Courts Commons^™

Filling The Federal Appellate Openings On The 9th Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Throughout much of the 1990s, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has operated with fewer than the court's complete complement of 28 active judges. Since 1995, when Republican senators representing states of the Pacific Northwest instituted a serious campaign to divide the 9th Circuit, the court has essentially functioned absent one-fourth of its membership. The large number of openings and their protracted nature, as well as a steadily expanding docket, have demanded that the 9th Circuit depend on many appellate and district court judges who are not active members of the 9th Circuit when staffing three-judge …

The White Commission And The Federal Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

The Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals, or White Commission, ("the Commission") recently issued a report and recommendations for Congress and the President after studying the appellate courts for a year. The Commission investigation emphasized the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as Congress had instructed. The centerpiece of the Commission's recommendations was a divisional arrangement for the Ninth Circuit and the remaining appellate courts as their caseloads increase. Notwithstanding this focus on the Ninth Circuit, the commissioners compiled a substantial amount of objective empirical data and some subjective information on the other …

Taking Regulatory Takings Personally: The Perils Of (Mis)Reasoning By Analogy, Michael Allan Wolf

Law Faculty Publications

In a troublesome area of the law, it is hard for a legal academic to resist the temptation to attempt to "enlighten" the judiciary. It has not been the author's practice to date, in ruminating on the profound puzzle of regulatory takings, to instruct judges concerning the errors of their ways. Because only an insider can be truly familiar with the nuances of a specific legal challenge and owing to a deep respect for the judicial craft, this writer has resisted the urge to preach. It has been a sufficiently provocative challenge to interpret the meanings and implications of decisions …

Judicial Selection At The Clinton Administration's End, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

During his presidency, Bill Clinton appointed almost half of the presently sitting federal appellate and district court judges. He, therefore, can justifiably claim that he has left a lasting imprint on the federal judiciary. During his 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton promised to choose intelligent, diligent, and independent judges who would increase balance, vigorously enforce fundamental constitutional rights, and possess measured judicial temperament. The initial achievement of the Clinton Administration in selecting members of the federal bench, who make it more diverse and who are exceptionally qualified, demonstrates that the President fulfilled these campaign pledges. President Clinton named unprecedented numbers and …

Natural Resources And The White Commission Report, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Individuals and entities with concerns regarding environmental issues as well as those concerned about the federal judicial system have carefully followed the debate over the possible division of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that has been raging since 1995. During the first session of the 105th Congress, the Senate approved an appropriations rider, which would have established a new Twelfth Circuit including Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and would have left California and Nevada in the Ninth Circuit. That action was very important because neither house of …

Chief Judge Martin And The Modern Sixth Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

In his article, In Defense of Unpublished Opinions, 60 Ohio St. LJ. 177 (1999), Chief Judge Boyce F. Martin, Jr. has recently and eloquently championed judicial reliance on unpublished opinions. Judge Martin, who speaks from more than two decades of service on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, substantially improves understanding of this court. Judge Martin informally and pragmatically scrutinizes critical problems that confront the modern regional circuits through the prism of unpublished determinations while elucidating judicial dependence on these decisions. Judge Martin apologizes for the dearth of empirical data on the decisions' invocation, but the …

Civil Justice Delay And Empirical Data: A Response To Professor Heise, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

One decade ago, Congress undertook an ambitious, controversial effort to reduce expense and delay in the federal civil justice system. The Civil Justice Reform Act ("CJRA") of 1990 instituted unprecedented nationwide experimentation by requiring that all ninety-four federal district courts scrutinize their civil and criminal dockets and then promulgate and apply numerous procedures which district judges believed would save cost and time in civil litigation. Congress also prescribed rigorous assessment of the six principles, guidelines, and techniques of litigation management and expense and delay reduction that federal districts in fact adopted and enforced. Lawmakers provided for an expert, independent evaluator …

A Federal Appellate System For The Twenty-First Century, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

In December 1998, the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals issued a report and recommendations for Congress and the President. The commission resulted from ongoing controversy over splitting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The commissioners clearly suggested that the circuit remain intact but proposed three regionally based adjudicative divisions for the appeals court. However, the commission did not adduce persuasive empirical evidence that the Ninth Circuit experiences difficulties that are sufficiently problematic to warrant treatment, particularly with the essentially untested divisional arrangement Accordingly, the Ninth Circuit should continue to experiment with promising …

Leaving A Legacy On The Federal Courts, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

During the 1992 campaign for the presidency, then Governor Bill Clinton promised to appoint judges who would increase balance on the federal courts, would be intelligent, would possess appropriate judicial temperament, and would be committed to enforcing fundamental constitutional rights. The record compiled during the first Clinton Administration demonstrates that the Chief Executive fulfilled his campaign pledges by choosing judges who more closely reflected American society and who were well qualified. President Clinton named an unprecedented number and percentage of highly competent women and minorities to the federal courts; however, in the second two years of his first term in …

A Split By Any Other Name ..., Carl W. Tobias, Proctor Hug Jr.

Law Faculty Publications

We applaud the contribution that the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals (White Commission) has made to the public debate regarding how the federal courts of appeals can cope with the demands of ever increasing caseloads and no new judicial resources. The White Commission has conscientiously discharged its challenging assignment in the very brief period which Congress allotted. We believe, however, that a careful review of the Commission's research reveals no significant evidence of dysfunction in any court of appeals, and certainly none sufficiently severe to warrant its ultimate recommendation to restructure the Ninth Circuit Court …

Modern Federal Judicial Selection, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Review of Sheldon Goldman, Picking Federal Judges: Lower Court Selection From Roosevelt Through Reagan (1997).

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines: A Surprising Success?, James Gibson

Law Faculty Publications

The author discusses whether the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines represent an advance in our nation's approach to criminal law or a step backward-a "dismal failure," as Judge Cabranes so bluntly asserted a few years ago. The authors goal is to convince you that the guidelines are in fact a surprising success, indeed that they represent a step forward in federal criminal justice.

Panel Rejects Ninth Circuit Split, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Federal Appellate Study At Midpoint, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Choosing Perspectives In Criminal Procedure, Ronald J. Bacigal

Law Faculty Publications

In this Article, Professor Bacigal examines the Supreme Court's use of various perspectives in examining the reasonableness of searches and seizures. Although the Supreme Court purports to rely on a consistent method of constitutional analysis when rendering decisions on Fourth Amendment issues, the case law in this area indicates that the Court is influenced sometimes by the citizen's perspective, sometimes by the police officers' perspective, and sometimes by the perspective of the hypothesized reasonable person. After identifying the role of perspectives in a number of seminal Court decisions, Professor Bacigal discusses the benefits and limitations of the Court's reliance on …

Federal Judicial Selection In A Time Of Divided Government,, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Congress has authorized 179 active judges for the United States Courts of Appeals and 649 active judges for the United States District Courts. Eighty-two judgeships are now vacant, although the size and complexity of federal caseloads continue to increase. More than thirty openings are considered "judicial emergencies" because they have remained unfilled for eighteen months. The Ninth Circuit, which must resolve the largest docket of the twelve regional appellate courts, currently has nine vacancies on a circuit with twenty eight active judges and for which the Judicial Conference has recommended the creation of nine additional judgeships. The Speedy Trial Act's …

Natural Resources And The Ninth Circuit Split, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Congress recently considered some proposals to split the Ninth Circuit, proposals that could have far-reaching effects on the environment, public lands, and natural resources. This Article first looks at some of the recent developments in Congress, particularly the authorization of a national study commission to examine the federal appeals courts. Professor Tobias predicts that the Ninth Circuit will be split during the next decade. He cautions against using political considerations to conduct legislative policymaking with respect to thefederal courts. He suggests that those concerned about the environment gather reliable information and explore alternatives to circuit-splitting. If Congress decides to bifurcate …

Nearing The End Of Federal Civil Justice Reform In Montana, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

In continuing the series of essays which evaluate and document the phenomenon of federal civil justice reform, this essay initially affords an update on recent developments in civil justice reform at the national level and in the United States District Court for the District of Montana (Montana District). The essay emphasizes the conclusion of two major studies that analyze the national reform effort and the submission to Congress of reports and a recommendation, which were premised substantially on these studies, by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The essay also stresses the completion by the Ninth Circuit District Local …

The Breard Case And The Virtues Of Forbearance, John G. Douglass

Law Faculty Publications

At a time when the scheduled execution of Angel Francisco Breard made Virginia the focus of a groundbreaking controversy over the reach of internationallaw into the domestic criminal process of the United States, law students and faculty at the University of Richmond had the unique opportunity to consider the case along with Philippe Sands, then a Visiting Allen Chair Professor at the University.

Civil Justice Reform Sunset, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

This article uses the Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990 (CJRA) as the backdrop for addressing efforts to increase uniformity, simplicity, and transsubstantivity, and to decrease expense and delay in civil litigation. Professor Tobias discusses both the origin and the implementation of the CJRA. By requiring each federal district court to formulate a civil justice expense and delay reduction plan, the purpose of the CJRA is to decrease expense and delay in civil litigation. Professor Tobias argues that the CIRA has been successful because districts have applied techniques that have saved cost and time and have provided new data that …

Second Circuit: Study Of Gender, Race, And Ethnicity, George Lange Iii

University of Richmond Law Review

In 1993, at the request of then Chief Judge Jon O. Newman, the Judicial Council of the Second Circuit created a Task Force on Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. The Task Force, which was comprised of six judicial officers and a citizen participant from each of the Circuit's three states, was asked to study issues of gender, race, and ethnicity in the courts of the Second Circuit, and to report back to the Judicial Council on its findings and recommendations.

Third Circuit: Gender, Race, And Ethnicity- Task Force On Equal Treatment In The Courts, Dolores K. Sloviter

University of Richmond Law Review

The March 1993 vote of the Judicial Conference of the United States endorsing the provision of the proposed Violence Against Women Act that encouraged circuit judicial councils to conduct studies with respect to gender bias in their respective circuits provided an official imprimatur of approval to such inquiries by the policy making body of the federal courts. Thereafter, the extent to which each federal circuit undertook to accept the invitation to proceed may have depended in large part on the zeal for the inquiry by the chief judge of the circuit or his or her delegated committee.

Ninth Circuit: The Gender Bias Task Force, Procter Hug Jr., Marilyn L. Huff, John C. Coughenour

University of Richmond Law Review

In 1990, the federal courts of the Ninth Circuit began to examine the effects of gender on the business of the courts. The pioneering FinalReport of the Ninth Circuit Gender Bias Task Force1 was issued in July 1993 and the Ninth Circuit has worked to implement the task force's recommendations for several years. To assist others setting forth on a similar journey, this article summarizes the circuit's experience in undertaking a study of this magnitude and duration.

Death In The Federal Courts: Expectations And Realities Of The Federal Death Penalty Act Of 1994, John P. Cunningham

University of Richmond Law Review

"Thou shalt not kill." These four words have echoed throughout the churches, judicial courts, and political meeting places of men and women for time immemorial. Along with their deep religious and political significance, they carry with them a haunting contrast to the current state of mankind: men and women can kill other men and women-legally. In the United States, this "legal" killing, commonly referred to as the "death penalty," traditionally takes place within the confines of the individual state judicial systems, and generally involves the execution of felons tried and convicted of some form of intentional murder.

D.C. Circuit: Study Of Gender, Race, And Ethnic Bias, John Garrett Penn, Matthew J. Devries

University of Richmond Law Review

The District of Columbia Circuit became the first federal circuit to establish a Task Force on race and gender bias. In 1992, the Task Force, which was comprised of judges from the D.C. Circuit, created two committees-the Special Committee on Gender and the Special Committee on Race and Ethnicity-to assist the Task Force in its research. The committees were comprised of academics, social science advisors of national recognition, and leading attorneys.

Interview: The Federal Courts: Observations From Thirty Years On The Bench, Robert R. Merhige Jr., J. Christopher Lemons

University of Richmond Law Review

This is an interview of Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Will Inquiry Produce Action? Studying The Effects Of Gender In The Federal Courts, Lynn Hecht Schafran

University of Richmond Law Review

When the Ninth Circuit Gender Bias Task Force released its report at the Circuit's 1992 Judicial Conference, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor offered this perspective:

A couple of years ago, I gave a speech in which I discussed the existence of a glass ceiling for women. The next day, headlines and newspaper articles trumpeted my statements as if I had made a surprising new discovery. But it is now 1992, and I don't think most of us were surprised to learn that the [Ninth Circuit] Task Force found the exis- tence of gender bias in a federal circuit. After all, over …

Austin Owen Lecture: Difficulties, Dangers & Challenges Facing The Judiciary Today, Robert E. Payne

University of Richmond Law Review

Judge Payne presented this address at The Sixth Annual Austin Owen Lecture on November 18, 1997. The Honorable Austin E. Owen attended Richmond College from 1946-47 and received his law degree from The T.C. Williams School of Law in 1950. During his distinguished career, Judge Owen served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; a partner in Owen, Gray, Rhodes, Betz, Smith and Dickerson; and was appointed Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit of Virginia where he served until his retirement in 1990. The Law School community grieved the loss of this distinguished alumnus upon his …

First Circuit: A Study Of Gender Bias In And Around The Courts, Bruce M. Selya

University of Richmond Law Review

Beginning with the state courts of New Jersey in 1984, almost every state in the country and numerous federal circuits have mounted initiatives to address issues of gender bias in the courts. While individual approaches have varied, each of these judicial units has displayed an increasing sensitivity to the potential problems of bias in the courts and a desire to actively improve the treatment of female litigants, witnesses, employees, and attorneys throughout the judicial system.

Tenth Circuit: Gender Bias Study- Continuing Education And Training, David M. Ebel

University of Richmond Law Review

The Tenth Circuit Study of Gender Bias and Sexual Harassment was initiated in September 1995 with a study of the District of Wyoming. Prior to that time a number of federal courts and individual states had undertaken comprehensive studies of gender bias. Most of the existing literature was based upon quantitative data using survey research methodology calculated to obtain a number of confidential responses, which produced substantial valuable information.