Law Commons^™

Restoring The Historical Rule Of Lenity As A Canon, Shon Hopwood

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In criminal law, the venerated rule of lenity has been frequently, if not consistently, invoked as a canon of interpretation. Where criminal statutes are ambiguous, the rule of lenity generally posits that courts should interpret them narrowly, in favor of the defendant. But the rule is not always reliably used, and questions remain about its application. In this article, I will try to determine how the rule of lenity should apply and whether it should be given the status of a canon.

First, I argue that federal courts should apply the historical rule of lenity (also known as the rule …

(Not The) Same Old Story: Invisible Reasons For Rejecting Invisible Wounds, Jessica Lynn Wherry

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Thousands of former military servicemembers have been discharged with other-than-honorable discharges due to misconduct that can be traced to a mental health condition. These veterans may request a post-discharge change to their discharge characterization—known as a “discharge upgrade.” Discharge review boards consider discharge upgrade requests and typically (90-99% of the time) deny the requests. In the past few years, the Department of Defense has issued new policy guidance partly in response to the low grant rate and to specifically address the growing understanding of the relationship between misconduct and mental health conditions for military servicemembers. The policy guidance requires the …

Revisiting The Law Of Confidence In Singapore And A Proposal For A New Tort Of Misuse Of Private Information, Cheng Lim Saw, Zheng Wen Samuel Chan, Wen Min Chai

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article critically examines the recent Court of Appeal decision in I-Admin (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Hong Ying Ting [2020] 1 SLR 1130 and its implications for the law of confidence. The article begins by setting out the decision at first instance, and then on appeal. It argues that the Court of Appeal’s “modified approach” fails to meaningfully engage the plaintiff ’s wrongful gain interest and places the law’s emphasis primarily, if not wholly, on the plaintiff ’s wrongful loss interest. The new framework also appears to have been influenced by English jurisprudence, which has had a long but unhelpful …

Ascertaining The Proper Law Of An Arbitration Agreement: The Artificiality Of Inferring Intention When There Is None, Darius Chan, Jim Yang Teo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The common law choice of law principles for determining the proper law of an arbitration agreement previously thought to be settled by the English Court of Appeal’s decision in Sulamérica v. Enesa [2013] 1 W.L.R. 102 have now been thrown into disarray after a recent string of three judgments: starting with the Singapore Court of Appeal’s decision in BNA v. BNB [2019] S.G.C.A. 84, followed by two decisions from the English Court of Appeal in Kabab-Ji v. Kout Food Group [2020] EWCA Civ 6 and Enka Insaat Ve Sanayi A.S. v. OOO ‘Insurance Company Chubb’ [2020] EWCA Civ 574.This article …

Us-China Trade War: A Way Out?, Weihuan Zhou, Henry Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Recently, a group of eminent Chinese/US economists and legal scholars issued a thought-provoking Joint Statement on ‘US–China Trade Relations: A Way Forward’. However, the Joint Statement does not provide practical solutions to the real issues in the bilateral negotiations. Moreover, by granting excessive policy space to the two largest trading nations, it would encourage them to further deviate from WTO rules and undermine the multilateral trading system. Drawing on the Theory of Distortions and Welfare, we put forward an alternative framework for the parties to tackle protectionist and trade distortive policy instruments while leaving sufficient policy space for them to …

Mediation: The New Normal?, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Imagine a tightrope walker, walking along a tightrope, holding a long, light rod. To help her balance, the performing artist continually moves the rod, changing the angle of the rod to maintain a constant – her balance in space. If she were to hold the rod in a fixed position, what would happen? She would fall off. In other words, the variation of the rod has the function of maintaining the deeper continuity which enables the artist to make it to the other end, alive. In this essay, the tightrope walker offers a metaphor for dispute resolution systems. In order …

Breaking State-Centric Shackles In The Who: Taiwan As A Catalyst For A New Global Health Order, Ching-Fu Lin, Han-Wei Liu, Chien-Huei Wu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

After World War II, states established World Health Organization (WHO), recognizing that “the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security.” This aspiration, embedded in GlobalHealth governance, introduces a paradox vis-à-vis the WHO’s state-centric institutional design. Though Taiwan alerted the WHO to potential human-to-human transmission in the early stage of the pandemic, its participation in the WHO remains limited, contrasting the WHO’s goal of health for all peoples sharply against its outdated emphasis on statehood and power politics.This Essay critically assesses how and why state-centric international health governance neither delivers its goal to “promote and …

From Third World To First World: Law And Policy In Singapore’S Urban Transformation And Integration, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The physical transformation of a colonial backwater city, Singapore, in one generation has been described as a feat of urban planning, renewal, and development. Less studied is the political will of the government to create a thriving city fit for purpose. Even less studied is the role of law that provides the powerful levers for the rapid and deep-seated changes to the urban landscape in Singapore. In this regard, the mindset shift that accompanied the massive urban transformation has facilitated a national psyche that embraces the material dimension of progress, for which urban renewal is not just a mere indicator …

Law And Covid-19, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Yihan Goh, Mark Findlay

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This book is a collection of essays from scholars at Singapore Management University School of Law analysing the challenges and implications of COVID-19 from the perspective of different areas of law, including private law, corporate law, insolvency law, data protection, financial laws, public law, privacy law, commercial law, constitutional law, law and technology, and dispute resolution. It also analyses how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the judicial system, the study of law, and the future of the legal profession. Beyond considerations of the pandemic’s influence on law and legal service delivery the authors consider how law can help facilitate the …

Tax Considerations For Funds Structuring In Asia, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Tax considerations play a major role in the decisions of fund managers of where to base their funds. The highly mobile nature of capital has resulted in tax competition, leading to several host jurisdictions for funds in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Labuan, and the BVI) having very similar tax characteristics in terms of low effective corporate income tax rates; no capital gains taxes; no exit taxes; a single tier of taxation; and generally no withholding taxes. Other ways in which jurisdictions have attempted to distinguish themselves include a strong Double Tax Agreement network, certainty on the taxation of the carried …

Covid-19 And The 2019/20 International Moots Season, Siyuan Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This is the sixth annual review of Singapore’s performance in notable international moot competitions. This season will of course be known as a highly disrupted one, beginning with the Hong Kong unrest that barred some teams from participating in LAWASIA (for which Singapore has been to the last four championship) and COVID-19 that led to the outright cancellation of various Grand Slam moots including the Jessup, International Criminal Court, and Frankfurt (for which Singapore has regularly featured in the championship). Smaller niche moots, such as the International Maritime Law Arbitration and Private Law competitions, were also not spared and either …

The State Of Legal Innovation In Asia-Pacific 2020, Jerrold Soh, Kok Thong Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This year's report is the second in two years and contains a number of substantial improvements. Most significantly, it has expanded to cover Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, and the Philippines, providing a fascinating look at legal technology and innovation in these important yet perhaps overlooked APAC jurisdictions.

The Value Proposition Of The Global Health Security Index, Sanjana J. Ravi, Kelsey Lane Warmbrod, Lucia Mullen, Diane Meyer, Elizabeth Cameron, Jessica Bell, Priya Bapat, Michael Paterra, Catherine Machalaba, Indira Nath, Lawrence O. Gostin, Wilmot James, Dylan George, Simo Nikkari, Ernesto Gozzer, Oyewale Tomori, Issa Makumbi, Jennifer B. Nuzzo

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Infectious disease outbreaks pose major threats to human health and security. Countries with robust capacities for preventing, detecting and responding to outbreaks can avert many of the social, political, economic and health system costs of such crises. The Global Health Security Index (GHS Index)—the first comprehensive assessment and benchmarking of health security and related capabilities across 195 countries—recently found that no country is sufficiently prepared for epidemics or pandemics. The GHS Index can help health security stakeholders identify areas of weakness, as well as opportunities to collaborate across sectors, collectively strengthen health systems and achieve shared public health goals. Some …

Redesigning Education Finance: How Student Loans Outgrew The “Debt” Paradigm, John R. Brooks, Adam J. Levitin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This Article argues that the student loan crisis is due not to the scale of student loan debt, but to the federal education finance system’s failure to utilize its existing mechanisms for progressive, income-based payments and debt cancellation. These mechanisms can make investment in higher education affordable to both individuals and the government, but they have not been fully utilized because of the mismatch between the current system’s economic reality and its legal, financial, and institutional apparatus.

The current economic structure of federal student loans does not resemble a true credit product, but a government grant program coupled with a …

Kicked Out, Kicked Again: The Discharge Review Boards’ Illiberal Application Of Liberal Consideration For Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Jessica Lynn Wherry

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In recent years, the Department of Defense (DoD) has responded to the growing awareness of mental health issues for military servicemembers during and after service. This Article focuses on veterans who have already been discharged from service, and specifically those who have been discharged under other-than-honorable conditions for misconduct that is likely the result of a mental health condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, or sexual harassment. Thousands of former servicemembers have been kicked out of the military for misconduct rather than treated for mental health conditions they experienced due to their military service. When …

Whither The Regulatory "War On Coal"? Scapegoats, Saviors, And Stock Market Reactions, Cary Coglianese, Daniel E. Walters

Faculty Scholarship

Complaints about excessive economic burdens associated with regulation abound in contemporary political and legal rhetoric. In recent years, perhaps nowhere have these complaints been heard as loudly as in the context of U.S. regulations targeting the use of coal to supply power to the nation’s electricity system, as production levels in the coal industry dropped by nearly half between 2008 and 2016. The coal industry and its political supporters, including the president of the United States, have argued that a suite of air pollution regulations imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration seriously undermined coal companies’ …

Trauma-Centered Social Justice, Noa Ben-Asher

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article identifies a new and growing phenomenon in the American legal system. Many leading agendas for gender, racial, and climate justice are centered on emotional trauma as the primary injury of contemporary social injustices. By focusing on three social justice movements--#BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and Climate Justice--the Article offers the first comprehensive diagnosis and assessment of how emotional trauma has become an engine for legal and policy social justice reforms. From a nineteenth century psychoanalytic theory about repressed childhood sexual memories that manifest in female hysteria, through extensive medicalization and classification in the twentieth century, emotional trauma has evolved and expanded …

Basic Bluebooking In Legal Documents, Cynthia Pittson, Deborah L. Heller

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Three tip sheets on basic Bluebooking in legal documents presented as tables. The tables include the relevant rules, formulas for the basic citations, and examples for federal and state cases, federal and state statutes, and secondary sources (law review articles, newspaper articles, books and treatises, and other frequently used sources). These were originally developed by Cynthia Pittson for use in the first-year Legal Skills course at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. They have been updated to the 21st Ed. of the Bluebook by Deborah L. Heller.

Bluebooking Environmental Resources, Deborah L. Heller

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Five-page tip sheet presented as a table covers how to properly cite environmental material according to the Bluebook. It includes federal and state bills, legislation, and regulations, federal and state administrative adjudications and other administrative material. Updated to the 21st Ed. of the Bluebook.

Reflections On Feminism, Law & Culture: Law Students’ Perspectives, Bridget J. Crawford

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This essay is a collective reflection by thirty-nine law students on feminism, law and culture. In the Spring 2020 semester, the students who enrolled in the Feminist Legal Theory course taught by Professor Bridget Crawford at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University were a mixed-gender group of second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students. The course focused on the themes and methods of feminist analysis and the application of feminist legal theories to topics such as intimate partner violence, prostitution, pornography, sexual harassment, reproductive rights, and economic rights. Students attended a traditional seminar meeting once each week. Conversations continued …

Big Data Analytics Adoption: Determinants And Performances Among Small To Medium-Sized Enterprises, Parisa Maroufkhani, Ming-Lang Tseng, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Wan Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail, Haliyana Khalid

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Big data analytics (BDA) adoption is a game-changer in the current industrial environment for precision decision-making and optimal performance. Nonetheless, the determinants or consequences of its adoption in small and medium enterprises remain unclear, hence the objective of this study. Data analysis of 171 Iranian small and medium manufacturing firms revealed that complexity, uncertainty and insecurity, trialability, observability, top management support, organizational readiness, and external support affect significantly on BDA adoption. The findings confirm the strong impact of BDA adoption in small to medium-sized enterprises, marketing and financial, performance enhancement. Understanding the drivers of BDA adoption helps managers to employ …

Abortion In Islamic Law And Its Intersection With Human Rights, Andini Naulina Rahajeng

Journal of Islamic Law Studies

Abortion was legally restricted in almost every country by the end of the nineteenth century. Abortion is a controversial topic due to its involving with fundamental morals, ethics, and religious concerns. Legal restrictions on abortio n do exist throughout Islam jurisprudence, though allowed only with emergency circumstances. Nowadays, people become more aware of abortion as a part of human rights, as it is considered female autonomy over her body and part of reproductive rights. Abortion considered should be legally allowed and accessible to women. This paper will describe the construction of abortion in Islamic Law and the awareness of abortion …

Pengaruh Gender Dalam Pembuatan Akta Notaris (Kajian Atas Transgender Dan Khuntsa), Anna Mulia Ludy

Indonesian Notary

Penelitian ini membahas pengaruh gender dalam pembuatan akta Notaris, dengan studi khusus pada transgender dan khuntsa. Ketika Notaris membuatkan akta, terdapat komparisi yang berisikan mengenai identitas para pihak. Saat pihak ini merupakan seorang transgender atau khuntsa, yang biasanya terdapat perbedaan antara fisik yang ditampilkan dan jenis kelamin yang terdapat di kartu identitas, maka penulisan identitas di dalam komparisi akan membingungkan. Penentuan hak para transgender dan khuntsa dalam hal kewarisan akan menjadi masalah tersendiri. Permasalahan di dalam penelitian ini adalah mengenai hak kewarisan terhadap pelaku seorang berkelamin ganda (khuntsa) dan seorang transgender ditinjau dari Hukum Islam dan Hukum Positif di Indonesia …

Kewenangan Notaris Berkaitan Dengan Surat Pernyataan Oper Hak Atas Tanah Garapan (Analisis Putusan Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia Nomor 122pk/Pdt/2019), Aziza Adlien Nabila

Indonesian Notary

Tanah garapan adalah tanah kosong dan kemudian adanya penguasaan secara fisik tanpa adanya dasar hak yang resmi, notaris tidak akan membuat akta mengenai tanah garapan karena penggarap tidak punya hak apa pun terhadap tanah tersebut. Penelitian ini mengangkat permasalahan tentang bagaimana keabsahan surat pernyataan hak tanah garapan dan kewenangan notaris berkaitan dengan surat pernyataan oper hak atas tanah garapan berdasarkan putusan Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia nomor 122PK/Pdt/2019. Untuk menjawab permasalahan tersebut, penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan yuridis normatif. Dalam penelitian ini menggunakan data sekunder yang terdiri dari bahan hukum primer, bahan hukum sekunder dan bahan hukum tersier, penelitian ini menggunakan metode …

Kewenangan Majelis Pengawas Notaris Dalam Memeriksa Dan Mengadili Notaris Yang Sedang Menjalankan Jabatannya Selaku Pejabat Pembuat Akta Tanah (Studi Kasus Putusan Majelis Pengawas Wilayah Notaris Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Nomor 02.Um.Mpwn/Ix/2019), Cannary Desfira

Indonesian Notary

Tesis ini membahas mengenai kewenangan Majelis Pengawas Notaris dalam memeriksa dan mengadili Notaris yang sedang menjalankan jabatannya selaku Pejabat Pembuat Akta Tanah berdasarkan putusan Majelis Pengawas Wilayah Notaris. Seorang Notaris dapat merangkap jabatan sebagai PPAT. Namun masyarakat kurang memahami baik jabatan Notaris maupun PPAT dan menganggap kedua profesi ini memiliki fungsi yang sama. Pada dasarnya Notaris dan Pejabat Pembuat Akta Tanah adalah Pejabat Umum yang diberi wewenang untuk membuat akta otentik. Namun sejatinya keduanya adalah suatu profesi hukum yang berbeda baik dari aturan hukum jabatannya, instansi pemerintahan yang membawahi, produk hukum yang dibuat, instansi yang mengangkat dan memberhentikan jabatannya, badan …

Pembatalan Akta Pernyataan Keputusan Rapat Umum Pemegang Saham Luar Biasa Dan Tanggung Jawab Notaris Terhadap Akta Yang Dibatalkan (Studi Kasus Putusan Tinggi Surabaya Nomor 693/Pdt/2017/Pt Sby), Devi Liana Isabella Siagian

Indonesian Notary

Artikel ini membahas mengenai keabsahan Rapat Umum Pemegang Saham Luar Biasa (RUPSLB) PT Sieraf Teknik Perkasa (“PT Sieraf”) yang diseleggarakan tanpa kehadiran dan sepengetahuan dari pemegang saham mayoritas dan telah mengambil keputusan untuk memberhentikan pemegang saham mayoritas tersebut sebagai Direktur dalam PT Sieraf. Penyelenggaraan RUPSLB tersebut kemudian dimuat dalam Akta Pernyataan Keputusan RUPSLB (Kedua) PT Sieraf Teknik Perkasa Nomor 3 tertanggal 5 Mei 2015, yang dibuat oleh Wachid Hasyim, Notaris di Surabaya. Permasalahan dalam artikel ini adalah mengenai keabsahan dari penyelenggaraan RUPSLB PT Sieraf dan keputusan yang telah diambil serta tanggung jawab dari Notaris yang membuat Akta Pernyataan Keputusan RUPSLB …

Akibat Hukum Surat Wasiat Atas Harta Yang Disengketakan (Studi Putusan Nomor 1274/Pdt.G/2019/Pa. Tnk), Dhita Ariyani Wibowo

Indonesian Notary

Waris adalah perintah dari Allah SWT akan tetapi dalam proses pelaksanaannya sering terjadi sengketa dan perebutan di antara ahli waris. Maka dari itu kita membutuhkan sebuah profesi pendukung yang dianggap memiliki pengetahuan yang sangat baik di bidang itu untuk mencegah perselisihan di antara ahli waris yakni profesi notaris, karena kekuatan akta otentik yang dibuat oleh notaris memiliki kekuatan hukum yang sangat kuat mengingat bahwa akta otentik adalah bukti sempurna. Penelitian ini mengaji bagaimana akibat hukum surat wasiat yang dibuat oleh Ayah dan Istri dari Perkawinannya yang kedua atas sengketa harta dalam kasus berdasarkan Putusan Nomor 1274/Pdt.g/2019/Pa. TnkJenis penelitian ini bersifat …

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Kreditur Atas Pelaksanaan Pengalihan Piutang Secara Cessie Dan Akibatnya Terhadap Jaminan Hak Tanggungan Studi Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Jawa Barat Nomor 126/Pdt/2018/Pt Bdgperlindungan Hukum Terhadap Kreditur Atas Pelaksanaan Pengalihan Piutang Secara Cessie Dan Akibatnya Terhadap Jaminan Hak Tanggungan Studi Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Jawa Barat Nomor 126/Pdt/2018/Pt Bdg, Dicky Hertanto

Indonesian Notary

Penelitian ini membahas perlindungan hukum terhadap kreditur atas pelaksanaan piutang secara cessie dan akibatnya terhadap jaminan hak tanggungan berdasarkan putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Jawa Barat Nomor 126/PDT/2018/PT BDG tentang perkara pengalihan piutang secara cessie. Permasalahan dari penelitian adalah mengenai bentuk pertanggungjawaban notaris dalam pelaksanaan jabatannya. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah yuridis normatif dengan melakukan penelusuran data sekunder melalui studi kepustakaan, sedangkan pendekatan analisis dilakukan secara kualitatif dengan tipe deskriptif analitis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa bentuk pertanggungjawaban dari notaris dapat dilakukan dengan menerapkan asas-asas formil dalam pelaksanaan jabatannya. Notaris dalam menjalankan tugasnya wajib berpedoman pada Undang-Undang Jabatan Notaris, Kode Etik Profesi dan …

Implikasi Yuridis Berakhirnya Jangka Waktu Sertipikat Hak Guna Bangunan (Studi Putusan Peninjauan Kembali Nomor 102/Pk/Tun/2018), Elvin Maulani Ma’Ruf

Indonesian Notary

Artikel ini membahas perihal kedudukan pemegang sertipikat hak guna bangunan yang telah habis jangka waktu haknya dan mengenai keabsahan pengusaan tanah oleh pihak lain. Persoalan berupa bagaimana kedudukan, tanggung jawab serta hak dan kewajiban dari pemegang hak atas tanah berupa hak guna bangunan yang dimiliki oleh Badan Usaha Milik Negara yang belum dibalik nama dan telah habis jangka waktu haknya. Sehingga ada pihak lain yang mendaftarkan tanah tersebut ke BPN Bekasi. Namun tanah tersebut tidak bisa didaftarkan karena tanah tersebut telah terdaftar sertipikah hak guna bangunan atas nama PT Jembatan Kencana Raya yang serkarang sertipikatnya dipegang oleh PT Pertani (Persero) …

Pembatalan Akta Jual Beli Dan Akta Pemberian Hak Tanggungan Karena Adanya Penggelapan Oleh Penjual Atas Pembeli Sebelumnya (Studi Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Purwokerto Nomor 8/Pdt.G/2019/Pn.Pwt Juncto Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Jawa Tengah Nomor 525/Pdt/2019/Pt.Smg), Finona Raissa Anselma

Indonesian Notary

Jual beli tanah yang dilakukan di bawah tangan tidak memiliki bukti yang kuat sehingga berpeluang menimbulkan masalah di kemudian hari yang dapat merugikan, seperti kasus dalam tesis ini. Pokok permasalahan dalam tesis ini membahas mengenai akibat hukum pembatalan Akta Jual Beli karena adanya penggelapan oleh penjual atas pembeli sebelumnya di mana jual beli dilakukan di bawah tangan dan mengenai perlindungan hukum yang dapat diberikan kepada pembeli kedua dan kreditur bersangkutan yang telah beritikad baik serta tanggung jawab PPAT berdasarkan Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Purwokerto Nomor 8/Pdt.G/2019/PN.Pwt juncto Putusan Pengadilan Tinggi Jawa Tengah Nomor 525/PDT/2019/PT.SMG. Berdasarkan putusan yang dianalisis dalam tesis ini …