Criminal Law Commons^™

What's Competence Got To Do With It: The Right Not To Be Acquitted By Reason Of Insanity, Justine A. Dunlap

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Old Chief V. United States: Stipulating Away Prosecutorial Accountability?, Daniel Richman

Faculty Scholarship

Earlier this year, in Old Chief v. United States, the Supreme Court finally resolved a circuit split on a nagging evidentiary issue: When a defendant charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm offers to satisfy one of the statute's elements by stipulating to the existence of a prior felony conviction, may the government decline the stipulation and prove the existence and the nature of that prior felony?

The question of evidence law resolved in Old Chief is not particularly earth-shattering. Indeed, while the Court divided five to four on the issue, neither Justice Souter's opinion …

Making Constitutional Doctrine In A Realist Age, Victoria Nourse

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this article the author considers three examples of modern constitutional doctrine that show how judges have stolen bits and pieces from popularized skepticisms about the job of judging and have molded this stolen rhetoric into doctrine. In the first example, she asks whether constitutional law's recent penchant for doctrinal rules based on "clear law" could have existed without the modern age's obsession with legal uncertainty. In the second, the author considers whether our contemporary rhetoric of constitutional "interests" and "expectations" reflects modern critiques of doctrine as failing to address social needs. In the third, she asks how an offhand …

Does Public Choice Theory Justify Judicial Activism After All?, Thomas W. Merrill

Faculty Scholarship

Some legal scholars have argued that public choice theory justifies certain kinds of judicial activism. Others have said it does not. Given the present state of the debate, it would appear that those finding no necessary support for judicial activism have the stronger argument. I will suggest, however, that if we tweak the analysis a little further, it may turn out that public choice theory provides limited support for judicial activism after all.

Crushing Equality: Gender Equal Sentencing In America, Christopher M. Alexander

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Images Of Women And Capital Sentencing Among Female Offenders: Exploring The Outer Limits Of The Eighth Amendment And Articulated Theories Of Justice, Jenny E. Carroll

Faculty Scholarship

This Note explores the effect on women of this process of demarcating boundaries of unacceptable behavior within the context of a capital punishment system. Additionally, this Note explores the Eighth Amendment implications of these boundaries within capital jurisprudence. Part I examines the two most prominent theories put forth by feminist scholars to explain sentencing patterns among female capital offenders-the "chivalry theory" and the "evil woman" theory. These theories attempt to account for both the limited use of the death penalty for women and the presence of certain women on death row. In Part II, this Note considers the limited empirical …

Condemned By Substance And Process: A Comment On “Doubly Condemned”: Adjustments To The Crime And Punishment Regime In The Late Slavery Period In The British Caribbean Colonies And “Under The Present Mode Of Trial, Improper Verdicts Are Very Often Given”: Criminal Procedure In The Trials Of Slaves In Antebellum Louisiana, Raymond T. Diamond

Cardozo Law Review

The substance of modem criminal law and the procedures through which that law is enforced are a subject of current debate. On the one hand, some call into question the use of criminal sanctions as a means of enforcing schemes of regulation meant to guarantee public welfare. By the same token, violent crime and crime that is otherwise malum in se has caused increasing levels of fear and concomitant calls for more vigorous enforcement of the criminal law. As a result, the rights that protect the accused from intrusions by a potentially tyrannical state and from arbitrary decision making by …

Constitutional Law Ii: The Law And Politics Of Constitutional Cases, Oregon Law Institute, Susan P. Graber, W. Michael Gillette, Rebecca R. Davis, David Schuman, Claudia E. Burton, David Heynderickx, Kelly W.G. Clark

Oregon Law Institute, 1996

Course Materials from the October 11, 1996 Program in Portland

Pretrial Publicity In Criminal Cases Of National Notoriety: Constructing A Remedy For The Remediless Wrong , Robert Hardaway, Douglas B. Tumminello

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Fate Of “Megan’S Law” In New York, Alison Virag Greissman

Cardozo Law Review

Sexual crimes disgust, anger, and frighten Americans in a way that no other human act does. The transgressions of sex offenders leave victims with lifelong scars and violate society's most fundamental notions of right and wrong. Indeed, husbands beating their wives with frying pans, boyfriends punching their girlfriends with their fists, and men striking women with kitchen chairs and baseball bats in every city of our country are atrocities. Although barbaric, these examples of violent and often fatal attacks are not of the same nature as an assault in which a man desecrates a woman by invading the most intimate …

Golan V. Prisons Service, Eliahu Mazza, Mishael Cheshin, Dalia Dorner

Translated Opinions

Facts: The appellant asked the respondent for permission to publish articles about prison life in a local newspaper. The respondent refused. The appellant filed a petition in the District Court against this refusal, but his petition was rejected. Leave was given to appeal the District Court’s decision to the Supreme Court.

Held: (Majority opinion — Justices E. Mazza, D. Dorner) The respondent has a duty to uphold human rights, and it must make reasonable efforts and devote reasonable resources to do this.

(Minority opinion — Justice M. Cheshin) The respondent’s argument that it is not its task to censor newspaper …

The Limits Of Legal Language: Decisionmaking In Capital Cases, Jordan M. Steiker

Michigan Law Review

To make the case for the proposed changes, I will first describe briefly in Parts I and II the structure of pre- and post-Furman capital decisiorurtaking and the weaknesses of those approaches. I then will set forth in Part III the specific rationales for each proposed reform.

The scheme I propose raises a significant constitutional question. Can the death penalty be retained as a punishment if we abandon the pretense of providing meaningful guidance through detailed sentencing instructions? Would the reestablishment of relatively unstructured penalty phase deliberations similar to, but also importantly different from, those characteristic of pre-Furman …

The Standard Of Review For The Voluntariness Of A Confession On Direct Appeal In Federal Court, Peter B. Rutledge

Scholarly Works

Section I of this Comment reviews the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on confessions, provides a close reading of Miller v. Finton, 474 U.S. 104 (1985), and reviews the division among the federal circuits over the standard of review for voluntariness determinations on direct appeal. Section II analyzes the literature on standards of review and focuses on two vexing problems in this field-the application of law to fact (hereinafter "mixed questions") and the constitutional fact doctrine. These two issues frame the analysis of voluntariness determinations. Section III analyzes these determinations and defends the application of de novo review in cases on …

Spousal Incompetency And The Charter, Hamish Stewart

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This article considers the effect of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the rule of spousal incompetency in criminal proceedings. The rule is arguably under-inclusive, in that it is not available to protect opposite-sex couples who are not legally married or same-sex couples; on the other hand, the rule is arguably offensive to the modem conception of marriage. The Charter arguments for each of these positions are considered, and it is submitted that the Charter requires the rule of spousal incompetency, whatever it is, to apply equally to legally married couples, to cohabitants, and to same-sex couples. A …

The Federalization Of State Crimes: Some Observations And Reflections, Sam J. Ervin Iii

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lopez And The Federalization Of Criminal Law, Russell L. Weaver

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federalism And The Judicial Function: A Cutting Edge Amidst Professions Of Restraint, Donald E. Lively

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federalism, Federalization, And The Politics Of Crime, Gerald G. Ashdown

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Macro And Micro Evaluation Of The Federalization Of Crime, Gerald G. Ashdown

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Paranoia, Patriotism, And The Citizen Militia Movement: Constitutional Right Or Criminal Conduct?, R.J. Larizza

Mercer Law Review

As this country rushes towards the twenty first century, a growing cloud of civil unrest has found its way into the hearts of many Americans. In a bold move to challenge the power of the federal government, a significant number of American citizens have sought refuge from perceived government injustice by forming citizen militias. These self styled militia groups fear that the liberties guaranteed by the United States Constitution are rapidly evaporating in the wake of a federal government that has grown too large and powerful. For example, while addressing the Senate Subcommittee on terrorism, Norman Olson (Commander of the …

One Bite At The Apple: Reversals Of Convictions Tainted By Prosecutorial Misconduct And The Ban On Double Jeopardy, Rick A. Bierschbach

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that the Double Jeopardy Clause bars retrial after reversals of convictions tainted by prosecutorial misconduct in the submission of evidence when two conditions are met: (1) the prosecutor intentionally introduced tainted evidence, and (2) excluding the tainted evidence would have left insufficient evidence at trial to support the defendant's conviction. This Note contends that this limited extension of double jeopardy protection is both mandated by the policies underlying the Double Jeopardy Clause and consistent with existing double jeopardy jurisprudence.

Consistently Inconsistent: The Supreme Court And The Confusion Surrounding Proportionality In Non-Capital Sentencing, Steven P. Grossman

All Faculty Scholarship

(Adapted by permission from 84 Ky. L. J. 107 (1995)) This article examines the Supreme Court's treatment of the Eighth Amendment with respect to claims of excessiveness regarding prison sentences. Specifically, it addresses the issue of whether and to what degree the Eighth Amendment requires that a punishment not be disproportional to the crime punished. In analyzing all of the modern holdings of the Court in this area, one finds significant fault with each. The result of this series of flawed opinions from the Supreme Court is that the state of the law with respect to proportionality in sentencing is …

Pretrial Publicity In Criminal Cases Of National Notoriety: Constructing A Remedy For The Remediless Wrong, Robert M. Hardaway, Douglas B. Tumminello

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Part I of this Article examines the history of pretrial publicity in American courts and explores the values that the Sixth Amendment seeks to protect. Part II criticizes the Supreme Court's current approach to the pretrial publicity problem. Part III analyzes case studies of nationally notorious trials. Part IV explores remedial measures reasonably calculated to nullify the effects of prejudicial publicity and cases in which a trial judge's omission of those measures constitutes reversible error. Finally, this Article concludes by setting forth a proposed standard that should be applied in order to ensure the defendant's right to a fair trial …

The Clipper Chip Proposal: Deciphering The Unfounded Fears That Are Wrongfully Derailing Its Implementation, 29 J. Marshall L. Rev. 475 (1996), Howard S. Dakoff

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of United States V. Lopez Upon Selected Firearms Provisions Of Title 18 U.S.C. 922, Carlo D'Angelo

St. Thomas Law Review

This Note will examine the Court's holding in Lopez and discuss how it may impact jurisdiction over other selected federal firearm statutes. Part I traces the development of the Interstate Commerce Clause through a brief analysis of its history. Part II discusses the Supreme Court's majority holding in Lopez, while Part III analyzes the holding's possible impact upon other selected federal firearm statutes.

The State As Landlord: The Constitutionality Of The Termination Of Public Housing Leases On Account Of A Tenant's Illegal Activities, Mark Anthony Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

Paragraph 107(l)(b) of the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Act enables landlords to evict tenants on short notice for engaging in illegal activity or for permitting such activity to be conducted in or on any part of the rental premises. Under this provision, the landlord can serve a notice of termination on the tenant, who may then exercise his/her right to dispute the landlord's allegation at a scheduled court hearing.

This paper suggests that paragraph 107(l)(b) is inconsistent with the underlying purposes of the Landlord and Tenant Act, and might run afoul of sections 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter …

Double Jeopardy—Civil Forfeitures And Criminal Punishment: Who Determines What Punishments Fit The Crime, Barbara A. Mack

Seattle University Law Review

This Article will attempt to distill from this confusion a meaningful double jeopardy policy, applicable to parallel civil and criminal proceedings, that takes into account the history of double jeopardy, recent changes in statutory law, and the contemporary chaotic state of parallel civil and criminal proceedings. Under current law, double jeopardy protects against three abuses: (1) a second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal, (2) a second prosecution for the same offense after conviction, and (3) multiple punishments for the same offense. This Article will show that the multiple punishments prong has little basis in law, other than reliance …

When The Constable Blunders: A Comparison Of The Law Of Police Interrogation In Canada And The United States, Robert Harvie, Hamar Foster

Seattle University Law Review

This Article explores the Supreme Court of Canada's use of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in limiting police interrogations and compares its case decisions with cases from the Supreme Court of the United States. Part II of this Article examines the purposes and policies underlying sections 10(b), 7, and 24(2) of the Charter. Part III then examines the application of sections 10(b) and 7 in situations where (1) suspects are interrogated by uniformed police officers or other persons known to be in authority, and (2) suspects are interrogated surreptitiously by persons not known to be in authority. In both …

The Denial Of A State Constitutional Right To Bail In Juvenile Proceedings: The Need For Reassessment In Washington State, Kathleen A. Baldi

Seattle University Law Review

Article I, section 20 of the Washington Constitution states that "[a]ll persons charged with crimes shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offenses when the proof is evident, or the presumption great." Despite seemingly unequivocal language that this constitutional provision is applicable to "all persons," the Washington Supreme Court, in Estes v. Hopp, declared that juveniles do not have a constitutional right to bail. The Estes court engaged in little constitutional analysis, but instead, reasoned that juvenile proceedings are civil in nature and that article 1, section 20 applies only in criminal proceedings. Central to the Estes …

Defensively Invoking Treaties In American Courts--Jurisdictional Challenges Under The U.N. Drug Trafficking Convention By Foreign Defendants Kidnapped Abroad By U.S. Agents, Thomas Michael Mcdonnell

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article unravels the non-self-executing treaty doctrine, examines the invocation of a treaty as a defense to governmental action, and develops a test for when an individual (rather than a government) may assert a treaty defensively in state or federal courts. Lastly, this Article applies this test to state-sponsored kidnapping and the U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The parties to this treaty, which was sponsored by the United States, barred one country's law enforcement agents from operating without permission on another country's soil and rejected a provision requiring a country to extradite its own …