Law Commons^™

The Categorical Lucas Rule And The Nuisance And Background Principles Exception, Carol N. Brown

Law Faculty Publications

This article examines the seminal 1992 United States Supreme Court decision, Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, 1 specifically focusing on the Lucas nuisance exception. I surveyed approximately 1,600 reported regulatory takings cases decided since the Lucas decision involving Lucas takings challenges. I identified the statutory nuisance cases in which state and local governments unsuccessfully asserted the Lucas nuisance exception as a defense to the courts' findings of a Lucas taking. This article examines the prospective potential of these cases for assisting private property owners in enhancing private property rights protections within the area of regulatory takings.

"Why Won't My Homeowners Insurance Cover My Loss?": Reassessing Property Insurance Concurrent Causation Coverage Disputes, Peter N. Swisher

Law Faculty Publications

Property insurance coverage disputes can be extremely complex cases when there are multiple concurrent causes in a causal chain of events and when some of these concurrent causes are covered under the policy language but other concurrent causes are excluded from coverage. To complicate matters enormously, there are no fewer than three different judicial approaches attempting to resolve this concurrent causation interpretive conundrum. Over the past two decades, a number of property insurance companies have attempted to address this interpretive problem contractually by inserting so-called anti-concurrent causation clauses into their property insurance policy language. But these anti-concurrent causation clauses have …

Considering Patricia Millett For The D.C. Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

On June 4, Obama nominated three individuals: Patricia Millett, who has argued 32 Supreme Court appeals, Cornelia Pillard, who has won landmark High Court victories, and Robert Wilkins, who had served as a D.C. District Court judge for three years. The court’s allegedly smaller caseloads prompted Republicans to halt yes or no votes for all the nominees. But because well-qualified, moderate nominees warrant thorough consideration and final ballots, their Senate review deserves analysis, which this paper conducts by emphasizing Millett. It first surveys the nominee’s process and then shows how her evaluation concluded.

The Legacy And Implications Of San Antonio Independent School District V. Rodriguez, Charles J. Ogletree Jr.

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

The Supreme Court's school desegregation case law has been a confusing maze of fits and starts. In 1954, a unanimous Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that education "must be made available to all on equal terms." Yet, less than 20 years later, the Court found a Texas education financing plan that allowed for significant differences in funding between school districts to be constitutional. This Article examines that decision, San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, in more detail. It also discusses the case's legacy and numerous unresolved issues that still impact the Latino community today. Part II …

The Promises And Pitfalls Of Teacher Evaluation And Accountability Reform, Benjamin Michael Superfine

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This chapter examines the recent wave of laws aimed at enhancing teacher evaluation and accountability, and recommends strategies for moving forward in a way that holds greater promise for providing students with more equal and greater educational opportunities. First, this chapter provides a historical overview of the legal landscape governing the primary functions of the teacher workforce. Second, the major characteristics of this new wave of laws are examined. Third, the strengths and potential pitfalls entailed by these laws are analyzed in light of educational research. Finally, this chapter offers recommendations for improving teacher evaluation and accountability laws in a …

Literacy, Poverty, And Brain Development: Toward A New, Place-Based Educational Intervention, Michael R. Hilton

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This paper provides an overview of emerging research focused on how living in an area of concentrated poverty can impact brain development and explores some possible applications of this research to education policy. One of the key findings is that state and federal policy-makers may need to adopt programs that integrate educational policy with housing and planning policy in order to protect and fulfill each child's educational rights. In order to impress upon readers the scale of the nation's current educational failures and the need for a significant change in policy, this paper first addresses adult illiteracy in the United …

In Sight, It Must Be Right: Judicial Review Of Va Decision For Reasons And Bases Vs. Clear Error, David E. Boelzner

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

"In sight, it must be right" was the advertising slogan of a chain of hamburger restaurants that featured visible grills so customers could see the food being prepared, the assumption being that under customers' watchful eyes the burgers would be grilled properly. The Board of Veterans' Appeals ("Board") provides the final decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA") on a veteran claimant's entitlement to benefits, based on de novo review of a previous VA regional office determination. When in 1988 Congress provided in the Veterans Judicial Review Act for court review of agency decisions on veterans' claims for benefits, …

Unclaimed Remains And Next Of Kin: A New Path To The Final Resting Spot, W. Scott Johnson Esquire

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

In response to requests from health care facilities, law enforcement agencies, and funeral service establishments, Senator Kenny Alexander (DNorfolk) convened a workgroup of stakeholders to rewrite the statutes dealing with unclaimed remains and next of kin. In addition to serving the General Assembly, Senator Alexander owns several prominent funeral service establishments and is a funeral service licensee. His experience proved invaluable to the process. The stakeholder meetings began in the fall of 2013 and culminated in the introduction of Senate Bill 304 in the 2014 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. The bill passed without a single negative vote through …

The Judiciary In Virginia: Changes And Challenges In Virginia: One Trial Judge's Perspective, Thoma D. Horne Retired Judge

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

With the convening of the 2014 Virginia General Assembly, members of the Senate and House received the anticipated 2013 Judicial Workload Assessment Report-a weighted case load study produced by the National Center for State Courts and commissioned by the legislature during its 2012 session. The purpose of the study was to help guide both the future selection of judges and the allocation of the political boundaries to be served by those judges. The results of the weighted caseload study as contained in the 2013 Report would validate many of those concerns expressed earlier by the 2011 Judicial Boundary Realignment Committee …

Screening The Poor: The Legality Of Drug Testing For Welfare Benefits, Jacquelyn Bolen

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

On March 8, 2014, at the conclusion of the 2014 Virginia General Assembly regular session, Virginia joined at least 17 other states that, in this year alone, have introduced proposals to screen or test applicants for illegal substances prior to obtaining public assistance. Following the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which permitted states to conduct drug testing as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, states began proposing drug screenings for applicants of public welfare benefits. Despite a 2003 Sixth Circuit decision holding that suspicionless drug testing is unconstitutional, in …

University Of Baltimore Law Review Volume 43 Number 1 (Spring 2014) Front Matter

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Copyright Termination And Technical Standards, Jorge L. Contreras, Andrew T. Hernacki

University of Baltimore Law Review

Technical standards, which enable products manufactured by different vendors to work together, form the basis of the modem technological infrastructure. Yet an obscure provision of the U.S. Copyright Act, enacted to allow authors and composers to profit from the later success of their works, now threatens to disrupt this critical technological ecosystem. Enacted in 1976, Section 203 of the Copyright Act permits the author of a copyrighted work to revoke any copyright license or assignment between thirty-five and forty years after the grant was made. For grants made in 1978, the first year to which Section 203 applies, terminations could …

Comments: The Illegal Immigrant Tax: Evaluating State Remittance Taxes Under The Dormant Commerce Clause And The Equal Protection Clause, Meredith Cipriano

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comments: Trending: Proportionality In Electronic Discovery In Common Law Countries And The United States' Federal And State Courts, Laura Hunt

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

America's (Not So) Golden Door: Advocating For Awarding Full Workplace Injury Recovery To Undocumented Workers, D. Paul Holdsworth

Law Student Publications

This comment argues that awarding full damages to illegal immigrants who suffer workplace injuries better serves the United States' federal immigration objectives.

Two Dads Are Better Than One: The Supreme Court Of Virginia's Decision In L.F. V. Breit And Why Virginia's Assisted Conception Statute Should Allow Gay Couples To Legally Parent A Child Together, Lauren Maxey

Law Student Publications

This comment examines whether gay men can have a child through a surrogacy arrangement in Virginia and whether gay men can retain parental rights through surrogacy contracts under the Virginia Assisted Conception Act. The Virginia laws affect gay males and gay females equally, but this comment addresses the issues arising with same-sex couples in the context of gay dads. Part II provides a background of surrogacy and specifically discusses surrogacy in relation to same-sex couples. Part III provides a general background of adoption and the establishment of parentage rights. Part IV describes the Assisted Conception Act, the legislative history of …

Serving Those Who Served, Edward G. Simpson, Iii, Gregory L. Collins

Law Student Publications

Forward from Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest, Vol. XVII, regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Despite the VA's massive budget and our country's growing veteran population, many veterans' issues are not being adequately addressed, and the legal needs of our veterans require our increased attention.

Virginia's Gap Between Punishment And Culpability: Re-Examining Self-Defense Law And Battered Woman's Syndrome, Kendall Hamilton

Law Student Publications

This comment argues that in order for Virginia's criminal justice system to properly punish women who kill their abusers, effectively restoring their right to self-defend when necessary, Virginia must make two fundamental changes to its self-defense laws. First, Virginia's criminal justice system must advocate for the admission of expert testimony relating to battered woman's syndrome ("BWS"). This reform must be uniformly applied throughout our court system. Second, as Virginia's self-defense laws require both a reasonable fear and an overt act, the subjective standard for reasonable fear must also extend to the overt act requirement. This comment explains the significance of …

The Power Of Paradox: The Need For Alternative Remedies In Virginia Minority Shareholder Oppression Cases, Stephanie Martinez

Law Student Publications

This comment addresses where Virginia's current scheme falls short and why equitable remedies are needed in Virginia minority shareholder oppression cases. Part I looks at how the MBCA attempted to solve the problem of minority shareholder oppression. Part II explores how other jurisdictions have interpreted or added to the MBCA so as to provide additional remedies in minority shareholder oppression cases. Finally, Part III advocates for adoption of a new dissolution statute in Virginia that includes equitable remedies for such cases.

"Screening" The Poor: The Legality Of Drug Testing For Welfare Benefits, Jacquelyn Bolen

Law Student Publications

On March 8, 2014, at the conclusion of the 2014 Virginia General Assembly regular session, Virginia joined at least 17 other states that, in this year alone, have introduced proposals to screen or test applicants for illegal substances prior to obtaining public assistance.1 Following the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which permitted states to conduct drug testing as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, states began proposing drug screenings for applicants of public welfare benefits.2 Despite a 2003 Sixth Circuit decision holding that suspicionless drug testing is un-constitutional, in …

Vape Away: Why A Minimalist Regulatory Structure Is The Best Option For Fda E-Cigarette Regulation, Nick Dantonio

Law Student Publications

This comment argues that the FDA should regulate ecigarettes, but in doing so, it should take a minimalist approach to regulation. Instead of continuing its attempts to regulate tobacco products under the drug and device provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ("FDCA"), an incredibly stringent statute, the FDA should focus its efforts under the Tobacco Control Act ("TCA"), which is tailored specifically to regulate tobacco products. While the FDA has extensive regulatory options under the TCA, much of this authority should not be applied to ecigarettes. Part II will provide background information on ecigarettes generally as well …

The Tangled Web: A Case Against New Generic Top-Level Domains, Joseph P. Smith Iii

Law Student Publications

This article’s purpose is to provide a general understanding of the legal and financial implications of the new generic top-level domains. By looking at the history and functionality of generic top-level domains, the reader will hopefully have the requisite background to understand the implications of adding new top-level domains.

New Affirmative Defense To The Fcpa For Countries Exiting Major Internal Strife, Chris Rohde

Law Student Publications

This paper examines whether the current exception to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), or the affirmative defenses provided by the FCPA, allow American companies to be this positive influence. Part I examines the background of the FCPA, the current exception and affirmative defenses, and the recent increase in enforcement. Part II examines the issue of whether the current exceptions and affirmative defenses permit US companies to invest in countries currently exiting major internal strife. 4 Unfortunately, neither the exception nor the affirmative defenses provide companies the leeway necessary to enter these markets without serious risk of running afoul of …

Private Enforcement Of Trips By Applying The Eu Law Principles Of Direct Effect And State Liability, Saud Aldawsari

Law Student Publications

This comment is divided into three sections. Part I introduces the World Trad Organization (WTO) generally and analyzes the Trade Related Agreement on Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement specifically. Part II discusses the proposed theory and its basis. It then introduces Novartis. The comment then explores the relevant EU laws and analyzes the jurisprudence of Direct Effect and State Liability. Part III applies EU law to Novartis.

Table Of Contents - Cardozo Journal Of International And Comparative Law, Vol. 22, Iss. 2

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Family Responsibilities Convention Reconsidered: The Work-Family Intersection In International Law Thirty Years On, K. Lee Adams

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981, No. 156 coming into force. Family responsibilities in the context of paid work and its implications for gender equality have been the subject of international regulation most specifically in ILO 156, although it remains a marginalized convention. Since then, the interaction of work and family and the conflict between them have exploded as a subject of scholarly importance. This article examines LO 156 in the context of chronological development of other major international legal instruments which address the intersection of work and …

Using Force Against The "Weapons Of The Weak": Examining A Chemical-Biological Weapons Usage Criterion For Unilateral Humanitarian Intervention Under The Responsibility To Protect, Andrew M. Bell

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The civil war in Syria has demonstrated the international community's inability to act to protect civilians caught in mass atrocities during cases of U.N. Security Council deadlock, with permanent member vetoes presenting a significant legal obstacle to international humanitarian intervention.

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) construct, created in response to the NATO intervention in Kosovo, was originally designed to overcome such Security Council paralysis by transforming the debate from the "right" of states to intervene to the "responsibility" of the entire international community to protect civilians as well as open the door to legitimate unilateral humanitarian intervention in cases of …

From Villa Grimaldi To Guantánamo Bay: Remedying Human Rights Abuses In Chile And The United States, Nadia Shamsi

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

The article examines the effectiveness of transitional justice mechanisms in addressing human rights abuses, using Chile's experience under Augusto Pinochet as a model. It critiques the U.S. for failing to adopt similar approaches to accountability, particularly in addressing abuses at Guantanamo Bay and other detention centers. The analysis highlights the importance of combining truth commissions, criminal prosecutions, and reparations to achieve justice and promote democratic transition. It argues that the U.S. must align its domestic practices with the international human rights standards it promotes.

Collection Development, Acquisitions, And Licensing, Frederick W. Dingledy, Benjamin J. Keele, Jennifer Sekula

Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Language Rights Remedies In The Supreme Court Of Canada: Invisible, Gentle, Or Stern Hand?, Dianne Pothier

Dianne Pothier Collection

The Supreme Court of Canada has used the context of language rights to establish significant contours of constitutional remedies. Language rights cases, both pre and post Charter, have engaged the full range of judicial intervention, from an invisible to a stern hand. Initially, the Supreme Court of Canada took a very passive stance in the context of bilingual language obligations of legislatures and courts. Despite lack express remedial direction from the Court, Quebec pulled out all the stops in its efforts to comply with the ruling with breakneck speed. In contrast, Manitoba adopted a leisurely pace in a half-hearted …