Courts Commons^™

The Role Of The Federal Magistrate Judge In Civil Justice Reform, R. Lawrence Dessem

Faculty Publications

This Article considers the role of the United States magistrate judge in civil justice reform and, more specifically, the role that the early implementation districts envision for magistrate judges within their own districts. Part I briefly considers the evolution of the office of magistrate judge prior to the enactment of the Judicial Improvements Act of 1990. Part II addresses the treatment of magistrate judges under that legislation. Next, Part III recounts the roles assigned to magistrate judges under the Civil Justice Reform Act in the individual district courts. These varying uses of magistrate judges then will be critiqued in Part …

Judicial Reporting Under The Civil Justice Reform Act: Look, Mom, No Cases!, R. Lawrence Dessem

Faculty Publications

This article addresses the new reporting provision of the Civil Justice Reform Act. Part II analyzes the reporting requirement and the requirement's legislative history. Part III describes the implementation of the requirement by the federal judiciary, while Part IV discusses the initial reports filed pursuant to the provision and the media coverage of those reports. Part V next analyzes the wisdom of the reporting requirement, concluding that, on balance, the requirement may be helpful in furthering public accountability of an independent federal judiciary. Part VI then considers what the data now publicly reported under the Civil Justice Reform Act does, …

Uniformity In The Federal Courts: A Proposal For Increasing The Use Of En Banc Appellate Review, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Table Of United States Supreme Court Decisions Relating To Religious Liberty 1789-1994, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

1993 Survey Of Trends And Developments On Religious Liberty In The Courts, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this survey is to note important case law developments in the state and lower federal courts concerning religious liberty. Purposely omitted are the widely reported United States Supreme Court opinions, as well as cases where the Supreme Court has granted review during the 1993-94 term. The focus here is on significant or interesting cases that may otherwise escape broad attention. Only the facts and rationale of each decision is summarized. No editorial comment on the merits of these cases is intended.

A Legislative History Of The Creation Of The Eleventh Circuit, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Litigation As A Predatory Practice, Gary Myers

Faculty Publications

This article reviews and evaluates the sham litigation case law, finding that many courts have allowed immunity too readily or on inappropriate grounds. It attempts to develop comprehensive standards for antitrust claims based on sham litigation.

Book Review Of Clement Haynsworth, The Senate, And The Supreme Court, Davison M. Douglas

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Judicial Matters, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Some Preliminary Thoughts On Long-Range Planning For The Federal Judiciary, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

Professor Baker gives his prescription for the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Judicial Conference. First, he considers the "mission" of the federal courts, explaining that there should be no single, objectively correct conception of the role of the federal courts. Second, he discusses his conception of long-range planning, in terms of a relatively short event horizon and the absolutely wide-open scope of the range of proposals that are relevant to the work of the Committee. Third, he describes his preliminary thoughts on the role of the Committee to be a kind of permanent Federal Courts Study Committee modeled after comparable …

The Enduring Example Of John Marshall Harlan: "Virtue As Practice" In The Supreme Court, William W. Van Alstyne

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Introduction To Federal Court Rulemaking Procedure, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

Toward the end of September 1990 at a closed meeting in Washington, DC, the Judicial Conference of the United States passed on a substantial set of proposed amendments to the rules of practice and procedure of the federal courts. The new appellate rules authorized local circuit rules on electronic filing, required a jurisdictional statement in the appellant's brief and eliminated some inconsistencies in the notice rules for admiralty appeals.

A Rational Choice Theory Of Supreme Court Statutory Decisions With Applications To The State Farm And Grove City Cases, Rafael Gely, Pablo T. Spiller

Faculty Publications

In this article we follow the recent developments of the modern theory of administrative agencies, by developing a rational choice theory of the Supreme Court. Our framework combines two of the main characteristics of this literature: namely, the rational choice modeling strategy with the notion that institutions matter in the design of public policy. We differ basically by modeling the Supreme Court as a self-interested, ideologically motivated institution, making its decisions subject not to the traditional legal rules of precedent, but to the constraints arising from the political interests of other institutions of government-namely, Congress and the President.

“Our Federalism” In Pennzoil Co. V. Texaco, Inc. Or How The Younger Doctrine Keeps Getting Older Not Better, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

On Redrawing Circuit Boundaries — Why The Proposal To Divide The United States Court Of Appeals For The Ninth Circuit Is Not Such A Good Idea, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

The current U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Nearly 46 million people live within its boundaries. As a result, the 9th Circuit has the largest caseload and takes the most time of any federal circuit court to dispose of cases. Despite all of this, Professor Baker lays out his argument for why dividing the 9th Circuit is wrong-headed. He starts by giving a detailed history of U.S. circuit courts, including the recent experience of splitting the 5th Circuit. He then takes on …

Toward A Unified Theory Of The Jurisdiction Of The United States Courts Of Appeals, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Killing Daddy: Developing A Self-Defense Strategy For The Abused Child, Joelle A. Moreno

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

1987 Survey Of Trends And Developments On Religious Liberty In The Courts, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this survey is to note important caselaw developments in the state and lower federal courts concerning religious liberty. Purposely omitted are the widely reported United States Supreme Court opinions, as well as cases where the Court has granted review during the 1987-88 term. The focus here is to collect significant cases that may otherwise escape broad attention. Only the facts and rationale of each court's decision is recorded. No editorial comment on the merits of these cases is intended.

The Relevance Of Administrative Considerations In The Judicial Decisionmaking Process: A Kantian Perspective, Edward D. Cavanagh

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

This essay examines and analyzes the role of administrative considerations in the judicial decisionmaking process. The central issue is the extent to which administrative factors, such as concerns for efficiency, minimization of complexity, ease of proof, consistency of holdings, and predictability of future decisions, may be properly taken into account by courts in rendering decisions and weighed against rights granted under substantive law. Put another way, the question presented is: To what extent may a court invoke administrative considerations to reach a result different from what otherwise would be the just solution? The analysis will proceed in two steps. …

Personal Jurisdiction After Asahi: The Other (International) Shoe Drops, R. Lawrence Dessem

Faculty Publications

This articles analyzes the growth and development of the doctrine of personal jurisdiction and the Supreme Court's consideration and application of that doctrine in the recent case of Asahi Metal Industry Co. v. Superior Court. Asahi is significant both because of the nature of the suit and the nationality of the third-party defendant. The Supreme Court for the first time directly addressed the constitutionality of the ‘stream of commerce’ doctrine of personal jurisdiction, a jurisdictional theory that has been employed increasingly in recent years in products liability actions. Asahi also is one of the few cases in which the Court …

Scholarly Reflections On The Court And The Constitution, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Need For A New National Court, Douglas D. Mcfarland, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

By any measure, the Supreme Court is tremendously overburdened. Statistics speak clearly on this point; sometimes they shout. After the caseload relief provided by the Judges' Bill, 4 which was passed in I925 and took effect during the I928 Term, the Supreme Court caseload grew slowly for thirty years. Beginning in the I96os, growth sharply accelerated, and during the I970S and I98os, the numbers exploded.

Thinking About Federal Jurisdiction — Of Serpents And Swallows, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

In this essay, Professor Baker assumes that the decision to get into or stay in federal court has been made, for whatever reason. His concentration is focused on providing a checklist of some of the typical challenges to jurisdiction and to highlight some uncommon responses. Organizationally, he first considers general issues which apply to all cases, and then considers separately some issues in diversity cases and in federal question cases.

1985 Survey Of Trends And Developments On Religious Liberty In The Courts, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this survey is to note important caselaw developments in the state and lower federal courts concerning religious liberty during 1985. Purposely omitted are the widely reported United State Supreme Court opinions, as well as cases where the high court has granted review during its 1985-86 term. The focus here is to collect significant cases that may otherwise escape broad attention. Only the facts and rationale of each court's decision is recorded. No editorial comment on the merits of these cases is intended.

Congressional Standing To Sue: Whose Vote Is This, Anyway?, R. Lawrence Dessem

Faculty Publications

The article is divided into three major sections. Section I traces the development of a separate doctrine of “congressional standing.” It examines the doctrine's development from the Supreme Court's initial consideration of legislative standing through the current opinions of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Section II then analyzes three possible theories of congressional injury and standing. Derivative, representative, and third-party standing theories are all rejected as a basis for congressional standing. While rejecting the suggestion that congressmen possess a personal interest in “their” votes sufficient to constitute the “distinct and palpable injury” required …

1986 Survey Of Trends And Developments In Religious Liberty In The Courts, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this survey is to note important caselaw developments in the state and lower federal courts concerning religious liberty. Purposely omitted are the widely reported United States Supreme Court opinions, as well as cases where the high court has granted review during its 1986-87 term. The focus here is to collect significant cases that may otherwise escape broad attention. Only the facts and rationale of each court's decision is recorded. No editorial comment on the merits of these cases is intended.

Judicial Independence And The Rule Of Law, Jonathan Van Patten

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of The Second American Revolution, Neal Devins

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Federal Jurisdiction, Thomas E. Baker

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Supreme Court And The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination: Has The Burger Court Retreated?, Paul Marcus

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.