Law Commons^™

Setting The Stage For Ferguson: Housing Discrimination And Segregation In St. Louis, Rigel C. Oliveri

Missouri Law Review

The history of St. Louis is replete with discriminatory housing laws, policies, and practices: racially restrictive covenants, redlining, blockbusting and white flight, and exclusionary zoning. While these were common in virtually every part of the United States, they were particularly egregious, widespread, and pervasive in industrial Midwestern cities like Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis – which saw a large influx of blacks migrating from the south at the close of the nineteenth century. In fact, three of the most foundational housing cases originated in St. Louis. When we look closely at these cases – not just the legal principles that …

Network Neutrality And The First Amendment, Andrew Patrick, Eric Scharphorn

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The First Amendment reflects the conviction that the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to public welfare. Like the printing press, the Internet has dramatically transformed the marketplace of ideas by providing unprecedented opportunities for individuals to communicate. Though its growth continues to be phenomenal, broadband service providers— acting as Internet gatekeepers—have developed the ability to discriminate against specific content and applications. First, these gatekeepers intercept and inspect data transferred over public networks, then selectively block or slow it. This practice has the potential to stifle the Internet’s value as a speech platform by …

Indigenous Lawyers In Canada: Identity, Professionalization, Law, Sonia Lawrence, Signa Daum Shanks

Dalhousie Law Journal

For Indigenous communities and individuals in Canada, "Canadian" law has been a mechanism of assimilation, colonial governance and dispossession, a basis for the assertion of rights, and a method of resistance. How do Indigenous lawyers in Canada make sense of these contradictory threads and their roles and responsibilities? This paper urges attention to the lives and experiences of Indigenous lawyers, noting that the number of self-identified Indigenous lawyers has been rapidly growing since the 1990s. At the same time, Indigenous scholars are focusing on the work of revitalizing Indigenous law and legal orders. Under these conditions, Indigenous lawyers occupy a …

Regulation-Tolerant Weapons, Regulation-Resistant Weapons And The Law Of War, Sean Watts

International Law Studies

The historical record of international weapons law reveals both regulation-tolerant weapons and regulation-resistant weapons, identifiable by a number of criteria, including effectiveness, novelty, deployment, medical compatibility, disruptiveness and notoriety. This article identifies these criteria both to explain and inform existing weapons law, and also to facilitate efforts to identify weapons and emerging technology that may prove susceptible to future law of war regulation. By charting both the history and methodology of weapons law with a view toward identifying forces and influences that have made some weapons susceptible to international regulation and made others resistant, this article offers a starting point …

Employment Equality In A Color-Blind Society, Earl M. Curry Jr.

Akron Law Review

The purposes of this article are first, to look at the rights of Negroes, under law, to bring economic pressure to bear for employment equality, including the demand for a quota, and secondly to see how that law is satisfying today's social needs. To achieve this latter purpose, perhaps we must ask whether our society can afford to be legally color-blind? We shall look first to the private self-help devices that have been used by minorities, and then to one area of governmental intervention that has dealt directly with minority employment and the use of quotas or goals to achieve …

The Reach Of The Law: Sin, Crime And Poor Taste, Alexander B. Smith, Harriet Pollack

Akron Law Review

The past decade has been a period of intensive reevaluation of the law. The criminal law, in particular, has been subjected to an especially intensive criticism. These attacks fall largely into two categories: criticisms of the legitimacy of our penal codes, and criticisms of their efficiency.
Starting with the Civil Rights Movement of the Kennedy era with its heavy emphasis on civil disobedience as a tool of protest, the legitimacy of many of our laws was called into question. When Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she was not simply breaking the law; she …

The Federal Power Commission, Job Bias, And Naacp V. Fpc, John N. Kennedy

Akron Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Federal Power Commission, Job Bias, And Naacp V. Fpc, John N. Kennedy

Akron Law Review

FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM has long been used to describe the structure of the American economy. Yet in a critical sense this characterization is a misnomer, because for many Americans the system has always been anything but free. Indeed, racial and sex discrimination are commonplace even today among the employment practices of a frightening number of employers. Gradually, however, the justice of equal employment opportunity is at last beginning to be recognized, even if it is not yet being universally administered, and many Americans are fast becoming genuinely committed to its realization. Because of this, a recent decision by the United …

Administrative Agencies; Subpoena Power; Relevancy; Right Of Privacy; Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Ry. Co. V. Lopez, David L. Hostetler

Akron Law Review

The Kansas Supreme Court in Sante Fe has joined the majority of states in declaring that administrative "fishing expeditions" via the use of subpoena powers are now permissible. No probable cause need be shown and confidential information may be subject to subpoena if there is even a mere possibility of relevance to a matter within the scope of the agency's authority. The state's interest in preventing discrimination in employment practices has been declared a "compelling state interest" such as to override any claims to rights of privacy. Although primarily discussing only arrest and conviction records, the court in actuality upheld …

Racial Credit Steering As A Discriminatory Credit Practice Under The Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Warren L. Dennis, Charles G. Field

Akron Law Review

This article will explore the possible application of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act with its multiple remedies and enforcement methods to racial credit steering practices as described above.

A Fresh Look At The Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Gail R. Reizenstein

Akron Law Review

The subsequent material will illustrate that despite the fact that women have been required to meet both a different and a higher standard for them to be deemed creditworthy, studies have shown that they (especially single women) are in fact better credit risks than men. Nevertheless, in an investigation of special problems concerning the availability of credit, the National Commission on Consumer Finance identified difficulties that women in particular faced in obtaining consumer, as well as mortgage, credit.

Meritor Savings Bank V. Vinson: The Supreme Court's Recognition Of The Hostile Environment In Sexual Harassment Claims, Victoria T. Bartels

Akron Law Review

This casenote will examine Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson in light of the brief legal history of Title VII sexual harassment claims and will consider the implications of both the Court's holding and its dicta regarding the undecided issues.

Local Number 93, International Association Of Firefighters V. City Of Cleveland: A Consent Decree Is Not An Adjudicated Order For Purposes Of Title Vii, Paul Leslie Jackson

Akron Law Review

This note will examine the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Local 93, International Association of Firefighters v. City of Cleveland, and explore its potential implications in future Title VII actions. The issue the Supreme Court had to decide was whether a consent decree is a form of court ordered relief for purposes of Title VII litigation.

Making And Meeting The Prima Facie Case Under The Fair Housing Act, Frederic S. Schwartz

Akron Law Review

This article will deal almost exclusively with cases in the Individual Discrimination category.

Analysis of the housing discrimination cases requires that the fundamental substantive issue and the fundamental procedural issue be carefully distinguished. The substantive issue is simply whether the Act has been violated. That issue will be ultimately decided by the jury (or the judge in a trial to the court). The fundamental procedural issue with which we shall be concerned is whether the plaintiff has established his "prima facie case."

Part II of this paper will deal with the substantive issue and Part III with the procedural one. …

Civil Rights In The 1990'S: Non-Discrimination Or Quotas?, Donald B. Ayer

Akron Law Review

I would like today to offer some thoughts on the way that we as a country have handled the issue of reverse discrimination as a means of pursuing equal opportunity.

My first observation is that there is an undeniable tension between competing approaches to racial and gender justice that have been advanced and pursued in recent years. I take as my starting point the fundamental principle embodied in the Equal Protection Clause (as well as the Declaration of Independence), that, as the elder Justice Harlan said in dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson,' the Constitution is colorblind, and does not allow …

United Auto Workers V. Johnson Controls, Inc.: One Small Step For Womankind, A. L. Cherry

Akron Law Review

In United Auto Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court was faced with the task of deciding whether women's childbearing capacity could be used to limit women's job choices and opportunities within certain industrial/ manufacturing fields. The Court decided that the ability to bear children could be used to so limit women, but only if the employer met a high standard. In Johnson Controls, employees who worked in a toxic work environment sought a determination that their employer's fetal protection policy discriminated on the basis of sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act …

Pre-Employment Inquiries: Drug Testing, Alcohol Screening, Physical Exams, Honesty Testing, Genetics Screening - Do They Discriminate? An Empirical Study, Donald H. Stone

Akron Law Review

Statistics serve as a reminder that many disabled people continue to face obstacles in gaining access into the employment arena. This Article will reveal how disabled persons are at greater risk when employers increase their screening and testing arsenal in the job selection area.

A Current Perspective: The Erosion Of Affirmative Action In University Admissions, Corinne E. Anderson

Akron Law Review

This comment examines the recent trend towards anti-affirmative action in the context of university admissions policies. First, the comment will trace some of the formative history of affirmative action, including the Bakke decision. It will then review and analyze specific judicial and legislative events which suggest a trend towards anti-affirmative action. Finally, the comment will explore the different rationales for affirmative action and suggest some alternatives to racial preferences in admissions policies.

Protecting The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing: Perverse Consequences Of The Mckennon Rule, Jenny B. Wahl

Akron Law Review

What follows is, first, a description of the typical scenarios that arise in after-acquired-evidence cases and the law surrounding McKennon. Section II discusses how the economic literature on information and signaling applies to such cases; section III elaborates upon the motives behind and the perversities of McKennon; and section IV offers conclusions.

Genaro V. Central Transport: A New Direction In Ohio Law Regarding Employment Discrimination, Karen Gaum

Akron Law Review

Part I of this Note will examine the Genaro decision in depth, focusing on the Ohio Supreme Court’s reasoning. The court looked at the language of Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4112, specifically the use of the word “agent” as support for its imposition of individual liability. In addition, Part II will also examine the the policy goals the Ohio Supreme Court has attempted to achieve. Finally, Part II will also demonstrate that the Genaro decision is a poor one, one which was not legislatively intended, one that imposes an undue burden on individuals without a corresponding increase in benefit to …

Access Denied: The Tale Of Two Tenants And Building Amenities, Lauren C. Wittlin

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rolling John Bingham In His Grave: The Rehnquist Court Makes Sport With The 14th Amendment, Stephen E. Gottlieb

Akron Law Review

The Warren Court organized the concept of strict scrutiny in Shelton v. Tucker. Where the defendant was obligated to treat people without regard to membership in a suspect class and failed to do that, the Court would hold them liable for their behavior unless it was done for a compelling public reason and there was no less damaging alternative.

The concept of strict scrutiny had nothing to do with intentions. The issue for the Warren Court was whether one party had injured another because of a forbidden reason. That concept of causation was understood broadly. The Court was not looking …

Will Employment Discrimination Class Actions Survive?, Melissa Hart

Akron Law Review

This paper will argue that the changes wrought by the Civil Rights Act of 1991 do not in fact pose a barrier to resolution of employment discrimination claims through class litigation. The addition of compensatory and punitive damages and a jury-trial right in the Civil Rights Act of 1991 may increase the level of scrutiny and perhaps the level of judicial involvement necessary in an employment discrimination class action. But they do not render such a class action either impermissible under Rule 23 or violative of due process or Seventh Amendment jury trial rights. Courts and commentators who insist that …

Women In Litigation Literature: The Exoneration Of Mayella Ewell In To Kill A Mockingbird, Julia L. Ernst

Akron Law Review

This essay explores numerous factors constraining Mayella Ewell’s actions throughout the novel, particularly with respect to her false accusation of Tom Robinson. Some of the forces bearing down on Mayella include class, gender, race, history, morality, as well as familial, social, and legal dynamics. The jury’s verdict convicting Tom Robinson of rape indicates that Mayella received a much more favorable outcome in the trial than she merited.6 Depictions of Mayella within analyses of the novel have portrayed her in an unfavorable light. However, this essay encourages the reader to dig more deeply into the assumptions one must make about justice, …

Physical Attractiveness And Femininity: Helpful Or Hurtful For Female Attorneys, Peggy Li

Akron Law Review

This paper aims to use social science research to explore how a woman’s perceived physical attractiveness and femininity affects how others perceive her competence, skills, and abilities in male-dominated professions and in the law specifically. I will use the terms attractiveness and femininity interchangeably since women who are judged as being more attractive are typically seen as more feminine and women who are viewed as being more feminine are typically viewed as being more attractive. In Part II, I discuss the “Beauty is Good” and “Beauty is Beastly” stereotypes and their effects on women in male-dominated professions. In Part III, …

Professional Women Silenced By Men-Made Norms, Maritza I. Reyes

Akron Law Review

This Article proceeds in eight Parts. Part I narrates my path to “academic feminism” and the legal academy. In the tradition of feminist scholars before me, I set forth the personal to provide the background for the socio-legal-political views that inform this Article...Part II explains the need for broader perspectives and approaches to legal scholarship. It is important for the legal academy to recognize that, just like the legal market is calling for changes, we have to stop silencing the development of scholarship andperspectives that can bring forth the change we need. The academy has already benefited from the work …

Do Law Schools Mistreat Women Faculty? Or, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Dan Subotnik

Akron Law Review

How much fire, if any, is there to charges, first leveled more than fifteen years ago and continuing today, that a harsh law school culture oppresses women faculty? As Martha Chamallas, a well-known feminist law critic, writes,—and perhaps professes in class as well—“[f]or both new and senior women law professors, gender bias is still a major fact of life.”... After evaluating the complaints against law schools, which I spell out below—and renouncing any presumption in my favor—I conclude, unindignantly, that the charges are almost entirely unproven...The principal charges leveled against the male establishment in terms of hiring, retention and promotion …

Transformation: Turning Section 2 Of The Voting Rights Act Into Something It Is Not, J. Christian Adams

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Review Of "Young And Gay: Jamaica’S Gully Queens” Produced And Directed By Christo Geoghegan Of Vice News, Shaneda Destine

Societies Without Borders

No abstract provided.

Protecting Privacy To Prevent Discrimination, Jessica L. Roberts

William & Mary Law Review

A person cannot consider information that she does not have. Unlawful discrimination, therefore, frequently requires discriminators to have knowledge about protected status. This Article exploits that simple reality, arguing that protecting privacy can prevent discrimination by restricting access to the very information discriminators use to discriminate. Although information related to many antidiscrimination categories, like race and sex, may be immediately apparent upon meeting a person, privacy law can still do significant work to prevent discrimination on the basis of less visible traits such as genetic information, age, national origin, ethnicity, and religion, as well as in cases of racial or …