religion and government in American law.

Labor law cases show the autonomy of religious organizations concerning governmental regulations through the National Labor Relations Act and Title VII. In regard to church property, the government has an interest in regulating how religious organizations buy and sell land, run day care centers and food kitchens, raise and borrow money, commit torts, and enter into contracts. Section 501(c)(3) of the …

Distinguishing The Concept Of Strict Liability For Ultra-Hazardous Activities From Strict Products Liability Under Section 402a Of The Restatement (Second) Of Torts: Two Parallel Lines Of Reasoning That Should Never Meet, Charles E. Cantú

Faculty Articles

Strict liability for ultra-hazardous activities is entirely different from strict products liability. Since strict liability has been applied to so-called dangerous or ultra-hazardous activities, the application has been limited to instances where the defendant has, for his own purpose, created an abnormal risk of harm to those surrounding him, and therefore should pay for any resulting injury. Section 520 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts explains how one weighs the risk of harm emanating from ultra-hazardous activities against the appropriateness to its surroundings. This is not, however, how one determines the applicability of strict liability in the area of defective …

Texas, Step Up To The Plate And Compensate: Face To Face With Joyce Ann Brown, Wrongfully Convicted Never To Receive Compensation, Natasha L. Brooks

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming

Has The Fog Cleared - Attorney Work Product And The Attorney-Client Privilege: Texas's Complete Transition Into Full Protection Of Attorney Work In The Corporate Context., Fred A. Simpson

St. Mary's Law Journal

The following discussion in this Article fills the gaps in the substantive rules surrounding the attorney work product doctrine and the attorney-client privilege, thereby encouraging practitioners to utilize these tools more freely. Initially, the attorney-client privilege contemplated application only to individuals. As the rule developed in the United States, however, the scope of the privilege broadened until it included corporations. Since 1982, Texas has provided for the attorney-client privilege in Texas Rule of Civil Evidence 503.149. Notably, the Rule defined client in such a way as to include a corporation. Unlike the attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine developed much …

Class Dismissed: The Conservative Class Action Revolution Of The Texas Supreme Court., Russell T. Brown

St. Mary's Law Journal

Historically, Texas plaintiffs enjoyed tremendous flexibility in gaining certification for class action lawsuits because of a liberal approach employed by Texas trial courts. Because certification assignment occurred early in the judicial proceedings, Texas case law encouraged trial courts to grant certification of a class. Putative classes chose to seek relief in state court because of the state’s lax view regarding class actions, particularly when compared to federal courts. Concerns arose throughout Texas about the growing liberal methodology courts used to evaluate putative classes during certification. Federal influence, state lobbies, and legislative pressure led the Texas judiciary, through application of the …

Does The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Exclude Gifted And Talented Children With Emotional Disabilities - An Analysis Of J.D. V. Pawlet., Laura Ketterman

St. Mary's Law Journal

Disabled children benefit from federal legislation which guarantees a free, appropriate education. While no federal mandate requires providing special education for gifted and talented children, the government encourages schools to offer gifted and talented programs. Gifted and talented children with emotional disabilities, however, often fall between these two groups and do not qualify for special education under any legislation. Unfortunately, in many gifted and talented children with disabilities the gift hides the disability—or the disability hides the gift. To compound the problem, legislation and recent court decisions fail to recognize that gifted and talented children have unique needs which should …

Taas And Gi Forum V. Texas Education Agency: A Critical Analysis And Proposal For Redressing Problems With The Standardized Testing In Texas., Blakely Latham Fernandez

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas’s use of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test as an accountability program has had numerous negative and far-reaching effects on minorities. Today, students in Texas public schools first take the TAAS test in the third grade. Students continue to take a form of the TAAS test each year, with the exit-level assessment initially given in the eleventh grade. Students must pass all four sections–Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies–in order to graduate and receive their high school diploma. Although devised to effectively motivate students, schools, and teachers with the goal of enhancing educational standards, the TAAS test …

Fair Labor Standards Act And Sovereign Immunity: Unlocking The Courthouse Door For Texas State Employees., Melinda Herrera

St. Mary's Law Journal

Unless Texas expressly waives its Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity, its state employees will not have similar legal recourse and protection as those available to private employees. As in many other states, a party may not sue the State of Texas without its consent. Thus, in the absence of constitutional or statutory provisions to the contrary, a state may claim sovereign immunity against any suit brought by a private party in both federal and state court. As a result, the Eleventh Amendment effectively precludes private individuals from suing a state in both federal and state court for violating a federal statute …

Heci V. Neel: Application Of The Discovery Rule To Damages Arising Out Of Oil And Gas Leases., L. Melanie Martin

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas landowners face a heavy burden in bringing claims for damages arising out of inherently undiscoverable damages to mineral estates because the statute of limitations starts at the time of injury rather than the time of discovery. Previously, courts adopted the discovery rule as an exception to the statute of limitations, effectively stalling the starting point of the statute of limitations. A two-pronged threshold inquiry is held before the application of the discovery rule. First, the court must determine if the injury is inherently undiscoverable or not detected despite the use of due diligence. Secondly, there must be objectively verifiable …

The Useful Life Defense: Embracing The Idea That All Products Eventually Grow Old And Die, Charles E. Cantú

Faculty Articles

To date, no jurisdiction has adopted the useful life defense as part of its common law. Perhaps the time has come to reconsider this position and accept the logical consequences of such a defensive concept. At some point, natural deterioration, rather than a defect in design, manufacturing, or marketing, is the cause of a plaintiff’s injury. Combining the useful life defense with the reasonable expectation theory removes the burden of uniformly determining when a given product is legally dead. The reasonable expectations doctrine places the responsibility for determining the useful life of a product where it belongs—in the hands of …

Religion In Public Schools: Let Us Pray - Or Not., Carolyn Hanahan, David M. Feldman

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Essay addresses judicial interpretation and application of the religious protections of students in public schools. Part II addresses the evolution of the law governing prayer in public schools, including the creation of judicial tests utilized in determining whether a school district has impeded the rights of students in the area of religion. Part III examines the application of these tests to various activities, including a discussion of the disparity in judicial interpretation with respect to the permissibility of prayer at public school functions. This Essay concludes with a discussion analyzing the effect of the recent United States Supreme Court …

Vultures And Lambs: A Journey Through Protective Services For The Texas Elderly., Christopher J. Pettit

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Texas system leaves the elderly and disabled vulnerable to financial vultures. Despite guardianship and pre-planning processes meant to empower elderly and disabled Texans to choose who shall manage their affairs, the Texas system may give a financial vulture access to the elderly or disabled’s accounts. Texas agencies such as Adult Protective Services’ purpose is to stop the abuse of the elderly, however, the agency is sometimes used as a tool to circumvent the stated wishes of an elderly person. For example, a person seeking to exploit an elderly person may do so by simply filing charges with Adult Protective …

All Children Can Learn: Providing Equal Education Opportunities For Migrant Students, Michelle R. Holleman

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The United States Supreme Court ruled that once a state undertakes to provide children with educational opportunities, such education services must be available to all children on equal terms. However, even though all states must offer a public education system, certain classes of children are not receiving equal educational opportunities. Migrant children are one of the most disadvantaged groups in today’s education system. Some of the unique challenges these children face include interrupted schooling, limited English proficiency, poverty, lack of health and nutrition, pressures from work and family responsibilities, and a lack of parental involvement in their education. These hurdles …

Self-Determination And The American Indian: A Case Study, Milo Colton

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The United States has repeatedly victimized indigenous populations by stripping away tribal sovereignty and self-determination. One such example is Indian tribal reservations historical absence of jurisdictional autonomy. Prior to 1953, Indian tribal reservations shared jurisdiction with the federal government, allowing some semblance of autonomy. However, passage of Congress’s Public Law 280 erased this form of self-determination. This law enabled states to assume all civil and criminal jurisdiction over Indian tribal reservations. More recently, however, reservations have slowly begun to regain jurisdictional autonomy through the process of retrocession: the act of returning something taken. The achievements of the Winnebago Tribe of …

Regulation Fd: Sec Reestablishes Enforcement Capabilities Over Selective Disclosure., John P. Jennings

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Recent Development focuses on the potential effects Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) will have on the participants in the American capital market and on the stock markets themselves. Congress and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) seek to achieve confidence in the integrity and fairness of the American stock market and protection of investors from fraud by promoting equal opportunities for investors. In order to maintain a competitive edge, vis-à-vis its foreign counterparts, the United States must continually refine its financial systems to maximize fairness and integrity. This Recent Development focuses on selective disclosure—allowing a limited segment of investors access to …