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Full-Text Articles in Law

2010-2011 Veterans Law Update, Kathleen Dwyer, Alec Kast, Scott A. Sigmon, Andrew E. Tarne Dec 2012

2010-2011 Veterans Law Update, Kathleen Dwyer, Alec Kast, Scott A. Sigmon, Andrew E. Tarne

Law Student Publications

Part I will cover updates related directly to veterans' benefits and rights. Part II will focus on updates to rules involving veterans' caregivers and healthcare facilities. Part III will cover proposed rules dealing with veterans' claims and insurance. Part IV will focus on rules and case law covering the VA's procedures and operating regulations.


Land Use And Zoning Law, Andrew E. Tarne Nov 2012

Land Use And Zoning Law, Andrew E. Tarne

Law Student Publications

Since the early days of nuisance law, but especially since the early twentieth century and the validation of zoning ordinances, land use planning and management have been fundamental roles of local government. As evinced by its state code, the Commonwealth of Virginia recognizes the essential role that localities play in land use planning. The Virginia Code requires that localities create planning commissions, adopt comprehensive plans, and, if the localities have adopted zoning ordinances, establish boards of zoning appeals. As most of the implementation of these mandates is left to individual localities, the form of implementation is not uniform but naturally …


Lifting The Fog: Ending Felony Disenfranchisement In Virginia, Dori Elizabeth Martin Nov 2012

Lifting The Fog: Ending Felony Disenfranchisement In Virginia, Dori Elizabeth Martin

Law Student Publications

This comment explores how Virginia's disenfranchisement law originated, how it has managed to survive throughout Virginia's history, and whether it may be vulnerable to various legal challenges. Part II outlines the history of felony disenfranchisement in Virginia. Part III analyzes common policy justifications for the current law and discusses the widely held beliefs about the role of race in the law's inception. Part IV examines legal challenges to similar laws in the federal courts and evaluates the potential for success of comparable challenges in Virginia. Part V looks to recent attempts at enacting solutions at the state level. Part VI …


A Distinction Without A Difference? An Examination Of The Legal And Ethical Difference Between Asset Protection And Fraudulent Transfers Under Virginia Law, Elizabeth Southall Nov 2012

A Distinction Without A Difference? An Examination Of The Legal And Ethical Difference Between Asset Protection And Fraudulent Transfers Under Virginia Law, Elizabeth Southall

Law Student Publications

“A distinction without a difference”—a colloquial expression employed by one wishing to recognize that while a linguistic or conceptual distinction exists between any number of options, any such distinction lacks substantive practical effect. To allege that a situation presents “a distinction without a difference” is to suggest that any difference between a given set of options is a logical fallacy—purely a creature of erroneous perception. When it comes to concepts of asset protection planning and fraudulent transfer law, one must ask whether the law draws a distinction where there is no difference....This essay identifies these distinctions. Part II provides a …


Labor And Employment Law, Eric Wallace Nov 2012

Labor And Employment Law, Eric Wallace

Law Student Publications

During the past two years, there have been several significant developments in labor and employment law, both on the state and federal levels. Because developments in both state and federal law likely will have a profound impact on employers and employees throughout Virginia, they warrant significant discussion in this survey. In addition to examining notable decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern District and Western District of Virginia, this survey also discusses decisions of the Supreme Court of Virginia …


Virginia's "War On Women": How Forcing Women To Have An Ultrasound Before Abortion Is Unconstitutional, Alison B. Linas Oct 2012

Virginia's "War On Women": How Forcing Women To Have An Ultrasound Before Abortion Is Unconstitutional, Alison B. Linas

Law Student Publications

This comment will discuss how the ultrasound bill, like similar ones in other states, is unconstitutional for two reasons....Part II of this comment will focus on the Supreme Court's role in shaping abortion policy....Part III will describe Virginia’s new ultrasound requirement and how the above-mentioned Supreme Court decisions affect the new bill’s legality. Part III(A) will lay out the relevant portions of the bill and discuss its legislative history. Part III(B) will analyze the bill through Casey’s undue burden lens....Part III(C) will argue that requiring a woman to have a mandatory medical procedure effectively prevents her from refusing medical care, …


Technologies-That-Must-Not-Be-Named: Understanding And Implementing Advanced Search Technologies In E-Discovery, Jacob Tingen Oct 2012

Technologies-That-Must-Not-Be-Named: Understanding And Implementing Advanced Search Technologies In E-Discovery, Jacob Tingen

Law Student Publications

Even for those who are aware of the existence of advanced search and review tactics beyond keyword search, many questions remain for attorneys and judges alike. First, what are the new and emerging technologies? While courts and commentators mention the existence of the technologies, there is not much guidance with regard to what the new technologies are and what they accomplish. Second, are the new technologies superior to the manual review process? Understandably, attorneys are hesitant to use an unfamiliar e-discovery product that may not work better than the e-discovery process to which they are already accustomed. Third, if attorneys …


Dispatch From The Culture War: Virginia's Failed Hpv Vaccination Mandate, Rachel Reynolds Oct 2012

Dispatch From The Culture War: Virginia's Failed Hpv Vaccination Mandate, Rachel Reynolds

Law Student Publications

This paper will inquire into what makes Gardasil different from other vaccines, and how that impacts its administration. Part I will describe the specifics of the HPV vaccine: how it works and how Virginia decided to promote its usage. Part II will examine the ways in which jurisdictions have traditionally understood vaccination policy, and contrast it with the ways in which they have handled the HPV vaccine. Part III will examine the disadvantages of continuing the mandate’s ineffective political war of attrition, and suggest a coalition-building strategy to effect policy that honors communal values and meaningfully increases access to the …


Targeting Demand: A New Approach To Curbing Human Trafficking In The United States, Morgan Brown Oct 2012

Targeting Demand: A New Approach To Curbing Human Trafficking In The United States, Morgan Brown

Law Student Publications

Part I of this paper will provide a general framework for understanding human trafficking in the United States by laying out basic statistics relevant to human trafficking, describing the basic economic model under which the business of human trafficking should be understood, and discussing the major legislative approaches the United States has taken to curtail the increase in human trafficking in the country in the past ten years. Part II will then analyze the shortcomings of this approach and the successes of unique efforts to combat trafficking in Sweden. Part III recommends an approach the United States should take moving …


Opportunistic Discipline: Using Eurasian Integration To Improve Sanctions Against Belarus, Ilya Zlatkin Jul 2012

Opportunistic Discipline: Using Eurasian Integration To Improve Sanctions Against Belarus, Ilya Zlatkin

Law Student Publications

This comment does not condemn or condone the Lukashenko regime's policies. Instead, it evaluates the effectiveness of the U.S. sanctions and provides some feasible alternatives. Also, this comment avoids normative arguments against sanctions, concentrating more on the probable economic and political effects. Part II supplies background information on the political developments within Belarus since the Soviet Union's collapse, including prior sanctions that the West imposed. Part III explains why the United States can legally institute sanctions. Parts IV and V discuss how American sanctions facilitate appropriation of significant Belarusian state assets by Russia and China, respectively. Part VI posits that …


Genes 101: Are Human Genes Patentable Subject Matter?, Andrew Bowman Jul 2012

Genes 101: Are Human Genes Patentable Subject Matter?, Andrew Bowman

Law Student Publications

This comment proposes a totality-of-the-circumstances approach to analyzing biological molecules under § 101 such that both the structure and its information is examined. Part II of this note reviews relevant precedent in patent law. Part III analyzes the Federal Circuit's Myriad decision, and Part IV explains the potential effects of the recent Supreme Court decision Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories. Finally, in Part V, the patent eligibility of human genes is examined. Analyzing this issue under the proposed totality-of-the-circumstances approach, this article concludes that isolated human genes are not patentable.


Who's The Author? A Bright-Line Rule For Specially Commissioned Works Made For Hire, Richard D. Palmieri May 2012

Who's The Author? A Bright-Line Rule For Specially Commissioned Works Made For Hire, Richard D. Palmieri

Law Student Publications

This comment argues that the best way to clarify the answer to the question "Who's the author?" (and thus to clarify whether the creator has a termination right) is to resolve the circuit split in favor of a bright-line rule requiring execution of the written agreement prior to the creation of the work. Part I introduces the legal framework under which the issue must be analyzed. Part II reviews the holdings on each side of the circuit split. Part III presents the arguments that both proper statutory construction of U.S. copyright law and the legislative history of the termination right, …


"If The Plaintiffs Are Right, Grutter Is Wrong": Why Fisher V. University Of Texas Presents An Opportunity For The Supreme Court To Overturn A Flawed Decision, Brooks H. Spears May 2012

"If The Plaintiffs Are Right, Grutter Is Wrong": Why Fisher V. University Of Texas Presents An Opportunity For The Supreme Court To Overturn A Flawed Decision, Brooks H. Spears

Law Student Publications

The constitutionality of affirmative action in America's public higher education institutions ("HEIs") gained prominence in the late 1970s with the Supreme Court's decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. The Bakke decision was less than clear, but it provided the framework in which HEls formulated their admission policies regarding the use of race. Nevertheless, the law regarding affirmative action remained unsettled, and the circuits remained split.


The Ncaa And The Student-Athlete: Reform Is On The Horizon, Mary Grace Miller May 2012

The Ncaa And The Student-Athlete: Reform Is On The Horizon, Mary Grace Miller

Law Student Publications

This comment examines the NCAA's rules and regulations of student-athletes and explores the possibility that the NCAA's existence, under its current bylaws and manual, is at least immoral and likely unlawful. Additionally, this comment analyzes the idea that the NCAA needs not only internal restructuring but judicial and possibly congressional intervention in order to truly protect young athletes' financial, academic, and basic human interests. Part II of this comment explores the historical development of the NCAA and the current relationship between the NCAA and the student-athlete. Part III discusses the fundamental unfairness in the NCAA's bylaws, which results in the …


My Daddy's Name Is Donor: Evaluating Sperm Donation Anonymity And Regulation, Mark Ballantyne Apr 2012

My Daddy's Name Is Donor: Evaluating Sperm Donation Anonymity And Regulation, Mark Ballantyne

Law Student Publications

In Part I, this comment explores the debate on anonymous sperm donation and the current law in the United States. Part II surveys new developments in the regulation of sperm donation internationally and domestically. Part III reviews “My Daddy’s Name is Donor” and how its findings relate to the anonymity debate. Part IV concludes with suggestions regarding the national registry and future regulation of sperm donation in the United States.


Why Virginia's Challenges To The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Did Not Invoke Nullification, Robert S. Claiborne Jr. Mar 2012

Why Virginia's Challenges To The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Did Not Invoke Nullification, Robert S. Claiborne Jr.

Law Student Publications

This comment's focus is to convincingly demonstrate that neither the General Assembly's Health Care Freedom Act nor the Commonwealth's constitutional challenge to the minimum essential coverage provision were exercises of nullification. Part II of this comment relates a brief history of the ACA's passage alongside the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act's enactment and the Attorney General of Virginia Ken Cuccinelli's suit against Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Part III defines nullification and further explains it through the historical instances when Virginia has considered the doctrine. Part IV demonstrates that-far from nullifying the minimum essential coverage provision-Virginia has …


Virtual Adultery: No Physical Harm, No Foul?, Kathryn Pfeiffer Jan 2012

Virtual Adultery: No Physical Harm, No Foul?, Kathryn Pfeiffer

Law Student Publications

New forms of social media and virtual communication are changing the ways in which we meet new people and develop meaningful relationships. In today's world, you can skype a long-distance significant other or join an Internet chat room to find others who share a similar interest. While, in many ways, the Internet has facilitated our ability to interact with others unencumbered by geographical location or time zone, its unfettered reach has proved to be problematic for one relationship in particular-the marital unit. Studies show that more marriages are ending because of "virtual infidelity," the term used to describe nonphysical behavior …


I 4 An I: Why Changing The Standard For Overcoming The Presumption Of Patent Validity Will Cause More Harm Than Good, John A. Morrissett Jan 2012

I 4 An I: Why Changing The Standard For Overcoming The Presumption Of Patent Validity Will Cause More Harm Than Good, John A. Morrissett

Law Student Publications

First, this paper describes the interests behind the presumption of patent validity and the historical treatment of the burden of proof required to overcome that presumption. While precedent does not bind the Supreme Court, it is important to consider how and why a particular standard has been applied in addition to Congress’s inaction in implementing a new standard. Second, this paper examines arguments in support of maintaining the status quo, changing to a preponderance of the evidence standard, and adopting a dual standard where some evidence must rise to the level of clear and convincing evidence while other evidence need …


The Sheathed Sword: Public-Sector Union Efficacy In Non-Bargaining States, William Warwick Jan 2012

The Sheathed Sword: Public-Sector Union Efficacy In Non-Bargaining States, William Warwick

Law Student Publications

Section I of this article briefly reviews the law in Virginia and North Carolina. Section II examines, in detail, many of the strategies and tactics unions have utilized, both successfully and unsuccessfully, in Virginia and North Carolina. Section III discusses the overwhelming challenges that public-sector unions, despite their success, still face under the laws and political climate in hostile states. Finally, *277 section IV offers a brief analysis of how unions in other states that prohibit or severely limit collective bargaining can emulate their successes and learn from their failures.