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Table Of Contents, Seventh Circuit Review

Seventh Circuit Review

No abstract provided.

Seventh Circuit Holds That Bankruptcy Trustee's "Strong-Arm" Powers Not Strong Enough For The Irs, Paul T. Geske

Seventh Circuit Review

In 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit confronted, for the first time, the issue of whether a bankruptcy trustee can claw back assets that a bankrupt debtor fraudulently transferred to the federal government. Generally, government entities are immune to suit due to sovereign immunity, but the Bankruptcy Code abrogates federal sovereign immunity as to a number of Code provisions. One such provision is Section 544(b), often referred to as the source of the bankruptcy trustee's "strong-arm" powers. The strong-arm powers allow trustees to avoid transfers that would be fraudulent and voidable under state law. However, these …

Marriage Solemnization And The First Amendment's Neutrality Principle: Who May Solemnize A Marriage?, Claudia Cortes

Seventh Circuit Review

The most fundamental principle of the Establishment Clause is government neutrality towards religion. Pursuant to this principle of neutrality, the government may accommodate religious beliefs, but it can neither prefer religion over non-religion nor favor certain religious beliefs. In most states, a marriage does not become legal upon the state's mere issuance of a marriage license. Instead, marriage solemnization is required to create a legally recognized marriage. Marriage solemnization refers to a ceremony or a ritual by which two individuals take on their new status as husband and wife as well as to the set of procedures that must be …

Plead Guilty, You Could Face Deportation: Seventh Circuit Rules Misadvice And Nonadvice To Non-Citizens Has Same Effect Under The Sixth Amendment, Dana Cronkite

Seventh Circuit Review

The Sixth Amendment right to assistance of counsel has evolved since its inception. Originally, the right only meant that criminal defendants in federal cases were entitled to assistance of counsel of their choosing. The right was eventually applied to state criminal proceedings, and later interpreted to mean that criminal defendants had a right to effective assistance of counsel. This right is imperative in protecting a defendant's fundamental right to a fair trial. In 1984, the Supreme Court laid out a two-part test to determine whether a defendant's Sixth Amendment rights were violated by ineffective assistance of counsel. This test, known …

Unreasonable Religious Accommodation?: Fighting Irish Challenge The Opt-Out Form To The Affordable Care Act's "Contraceptive Mandate", Emily A. Herbick

Seventh Circuit Review

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) has been controversial from its inception, especially in regard to the "contraceptive mandate," which requires certain employers with group health plans to provide contraceptive coverage for their female employees without cost-sharing. In order to respect both the federal statutory right to contraceptive coverage and the religious rights of employers who provide health insurance for their employees, regulations were promulgated that provided exceptions to the contraceptive mandate. For example, religious employers who incorporate as non-profits are exempt from providing contraceptive coverage to their employees under the ACA. To receive this accommodation, …

Ka Bow! Seventh Circuit Knocks Down Trademark Claim, Sarah B. Virani

Seventh Circuit Review

Integral to the success of a business is its ability to protect its trademark. When another individual or business infringes upon a business's trademark, the infringed user can bring a claim under the Lanham Act, which codifies federal trademark law, in part to protect consumers from confusion as to the source of a product or service. An essential question is whether a trademark holder may, under the Lanham Act, bring a successful claim for trademark infringement against another for a fictional product.

The Seventh Circuit addressed this matter in Fortres Grand Corporation v. Warner Bros. Entertainment, in which the …

Katz And Dogs: The Best Path Forward In Applying United States V. Davis' Good Faith Exception To The Exclusionary Rule And How The Seventh Circuit Has Gone Astray, Arlo Walsman

Seventh Circuit Review

Sometimes, law enforcement officers violate the Fourth Amendment and in the process find and seize evidence they wish to use in a subsequent criminal prosecution. In these circumstances, a question that has long troubled courts, and a question that is becoming more and more difficult to answer, is whether such evidence should be admissible at trial.

In Weeks v. United States and Mapp v. Ohio, the Supreme Court established that evidence seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment was not admissible in federal and state prosecutions. This rule has become known as the exclusionary rule. However, in a line …

Stein Center News - September 2014, Stein Center For Law And Ethics

Stein Center News

No abstract provided.

Contents, First Amendment Law Review

First Amendment Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Devil Is In All The Details (Not Just In Georgia), Michelle Kundmueller

First Amendment Law Review

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Too Strict?, Richard B. Collins

First Amendment Law Review

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Demonstrators' Right To Fair Warning, Caleb Hayes-Deats

First Amendment Law Review

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Cross, Crucifix, Culture: An Approach To The Constitutional Meaning Of Confession Symbols, Frederick Mark Gedicks, Pasquale Annicchino

First Amendment Law Review

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Calling Foul: Deficiencies In Approaches To Environmental Whistleblowers And Suggested Reforms, Emily Becker

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Whistleblowers could facilitate the regulation of the environmental sector at little to no cost to the taxpayer. Often, potential whistleblowers have timely access to information that would enable them to avert or minimize environmental damage and to protect our communities. However, existing federal and state regulations fail to adequately protect environmental whistleblowers and to incentivize potential environmental whistleblowers. These failures unjustly penalize whistleblowers and discourage potential whistleblowers. This article uses research findings and a case study to illuminate these failings and to argue for reforms that would better protect and incentivize whistleblowers

Health Insurance Benefits Advisors: Understanding Responsibilities, Regulations, Restrictions And The Relevance To Implementing The Affordable Care Act, Alexandra M. Stewart, Marisa A. Cox, Leighton Ku

Health Policy and Management Issue Briefs

This brief describes the operational differences among six different types of benefits advisors including: 1) Commercial agents and brokers, 2) Medicaid enrollment brokers, 3) navigators, 4) non-navigator assistance personnel (or in-person assisters), 5) certified applications assisters, and 6) health center outreach and enrollment assistance workers. We will address: 1) the role of each benefits advisor 2) the health plans with which benefits advisors are authorized to work 3) training requirements, 4) compensation 5) conflict of interest requirements, and 6) the impact benefits advisors have on consumer enrollment decisions.

2014-2015 Gsulr Masthead, Georgia State University College Of Law

Law Review Mastheads

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Formulary Appointment In The U.S. International Income Tax System: Putting Lipstick On A Pig?, J. Clifton Fleming Jr., Robert J. Peroni, Stephen E. Shay

Michigan Journal of International Law

An affiliated corporate group consists of two or more corporations linked by sufficient stock ownership to cause them to function as an economic unit instead of as independent economic actors. Thus, an affiliated corporate group engaged in international business is often referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a term that we will use throughout this Article. When corporate members of an MNE engage in transactions among themselves, the prices they employ (transfer prices) will significantly affect the amount of overall MNE income that is allocated to each member and, hence, to the tax bases of the various countries in …

The Accidental Postmodernists: A New Era Of Skepticism In Environmental Law, Shi-Ling Hsu

Scholarly Publications

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Veterans As Victims Of Military Sexual Assault: Unequal Access To Ptsd Disability Benefits And Judicial Remedies, Alexandra Besso

Buffalo Journal of Gender, Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Thinking Slow About Sexual Assault In The Military, Matthew Burris

Buffalo Journal of Gender, Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Masthead & Front Matter

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Masthead & Front Matter

Billionaires, Birds, And Environmental Brawls: Reconceptualizing Energy Easements, Nadia B. Ahmad

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

In the substantial power outages associated with Hurricane Sandy and the 2013 Oklahoma tornadoes and Colorado floods, which left millions without power, the United States witnessed the insufficiency of its existing energy infrastructure. The lack of access to reliable energy widens the cleavage between the rich and poor, particularly in times of disaster and crisis. Policymakers and government regulators involved with long distance energy transmission projects have not adequately instituted laws and policies for existing and future energy access. This Article holds that current regulations, practices, and norms for long distance energy transmission may be doomed because of complications with …

The Imos Climate Change Challenge: Application Of The Principle Of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities And Respective Capabilities, Stathis N. Palassis

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Since 1997 the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for the regulation of the international shipping sector, has been developing rules for the reduction of the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. Significant difficulties have, however, emerged in the creation of appropriate economic instruments for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, bringing to the forefront the application of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (“CBBDRC”). A key principle within international climate change law, CBDDRC allows developing States, least developed States and the most environmentally vulnerable to be differentially treated based on their special situation and needs. Developing …

Vulnerability And Power In The Age Of The Anthropocene, Angela P. Harris

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Feminist legal theorist Martha Fineman has suggested that recognition of universal human “vulnerability” should be the starting point for thinking about the state’s obligations to its citizens. This Article argues that Fineman’s concept of vulnerability is valuable for situating political and legal theory within a concern for the natural world. We live in what some scientists have dubbed the Anthropocene—an age in which our collective behavior has serious implications for the flourishing of all life on earth. The concept of “ecological vulnerability” recognizes that humans are vulnerable not only because they age, become ill, and die, but because their survival …

Fracking Preemption Litigation, James K. Pickle

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Fracking is not a new technology, but it only recently came to the forefront of energy industry news. Fracking’s recent fame has been both positive and negative. Fracking proponents have lauded the economic and environmental benefits of the process. They cite the process’ ability to extract formerly inaccessible oil and natural gas, which reduces the U.S.’s demand for foreign oil and natural gas and reduces the use of coal. In contrast, fracking opponents state fracking damages the environment by diluting drinking water with harmful chemicals, generating emissions, and creating general nuisances for communities. They believe fracking’s harmful impacts clearly outweigh …

Dr. Carb Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying About The Feds And Love States’ Rights, Dan Strong

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Climate change is one of the largest environmental problems the world is currently facing. At the forefront of the climate change issue is the problem of carbon emissions. Environmentalists were hopeful that a national regulatory structure would be created with the enactment of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s. Since its enactment, however, it is clear the Clean Air Act was not the solution to the national carbon emissions problem environmentalists were hoping for. With the federal government failing to act, states have taken it upon themselves to regulate carbon emissions. California, with its enactment of the California Low …

Table Of Contents

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

No abstract provided.

Ferc Anti-Manipulation Enforcement And The Barclays Proceeding: What Factors Should Regulated Entities Consider Before Deciding To Follow Barclays' Path To Federal Court?, Matthew Hale

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

Energy regulation is not a new topic, but after the Enron scandal, Congress made significant changes. The changes were embodied in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. One major change was to FERC's ability to hand down penalties for market manipulation. Recently, FERC has been aggressively enforcing its power and anticipates anti-manipulation enforcement will be a point of emphasis in the future. The first entity to challenge FERC's power in federal court is Barclays. The Barclays case, other recent enforcement actions, and the regulations FERC has promulgated provide a guide to regulated entities about how and when they should challenge …

Water You Waiting For? Balancing Private Rights And Public Necessity In The South Atlantic Wetlands, Alison Leary

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

A healthy and robust network of wetlands protects coastal communities from storm damage caused by hurricanes. Unfortunately, development pressures threaten wetlands along the South Atlantic coast, the region most susceptible to an increased risk of climate change induced hurricanes. If these wetlands are not protected from destruction, coastal communities will be left without a buffer against flooding, storm damage, and sea level rise. In addition to putting the public at large in physical danger, significant environmental justice concerns accompany the failure to protect coastal wetlands. In order to protect these ever-diminishing resources, federal and state law makers have enacted regulatory …

Getting Kids Out Of Harm's Way: The United States' Obligation To Operationalize The Best Interest Of The Child Principle For Unaccompanied Minors, Erin B. Corcoran

Law Faculty Scholarship

The government estimates by the end of the fiscal year over 90,000 children will enter the United States. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 58% of these children were forcibly displaced and are potentially in need of international protection. However, in U.S. immigration law unaccompanied children are often seen as illegal migrants and law enforcement prioritizes their “alien” status over their status as children. As the crisis escalates, many of these children are being housed at emergency shelters in icebox-cold cells – nicknamed hierleras, Spanish for freezers, with no access to food or medical care, while DHS …