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Full-Text Articles in Law

Getting Ready To Settle: The Exclusion Of Settled Defendants And Ready V. United/Goedecke Services, Inc.'S Impact Upon Statutory Interpretation In Illinois, Jason Meares Jul 2010

Getting Ready To Settle: The Exclusion Of Settled Defendants And Ready V. United/Goedecke Services, Inc.'S Impact Upon Statutory Interpretation In Illinois, Jason Meares

Northern Illinois University Law Review

In Ready v. United/Goedecke Services, Inc., the Illinois Supreme Court held that settled defendants are not to be considered when apportioning liability between parties to a suit. In so holding, the court manipulated several tenets of statutory construction in novel ways. This Note analyzes the court's reasoning, the practical implications of the decision for plaintiffs and defendants, as well as the uncertain future of statutory interpretation in Illinois courts.


It Is Logic Rather Than Whom You Trust: A Rejoinder To Prof. Cohen, Douglas A. Kahn Jan 2010

It Is Logic Rather Than Whom You Trust: A Rejoinder To Prof. Cohen, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

This article is the continuation of an exchange that has taken place between Prof. Stephen B. Cohen and me concerning the validity of criticisms leveled by Chief Justice John Roberts on an opinion by then-Judge Sonia Sotomayor writing for the Second Circuit in the case of William L. Rudkin Testamentary Trust v. Commissioner. While affirming the Second Circuit’s decision, Chief Justice Roberts, writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, criticized and rejected Justice Sotomayor’s construction of the relevant statutory provision. In an article in the August 3, 2009, issue of Tax Notes, Cohen defended Justice Sotomayor’s construction of the statute and …


When Does Land "Relate To" A Development Application? North Sydney Council V Ligon 302 Pty Ltd, Michael Weir Jan 2010

When Does Land "Relate To" A Development Application? North Sydney Council V Ligon 302 Pty Ltd, Michael Weir

Michael Weir

Extract: A development application normally relates to land which is wholly within the control of the developer. Complications arise when an aspect of the proposal, for example access or a buffer area, requires some use of adjoining land which is not within the developer's control. If the developer is obliged to obtain the prior consent of the owner of the adjoining land in all cases, there will be a significant impact upon the development potential of land. The High Court will be considering the issue on 20 June 1996. Their decision may clarify the position in NSW, with implications for …


The Insurance Policy As Statute, Jeffrey W. Stempel Jan 2010

The Insurance Policy As Statute, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Insurance policies are classified as a subspecies of contract. Although the taxonomy is correct, rigid adherence to this classification system limits the legal system's ability to deal with some of the most problematic and frequently litigated questions of insurance coverage. Restricting conception of insurance policies to the contract model unduly limits analysis of the meaning and function of the policies. In addition, restricting characterization of insurance as a matter of “contract” does not necessarily produce swift, inexpensive, efficient, or uniform decisions (to say nothing about accuracy, justice, or fairness). Within contract law, scholars, and courts differ over the respective primacy …


Confirmatory Legislative History , James J. Brudney Jan 2010

Confirmatory Legislative History , James J. Brudney

Faculty Scholarship

Textualists and intentionalists regularly lock horns over the proper approach to construing statutory language regarded as inconclusive. The interpretive debate seems less contentious, however, when the words of the law are deemed clear. There may be reasonable disagreement as to whether the text at issue in a particular controversy has a plain meaning, but if it does then that meaning arguably preempts further inquiry. Since 1990, Supreme Court majority opinions are replete with declarations such as: "Given [a] straightforward statutory command, there is no reason to resort to legislative history"; or "we do not resort to legislative history to cloud …