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Full-Text Articles in Courts

Women Ruling The Bench: Steps To Achieving Gender Parity On State Courts, Cheyenne L. Horien Apr 2013

Women Ruling The Bench: Steps To Achieving Gender Parity On State Courts, Cheyenne L. Horien

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Across the United States, each state practices one of several methods of selecting judges to their courts. Many of these processes have not changed for decades and some argue this results in minorities, both gender and racial, receiving fewer spots on the bench. I focus explicitly on the gender aspect of judicial selection: Why are there fewer women judges in some states than in others? Previous literature on this topic is mixed. I analyzed data gathered from the American Judicature Society and other sources. Among the five methods (appointment, combination, merit selection, non-partisan election, partisan election), because of the many …


Thinking Outside The Bars: Examining All The Options In Sentencing, Lindsay Lasalle, Courtney Bryan, Larry Spottsville, Charles E. Auslander Iii Mar 2013

Thinking Outside The Bars: Examining All The Options In Sentencing, Lindsay Lasalle, Courtney Bryan, Larry Spottsville, Charles E. Auslander Iii

Working in the Public Interest Conferences

Covers the rationale behind the growing use of alternative court programs in the United States and the common methods applied in these programs.


Judicial Attention As A Scarce Resource: A Preliminary Defense Of How Judges Allocate Time Across Cases In The Federal Courts Of Appeals, Marin K. Levy Jan 2013

Judicial Attention As A Scarce Resource: A Preliminary Defense Of How Judges Allocate Time Across Cases In The Federal Courts Of Appeals, Marin K. Levy

Faculty Scholarship

Federal appellate judges no longer have the time to hear argument and draft opinions in all of their cases. The average annual filing per active judgeship now stands at 330 filed cases per year — more than four times what it was sixty years ago. In response, judges have adopted case management strategies that effectively involve spending significantly less time on certain classes of cases than on others. Various scholars have decried this state of affairs, suggesting that the courts have created a “bifurcated” system of justice with “separate and unequal tracks.” These reformers propose altering the relevant constraints of …


Equality Arguments For Abortion Rights, Neil S. Siegel, Reva B. Siegel Jan 2013

Equality Arguments For Abortion Rights, Neil S. Siegel, Reva B. Siegel

Faculty Scholarship

Roe v. Wade grounds constitutional protections for women’s decision wheth­er to end a pregnancy in the Due Process Clauses. But in the four decades since Roe, the U.S. Supreme Court has come to recognize the abortion right as an equality right as well as a liberty right. In this Essay, we describe some distinctive features of equality arguments for abortion rights. We then show how, over time, the Court and individual Justices have begun to employ equal­ity arguments in analyzing the constitutionality of abortion restrictions. These arguments first appear inside of substantive due process case law, and then as claims …


United States V. Windsor And The Role Of State Law In Defining Rights Claims, Ernest A. Young Jan 2013

United States V. Windsor And The Role Of State Law In Defining Rights Claims, Ernest A. Young

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Windsor is best understood from a Legal Process perspective. Windsor struck down Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”), which defined marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman for purposes of federal law. Much early commentary, including Professor Neomi Rao’s essay in these pages, has found Justice Kennedy’s opinion for the Court to be “muddled” and unclear as to its actual rationale. But the trouble with Windsor is not that the opinion is muddled or vague; the rationale is actually quite evident on the face of …


Conditional Spending After Nfib V. Sebelius: The Example Of Federal Education Law, Eloise Pasachoff Jan 2013

Conditional Spending After Nfib V. Sebelius: The Example Of Federal Education Law, Eloise Pasachoff

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In NFIB v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court’s recent case addressing the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the Court concluded that the expansion of Medicaid in that Act was unconstitutionally coercive and therefore exceeded the scope of Congress’s authority under the Spending Clause. This was the first time that the Court treated coercion as an issue of more than mere theoretical possibility under the Spending Clause. In the wake of the Court’s decision, commentators have expressed either the concern or the hope that NFIB’s coercion analysis may lead to the undoing of much of the federal regulatory state, …


Rethinking Critical Mass In The Federal Appellate Courts., Laura Moyer Jan 2013

Rethinking Critical Mass In The Federal Appellate Courts., Laura Moyer

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This article draws from critical mass studies of gender in other political institutions to inform an application to the US Courts of Appeals. The results demonstrate the utility of considering court-level aspects of diversity. As mixed-sex panels become more common within a circuit, both male and female judges increasingly support plaintiffs in civil rights claims, though the magnitude of the effect is larger for women. The presence of a female chief judge is also positively associated with pro-plaintiff decisions by men and women in sex discrimination cases.


Seeing Is Believing: The Csi Effect Among Jurors In Malicious Wounding Cases, Corey Call, Amy K. Cook, John D. Reitzel, Robyn D. Mcdougle Jan 2013

Seeing Is Believing: The Csi Effect Among Jurors In Malicious Wounding Cases, Corey Call, Amy K. Cook, John D. Reitzel, Robyn D. Mcdougle

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

With the popularization of television crime shows that focus heavily on forensic science, such as CSI and its spin-offs, concerns about a new threat to jury trials have emerged in recent years. Dubbed the “CSI effect,” this phenomenon has reportedly come to influence the way jurors perceive forensic evidence at trials based on the way forensic evidence is presented on television. While the CSI effect has been the topic of much discussion throughout the popular press, the CSI effect has seldom been empirically tested. In this study, we present a selection of media accounts as well as criminological and …


Rethinking The Principal-Agent Theory Of Judging, Rafael I. Pardo, Jonathan Remy Nash Jan 2013

Rethinking The Principal-Agent Theory Of Judging, Rafael I. Pardo, Jonathan Remy Nash

Scholarship@WashULaw

This Essay offers new insights into understanding the relationship between higher and lower courts and responds to the extant literature that has characterized the relationship as one involving a principal and an agent. We challenge the underpinnings of the principal-agent understanding of judicial hierarchies and identify problems with the theory’s applicability in this context. While principals ordinarily select their agents, higher court judges usually do not select lower court judges. Moreover, while lower court judges may cast votes with an eye to the possibility of elevation to a higher court, the higher court judges who review the lower court’s decisions …


Building A Taxonomy Of Litigation: Clusters Of Causes Of Action In Federal Complaints, Christina L. Boyd, David A. Hoffman, Zoran Obradovic, Kosta Ristovski Jan 2013

Building A Taxonomy Of Litigation: Clusters Of Causes Of Action In Federal Complaints, Christina L. Boyd, David A. Hoffman, Zoran Obradovic, Kosta Ristovski

Scholarship@WashULaw

This project empirically explores civil litigation from its inception by examining the content of civil complaints. We utilize spectral cluster analysis on a newly compiled federal district court dataset of causes of action in complaints to illustrate the relationship of legal claims to one another, the broader composition of lawsuits in trial courts, and the breadth of pleading in individual complaints. Our results shed light not only on the networks of legal theories in civil litigation but also on how lawsuits are classified and the strategies that plaintiffs and their attorneys employ when commencing litigation. This approach permits us to …


Litigating Toward Settlement, Christina L. Boyd, David A. Hoffman Jan 2013

Litigating Toward Settlement, Christina L. Boyd, David A. Hoffman

Scholarship@WashULaw

Civil litigation typically ends when the parties compromise. While existing theories of settlement primarily focus on information exchange, we instead examine how motion practice, especially non-discovery motions, can substantially shape parties’ knowledge about their cases and thereby influence the timing of settlement. Using docket-level federal district court data, we find a number of strong effects regarding how motions can influence this process, including that the filing of a motion significantly speeds case settlement, that granted motions are more immediately critical to settlement timing than motions denied, and that plaintiff victories have a stronger effect than defendant victories. These results provide …


Federalism, Liberty, And Equality In United States V. Windsor, Ernest A. Young, Erin C. Blondel Jan 2013

Federalism, Liberty, And Equality In United States V. Windsor, Ernest A. Young, Erin C. Blondel

Faculty Scholarship

This essay argues that federalism played a profoundly important role in the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor, which struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Arguments to the contrary have failed to appreciate how Justice Kennedy's opinion employed federalism not as a freestanding argument but as an essential component of his rights analysis. Far from being a "muddle," as many have claimed, Justice Kennedy's analysis offered one of the most sophisticated examples to date of the interconnections between federalism, liberty, and equality.


Sanctions: Where Law And Justice Collide: Kraze Entertainment (S) Pte Ltd V Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd [2013] Sghc 39, Denise Huiwen Wong Jan 2013

Sanctions: Where Law And Justice Collide: Kraze Entertainment (S) Pte Ltd V Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd [2013] Sghc 39, Denise Huiwen Wong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This is a cautionary tale for litigation practitioners and their claimant clients. The decision emanates from the High Court of Singapore, but is equally applicable to any jurisdiction in which security for costs can be sought against the claimant in an action. In Singapore, the Rules of Court set out the procedural rules governing all civil proceedings in the High Court and Subordinate Courts. Unlike the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), the Singapore Rules of Court do not expressly articulate an overriding objective of timely and proportionate justice. However, the courts have consistently prioritised robust case management and “an uncompromising but …


Reconceputualising Security Strategies For Courts: Developing A Typology For Safer Court Environments, Anne Wallace, Deborah Blackman, Emma Rowden Jan 2013

Reconceputualising Security Strategies For Courts: Developing A Typology For Safer Court Environments, Anne Wallace, Deborah Blackman, Emma Rowden

Research outputs 2013

There have been heightened concerns about security in courts in recent years, prompting a strong response that has largely been focused on perimeter security. This paper draws on recent research conducted in Australian on court user’s safety needs, to propose a typology for designing safer courtroom environments that moves beyond the entry point to the court, and incorporates consideration of process and design elements.


Supreme Court Oral Argument Video: A Review Of Media Effects Research And Suggestions For Study, Edward L. Carter Dec 2012

Supreme Court Oral Argument Video: A Review Of Media Effects Research And Suggestions For Study, Edward L. Carter

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Justices And News Judgment: The Supreme Court As News Editor, Amy Gajda Dec 2012

The Justices And News Judgment: The Supreme Court As News Editor, Amy Gajda

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


U.S. Supreme Court Justices And Press Access, Ronnell Andersen Jones Dec 2012

U.S. Supreme Court Justices And Press Access, Ronnell Andersen Jones

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


Not A Free Press Court?, Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky Dec 2012

Not A Free Press Court?, Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


Cameras At The Supreme Court: A Rhetorical Analysis, Lisa T. Mcelroy Dec 2012

Cameras At The Supreme Court: A Rhetorical Analysis, Lisa T. Mcelroy

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Monster In The Courtroom, Sonja R. West Dec 2012

The Monster In The Courtroom, Sonja R. West

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


Moving Beyond Cameras In The Courtroom: Technology, The Media, And The Supreme Court, Mary-Rose Papandrea Dec 2012

Moving Beyond Cameras In The Courtroom: Technology, The Media, And The Supreme Court, Mary-Rose Papandrea

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


Cameras In The Courtroom In The Twenty-First Century: The U.S. Supreme Court Learning From Abroad?, Kyu Ho Youm Dec 2012

Cameras In The Courtroom In The Twenty-First Century: The U.S. Supreme Court Learning From Abroad?, Kyu Ho Youm

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.


Arizona’S Senate Bill 1070: A Case Study On State-Sponsored Immigration Policy, Ryan Murphy Dec 2012

Arizona’S Senate Bill 1070: A Case Study On State-Sponsored Immigration Policy, Ryan Murphy

Master's Theses

This study assesses the origins of Arizona’s state-sponsored immigration policy. It attempts to identify the social dynamics within Arizona that contributed to the overwhelming public support for SB 1070. Since it has been two years after the law was passed, this analysis determines what impact the law has had thus far within the state. Finally, it postulates the future of Arizona’s immigration policy.


Judicial Innovation And Sexual Harassment Doctrine In The U.S. Court Of Appeals., Laura P. Moyer, Holley Takersley Dec 2012

Judicial Innovation And Sexual Harassment Doctrine In The U.S. Court Of Appeals., Laura P. Moyer, Holley Takersley

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The determination that sexual harassment constituted “discrimination based on sex” under Title VII was first made by the lower federal courts, not Congress. Drawing from the literature on policy diffusion, this article examines the adoption of hostile work environment standards across the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the absence of controlling Supreme Court precedent. The results bolster recent findings about the influence of female judges on their male colleagues and suggest that in addition to siding with female plaintiffs, female judges also helped to shape legal rules that promoted gender equality in the workplace.


A Court For The Next Decade, Yihan Goh, Paul Tan Nov 2012

A Court For The Next Decade, Yihan Goh, Paul Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Discusses the impact of Mr Sundaresh Menon as Singapore's fourth post-independence Chief Justice.


Setting Aside An Award Over The Mis-Application Of A Choice Of Law Clause: Quarella Spa V Scelta Marble Australia Pty Ltd [2012] Sghc 166, Darius Chan Oct 2012

Setting Aside An Award Over The Mis-Application Of A Choice Of Law Clause: Quarella Spa V Scelta Marble Australia Pty Ltd [2012] Sghc 166, Darius Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In Quarella SpA v Scelta Marble Australia Pty Ltd [2012] SGHC 166, the High Court of Singapore (per Prakash J) rejected an application to set aside two related arbitration awards. The ground for setting aside was an alleged misinterpretation of a choice of law clause by the tribunal. In rejecting the application, the High Court demonstrated its unwillingness to set aside an award when the tribunal has considered and respected the choice of law clause (regardless of the interpretation the tribunal ultimately preferred). Notably, the High Court did not close the door on instances where the tribunal may have failed …


Foreword: Academic Influence On The Court, Neal K. Katyal Oct 2012

Foreword: Academic Influence On The Court, Neal K. Katyal

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The months leading up to the Supreme Court’s blockbuster decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were characterized by a prodigious amount of media coverage that purported to analyze how the legal challenge to Obamacare went mainstream. The nation’s major newspapers each had a prominent story describing how conservative academics, led by Professor Randy Barnett, had a long-term strategy to make the case appear credible. In the first weeks after the ACA’s passage, the storyline went, the lawsuit’s prospects of success were thought to be virtually nil. Professor (and former Solicitor General) Charles Fried stated that he would “eat a …


Bypassing Civil Gideon: A Legislative Proposal, Erin B. Corcoran Sep 2012

Bypassing Civil Gideon: A Legislative Proposal, Erin B. Corcoran

Law Faculty Scholarship

Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional …


Mediation Advocacy For Civil Disputes In The Subordinate Courts: Perspectives From The Bench, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Kenneth Choo Sep 2012

Mediation Advocacy For Civil Disputes In The Subordinate Courts: Perspectives From The Bench, Dorcas Quek Anderson, Kenneth Choo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

“The New Lawyer: How Settlement is Transforming the Practice of Law” by JulieMacFarlane was reviewed in the May issue of the Law Gazette, in conjunction withthe introduction of a “Presumption of ADR” for civil disputes in the SubordinateCourts. MacFarlane describes the emergence of a new advocacy focusing on holisticproblem-solving. The reviewer posed a series of pertinent questions for theSingapore legal profession, “[W]e are all familiar with the popular notion of litigationlawyers as rights warriors. But the litigation lawyer as a conflict resolver? Is he or shean imaginary character or an emerging reality?”


A Failing Correctional System: State Prison Overcrowding In The United States, Susan M. Campers May 2012

A Failing Correctional System: State Prison Overcrowding In The United States, Susan M. Campers

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

State prison overcrowding has grown into a detrimental problem within our American penal system, such that after decades of being ignored by politicians, media outlets, and the lower court system, it has resulted in an ineffective and overcrowded correctional system that craves reformation.