Common Law Commons^™

The Unborn Plaintiff, David A. Gordon

Michigan Law Review

It is almost twenty-five years since Professor Winfield's article "The Unborn Child" was published. The development of this area of the law during the past quarter century is probably summed up in the distinction between that title and the one to this article.

Ernst & Schwartz: Censorship: The Search For The Obscene, Erwin B. Ellmann

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Censorship: The Search for the Obscene By Morris L. Ernst and Alan U. Schwartz

Testamentary Option To Purchase Realty Can Be Exercised Under Anti-Lapse Statute By Heirs Of Beneficiary--Tuecke V. Tuecke, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Testator devised his farm to his son and two daughters. The son, who predeceased his father, was bequeathed an option to purchase the daughters' two-thirds interest in the farm for a specified amount. Over the objection of the daughters, the heirs of the son sought to exercise the option under an anti-lapse statute. The trial court concluded that the son's heirs had inherited the right to purchase. On appeal to the Supreme Court of Iowa, held,affirmed. An option to purchase is a valuable property right inheritable under an anti-lapse statute.

Negligence: Blackstone To Shaw To? An Intellectual Escapade In A Tory Vein, E. F. Roberts

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Torts-Joint Tort-Feasors--Release Of One Not Release Of All, Karen M. Swift

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, a woman who had been struck by a taxicab, underwent treatment by defendant-physician. After eight months under defendant's care, she accepted his assurances that she would fully recover, and executed a general release in favor of the taxi driver. Plaintiff subsequently discovered, however, that the defendant had been negligent in his treatment of her both before and after the execution of the release. In a malpractice action before the Supreme Court of New York judgment was entered in favor of the plaintiff, and defendant appealed. The Appellate Division dismissed the original complaint, holding that the general release discharging the …

Jury Instruction On Assumption Of Risk Under Fela

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Once Around The Flag Pole: Construction Bidding And Contracts At Formation, Lawrence Lederman

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

The Worker And Three Phases Of Unionism: Administrative And Judicial Control Of The Worker-Union Relationship, Alfred W. Blumrosen

Michigan Law Review

This article will examine the extent to which, and the methods by which, individual rights are protected in each of these three phases of union activity. We will see that the employee is well protected in his right to oppose political action of the union and has considerable legal protection for his rights to engage in internal union political struggles, but the employee has received little protection for his economic interests in collective bargaining between unions and employers. A recent decision by the NLRB, which will be examined in some detail, suggests that additional protection for individual economic rights in …

Condominium--Home Ownership For Megaopolis?, John E. Cribbet

Michigan Law Review

The past year, 1962, witnessed no let up in the cold war between East and West. In the race for the conquest of space, in the battle of national rates of economic growth, in the propaganda struggle to fix the responsibility for nuclear testing, in the trial of strength over Cuba, and in countless other areas, each bloc leader continued to measure achievement against the rival's successes or defeats. The cold war is a deadly business and produces little to warm the cockles of a man's heart, but, if only the threat of nuclear destruction could be averted, there is …

Territorial Courts And The Law: Unifying Factors In The Development Of American Legal Institutions-Pt.Ii-Influences Tending To Unify Territorial Law, William Wirt Blume, Elizabeth Gaspar Brown

Michigan Law Review

With the exception of Kentucky, Vermont, Texas, California, and West Virginia, all parts of continental United States south and west of the present boundaries of the original states came under colonial rule, and were governed from the national capital through territorial governments for varying periods of time. All territories in this area were "incorporated" in the sense that they were destined to become states of the United States. All became states by 1912, leaving only Alaska and Hawaii for future statehood. Now that these territories have become states, it seems desirable to review legal developments in all of these "incorporated" …

Turner: The Law Of Trade Secrets, John Stedman

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Law of Trade Secrets. By Amedee E. Turner.

Territorial Courts And Law: Unifying Factors In The Development Of American Legal Institutions-Pt.1-Establishment Of A Standardized Judicial System, William Wirt Blume, Elizabeth Gaspar Brown

Michigan Law Review

The United States first became a sovereign nation when individual states of the Confederation ceded to the states collectively their several interests in the lands west of the Appalachians which lay east of the Mississippi, north of Spanish Florida, and south of the Great Lakes. This area had been relinquished by Great Britain by the Treaty of 1783 and, with the exception of Kentucky, now became the property of the United States. It was the first area over which the states as a group had complete sovereignty, subject only to the claims of the various Indian tribes. Colonies fresh from …

The Continuing Question Of Delivery In The Law Of Gifts, Patrick J. Rohan

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The "Reception" Of Defamation By The Common Law, Colin R. Lovell

Vanderbilt Law Review

The rather low opinion held by Mr. Bumble concerning the logic of the law must be set off by the Holmesian reminder that not "logic," but"experience" has kept the law viable. The warning has peculiar applicability in looking at the common law doctrines on defamation. Only the experience of history can explain why, in contrast to Roman civil law systems with their view that all defamations and insults are injuriae, with a single remedial action, the common law has no interest in mere bad language' and goes on to have two separate actions for defamation. Moreover, these are quite artificially …

Property-Joint Bank Accounts-The Donee's Inter Vivos Interest, David K. Kroll S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The use of joint bank accounts has become widespread throughout the United States in recent years and has been the source of considerable litigation and comment. The predominant importance of this type of account is that it allows funds remaining at the death of a co-depositor to pass to the survivor without the necessity of a will. This aspect of the account, causing it to be known sometimes as a "Poor Man's Will," has been the focal point of the attention given to the transaction; and today, after more than half a century of uneven treatment by the courts, all …

Torts-Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act-General Release Of One Tortfeasor Releases All, Robert L. Harmon

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, riding as a passenger with X, was injured in an accident involving the automobile driven by X and a truck owned by defendant. Several months later X paid plaintiff $1,518.87 and received a release. Plaintiff then brought an action in trespass against the defendant, charging negligence in causing the accident and claiming $10,000 damages. The defendant joined X as an additional defendant and X pleaded the release. Defendant's amended answer claimed that the broad language of the release, "any and all other persons," within the meaning of the Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act, provided a release for the defendant …

The Common Law And Statutory Background Of The Law Of Musical Property, George D. Cary

Vanderbilt Law Review

This article comprises a brief but comprehensive presentation of the history and evolution of the law of musical copyright; it is particularly designed for the practitioner seeking a general view of musical copyright law before proceeding on to more specialized problems. After a discussion of the English and American history of musical copyright, the article examines the common law and statutory aspect of the subject, and concludes by discussing the international rules and conventions governing musical copyright.

Book Reviews, Donald P. Kommers, I. C. Rand

Vanderbilt Law Review

Law and Social Process in United States History:

The excellence of Law and Social Process in United States History in every respect matches the high honor accorded Professor Hurst when invited to deliver the ninth series of the Thomas M. Cooley Lectures under the sponsorship of the University of Michigan Law School. This volume, following upon the heels of his Growth of American Law and Law and the Conditions of Freedom, the latter having won the James Barr Ames prize granted quadrennially by the Harvard Law School, merely affirms his stature as an eminent legal historian. Like the earlier volumes, …

The Constitutional And Judicial Organization Of France And Germany And Some Comparisons Of The Civil Law And Common Law Systems, Joseph Dainow

Indiana Law Journal

This article is based on lectures delivered at the International Faculty of Comparative Law in Luxembourg, August 1960

American Enterprise In The European Common Market, A Legal Profile, Edited By Eric Stein And Thomas L. Nicholson, Kazimierz Grzybowski

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Common Law Tradition: Deciding Appeals, By Karl N. Llewellyn, James L. Magrish

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Objective And Function Of The Complaint: Common Law -- Codes -- Federal Rules, Fleming James, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

Before a court can properly decide a case and enter judgment, certain things must have taken place. The court must have obtained jurisdiction over the parties and over the controversy to be decided.'Limits must be set to the controversy so that the court and the parties may know how to direct their efforts, and so that the court may rule on questions of relevancy. The issues of fact and of law must be framed so that each is allocated to the appropriate tribunal for decision and is presented clearly enough so that the tribunal knows what to decide. The adversary …

Criminal Law - Insane Persons - Competency To Stand Trial, John H. Hess M.D., Henry B. Pearsall S.Ed., Donald A. Slichter S.Ed., Herbert E. Thomas M.D.

Michigan Law Review

Mental unsoundness in a person accused of a crime raises two distinct legal questions. One is the question of the individual's responsibility for his behavior and the other is the question of the individual's competency to enter into the legal procedures of trial or punishment. In recent years considerable attention has been given to matters of responsibility, but relatively little attention has been paid to the problem of incompetency and especially to the consequences of incompetency proceedings. In order to analyze and evaluate the operations of the Michigan law in the area of incompetency to stand trial, two psychiatrists joined …

British Antitrust In Action, Michael Conant

Michigan Law Review

The Restrictive Trade Practices Act of 1956 was the first positive anti-monopoly statute in the United Kingdom since the Statute of Monopolies in 1623. Now that the statute has been in effect four years there are sufficient decisions and consent orders to make possible a report on its operation. Since most American readers are unfamiliar with the legal and economic background of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, the prior common law in this area and the 1948 monopolies investigation statute will be summarized first. This summary is followed by an analysis of the structure of the 1956 Act, of the …

Habeas Corpus - Procedural Prerequisites - Motion Denied For Failure To Appeal Convicion Despite Failure Being Excusable, Harvey O. Mierke Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff was convicted of robbery in a federal district court and, although represented by counsel, failed to appeal within the statutory ten-day period. Three months later he filed a motion in the same court under section 2255 of the judicial code to vacate the sentence on the ground that the conviction, because it was based on a coerced confession, was unconstitutionally obtained without due process of law. The motion was denied and the denial affirmed, in the absence of any attempt to excuse the failure to appeal. On reargument, plaintiff attempted to excuse his failure to appeal by alleging that …

Tingle: The Stockholder's Remedy Of Corporate Dissolution, Hugh L. Sowards

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Stockholder's Remedy of Corporate Dissolution. By James O'Malley Tingle

Escheat - Abandoned Property - Full Faith And Credit As A Bar To Multiple Escheat Of Intangibles, Clarold L. Britton S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Escheat of abandoned or unclaimed property by the sovereign is as old as the common law. Recast in constitutional form, this ancient right of kings has become a significant source of revenue in an increasing number of American states. While the right of escheat is inherent in the power of a sovereign, its exercise requires specific legislative authority. Until recently this authority was sparingly given and escheat was generally limited to the administration of estates and abandoned tangible property. However, in this past decade, state legislatures have greatly expanded the scope and extent of escheat by authorizing the escheat of …

Justice Holmes And The Common-Law Tradition, John C.H. Wu

Vanderbilt Law Review

Briefly, case law may be described as "a method of developing law which preserves the continuity of legal doctrine, and is, at the same time, eminently adaptable to the needs of a changing society." On the whole, it is not far from the truth to say that "it hits the golden mean between too much flexibility and too much rigidity .... -" But what makes it so matter-of-fact and racy of the soil is to be found in Holdsworth's further observation that "this method keeps the law in touch with life, and prevents much unprofitable speculation upon academic problems which …

Chancery Practice On The American Frontier: A Study Of The Records Of The Supreme Court Of Michigan Territory, 1805-1836, William Wirt Blume

Michigan Law Review

The act of Congress of January 11, 1805, which created Michigan Territory out of Indiana Territory, provided that the new territory should have a government "in all respects similar" to that provided for the Northwest Territory by the Ordinance of 1787. The Ordinance had provided for the appointment of a court to consist of three judges who should have "a common law jurisdiction. "

Literary And Artistic Property -- Common-Law Copyright-- Filing Of Architectural Plans In A Public Office As Publication, Judd L. Bacon S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff home designer prepared plans for a client and filed a copy in a county office as required by ordinance in order to obtain a building permit. Defendant copied and used these plans without plaintiff's consent. In an action under a state statute codifying the common-law right of designers to the exclusive ownership of their unpublished designs, the lower court held for defendant, finding plaintiff's copyright to have been destroyed by publication. On appeal, held, reversed. The filing of architectural plans in a public office in order to secure a building permit does not constitute a publication of them …