Criminal Law Commons^™

United States V. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative: Whatever Happened To Federalism, Caroline Herman

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

Shafer V. South Carolina: Another Missed Opportunity To Remove Juror Ignorance As A Factor In Capital Sentencing, William Baarsma

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

Blurring The Line: Impact Of Offense-Specific Sixth Amendment Right To Counsel, Melissa Minas

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

Foreword: Terrorism And Utilitarianism: Lessons From, And For, Criminal Law, Paul Butler

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

Take Courage: What The Courts Can Do To Improve The Delivery Of Criminal Defense Services, Adele Bernhard

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Unnecessary Alternate Juror, Mary Kaluk Lanning

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Another Place Beyond Here: The Death Penalty Moratorium In The United States, Jeffrey L. Kirchmeier

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Experimenting With Death: An Examination Of Colorado's Use Of The Three-Judge Panel In Capital Sentencing, Robin Lutz

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biting Off What They Can Chew: Strategies For Involving Law Students In Problem-Solving Beyond Individual Client Representation, Katherine R. Kruse

Scholarly Works

Problem-solving is most often taught in the context of representing individual clients in small manageable cases where students retain primary control and develop a sense of ownership. Increasingly, law school clinical programs are involving students in broader service projects designed to meet the needs of clients that go unaddressed by the legal system. Student involvement in these projects presents challenges for the traditional model of problem-solving taught in individual case representation. This article explores the challenges of translating the problem-solving techniques employed in direct representation of individual clients into the larger context of problem-solving for a client community by examining …

Proximate Cause In Civil Racketeering Cases: The Misplaced Role Of Victim Reliance, Michael Goldsmith, Evan S. Tilton

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Departing Ways: Uniformity, Disparity And Cooperation In Federal Drug Sentences, Michael A. Simons

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

In 1995, this law review sponsored a symposium entitled The Sentencing Controversy: Punishment and Policy in the War Against Drugs. That symposium's focus on sentencing was appropriate because, as one of the participants noted, "[s]entencing is the bottom line of the criminal justice system."  Six years later, as this current symposium makes clear, we are still waging "war" on drugs. And although this symposium is not devoted exclusively to punishment, sentencing is still a central—and vexing—battlefield in that war.

The war on drugs is fought on multiple fronts: education, treatment, interdiction, diplomacy and law enforcement. Law enforcement, however, …

Enron's Legislative Aftermath: Some Reflections On The Deterrence Aspects Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002, Michael A. Perino

Faculty Publications

Since Enron's implosion, an astounding string of accounting scandals have stunned the securities markets. Global Crossing, WorldCom, Adelphia, and a host of other companies have seen plummeting share prices and SEC and criminal investigations. Congress's reaction has been equally stunning and surprisingly swift. It passed with near unanimity the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "SOA" or the "Act"), and President Bush quickly signed it into law. The President billed the Act as one of the "the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." While the SOA is certainly lengthy, with eleven titles and …

Current Status Of Federal Law Concerning Violent Crimes Against Women And Children: Implications For Cult Victims, Robin Boyle

Faculty Publications

The author presents key provisions of The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, which is federal legislation divided into two Acts. In Parts I and II of this article, the author describes how The Violence Against Women Act of 2000 reauthorized critical grant programs created by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, established new programs, and strengthened federal laws. In Part III of this article, the author explains that The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 prevents the trafficking of women and children. In Part IV the author suggests how both Acts have implications for cult …

Past Violence, Future Danger?: Rethinking Diminished Capacity Departures Under Federal Sentencing Guidelines Section 5k2.13, Eva E. Subotnik

Faculty Publications

Under section 5K2.13 of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, a judge is permitted to reduce a defendant's sentence on the grounds of diminished capacity. Most courts construing this provision have ruled that defendants whose offenses involved violence or the threat of violence are ineligible for a reduction in sentence. This Note argues that such an interpretation, which makes past violence a proxy for predicting future dangerousness, is problematic. Medically or psychologically treated, defendants may no longer pose a danger to society. This Note urges that, in accordance with section 5K2.13's language and history, courts should focus more broadly on whether the …

Punishment Theory: Moral Or Political?, Guyora Binder

Journal Articles

This article argues that the justification of punishment is best conceived as a problem of political theory rather than moral philosophy. Noting the familiar charge that utilitarianism permits framing the innocent, it argues that retributivism is equally vulnerable to the charge that it permits lynching the guilty. It argues that both critiques unfairly attribute lawlessness and dishonesty to the respective punishment theories. As a result, they mischaracterize both as theories about what individuals should do, rather than what acts legitimate government should authorize. In so doing, they disregard how committed the founders of the respective theories were to the rule …

The Rhetoric Of Motive And Intent, Guyora Binder

Journal Articles

This article offers a critical analysis of the traditional maxim that motive is irrelevant to criminal liability. It retraces the history of this principle to show how its meaning has changed and its validity has declined over time. Originally promoted by reformers, the irrelevance of motive maxim derived meaning from their efforts to codify criminal law. In this context, the irrelevance of motive stood for two related reforms: (1) legislators should condition criminal liability on expectations of harm rather than desires, and (2) courts should require proof of statutory mental elements. With the success of codification, however, the irrelevance of …

The International Criminal Court: A Contextual Study Of A Nascent Court Within The International Criminal Legal System, Ronald Ian Mackay Rennie

LLM Theses

The 'Rome Statute' of the International Criminal Court (ICC) represents an exciting and revolutionary development in the field of international law generally and international criminal law specifically. Unfortunately there are many ways in which academics, the media and political decision-makers misinterpret its intent and its nature. This thesis considers these traps and embarks upon an analysis of international criminal law by considering the content of the Statute and how it proceeds to establish an International Criminal Court, capable of bringing those most serious perpetrators to account. The subject matter of the ICC reveals a Court with a very limited jurisdiction, …

A Question Of Revenge: Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy And A Proposed Diminished Capacity Defense For Homicidal Mothers, E. Selene Steelman

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) should be legally recognized as a severe mental disorder, allowing defendants to use a diminished capacity defense in cases of accidental filicide. The author critiques the legal system's inconsistent treatment of MSBP, which often focuses on the physical harm to the child while neglecting the mother's mental state. By acknowledging MSBP as a psychiatric disorder, the law could achieve more nuanced outcomes that consider both the act and the defendant's mental condition, reducing stigma and promoting fairness in criminal liability assessments.

Recovering From Drugs And The Drug War: An Achievable Public Health Alternative, Eric Blumenson

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

For three decades our War on Drugs has characterized illicit drug use as a law enforcement problem, to be addressed primarily through interdiction and criminal punishment. This policy has multiplied the number of imprisoned Americans, but our drug problem remains as entrenched as ever, and both voters and policy experts appear ready to embrace an alternative public health approach. Such an approach recognizes that a substantial number of Americans will continue to use drugs for the foreseeable future, and seeks to minimize the risks these people face from their drug habits. This requires programs and funding for treatment, education, and …

Illinois Takes Bold Steps To Revolutionize Capital Litigation, Thomas M. Lombardo

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Child Sexual Abuse And Assault In Chicago: The Rest Of The Dismal Iceberg, Michael J. Howlett Jr.

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Eviction Suit Settlement Sets Precedent For Battered Women, Jessica Hunter

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

A Jurisprudential Analysis Of Government Intervention And Prenatal Drug Abuse, Susan Fortney

Journal of Law and Health

This article takes a different approach in considering the problem of prenatal drug abuse. After briefly discussing government intervention and constitutional issues, this article will consider the concept of duty and correlative rights. This discussion of duty and correlative rights suggests that the government can take measures to curb prenatal drug use without recognizing fetal rights. The article concludes with a discussion of the utility of criminal legislation as compared to public health legislation that treats drug addiction as a disease requiring treatment. As formulated, the proposal for public health legislation is not based on any concept of fetal rights. …

The Terrors Of Dealing With September 11th, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

The Discretionary Power Of "Public" Prosecutors In Historical Perspective, Carolyn B. Ramsey

Publications

Norms urging prosecutors to seek justice by playing a quasi-judicial role and striving for fairness to defendants are often assumed to have deep historical roots. Yet, in fact, such a conception of the prosecutor's role is relatively new. Based on archival research on the papers of the New York County District Attorney's Office, "The Discretionary Power of 'Public' Prosecutors in Historical Perspective" explores the meaning of the word "public" as it applied to prosecutors in the nineteenth century. This article shows that, in the early days of public prosecution, district attorneys were expected to maximize convictions and leave defendants' rights …

The Taliban’S ‘Other’ Crimes, Mark A. Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

This paper explores possible legal responses to the Taliban's 'other' crimes--those inflicted against Afghans during Taliban rule. This criminality largely has been rendered invisible by virtue of the international community's focus on punishing the Taliban's support of transnational terrorists, in particular al-Qaeda. This invisibility is problematic given that carefully constructed prosecutions of these 'other' crimes could play an important role in post-conflict reconciliation and national reconstruction in Afghanistan. Such reconciliation and reconstruction can legitimise a representative post-conflict state and curb terrorist recidivism.

Restorative Justice And Collective Responsibility: Lessons For And From The Rwandan Genocide, Mark A. Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

Genocide struck Rwanda in 1994. Since then, national and international trials have endeavored to promote reconciliation, deterrence, peace, justice, and human rights. This article posits a disconnect between these trials and the attainment of their avowed goals. This disconnect emerges in part from the influential agendas of international lawyers who equate selective criminal prosecution with the "rule of law" and espouse criminal prosecution as the preferred and uniform response to mass atrocity. Creating a presumption in favor of criminal prosecution has dampened the need to explore whether such trials actually are suitable for the particular afflicted society. A socio-legal analysis …

Going To The Bullpen: Using Uncle Sam To Strike Out Professional Sports Violence, Kevin A. Fritz

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

War Stories, Jessica Litman

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Washington State's Return To Indeterminate Sentencing For Sex Offenses: Correcting Past Sentencing Mistakes And Preventing Future Harm, Jennifer M. Mckinney

Seattle University Law Review

The Washington legislature's return to indeterminate sentencing corrects its original mistake of setting fixed sentences for sex offenders with no supervision after release. Unlike the present civil commitment system, indeterminate sentencing preventatively detains offenders in the criminal system, protects the public, and ensures more control over offenders following their prison terms. Indeterminate sentencing provides a more efficient and effective alternative to the civil commitment process. Section II will briefly discuss the progression of sex offender sentencing from the original parole system to the present changes, and why past structures were instituted and later modified or repealed. Furthermore, Section II will …