Criminal Law Commons^™

Rico Rights For Erisa Wrongs: Can Plaintiffs Find Relief Despite Erisa Preemption Of State-Law Claims?, Alan R. Ross

Washington Law Review

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) preempts state laws that relate to employee benefit plans and allows only equitable relief for those who are injured by decisions of ERISA plan administrators. Even though the interpretation of ERISA's preemptive power has changed since 1974, ERISA still poses a significant challenge to plaintiffs in actions for damages against plan administrators. This Comment suggests that another federal law, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which is explicitly not preempted by ERISA, may provide relief. The challenges that a plaintiff bringing an action against plan administrators may face include …

The Relationship Between The International Criminal Court And The International Community, Khaled M. Ahmed

LLM Theses and Essays

Due to the fact that no work of this size could address every aspect of the Rome Statute, this study is limited to the provisions of Parts 2, 9, and 10 of the Rome Statute. These provisions cover all matters being on the relationship between the Court and states, in general, and especially the obligations of states parties under the Statute. The first chapter will examine the historical journey toward an international criminal court, beginning with World War I, continuing throughout the twentieth century and ending with the adoption of the Rome Statute in the Diplomatic Conference in Rome on …

The Tools For Enforcing International Criminal Justice In The New Millennium: Lessons From The Yugoslavia Tribunal, Michael P. Scharf

Faculty Publications

It is one thing to create an international institution devoted to enforcing international justice; it is quite another to make international justice work. Unlike the Nuremberg Tribunal, whose orders were implemented by the Allied occupation forces, the ICC will have no constabulary. In the absence of a direct enforcement mechanism, the ICC will have to rely on state cooperation and indirect means of inducing compliance with its arrest orders and requests for judicial cooperation.

The range of enforcement measures potentially available to the ICC include: (1) condemnation of non-cooperation by the Assembly of State Parties or the U.N. Security Council; …

Cracking The Code: "De-Coding" Colorblind Slurs During The Congressional Crack Cocaine Debates, Richard Dvorak

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

This article proposes "de-coding" as a method for unveiling the racist purpose behind the enactment of race-neutral legislation. Through the use of "code words," defined as “phrases and symbols which refer indirectly to racial themes, but do not directly challenge popular democratic or egalitarian ideals,” legislators can appeal to racist sentiments without appearing racist. More importantly, they can do so without leaving evidence that can be traced back as an intent to discriminate. This article proposes to use "de-coding" as a method to unmask the racist purpose behind the enactment of the 100:1 crack versus powder cocaine ratio for mandatory …

A Judicious Solution: The Criminal Law Committee Draft Redefinition Of The Loss Concept In Economic Crime Sentencing, Frank O. Bowman Iii

Faculty Publications

In December 1999, the United States Sentencing Commission (Commission), an institution that had been in suspended animation for over a year with all seven voting seats vacant, fluttered its eyelids and came back to life. An agreement between the Senate and the White House produced seven new Commissioners: five sitting federal judges, the former General Counsel of the Commission, and a law professor. The new group began work immediately, making itself accessible in meetings with lawyers and judges around the country, exuding an air of intelligence and collegiality, and dispensing in short order with a backlog of amendments to the …

Extraditing Israeli Citizens To The United States- Extradition And Citizenship Dilemmas, Yaffa Zilbershats

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article will address the problems of extraditing Israeli citizens to the United States from both a normative and substantive perspective. The analysis will lead to a conclusion that the United States and Israel should adopt an amendment to the United States-Israel extradition treaty based on the new provision of the Israeli law regarding the extradition of its citizens. This analysis will also support general conclusions regarding the definitions of extradition and citizenship.

Crossing The Line: Rape-Murder And The Death Penalty, Phyllis L. Crocker

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

When a woman is raped and then murdered, it is among the most horrifying of crimes. It is also, often, among the most sensational, notorious, and galvanizing of cases. In 1964, Kitty Genovese was raped and murdered in Queens, New York. Her murder sparked soul-searching across the country because her neighbors heard her cries for help and did not respond: it made us question whether we had become an uncaring people. During the 1970s and 80s a number of serial killers raped and murdered their victims: including Ted Bundy in Florida and William George Bonin, the “Freeway Killer,” in Southern …

The "Saintly" Cardozo : Character And The Criminal Law, Richard Polenberg

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dna "Line-Ups" Based On A Reasonable Suspicion Standard, Angus J. Dodson

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Three Strikes And You're Out Of Constitutional Rights? The Prison Litigation Reform Act's "Three Strikes" Provision And It's Effect On Indigents, Joshua D. Franklin

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Legacy Of Geographical Morality And Colonialism: A Historical Assessment Of The Current Crusade Against Corruption, Padideh Ala'i

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

This Article examines the legacy of the rule of geographical morality - that is the norm by which a citizen of the country in the North may engage in acts of corruption in any country in the South, including bribery and extortion, without the attachment of any moral condemnation to those acts. Part I of the Article begins by reviewing the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings, who served as Governor General of the Bengal from 1772-1785, on charges of bribery and corruption. It was during that impeachment proceeding when the words "principles of geographical morality" were used by, the prosectuor, …

Sclerosis: Retributive Justice And The Rwandan Genocide, Mark A. Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

In the 1994 Rwandan genocide 800,000 people were massacred. The victims were overwhelmingly of the minority Tutsi ethnic group and the aggressors of the majority Hutu group. At present, 125,000 Hutu prisoners remain incarcerated while awaiting trial on genocide-related charges. This article argues that these trials, and the extensive incapacitation that necessarily precedes them, may do little to promote justice, regime legitimacy, or national reconciliation in Rwanda. This, in turn, raises broader questions about the role of criminal punishment and sentencing in situations of mass violence. Criminality usually attaches to deviant conduct. Mass political violence -- from Nazi Germany to …

Parallels In Predicting Dangerousness--What Price Security?, Vanessa Merton, Adele Bernhard

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

One question is: why should an employer have any duty to intervene, respond, or warn when an employee is deemed “dangerous”? What expertise in making these predictions can your average business manager bring to the table? As lawyers we tend never to look at law that is more than a week old. Similarly, scientists prefer not to rely on science that is more than a few months old. Yet, here is an article written almost 20 years ago when I was a young Associate for Law at the Hastings Center for a symposium honoring the great forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jonas …

Defending Defending: The Case For Unmitigated Zeal On Behalf Of People Who Do Terrible Things, Abbe Smith

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Although defending defending may be an endless pursuit, I cannot help taking it on. I am, after all, a defender myself, and defending fellow defenders seems to go with the territory. Of course, attacks on criminal defenders do not come out of nowhere - difficult and complex questions often arise in criminal defense work. Unfortunately, the questions that are raised in the aftermath of a high profile case such as the Abner Louima case are usually the easy ones - questions that have more to do with the nature of the adversarial system than with the values or ethics of …

The Statute Of The International Criminal Court And Third States, Gennady M. Danilenko

Michigan Journal of International Law

This paper examines the principal legal and political effects of the Rome Statute on non-parties. In particular, it explores the significance of the creation of a new powerful international institution for all members of the international community. It discusses the jurisdictional reach of the ICC which will inevitably affect all States. This paper also analyzes possible application of some provisions of the Rome Statute to non-States Parties in so far as these may reflect or generate customary international law. It suggests that despite the traditional principle of treaty law, according to which treaties do not bind Third States, the Rome …

Forgiveness And The Law, Martha Minow

Fordham Urban Law Journal

A discussion of the role of forgiveness in the law, substituting forgiveness for the law, and whether or not the law can or should pursue higher moral ambitions

Forgiveness And The Criminal Law: Forgiveness Through Medicinal Punishment, Dennis M. Cariello

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article discusses the role of forgiveness in criminal law, focusing specifically on the nature of forgiveness, how and when society should forgive wrongdoers, and the nature of punishment.

When Victims Seek Closure: Forgiveness, Vengeance And The Role Of Government, Susan Bandes

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article discusses the role of victims and their families in the sentencing of criminal defendants, including the emotional and ethical components of victims' desires to achieve justice and closure.

Forgiveness In The Criminal Justice System: If It Belongs, Then Why Is It So Hard To Find?, David M. Lerman

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This essay advocates the role of forgiveness within the criminal justice system, particularly from a prosecutor's perspective, and discusses common impediments to its increased presence and the leadership needed to allow it to develop within the system.

Forgiveness In The Criminal Law, Ian S. Weinstein (Moderator)

Fordham Urban Law Journal

A discussion of the role of forgiveness in criminal law, and the extent to which forgiveness should impact prosecutorial discretion. Includes a question and answer session with audience.

When Victims Seek Closure: Forgiveness, Vengeance And The Role Of Government, Susan Bandes

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article discusses the role of victims and their families in the sentencing of criminal defendants, including the emotional and ethical components of victims' desires to achieve justice and closure.

Forgiveness As A Problem-Solving Tool In The Courts: A Brief Response To The Panel On Forgiveness In Criminal Law, Derek A. Denckla

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article is a response to Panel on Forgiveness in Criminal Law, and attempts to answer the following questions: Is there room for forgiveness in the criminal courts? If so, how does forgiveness manifest itself there? The article explores this issue in terms of the opportunities for forgiveness provided by "problem-solving" courts.

Forgiveness And The Criminal Law: Forgiveness Through Medicinal Punishment, Dennis M. Cariello

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article discusses the role of forgiveness in criminal law, focusing specifically on the nature of forgiveness, how and when society should forgive wrongdoers, and the nature of punishment.

Restorative Justice And The Prosecutor, Frederick W. Gay

Fordham Urban Law Journal

A discussion of restorative justice and its relation to prosecutorial discretion. The article gives examples of the restorative alternatives to traditional criminal punishment and argues that such alternatives are an effective means of providing justice.

Privatizing Regulation: Whistleblowing And Bounty Hunting In The Financial Services Industries, Henry Ordower, James Fisher, Ellen F. Harshman, William B. Gillespie, Leland Ware, Fred C. Yeager

All Faculty Scholarship

Addresses use of whistleblowers and suggests private enforcement methodologies to supplement or supplant public enforcement activities in financial services under new law.

The Separation Of Questions Of Law And Fact In The New Russian And Spanish Jury Verdicts, Stephen C. Thaman

All Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses the division of labor between the judge and the jury in rendering judgment, and the separation of law and fact historically and currently, focusing on Spain and Russia. Both Russia and Spain rejected the Anglo-American general verdict of “guilty” or “not-guilty” in favor of a list of questions or propositions presented to the jury during their criminal procedure reforms of the 1990’s. This article also delves into the jury deliberation, verdict, and judgment process of the two countries.

Now V. Scheidler, Round Two, Craig M. Bradley

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Terrorism On Trial: The Lockerbie Criminal Proceedings, Michael P. Scharf

Faculty Publications

On December 21, 1998, a bomb exploded in the cargo hold of Pan Am Flight 103 killing all 259 passengers and crew, as well as eleven residents of the town of Lockerbie where the wreckage of the Bowing 747 crashed 31,000 feet below.

Kumho Tire Co. V. Carmichael: The Supreme Court Follows Up On The Daubert Test, Martin A. Schwartz

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Is Lowering The Age At Which Juveniles Can Be Transferred To Adult Criminal Court The Answer To Juvenile Crime? A State-By-State Assessment

San Diego Law Review

The trend toward "get tough" policies concerning juveniles has swept through just about every state in the nation, affecting younger and younger minors. In Texas in 1997, not long after a tougher law was passed, a fourteen-year-old girl accused of murder became the youngest juvenile ever to stand trial as an adult in Tarrant County. Texas lowered the age from fifteen to fourteen in a 1995 revision of the state's juvenile justice code. In Michigan, an eleven-year-old boy, Nathaniel Abraham, became one of the youngest persons in the United States to be tried for murder as an adult; he allegedly …