Criminal Procedure Commons^™

Revisiting Reasonable Cybersecurity, Jeffrey L. Vagle

Cardozo Law Review

Prospective theories of cybersecurity liability have traveled over some well-worn paths over the past three decades, resulting in some successes, but also in at least as many cul-de-sacs and dead ends. Part of this problem can be found in the difficulty and complexity of the subject itself. Courts, legislators, and regulators all face comprehension difficulties when they attempt to fit our existing legal system around cybersecurity, often resulting in half-measures and generalized solutions that are challenging to apply to the widely different technical details behind each case. And in the background, we have a general reluctance to create legal regimes …

Voices For Justice: Firsthand Accounts Of Innocent People Fighting For Access In New York’S Post-Conviction Process, Perlmutter Center For Legal Justice At Cardozo Law

Perlmutter Center Reports

In 2018, the New York State Court of Appeals’ decision in People v. Natascha Tiger created an insurmountable obstacle for wrongfully convicted individuals pursuing innocence claims. The ruling held that a guilty plea precluded persons accused of crime from challenging their conviction in the absence of newly discovered, exculpatory DNA evidence. This is a troubling fact given 97% of felony convictions and 99% of misdemeanor convictions in New York State are resolved by guilty plea. The National Registry of Exonerations documented that 24% of all exonerated people across the United States pled guilty to crimes they did not commit. According …

Brief Of Law Professors As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondent, Betsy Ginsberg

Amicus Briefs

Amici are professors of law who have studied, taught, and written about prisoner litigation and about rights to jury trials. They submit this brief to share their views, based on that experience, on the proper interpretation of the Prison Litigation Reform Act) in light of the important jury trial rights at stake and the practical realities of prisoner litigation.

Correcting Course: How Congress Can Streamline U.S. Engagement With The International Criminal Court, Sophia N. Ramcharitar

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

Since its participation in the 1998 Rome Conference, the United States has vocalized opposition to key components of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction. This opposition has informed longstanding positions taken by the executive branch and motivated anti-ICC legislation passed by Congress. Support for the ICC’s investigation in Ukraine challenged these narratives across the legislative and executive branches, but the ICC’s arrest warrants of Israeli officials in 2024 renewed Congress’s heightened skepticism of the court and sowed political divisions on efforts to sanction the ICC. Congress’s oscillation on the ICC within the past several years prompts a larger question of …

Remedying Unconstitutional Immigration Enforcement, Guha Krishnamurthi

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

Fearmongering about “illegal immigration” has reached a fever pitch. There is a nearing bipartisan consensus among politicians that “stopping illegal immigration and securing the border” is a paramount priority. The fact that many politicians and institutional actors have displayed animus in discussing immigration enforcement portends that many perils lie ahead. It is precisely during this time that constitutional rights must serve as a bulwark against government overreach. This Essay contends that our constitutional rights framework, specifically its principal remedies for rights violations, are inadequate to protect against government malfeasance. In particular, I demonstrate that there are plausible scenarios where the …

Breaking The Chain: How An Alternate Dispute Resolution Process Can Be Used In The Criminal Justice System For First-Time Non-Violent Criminal Offenders, Leora Perlstein

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

The criminal justice system is deeply rooted in our history. There are traditional views on how it should be run and conducted. “Founded on the concept that crimes against an individual are crimes against the state, our justice system prosecutes individuals as though they victimized all of society.” Traditionally, when individuals commit a crime, they go through the process of receiving a ticket—or if they commit a particular violent crime they will be immediately arrested—and then they go through the process of appearing in court for an arraignment in which they are “read the charges against [them]” and are either …

Prosecutorial Independence Regained? Mixing The Continental And Anglo-American Styles In South Korea, Neil Chisholm

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The article examines the challenges of achieving prosecutorial independence in South Korea, highlighting the tension between Continental European and Anglo-American models. It explores the reforms aimed at addressing these challenges, including the creation of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) and the decentralization of investigative powers. While these reforms reflect an effort to balance bureaucratic and democratic accountability, concerns persist about politicization, hierarchical control, and the effectiveness of new institutions. The article argues that the success of these reforms depends on structural changes and the ability of new agencies to operate independently.

Book Review Of “Nuclear Weapons And International Law: Existential Risks Of Nuclear War And Deterrence Through A Legal Lens”, By Professor Charles J. Moxley Jr., John Kierulf

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Duped: The Implications Of The Proliferaiton Of Superfake Luxury Goods And What Consumers May Not Have Considered, Riann Colbert

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The proliferation of "Superfake" luxury goods, which are high-quality counterfeit items nearly indistinguishable from authentic products, poses significant challenges to trademark law, consumer protection, and the broader economy. These items, often sold through e-commerce platforms, not only undermine legitimate businesses but also expose consumers to health risks, support organized crime, and perpetuate environmental harm. The note advocates for enhanced legal frameworks and consumer education to mitigate these issues.

Reframing Puerto Rican Advocacy: How The Emerging U.S.-China Rift Can Help Puerto Rico Realize Greater Autonomy, Michael Angelo Tabrizi

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note advocates for reframing Puerto Rican decolonization efforts as a foreign policy issue rather than solely a domestic matter, leveraging the U.S.-China rivalry to gain international support and alignment with the United Nations' principles on self-governance.

Equitable Incorporation: How History And Tradition Can Progressively Redefine The Fourteenth Amendment, Robert D'Alessandro

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The Fourteenth Amendment, designed to ensure equality before the law, has been misinterpreted by the Supreme Court through its incorporation doctrine, leading to rulings that harm marginalized communities. The article advocates for "Equitable Incorporation," a doctrine requiring courts to consider the impact of their decisions on historically discriminated groups, ensuring the Amendment's purpose of equity and justice is upheld. This approach would necessitate the incorporation of unincorporated rights and reinterpret existing ones to reflect the Amendment's equitable intent.

A Distinct System For Presidential Succession On Inauguration Day: Getting The Most Out Of Section 3 Of The Twentieth Amendment, Brian C. Kalt

Cardozo Law Review

The current presidential-succession statute uses the same line of succession for every conceivable situation. But there are many different types of potential succession scenarios. Succession need not—and should not—be governed by a one-size-fits-all approach.

Before the Twentieth Amendment was ratified in 1933, the Constitution authorized Congress to provide only for double vacancies during the term, when there already is a President and Vice President. Recognizing this gap, Section 3 of the Twentieth Amendment empowered Congress to cover inauguration-day double vacancies: at the outset of a term, when nobody is available to become President or Vice President in the first place. …

Colonizing By Contract, Emmanuel H. Arnaud

Articles

Since 1898, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States, meaning that Congress wields plenary power over the Island. Although scholars have highlighted the history and some modern manifestations of this power, conversations about how plenary power affects the territories have largely ignored constitutional criminal procedure.

This Article is the first to center the territory’s criminal legal system within the broader debate over the exercise of plenary power. In doing so, it fills significant gaps in the constitutional and criminal law literature on the territories by uncovering how the federal government’s plenary power affects local criminal adjudication. This …

Women On Death Row In The United States, Sandra Babcock, Nathalie Greenfield, Kathryn Adamson

Cardozo Law Review

This Article presents a comprehensive study of forty-eight persons sentenced to death between 1990 and 2022 who were legally recognized as women at the time of their trials. Our research is the first of its kind to conduct a holistic and intersectional analysis of the factors driving women’s death sentences. It reveals commonalities across women’s cases, delving into their experiences of motherhood, gender-based violence (“GBV”), and prior involvement with the criminal legal system. We also explore the nature of the women’s crimes of conviction, including the role of male codefendants and the state’s use of aggravating factors. Finally, we reveal …

White Monsters: Understanding Whiteness As Social And Legal Monstrosity, Steven Sacco

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that whiteness operates as a socially and legally constructed monstrosity, perpetuating systemic inequality and destructive power through both intentional and nonintentional mechanisms. By employing monster theory, the analysis reveals how whiteness adapts and evolves to maintain its dominance, often through legal frameworks that obscure its harmful effects. The Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe, while advancing justice in some aspects, also exemplifies how the law can perpetuate inequality by overlooking historical and social contexts.

Greater Of Two Evils: Trial Penalty Or Plea Penalty?, Breanne Potter

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article critiques the prevalence of plea bargaining in the U.S. criminal justice system, arguing that while it is often seen as a necessary evil for efficiency, it undermines constitutional rights and perpetuates injustice. The author introduces the concept of the "plea penalty," which refers to the significant and often overlooked consequences of accepting a guilty plea, such as the loss of rights and long-term collateral consequences. The article challenges the notion that the trial penalty—harsher sentences for those who go to trial—is the only concern, emphasizing that the plea penalty can be equally detrimental. It advocates for systemic reforms …

Not Just Mercy: Governors Should Use The Executive Clemency Power As A Corrective Tool For Mass Incarceration, Laura Tierney

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that state governors should revive the use of executive clemency as a corrective tool to address mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on communities of color. Executive clemency, which includes pardons, commutations, and sentence reductions, offers a means to provide immediate relief and promote social justice. The author emphasizes the historical roots of clemency as a check on the criminal justice system and advocates for its use to reduce prison populations and counteract the legacy of punitive policies.

Anyone You Are Related To Can Be Used Against You: Criminal Discovery Statutes And Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Caroline Levine

Cardozo Law Review

The use of investigative genetic genealogy (“IGG”) as a basis for arresting suspects in complex and dormant investigations is raising serious concerns about whether the due process rights of criminal defendants in these cases are being violated. This Note provides a comprehensive look at the role of this groundbreaking, yet little-understood technology in criminal prosecutions. Technological advances have historically necessitated that courts expand and reinterpret legal principles. As a novel derivative of traditional DNA testing, this Note argues IGG should similarly require that discovery statutes be amended or rewritten to adapt to this cutting-edge technique, which is so new that …

Justice Theater In The Criminal Law Curriculum, Gregory Brazeal

Cardozo Law Review

For the last half-century, law students have been required to take a criminal law course that ostensibly trains them to think critically about the justifications for criminal punishment. The same students have then gone on to serve as central actors in a system of mass incarceration that millions of Americans today view as profoundly unjust.

How did this happen?

A number of legal scholars, notably including Alice Ristroph in her 2020 Article “The Curriculum of the Carceral State,” have argued that the traditional criminal law curriculum has played a role in creating and reproducing the practices of mass incarceration. This …

Is Grammar Religious Exercise? Addressing Transgender Students And The Limits Of The Complicity Doctrine, Saul R. Thorkelson

Cardozo Law Review

May teachers reject transgender students’ names and pronouns on religious grounds? Across the United States, many schools and universities have adopted policies calling on staff to use all students’ designated first names and gender-congruent pronouns. A number of conservative Christian teachers have claimed that they cannot address transgender students in this way without violating their religious beliefs. In several cases, after unsuccessful attempts by administrators to accommodate these objections, teachers who were subject to employment consequences have brought lawsuits alleging violation of their religious liberty and free speech rights.

This Note employs two recent cases to examine courts’ reasoning on …

All Roads Lead To Rome: Combating Impunity For Perpetration Of Slave Trade And Slavery Crimes, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

Articles

The Republic of Sierra Leone has proposed amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include, inter alia, provisions for the slave trade as a crime against humanity and has recommended that the General Assembly include the slave trade as an enumerated crime in the Draft articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity (CAH) (Draft articles). This declaration came nearly five years after Cardozo’s Benjamin B Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, on behalf of slavery crimes expert Patricia Viseur Sellers, sent commentaries to the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC) to revise …

Redistributing Justice, Benjamin Levin, Kate Levine

Articles

This Essay surfaces an obstacle to decarceration hiding in plain sight: progressives’ continued support for the carceral system. Despite progressives’ increasingly prevalent critiques of criminal law, there is hardly a consensus on the left in opposition to the carceral state. Many left-leaning academics and activists who may critique the criminal system writ large remain enthusiastic about criminal law in certain areas— often areas in which defendants are imagined as powerful and victims as particularly vulnerable.

In this Essay, we offer a novel theory for what animates the seemingly conflicted attitude among progressives toward criminal punishment—the hope that the criminal system …

Spring 2024 Symposium: Stop Cop City And The Criminalization Of Social Movements, Cardozo Journal Of Equal Rights And Social Justice

2023–2024 Flyers

No abstract provided.

“Swifties” Or Swift Suppression? How Police Officers Exploit Copyright Law And Practice Online To Evade Public Accountability, Jeremy Lamstein

Cardozo Law Review

The video recording of the tragic killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers had an immediate and profound impact on the public. The video held essential evidentiary value in the prosecution of Floyd’s killers, as it told a very different story than what the police officers had made the situation out to be. It was by no means the first recording of police misconduct that generated significant attention from the public, but it remains among the most notable.

Now, imagine that the world had never seen the extent of this horrific incident. In this alternate universe, the video never …

Professional Norms At A Crossroads: Farhane And Its Implications For Legal Counsel, Hayley Sandoval

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

This Note examines the right to effective assistance of counsel during guilty pleas through the lens of the pending Second Circuit case Farhane v. United States. This case will have significant implications for the right to effective legal representation, particularly in terms of defense attorneys’ duty to warn clients of the potential risk of denaturalization as a consequence of pleading guilty. In May 2024, the court reheard Farhane en banc and will issue a decision later this year. If this opinion aligns with the court’s initial decision, it will severely limit the rights of all defendants in criminal proceedings in …

Expanding Homicide Liability For A Parent’S Omission, Monu Bedi

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

Earlier this year, Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10-15 years for not stopping their teenage son, Ethan, from killing four students at his high school. This is the first known occurrence of an American prosecutor obtaining a homicide conviction relying on a parental omission—or failure to act—where the victim was not the parent’s own child. Parental omissions historically have only triggered homicide charges if the parent fails to protect their child, not others, from harm. Unlike the general population, parents owe a special duty to their child because they are the ones tasked to …

Crypto: The Prospect Of Regulatory Competition, Charles M. Yablon

Articles

No abstract provided.

Are Holocaust Denial Laws And Critical Race Theory Bans The Same?, Rob Kahn

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

Florida's education rules list Holocaust denial and critical race theory ("CRT") as "theories that distort the past." This is not a fair comparison. Holocaust denial laws and CRT bans are analytically distinguishable. Holocaust denial laws were originally intended to fight hate, and this is the only reason they might be legitimate today. By contrast, CRT bans, for all their well-meaning language aboutprotecting childrenfrom race-based accusations of guilt, intend to silence the past. Indeed, the CRT bans are uncannily similar to the laws used in Turkey to ban discussion of the Armenian Genocide in schools. While one might reject both sets …

Reuniting "Active" And "Direct" Participation: The International Criminal Court's Dph Divorce In Lubanga, Josef Danczuk

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

Throughout treaty-making processes and turn-of-the-century international criminal tribunal decisions, scholars and judges alike determined that the terms "direct" and "active," when referring to participation in hostilities, were synonymous. However, the International Criminal Court ("ICC'), in interpreting the Rome Statute in the Lubanga case, determined that they were not, creating disparity between interpretations of the same terms within International Criminal Law ("ICL") and the Law of Armed Conflict ("LOAC"). Not only is the ICC's interpretation legally wrong, it is also practically unworkable and distorts the well-established doctrine of DPH as defined in LOAC. Lubanga may have broadened protectionfor child soldiers, but …

One Size Does Fit All: A Quasi-Federal Solution To The Euro-Centric Structural Shortcomings Of The Icc, Anivesh Bharadwaj

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The article critiques the International Criminal Court's (ICC) centralized structure in The Hague, arguing that it undermines transparency, accessibility, and legitimacy, particularly for victims and witnesses in remote regions. The author proposes a "quasi-federal" framework to decentralize the Court, enabling regional proceedings while maintaining a central Appeals Chamber and Presidency. This restructuring aims to address structural flaws, enhance deterrence, and improve justice delivery by bringing proceedings closer to affected communities.