Constitutional Law Commons^™

The Conflation Of Ethnicity And Religion In Malaysia: A Reflection, Mahmood Chandia, Kartina A. Choong

Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law

According to the Malaysian Constitution, a "Malay" is one who, among other things, professes the religion of Islam. All Malays are, by legal definition, at least Muslims and they are not at liberty to leave Islam since a renunciation of the Islamic faith is tantamount to a renunciation of one's legally defined ethnic identity. This constitutional conflation of ethnicity and religion, which also serves the purpose of uniting the Malays and advancing their socio-economic interests, has been a distinct feature of the social landscape of the country since 1957, when it gained independence from British rule. This Article seeks to …

Biometric Passwords And The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination, Kara Goldman

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Piecemeal State Legislation: The Wrong Way To Divide The Internet Poker Pie?, Peter T. Busch

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

What Can I Do For You, My Damaged Angel: Ways To Better Protect Special Needs Children Adopted From China, Kaidi Yu

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that current legal frameworks governing intercountry adoptions, particularly between the U.S. and China, fail to adequately protect the welfare of special needs children. It highlights gaps in the Hague Convention, Chinese Adoption Law, and U.S. implementation of the Intercountry Adoption Act, emphasizing the need for uniform definitions of special needs, enhanced parental preparedness, and improved post-adoption support systems to address these shortcomings.

Religious Freedom: Why States Are Unconstitutionally Burdening Their Own Citizens As They “Lower” The Burden, Jason Goldman

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

Part I of this Note traces the development of the Supreme Court’s First Amendment precedent, including a discussion of Congress’s enactment of Federal RFRA. Part II introduces the states’ legislative efforts with regard to free exercise statutes, culminating with the problematic “burden” RFRA movement. Part III outlines a brief history of both the Establishment Clause and Separation of Powers doctrine, and analyzes how “burden” RFRAs are unconstitutional in light of each, respectively. Part IV discusses the implications of this progressive trend, specifically focusing on the boundless government litigation, civil rights concerns, and the health and safety issues that have resulted. …

Are Physician-Patient Communications Protected By The First Amendment?, Martha Swartz

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

In the past several years, a number of states have enacted laws restricting physicians’ rights to speak freely with their patients. These laws go beyond informed consent laws enacted in most states in the 1960s and 1970s. While the informed consent laws require physicians to provide certain categories of information to patients prior to invasive treatment—such as the nature of the risks and benefits entailed—these new laws either prohibit physicians from discussing certain topics or mandate that they provide specific information to their patients that is only questionably supported by medical evidence. In the past several years, a number of …

Information Privacy And Data Security, Lauren Henry

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

Legal academic and policy discourse generally presumes that information privacy and data security are interchangeable goals. The conventional wisdom is that data security is a handmaiden of information privacy, and so what serves data security will serve information privacy. However, this view is an oversimplification of the relationship between the two fields. This Essay aids law and policy development in both fields by correctly defining their relationship to one another. Data security has separate objectives from information privacy that can be agnostic or even in opposition to information privacy. The law should acknowledge information privacy and data security as separate …

Bound By Law: A Roadmap For The Practical Legalization Of Bdsm, Daniel Haley

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that the criminalization of BDSM practices, due to the lack of legal recognition of consent as a defense in BDSM-related injuries, is unconstitutional and harmful. It advocates for legal reform, specifically the creation of a BDSM exception in the Model Penal Code, to protect practitioners' rights and reduce stigma.

Domestic Violence And The Confrontation Clause: The Case For A Prompt Post-Arrest Confrontation Hearing, Robert Hardaway

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the challenges posed by the Supreme Court's decision in Crawford v. Washington to domestic violence prosecutions, particularly the increased difficulty in admitting victims' prior statements. It proposes a novel solution: a prompt post-arrest confrontation hearing that allows defendants to cross-examine witnesses shortly after arrest. This procedure aims to balance the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confrontation with the need to protect victims from intimidation and ensure the admissibility of testimonial evidence at trial.

Hamoked: Center For The Defense Of The Individual V. Minister Of Defense, Elyakim Rubinstein, Esther Hayut, Noam Sohlberg

Translated Opinions

The petition concerned the Respondents’ authority to employ reg. 119 of the Defence (Emergency) Regulations, 1945 (hereinafter: Reg.119 or the Regulation) in a manner that would permit the forfeiture, demolition and sealing off of the homes of those suspected of involvement in hostile activity against the State of Israel. The Petitioners sought a declaratory order stating that the use of Reg. 119 in that manner and for such purposes is unlawful, inasmuch as, in their view, it contravenes international law and Israeli constitutional and administrative law.

The High Court of Justice (per Justice E. Rubinstein, Justices N. Sohlberg and …

How Wartime Detention Ends, Deborah N. Pearlstein

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Emergence Of Constitutionalism As An Evolutionary Adaptation, Fábio Portela L. Almeida

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The emergence of modern societies is an evolutionary puzzle. Homo sapiens is the only animal species capable of cooperating in large-scale societies consisting of genetically unrelated individuals. From a biological point of view, this feature leads to enormous questions. Social scientists typically assume that human life is lived in large-scale societies as a result of cultural, social and institutional history. In this perspective, social institutions such as law, economy and religion enhance cooperation to higher levels. Gene-culture coevolutionary theories have studied this issue in an integrated framework that accounts for social and biological theories of cooperation. These theoretical approaches have …

The Structural Wall Of Separation And The Erroneous Claim Of Anti-Catholic Discrimination, Robert D. Goldstein

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

No abstract provided.

Unintended Consequences: The Posse Comitatus Act In The Modern Era, Mark P. Nevitt

Cardozo Law Review

America was born in revolution. Outraged at numerous abuses by the British crown - to include the conduct of British soldiers in the colonists' daily lives - Americans declared their independence, creating a new republic with deep suspicions of a standing army. These suspicions were intensely debated at the time of the nation's formation and enshrined in the Constitution. But congressional limitations on the role of the military in day-to-day affairs would have to wait. This did not occur until after the Civil War when Southern congressmen successfully coopted the framers' earlier concerns of a standing army and passed a …

Eminent Domain Law And "Just" Compensation For Diminution Of Access, Ashley Mas

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

State Of Israel, Courts Administration V. Themarker – Haaretz Newspaper, Ltd., Edna Arbel, Yoram Danziger, Neal Hendel, Elyakim Rubinstein, Salim Joubran, Esther Hayut, Uzi Vogelman

Translated Opinions

This is an appeal on an administrative judgment, in the framework of which appellant no. 1, the Courts Administration, was ordered to deliver information for the scrutiny of the respondents—a newspaper and a journalist employed by that newspaper—under the Freedom of Information Law, concerning the number of open cases that are being deliberated in the Supreme Court and in the district courts, indicating the amount of time that has elapsed since each case was opened, and the names of the judges hearing the cases. The State agreed to publish most of the information that was requested, segmented according to judge, …

Anonymous V. Orbach, Asher Grunis, Miriam Naor, Edna Arbel, Uzi Vogelman, Elyakim Rubinstein, Neal Hendel, Yoram Danziger, Isaac Amit, Salim Joubran

Translated Opinions

The translation of this case encompasses portions of President Grunis' majority opinion, Justice Hendel's concurrence, and Justice Rubinstein's dissent.

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

Facts: On Nov. 22, 2004, the television program “Uvda [“Fact”] with Ilana Dayan” (hereinafter: Uvda) aired an investigative report (hereinafter: the report) prepared and delivered by Dr. Ilana Dayan-Orbach, Respondent 1 (hereinafter: Dayan). The report was preceded by “promos” by Respondent 2, …

Moshe V. The Board For Approval Of Embryo Carrying Agreements Under The Embryo Carrying Agreements Law, Elyakim Rubinstein, Asher Grunis, Miriam Naor, Salim Joubran, Esther Hayut, Edna Arbel, Hanan Melcer

Translated Opinions

The Petitioners are a female couple who wish to bring into the world a child by fertilizing an egg extracted from the body of the First Petitioner and implanted in the uterus of the Second Petitioner, who would carry the pregnancy and give birth. The Ministry of Health rejected their requests for the approvals of performing this procedure in Israel. Hence this Petition, which challenges various provisions in the Embryo Carrying Agreements Law (Approval of the Agreement and the Status of the Child), 5756-1996 (hereinafter: the Surrogacy Law) and the Eggs Donation Law, 5770-2010 (hereinafter: the Eggs Donation Law). It …

Sela V. Yehieli, Uzi Vogelman, Esther Hayut, Neal Hendel

Translated Opinions

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

Facts:    An appeal of the decision of the Haifa Administrative Affairs Court, dismissing the petition of the Appellants and holding that the court should not intervene in the decision of the Kfar Vradim local council according to which a women’s mikve (ritual bath) would not be constructed in the town in the near future.

Held:     As a rule, a local council enjoys broad discretion …

B'Tselem V. Broadcasting Authority, Elyakim Rubinstein, Neal Hendel, Uri Shoham

Translated Opinions

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

A petition seeking to quash the decision of the Broadcasting Authority to preclude the broadcasting of a commercial by B’Tselem comprising a partial list of the names of Palestinian children killed in the course of Operation Protective Edge. The dispute concerned whether this commercial constituted a prohibited broadcast under rule 7(2) of the Broadcasting Authority (Radio Advertisements and Announcements) Rules, 5753-1993, concerning – inter …

Public Law At The Cathedral: Enjoining The Government, Michael T. Morley

Cardozo Law Review

Conventional wisdom provides that injunctive relief in public law cases is generally unnecessary, because a declaratory judgment and the threat of damages are enough to induce the government to comply with a court's ruling (except, perhaps, in the institutional reform context). Consistent with this prevailing understanding, most scholars to apply Calabresi and Melamed's Cathedral framework to public law have concluded that nearly all constitutional rights are protected by property rules, regardless of whether a rightholder actually is protected by an injunction, or instead merely has a substantial likelihood of obtaining one if she goes to court.

This Article challenges this …

Ethics, Advocacy, And The Child Client, Suparna Malempati

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article argues that lawyers representing children in abuse and neglect proceedings should act as traditional advocates, respecting the child's autonomy and adhering to ethical standards, rather than adopting a paternalistic role akin to a guardian ad litem. This approach ensures that children's voices are heard and their legal rights are protected.

The Mandatory Death Penalty In Ghana: A Comparative Constitutional Perspective On Dexter Johnson V. Republic, Andrew Novak

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The article examines the Supreme Court of Ghana's decision to uphold the mandatory death penalty, contrasting it with the global trend towards abolition. It highlights the tension between the court's textual interpretation of the constitution and international human rights pressures, emphasizing the need for legislative reform to align with human rights standards.

Mandatory Life Without Parole Sentences For The Intellectually Disabled: A Violation Of The Eighth Amendment, Nick Bonham

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The note argues that mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for intellectually disabled individuals violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. It contends that such sentences fail to account for the diminished culpability and rehabilitative potential of the intellectually disabled, rendering them disproportionate and unconstitutional. The analysis builds on precedents like Atkins v. Virginia, Graham v. Florida, and Miller v. Alabama, which established protections for groups with reduced moral responsibility. The note advocates for individualized sentencing to align with evolving standards of decency and constitutional safeguards.

From Wolves, Lambs (Part Ii): The Fourteenth Amendment Case For Gradual Abolition Of The Death Penalty, Kevin Barry

Cardozo Law Review

Can a state abolish its death penalty for future crimes while retaining it for those already on death row? This turns out to be a novel question in modern death penalty law, one that has not been answered in nearly a century. In 2014, in the case of State v. Santiago, the Connecticut Supreme Court will be the first court in modern times to answer the question. This Article predicts that the answer to the question will be yes.

Although the Connecticut Supreme Court will be the first court to answer this question in almost one hundred years, it …

Dirty Secrets: The First Amendment In Protective-Order Litigation, Dustin B. Benham

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Venue, Peter L. Markowitz, Lindsay C. Nash

Articles

A foundational concept of American jurisprudence is the principle that it is unfair to allow litigants to be haled into far away tribunals when the litigants and the litigation have little or nothing to do with the location of such courts. Historically, both personal jurisdiction and venue each served this purpose in related, but distinct ways. Personal jurisdiction is, at base, a limit on the authority of the sovereign. Venue, in contrast, aims to protect parties from being forced to litigate in a location where they would be unfairly disadvantaged. The constitutional boundaries of these early principles came to be …

Doe V. Doe, Noam Sohlberg, Miriam Naor, Salim Joubran

Translated Opinions

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

An appeal on a judgment of the District Court, granting the Respondent's motion for the issuance of a permanent injunction to prohibit the Appellant from publishing and distributing a book written by him, which unfolds the intimate relationship between the parties. The Appellant was further charged to pay damages to the Respondent for her non-pecuniary damages. The main question deliberated was the proper balance …

Ministry Of Palestinian Prisoners V. Minister Of Defense, Edna Arbel, Isaac Amit, Uri Shoham

Translated Opinions

[This abstract is not part of the Court's opinion and is provided for the reader's convenience. It has been translated from a Hebrew version prepared by Nevo Press Ltd. and is used with its kind permission.]

The Petitions request shortening the periods of detention prescribed in the security legislation in the West Bank, including in the Order Regarding Security Provisions [Consolidated Version] (Judea and Samaria) (no. 1651), 5770-2009 (hereinafter: the “Order”), such that they match the periods applicable to Israeli citizens in the West Bank and those of detentions prescribed in Israel.

The High Court of Justice (Justice E. Arbel, …

Failing To Warn In The Context Of Rare Side Effects, Morris Dweck

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

No abstract provided.