Law Commons^™

Constitutional Law -- Due Process Clause -- Third Circuit Holds That $50 Million Punitive Damages Award In Context Of A $48 Million Compensatory Award Is Unconstitutionally Excessive -- Inter Medical Supplies, Ltd. V. Ebi Medical Systems, Inc., 181 F.3d 446 (3d Cir. 1999)., A. Benjamin Spencer

Faculty Publications

In 1996, the Supreme Court, in BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore, struck down a punitive damages award on the ground that it was "grossly excessive" in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment . Since BMW, many courts have faced the challenge of applying its principles to determine whether punitive damages awards surpass the constitutional limit. Last June, in Inter Medical Supplies, Ltd. v. EBI Medical Systems, Inc., the Third Circuit faced this difficulty when it considered whether a $50 million punitive damages award, granted in conjunction with a $48 million compensatory damages award, was …

Putting The Law Of Impeachment In Perspective, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Why Constitutional Torts Deserve A Book Of Their Own, Michael Wells, Thomas A. Eaton, Sheldon H. Nahmod

Scholarly Works

Over thirty years ago, Marshall Shapo coined the term "constitutional tort" to denote a suit brought against an official, charging a constitutional violation and seeking damages. In the years since Shapo's pathbreaking article, the number of such suits has grown exponentially. The suits have generated a host of new substantive and remedial issues, yet conventional casebooks on constitutional law and federal courts give little attention to the area. That Professor Shapiro had four books to include in his review of "Civil Rights" casebooks in the Seattle University Law Review is some indication of a demand for teaching materials currently unmet …

Our Nonuniform Constitution: Geographical Variations Of Constitutional Requirements In The Aid Of Community, Mark D. Rosen

All Faculty Scholarship

This Article highlights an overlooked but integral aspect of American constitutional law: that some activities believed to be flatly unconstitutional are permissible in select locations. Contrary to what the Constitution has been construed to proscribe in most jurisdictions, for example, governments in some places in our country can ban political speeches by citizens, impose prior restraints with regard to petitions to government officials, and disallow defendants at risk of incarceration from having counsel.

The Article brings together the case law that creates nonuniformity across geographical locations. It first explains the mechanics by which this "geographical constitutional nonuniformity" is generated and …

State Supported Speech, Steven J. Heyman

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Unnecessary Victims' Rights Amendment, Robert P. Mosteller

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Institutional Analysis Of Municipal Liability Under Section 1983, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Lessons Of Impeachment History, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Constitutionality Of Censure, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Framers' Intent And Military Power: Has Supreme Court Deference To The Military Gone Too Far?, Kalyani Robbins

Akron Law Faculty Publications

One of the sources of the Court's inability to conduct proper constitutional analysis in military cases is its lack of access to complete and unbiased information upon which to base that analysis. In Part III, I will make an effort to suggest methods for addressing this problem alternative to simply letting the military use its special knowledge as a source of power over the Court. Part IV will demonstrate a modern example of where the problem of excessive deference can lead, and present the Court with a suggestion to use this as a context for change. Finally, the Article will …

Law And Sports Officiating: A Misunderstood And Justly Neglected Relationship, Mark A. Graber

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Managed Health Care In Prisons As Cruel And Unusual Punishment, Ira Robbins

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

INTRODUCTION:Billy Roberts, a prisoner in an Alabama state prison, had a history of severe psychiatric disorders. He was often put on suicide watch, and received large doses of psychotropic drugs. A managed health care company, Correctional Medical Services (CMS), was responsible for the health care at the prison. After Roberts had a suicidal episode, CMS's statewide mental health care director reportedly put Roberts in an isolation cell rather than a psychiatric care unit. The mental health care director also ordered that Roberts' medication be discontinued pursuant to an alleged policy of CMS to get as many prisoners off psycho- tropic …

5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137, 175, Eric J. Segall

Faculty Publications By Year

No abstract provided.

The New Etiquette Of Federalism: New York, Printz, And Yeskey, Matthew D. Adler, Seth F. Kreimer

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Legalization Of The Presidencey: A Twenty-Five Year Watergate Retrospective, Michael A. Fitts

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

United States Supreme Court: 1999 Term, Paul C. Giannelli

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Constitutionality Of Censure, Michael J. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.