Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Courts Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Seattle University Law Review

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 241 - 270 of 288

Full-Text Articles in Courts

Qualified Immunity And Statutory Interpretation, Ilan Wurman Sep 2014

Qualified Immunity And Statutory Interpretation, Ilan Wurman

Seattle University Law Review

Before the 1989 case of Graham v. Connor, excessive force cases were pursued under either state law or the insuperable “shocks the conscience” test of the Fourteenth Amendment. Only after Graham did excessive force cases—now under the Fourth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1983—inundate the federal courts, which had by then granted far-reaching immunities to officers for their constitutional torts. As a result of federal qualified immunity doctrine, which many states have adopted for themselves, excessive force cases rarely get to trial, plaintiffs often cannot recover, and courts struggle to find principled distinctions from one qualified immunity case to the …


Inevitable Imbalance: Why Ftc V. Actavis Was Inadequate To Solve The Reverse Payment Settlement Problem And Proposing A New Amendment To The Hatch-Waxman Act, Rachel A. Lewis Sep 2014

Inevitable Imbalance: Why Ftc V. Actavis Was Inadequate To Solve The Reverse Payment Settlement Problem And Proposing A New Amendment To The Hatch-Waxman Act, Rachel A. Lewis

Seattle University Law Review

The law regarding reverse payment settlements is anything but settled. Reverse payment settlements are settlements that occur during a patent infringement litigation in which a pharmaceutical patent holder pays a generic drug producer to not infringe on the pharmaceutical patent. Despite the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court in FTC v. Actavis, Inc., there are still unanswered questions about how the “full rule of reason” analysis will be applied to reverse payment. This Comment argues that despite the outcome in Actavis, the complex regulatory framework of the Hatch–Waxman Act will create repeated conflicts between antitrust law and patent …


Sue And Settle: Demonizing The Environmental Citizen Suit, Stephen M. Johnson Sep 2014

Sue And Settle: Demonizing The Environmental Citizen Suit, Stephen M. Johnson

Seattle University Law Review

In the spring of 2013, industry groups and states began a concerted lobbying effort to oppose citizen enforcement of the federal environmental laws. The United States Chamber of Commerce and lobbyists for states created a catch-phrase—“sue and settle”—to demonize citizen enforcement and the federal government’s practice of settling lawsuits it is destined to lose in court. The Chamber alleged that the federal government, by settling lawsuits brought by citizens groups rather than defending them in court, was colluding with those non-governmental organizations and excluding other affected parties to reallocate the agencies’ priorities and obligations. Federal environmental laws establish a central …


Taxing Judicial Restraint: How Washington's Supreme Court Misinterpreted Its Role And The Washington State Constitution, Nicholas Carlson Mar 2014

Taxing Judicial Restraint: How Washington's Supreme Court Misinterpreted Its Role And The Washington State Constitution, Nicholas Carlson

Seattle University Law Review

In the realm of constitutional interpretation, the judicial department reigns supreme. League of Education Voters v. State exemplifies the judiciary’s potential abuse of its interpretative role: The Washington Supreme Court misinterpreted its judicial function because it ignored the text of Washington State’s constitution and held a statute unconstitutional. The court, therefore, voided a statute because of judicial volition, not because Washington’s constitution demanded that outcome. This Note challenges the reasoning in League and makes a novel suggestion for Washington State constitutional analysis, an approach that may apply to other states. This Note details a new analytical framework for constitutional analysis …


Transgender Inpportunity And Inequality: Evaluating The Crossroads Between Immigration And Transgender Individuals, Alexandra Caggiano Mar 2014

Transgender Inpportunity And Inequality: Evaluating The Crossroads Between Immigration And Transgender Individuals, Alexandra Caggiano

Seattle University Law Review

Despite being married to a U.S. citizen, non-citizen transgender individuals and non-citizen spouses married to transgender U.S. citizens still face deportation today due to current immigration policies. When forced to return to their home countries, transgender individuals are likely to encounter violence from those who perpetuate hate towards transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Instead of protecting these individuals, the United States continues to send people back to their native countries solely because those individuals do not fall within the narrowly constructed definition of marriage some states use that is legally recognized by federal courts. Transgender individuals receive disparate treatment as …


The Voice Of Reason—Why Recent Judicial Interpretations Of The Antiterrorism And Effective Death Penalty Act’S Restrictions On Habeas Corpus Are Wrong, Judith L. Ritter Nov 2013

The Voice Of Reason—Why Recent Judicial Interpretations Of The Antiterrorism And Effective Death Penalty Act’S Restrictions On Habeas Corpus Are Wrong, Judith L. Ritter

Seattle University Law Review

By filing a petition for a federal writ of habeas corpus, a prisoner initiates a legal proceeding collateral to the direct appeals process. Federal statutes set forth the procedure and parameters of habeas corpus review. The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) first signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, included significant cut-backs in the availability of federal writs of habeas corpus. This was by congressional design. Yet, despite the dire predictions, for most of the first decade of AEDPA’s reign, the door to habeas relief remained open. More recently, however, the Supreme Court reinterpreted a key portion …


Protect Me From Myself: Determining Competency To Waive The Right To Counsel During Civil-Commitment Proceedings In Washington State, Jacob J. Stender Apr 2011

Protect Me From Myself: Determining Competency To Waive The Right To Counsel During Civil-Commitment Proceedings In Washington State, Jacob J. Stender

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that an unarticulated, heightened standard of competency to waive counsel, under which Washington currently operates, is the ideal standard to address the unique concerns that exist in civil- commitment proceedings. This Comment clarifies the existing law governing the determination of a party’s right to waive counsel, as well as the determination of the validity of such a waiver. This Comment also articulates a comprehensive inquiry standard for trial courts, both within and outside of Washington, to apply when determining the competency of a party and the validity of a waiver. The goal of this express determination standard …


“Like Wolves In Sheep’S Clothing”: Combating Racial Bias In Washington State’S Criminal Justice System, Krista L. Nelson, Jacob J. Stender Apr 2011

“Like Wolves In Sheep’S Clothing”: Combating Racial Bias In Washington State’S Criminal Justice System, Krista L. Nelson, Jacob J. Stender

Seattle University Law Review

Despite their differences, both the majority and concurring opinions in Monday present new ways to address prosecutorial misconduct, deter the injection of racial bias into courtroom proceedings, and create substantively similar outcomes. Part II of this Note discusses the traditional prosecutorial misconduct test in Washington State, as well as the rules articulated by the Monday majority and concurrence. Part III discusses the implications of both the majority and concurring opinions, the primary differences in their approaches to deterrence, the degree of racial bias they require to warrant reversal of a conviction, and the discretion they afford the judiciary. Part III …


The Impact Of Implicit Racial Bias On The Exercise Of Prosecutorial Discretion, Robert J. Smith, Justin D. Levinson Apr 2011

The Impact Of Implicit Racial Bias On The Exercise Of Prosecutorial Discretion, Robert J. Smith, Justin D. Levinson

Seattle University Law Review

The Article is organized as follows: Part II provides an introduction to implicit bias research, orienting readers to the important aspects of implicit bias most relevant to prosecutorial discretion. Part III begins the examination of implicit bias in the daily decisions of prosecutors. The Part presents key prosecutorial discretion points and specifically connects each of them to implicit bias. Part IV recognizes that, despite compelling proof of implicit bias in a range of domains, there is no direct empirical proof of implicit bias in prosecutorial decision-making. It thus calls for an implicit bias research agenda designed to further examine how …


“If Justice Is Not Equal For All, It Is Not Justice”: Racial Bias, Prosecutorial Misconduct, And The Right To A Fair Trial In State V. Monday, Michael Callahan Apr 2011

“If Justice Is Not Equal For All, It Is Not Justice”: Racial Bias, Prosecutorial Misconduct, And The Right To A Fair Trial In State V. Monday, Michael Callahan

Seattle University Law Review

This Note argues that of the three opinions from Monday, Washington state courts should follow Chief Justice Madsen’s concurring opinion. The Monday decision also raises three questions that none of the opinions adequately answer: who does Monday apply to, what conduct does Monday forbid, and what is the legal source of the rules from Monday? The court will have to answer these questions in the future to determine the scope of its new rules. Part II of this Note discusses how Washington courts previously addressed the issue of prosecutorial misconduct and appeals to racial bias in trials. Part …


Dead Wrong: Why Washington’S Deadly Weapon Criminal Sentencing Enhancement Needs “Enhancement”, James Harlan Corning Apr 2011

Dead Wrong: Why Washington’S Deadly Weapon Criminal Sentencing Enhancement Needs “Enhancement”, James Harlan Corning

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment confronts the difficult question of how to reformulate the deadly weapon sentencing enhancement to better align it with the policy goals of deterring and punishing armed crime. Part II explores the constitutional and practical defects in each of the three formulations of the sentencing enhancement’s armed requirement by delving into the enhancement’s legislative history and the judicial struggle to interpret it. Part III analyzes the need for a more nuanced approach to the weapon enhancement by exploring key criticisms about the enhancement’s scope and application. Part IV argues that the Washington legislature must provide courts with more rigid …


Preliminary Report On Race And Washington's Criminal Justice System, Task Force On Race And The Criminal Justice System Apr 2011

Preliminary Report On Race And Washington's Criminal Justice System, Task Force On Race And The Criminal Justice System

Seattle University Law Review

For this Report, the Research Working Group reviewed evidence on disproportionality in Washington’s criminal justice system and considered whether crime commission rates accounted for this disproportionality. We found that crime commission rates by race and ethnicity are largely unknown and perhaps unknowable, but that some researchers simply take arrest rates as good proxies for underlying commission rates for all crimes.We found that use of arrest rates likely overstates black crime commission rates for several reasons.68 But even if arrest rates are used as a proxy for underlying crime commission rates, the extent of racial disproportionality is not explained by commission …


A Call For Judicial Scrutiny: How Increased Judicial Discretion Has Led To Disparity And Unpredictability In Federal Sentencings For Child Pornography, Loren Rigsby Jan 2010

A Call For Judicial Scrutiny: How Increased Judicial Discretion Has Led To Disparity And Unpredictability In Federal Sentencings For Child Pornography, Loren Rigsby

Seattle University Law Review

The United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) has made child pornography related crimes among the most harshly punishable federal offenses. Nevertheless, sentencing judges have regained the right to depart from the recommended Federal Sentencing Guidelines (Guidelines). The Guideline range for child pornography reflects sound and clear congressional intent to impose harsh penalties on defendants to deter, and ultimately eliminate, the market for child pornography. For this reason, this Comment argues that sentences that fall outside the Guidelines range should be reviewed with much greater scrutiny and should not be used solely to reflect a judge’s view that the advised sentence is …


Should Parents Be Allowed To Record A Child's Telephone Conversations When They Believe The Child Is In Danger?: An Examination Ofthe Federal Wiretap Statute And The Doctrine Of Vicarious Consent In The Context Of A Criminal Prosecution, Daniel R. Dinger Jan 2005

Should Parents Be Allowed To Record A Child's Telephone Conversations When They Believe The Child Is In Danger?: An Examination Ofthe Federal Wiretap Statute And The Doctrine Of Vicarious Consent In The Context Of A Criminal Prosecution, Daniel R. Dinger

Seattle University Law Review

This Article addresses the little-used but important doctrine of vicarious consent; in particular, the Article argues that the doctrine should be more widely accepted by the criminal courts. Part II gives a brief overview of the federal wiretap statute, its state law counterparts, and the doctrine of vicarious consent that has emerged as courts have interpreted federal and state wiretap legislation. Part III addresses the doctrine's viability and, as referenced above, argues that it should be accepted by the criminal courts. Specifically, Part III argues that when a parent records a child's telephone conversations with a third party out of …


Public Access To Juvenile Dependency Proceedings In Washington State: An Important Piece Of The Permanency Puzzle, Sara Vanmeter Jan 2004

Public Access To Juvenile Dependency Proceedings In Washington State: An Important Piece Of The Permanency Puzzle, Sara Vanmeter

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that the Washington State legislature took an important step along the road to permanency for abused and neglected children in the state's care when it revised its Juvenile Court Act in 2003. This Act created the presumption that dependency proceedings are open to the public unless a judge determines that excluding the public is in the best interest of the child. This change in Washington state law represents one piece of the puzzle of reforms necessary to reach permanency goals for children in our child welfare system. Those states whose juvenile dependency hearings remainclosed should now consider …


Therapeutic Domestic Violence Courts: An Efficient Approach To Adjudication?, Hon. Catherine Shaffer Jan 2004

Therapeutic Domestic Violence Courts: An Efficient Approach To Adjudication?, Hon. Catherine Shaffer

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Article will explore the history of state intervention to confront domestic violence, along with some of the attitudes that contribute to the lack of adequate enforcement of recent legislative reforms. Part III of this Article will discuss the costs of domestic violence and the impact of superficial court treatment in reducing those costs. Part IV will outline the historical development, philosophy, and potential development of therapeutic courts, and in particular will examine the proven effectiveness of the drug court model and the potential benefits that are unique to domestic violence courts. Part V suggests further creation …


No Bond, No Body, And No Return Of Service: The Failure To Honor Misdemeanor And Gross Misdemeanor Warrants In The State Of Washington, Hon. Philip J. Van De Veer Jan 2003

No Bond, No Body, And No Return Of Service: The Failure To Honor Misdemeanor And Gross Misdemeanor Warrants In The State Of Washington, Hon. Philip J. Van De Veer

Seattle University Law Review

This Article will first examine how the warrant system works in Washington and how jail overcrowding and prisoner litigation has hindered the ability of law enforcement to arrest defendants wanted on misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor warrants. Second, the scope of the problem will be documented, followed by an analysis of why limited jurisdiction judges are currently unable to adequately respond to the growing problem. Finally, the harms caused by the failure to execute warrants will be detailed, followed by a survey of options available to correct the problem.


Time Is Not On Your Side: Establishing A Consistent Statute Of Limitations For The Alien Tort Claims Act, David E. Chawes Jan 2003

Time Is Not On Your Side: Establishing A Consistent Statute Of Limitations For The Alien Tort Claims Act, David E. Chawes

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment argues that inconsistent application of limitations periods to ATCA claims does not provide sufficient and certain notice to potential parties to allow them to bring a timely claim, thereby potentially denying them an opportunity to receive a fair hearing in federal courts. Absent a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to provide consistent guidance on the applicable ATCA limitations period, Congress should amend the statute to provide a specific ten-year limitations period for most torts. Because both international and U.S. laws provide that murder committed as part of the crime of genocide has no statute of limitations," ATCA claims arising …


Recent Changes To Washington's Jury Trials: A Great System Made Even Better, Jeffrey C. Grant Jan 2003

Recent Changes To Washington's Jury Trials: A Great System Made Even Better, Jeffrey C. Grant

Seattle University Law Review

It was in this spirit that the Board of Judicial Administration created the Washington State Jury Commission in June 1999. The Commission's mandate was to "conduct a broad inquiry into the jury system and examine issues including ... juror responsiveness, citizen satisfaction from jury service, adequacy of juror reimbursement, and improving juror participation in trials." This Article sets forth a brief summary of the Commission's work and examines, in more detail, certain, specific recommendations of the Commission, including those that have been implemented and those that have not. In addition, this Article provides an update on the status of the …


Foreign Judgments In American And English Courts: A Comparative Analysis, Brian Richard Paige Jan 2003

Foreign Judgments In American And English Courts: A Comparative Analysis, Brian Richard Paige

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this Comment provides some background on the current American scheme of foreign judgment recognition and enforcement by comparing and contrasting its three major components American common law, the Restatement (Third) of Foreign Relations Law, and the Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act. Part III tracks the English scheme of foreign judgment recognition and enforcement from its common law origin to its more sophisticated and streamlined foreign judgment registration system. Finally, Part IV suggests that the United States could benefit from the implementation of federal legislation that would bring foreign judgment registration procedures to American courts and provide for …


The Discreet Charm Of The Mixed Jury: The Epistemology Of Jury Selection And The Perils Of Post-Modernism, Peter J. Richards Jan 2003

The Discreet Charm Of The Mixed Jury: The Epistemology Of Jury Selection And The Perils Of Post-Modernism, Peter J. Richards

Seattle University Law Review

The first section of this Article will introduce the dynamics of the relationship between two competing visions of impartiality as it has played out in the opinions of federal and state courts, including secondary sources. I call the two approaches "modernist" and "post- modernist" and examine the arguments that have sought to broaden the scope of the fair cross-section requirement in the name of the latter view, a perspective similar to that motivating the district judge in the Crown Heights case. Part II identifies the Supreme Court's opening gestures in the direction of the "post-modernist" model. Part III carries the …


A Three-Dimensional Model For The Use Of Expert Psychiatric And Psychological Evidence In False Confession Defenses Before The Trier Of Fact, Major Joshua E. Kastenberg Jan 2003

A Three-Dimensional Model For The Use Of Expert Psychiatric And Psychological Evidence In False Confession Defenses Before The Trier Of Fact, Major Joshua E. Kastenberg

Seattle University Law Review

Part I of this Article delineates a defendant's right to present voluntariness and credibility evidence against his or her confession. This section analyzes the basic constitutional framework of how a defendant can present this evidence and describes the traditional safeguards against false confessions. This background information provides a context for the overarching issue of expert testimony admissibility. Part II provides a basic understanding of differences between the psychiatric (medical model) and psychological (social model) approach to false confessions. It then examines the types of false confession defenses used by defendants and the interrogation techniques challenged by defendants. Part III reviews …


Winning The Battle While Losing The War: Ramifications Of The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Of Review's First Decision, Stephanie Kornblum Jan 2003

Winning The Battle While Losing The War: Ramifications Of The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Of Review's First Decision, Stephanie Kornblum

Seattle University Law Review

This Note will outline the history preceding the passage of FISA, including a discussion of the cases from which the "primary purpose test" arose. The Note will then explore the language of the FISA statute, and the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals' continuing reliance on the "primary purpose" test in the analysis of cases decided following the passage of FISA. Following a discussion of the historic FISC and FISA Review Court opinions in Parts III and IV, including an articulation of the Patriot Act amendments to FISA, Part V of the Note will focus on the ramifications of the Review …


A State Supreme Court In Transition, James E. Bond, Kelly Kunsch Jan 2002

A State Supreme Court In Transition, James E. Bond, Kelly Kunsch

Seattle University Law Review

This article presents a statistical snapshot of voting patterns within the Washington Supreme Court at the turn of the century and then explores how the changing makeup of the court may affect substantive areas of the law. The Washington Supreme Court is in a state of transition; following the November 2000 elections, only Justice Smith has served more than ten years on the high court. Four of the nine justices are serving their first terms. By looking at the opinions and voting records of both the remaining and departing members of the court, we can make some generalizations about the …


Demystifying Ambiguous Statutes With The Maxims Of Statutory Interpretation: A Closer Look At J.D. Tan, Llc V. Summers, Alexander Kleinberg Jan 2002

Demystifying Ambiguous Statutes With The Maxims Of Statutory Interpretation: A Closer Look At J.D. Tan, Llc V. Summers, Alexander Kleinberg

Seattle University Law Review

Section I begins with a brief discussion of the maxims of statutory interpretation and an explanation of how courts employ them to determine an enigmatic law's meaning. Section II provides a history of the J.D. Tan case, including a chronicle of the underlying dispute between the principal debtor, William Summers, and the assighee of the judgment holder, J.D. Tan, LLC. Section III explains why the statute at issue in J.D. Tan, RCW 6.17.020(3), was ambiguous when this case was decided, and how this statute was in need of judicial interpretation via application of the maxims of statutory interpretation. Section IV …


Mitigation Evidence And Capital Cases In Washington: Proposals For Change, Mary Pat Treuthart, Anne Branstad, Matthew Kite Jan 2002

Mitigation Evidence And Capital Cases In Washington: Proposals For Change, Mary Pat Treuthart, Anne Branstad, Matthew Kite

Seattle University Law Review

Part II of this article examines the United States Supreme Court's recognition of the importance of mitigation evidence in capital cases. Part III then focuses on the role of mitigation evidence in Washington's death penalty scheme. The following section, Part IV, addresses the public policy implications when mitigation evidence is not presented. Finally, Part V proposes changes to the current sentencing procedure in Washington involving capital crimes.


Revisiting Erie, Guaranty Trust, And Gasperini: The Role Of Jewish Social History In Fashioning Modern American Federalism, Daniel R. Gordon Jan 2002

Revisiting Erie, Guaranty Trust, And Gasperini: The Role Of Jewish Social History In Fashioning Modern American Federalism, Daniel R. Gordon

Seattle University Law Review

This article explores the connection between traditional Jewish localism and the creation of modern American federalism that flows from the Erie doctrine. First, the riddle of Gasperiniis explored. Next, the federalist philosophies of Justices Brandeis and Frankfurter in Erie and Guaranty Trust are discussed. Finally, the article analyzes how Justices Brandeis, Frankfurter, and Ginsburg, as twentieth century American Jews, embody the traditional Jewish minority experience that, at least in part, was informed by anti-Semitism.


Courts As Watchdogs Of The Washington State Initiative Process, Kenneth P. Miller Jan 2001

Courts As Watchdogs Of The Washington State Initiative Process, Kenneth P. Miller

Seattle University Law Review

This Article describes the high rate at which courts have invali- dated Washington initiatives and then explores why this is so. The Article suggests that it is initiative lawmaking's Populist orientation—with respect to both its unfiltered majoritarian processes and its often—constitutionally suspect substance-that makes initiatives vulnerable to legal attack.


A New Approach To Statutory Interpretation In Washington, Philip A. Talmadge Jan 2001

A New Approach To Statutory Interpretation In Washington, Philip A. Talmadge

Seattle University Law Review

In this article, I will first explore Washington's existing law, both statutory and judicial, on statutory interpretation. I will then evaluate the mechanisms for construing statutes derived from common law and legislative sources. Finally, I will recommend a new paradigm for statutory construction so that legislative intent may be more accurately conveyed to the courts, abandoning many of the time-encrusted canons in favor of principles of interpretation adhering more specifically to the legislature's actual statutory language.


Thou Shall Not Strike: Religion-Based Peremptory Challenges Under The Washington State Constitution, Justin Dolan Jan 2001

Thou Shall Not Strike: Religion-Based Peremptory Challenges Under The Washington State Constitution, Justin Dolan

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment will first define the peremptory challenge and discuss its history and normative values. It will then examine the United States Supreme Court's treatment of the peremptory challenge, focusing on how the peremptory challenge has changed from a litigation device that lawyers could exercise without explanation to one that at times requires an explanation for it to survive constitutional challenge. Next, this Comment will discuss state courts' independent interpretation of fundamental rights, Washington courts' decisions in harmony with this principle, and State v. Gunwall, the guide to independent constitutional interpretation in Washington. This Comment will show that under …