Environmental Law Commons^™

Agenda: Outdoor Recreation: Promise And Peril In The New West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, Colorado. Bureau Of Land Management

Outdoor Recreation: Promise and Peril in the New West (Summer Conference, June 8-10)

Co-sponsored by the Natural Resources Law Center and the Colorado Bureau of Land Management.

The conference will explore several components of the “promise and peril” of the ongoing outdoor recreation explosion. The conference will begin on the morning of June 8 with a series of introductory presentations designed to place the outdoor recreation movement in a useful historical and socioeconomic context. This material will be followed in the afternoon session by a discussion of environmental impacts of outdoor recreation, recognizing that the diversity and magnitude of impacts is as broad as the industry itself. This discussion will be followed on …

Recreation As An Ally For Environmental Protection, Gary Sprung

Outdoor Recreation: Promise and Peril in the New West (Summer Conference, June 8-10)

10 pages.

Contains references.

The Dilemma Of County And Municipal Open Space Programs: The Case Of Jefferson County, Colorado, Ron Holliday

Outdoor Recreation: Promise and Peril in the New West (Summer Conference, June 8-10)

7 pages.

Legal Issues In Outdoor Recreation: Trends In Litigation, Ted Zukoski

Outdoor Recreation: Promise and Peril in the New West (Summer Conference, June 8-10)

17 pages.

Statutory Privileges And Immunites For Voluntarily Performed Environmental Audits: Should New York State Join The Race?, Joan M. Fildes

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Drainage Law And Liabilities, Oregon Law Institute, Timothy J. Sercombe, Richard M. Botteri, Christina M. Steensgaard, James R. Herald, Marnie Allen, Harvey W. Rogers

Oregon Law Institute, 1998

Course Materials from the March 13, 1998 Program in Portland

Florida Water Policy: A Twenty-Five Year Mid-Course Correction, Frank E. Matthews, Gabriel E. Nieto

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Voluntary Intoxication As A Mitigating Circumstance During The Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: A Proposal For Reform Comment., Jeffrey A. Walsh

St. Mary's Law Journal

When the State of Texas seeks the death penalty against a defendant, the trial court conducts a sentencing proceeding under Article 37.071 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. This proceeding determines whether the defendant will receive the death penalty. During deliberation, the jury must consider all mitigating evidence. The defendant may claim his voluntary intoxication as a mitigating factor. Under Tex. Pen. Code § 8.04(b), the court instructs the jury to consider evidence of voluntary intoxication only if it rendered the defendant temporarily insane. Although Article 37.071 calls upon juries to consider “all” mitigating evidence, a Section 8.04 instruction …

The Impending Wave Of Legal Malpractice Litigation - Predictions, Analysis, And Proposals For Change., Gary N. Schumann, Scott B. Herlihy

St. Mary's Law Journal

Attorneys tend to be viewed antithetically, at once both greedy and manipulative, but also respected and admired. Given this odd mixture of respect and disdain, attorneys are fortunate to have generally avoided being targets as potential defendants. Nevertheless, circumstances in Texas have changed, creating a new legal climate wherein attorneys may soon become defendants of choice. Attorneys in Texas are at a significantly greater risk of becoming the subject of a malpractice suit than they were in the past. Yet, simply because statistics indicate an increase in the number of malpractice claims, this does not mean more malpractice is being …

The React Security Belt: Stunning Prisoners And Human Rights Groups Into Questioning Whether Its Use Is Permissible Under The United States And Texas Constitutions Comment., Shelley A. Nieto Dahlberg

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Remote Electronically Activated Control Technology (REACT) belt infringes upon criminal defendants’ and prisoners’ fundamental rights; therefore, it cannot withstand judicial scrutiny under the United States and Texas Constitutions. This Comment attempts to address and answer issues regarding the REACT belt. The belt constitutes cruel and unusual punishment with the potential to deprive prisoners of their due process rights. The belt disrupts attorney-client communication and destroys a criminal defendant’s presumption of innocence. Furthermore, other alternatives provide effective means to prevent unruly prisoners from destroying the integrity of the courts. Part II of this Comment discusses how the belt works, and …

Comparative Risk Assessment And Environmental Priorities Projects: A Forum, Not A Formula, John S. Applegate

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Demystifying The Extraordinary Writ: Substantive And Procedural Requirements For The Issuance Of Mandamus., Charles W. Rocky Rhodes

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Walker v. Packer, the Texas Supreme Court attempted to harmonize Texas jurisprudence regarding the standards for issuing a writ of mandamus. The Walker court initially reiterated the maxim that mandamus will issue “only to correct a clear abuse of discretion or the violation of a duty imposed by law when there is no other adequate remedy by law.” The Court defined “clear abuse of discretion” as “a decision so arbitrary and unreasonable as to amount to a clear and prejudicial error of law.” The Court subsequently reaffirmed the “fundamental tenant” of mandamus practice stating the extraordinary writ is not …

Capital Punishment In Jewish Law And Its Application To The American Legal System: A Conceptual Overview Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Samuel J. Levine

St. Mary's Law Journal

In recent years, a growing body of scholarship has developed in the United States which applies concepts in Jewish law to unsettled, controversial and challenging areas of American legal thought. One area of Jewish legal thought that has found prominence in both American court opinions and American legal scholarship concerns the approach taken by Jewish law to capital punishment. In this Essay, Levine discusses the issue of the death penalty in Jewish law as it relates to the question of the death penalty in American law, a discussion that requires the rejection of simplistic conclusions and the confrontation of the …

Victims' Rights And The Constitution: Moving From Guaranteeing Participatory Rights To Benefiting The Prosecution Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Robert P. Mosteller

St. Mary's Law Journal

Supporters of victims’ rights can be broadly grouped into three categories according to their basic goals. One category seeks to guarantee participatory rights in a governmental process (“Participatory Rights”). A second category of support for the victims’ rights amendment comes from those who are animated by a pro-prosecution, anti-defendant perspective on criminal law and procedure (“Prosecutorial Benefit”). The third group supporting victims’ rights is comprised of those who demand greater protection and support for victims by the government (“Victim Protection and Aid”). The first serious attempt to amend the United States Constitution on behalf of crime victims happened in 1982. …

Clouded Judgment: The Implications Of Smith V. Merritt In The Realm Of Social Host Liability And Underage Drinking In Texas Perspective., Sabrina A. Hall

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Perspective evaluates the contradiction created by the Texas Supreme Court in Smith v. Merritt as well as its implications on social host liability in Texas. Smith creates serious ramifications regarding alcohol consumption and liability. In Smith, the Court held a social host is not liable for providing alcohol to a guest over the age of eighteen, regardless of whether the guest is under the minimum drinking age. Specifically, this Perspective critically analyzes the court’s holding, focusing on the inequities produced by permitting a social host to provide alcohol to individuals between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one without being …

Texas Groundwater: Reconciling The Rule Of Capture With Environmental And Community Demands Comment., Stephanie E. Hayes Lusk

St. Mary's Law Journal

In order to avert the depletion of water resources, many states have attempted to enact legislation aimed at promoting water conservation. Such legislation has been known to conflict with outdated principles of property ownership, namely the rule of capture. The rule of capture vests landowners with property rights in water located directly beneath their land. Texas categorizes water based on whether the water flows above or below the surface. Surface water is typically the property of the state, with property owners having no possessory interest in the surface water. Yet, the opposite is true for groundwater, where all rights to …

Governmental Takings, Court Of Appeals: Gazza V. New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Standards Of Review In Texas., W. Wendell Hall

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article presents a substantial and comprehensive update of the standards of review applied by Texas appellate courts. It focuses on appellate standards for reviewing trial court rulings on pretrial, trial, and posttrial proceedings. Standards of review distribute power within the judicial branch by defining the relationship between trial and appellate courts. These standards “frame the issues, define the depth of review, assign power among judicial actors, and declare the proper materials to review.” Sometimes a trial court’s errors are so egregious and harmful that reversing the trial court is relatively simple. When the trial court’s error is only marginal …

Texas Rule Of Civil Procedure 166a(I): A New Weapon For Texas Defendants Comment., Robert W. Clore

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment analyzes the Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 166a(i) for a “no evidence” motion and discusses its likely application in Texas courts. Part II reviews summary judgment practice in federal and Texas state courts in order to determine the likely construction of the new rule. Part III discusses Rule 166a(i) and explores the role of litigation reform in shaping the no-evidence motion. This part also addresses the procedural shortcomings of the new rule and compares Rule 166a(i) with federal summary judgment practice. Part IV assesses whether Rule 166a(i) violates the Texas Constitution by denying citizens the right to a …

Feminism And Defending Men On Death Row Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Phyllis L. Crocker

St. Mary's Law Journal

In this Essay I explore the relationship between being a feminist and representing men on death row. It is appropriate to engage in this inquiry in considering how the law has developed in the twenty-five years since Furman v. Georgia. During that time both Furman and the advent of feminist legal theory have required a restructuring in the way we think about two fundamental legal questions: for death penalty jurisprudence, how and why we sentence individuals to death; and for feminist jurisprudence, how the law views crimes of violence against women. The relationship between these two developments becomes apparent when …

The Constitutional Regulation Of Capital Punishment Since Furman V. Georgia Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Carol S. Steiker, Jordan M. Steiker

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Encouraging Industry In Order To Preserve Non-Commercial Property, Katherine X. Vasiliades

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Killing Kids Who Kill: Desecrating The Sanctuary Of Childhood Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Richard Burr, Mandy Welch

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Juries Under Siege., Phil Hardberger

St. Mary's Law Journal

Beginning in the late 1980s, the Texas Supreme Court saw a slew of conservative judges elected to the bench. With this new Court, previous expansions of the law were stopped. Jury verdicts became highly suspect and were frequently overturned for a variety of reasons. Damages too did not go unnoticed. Juries’ assessments were wiped out by increasingly harsher standards. The ripple effect of the Court’s conservative philosophy on the judicial process was substantial. Jury verdicts, few as they may be, are not subject to harsh scrutiny by conscientious appellate judges sworn to follow the Texas Supreme Court’s precedent. And the …

Indictments And Informations In Texas: The Conduct/Evidence Pleading Conundrum., Robert R. Barton

St. Mary's Law Journal

In the prosecution of a criminal case in Texas, the State’s primary pleading is an indictment or information. In an indictment or information, there are two basic rules for the charging of an offense. First, the defendant must be given adequate notice to prepare a defense and to plead the judgment from the trial of the case in bar to a subsequent prosecution for the same offense. Second, the State is not required to plead evidentiary matters. The simplicity of these rules exists more in their statement than in their application because circumstances exist which require the State to plead …

A Practitioner's Review Of Civil Appeals Under The 1997 Texas Rules Of Appellate Procedure Comment., Reagan Wm. Simpson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Toward Permissive Appeal In Texas., Renee Forinash Mcelhaney

St. Mary's Law Journal

A comparison of April Marketing & Distributing Corp. v. Diamond Shamrock Refining & Marketing Co. (“April Marketing”), which pended in federal court, and Barshop v. Medina County Underground Water Conservation District (“Barshop”), which pended in state court, illustrates the value of permissive appeal. Both cases had many early procedural similarities. Yet, the cases differ because the federal court allowed for a permissive appeal; the state court did not. The two cases later diverged procedurally, when the federal case was able to appeal the trial court’s interlocutory order denying motion for summary judgment. Lacking this option, the state case was forced …

The Role Of Variances In Determing Ripeness In Takings Claims Under Zoning Ordinances And Subdivision Regulations Of Texas Municipalities., John Mixon, Justin Waggoner

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas zoning law follows the national standards in creating boards of adjustment. Unlike most states, Texas does not allow its boards of adjustment to grant so-called “use” variances. A variance is essentially a legal waiver from compliance with certain land-use regulations which is granted to a landowner by a government entity in certain limited cases. There are two general types of variances: the area variance and the use variance. Use variance permits the property in question to be used in a manner totally different than that allowed by the ordinance. Whereas the area variance only modifies or relaxes the degree …

Tangible Or Intangible - Is That The Question - Conflict In The Texas Tax Classification System Of Computer Software Comment., Christine E. Reinhard

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment evaluates tax classification of computer software in Texas under recent statutory provisions and case law. The author focuses on whether computer software constitutes tangible or intangible property and whether computer software should be taxable or not. Determining property classification is not easy—the term “computer software” is difficult to define, and the multitude of different types of computer software further obscures the formation of a uniform definition. The Texas legislature’s ability to tax both tangible and intangible property makes classifying computer software as either type unnecessary. Texas can resolve the conflict in its tax classification system, wherein computer software …

A Catholic Lawyer's View Of The Death Penalty Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Kevin M. Doyle

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.