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Seattle University Law Review

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Seattle University Law Review

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Converting Buildings Is Hard: Why Seattle’S Municipal Government Should Streamline Commercial-To-Residential Conversions, Tyler M. King

Seattle University Law Review

The conversion of commercial buildings into housing is a promising solution to the growing housing crisis in many urban areas. However, despite its potential benefits, the process of repurposing commercial spaces is often stymied by complex zoning codes, high conversion costs, and bureaucratic hurdles. This Article argues that the local and state governments in Seattle should adopt more streamlined policies and offer greater incentives to developers to facilitate these conversions. By reforming zoning regulations and providing targeted financial support, municipalities can reduce the barriers to conversion and unlock the potential of underutilized commercial properties. This article examines the legal and …

Getting Money Out Of Politics By Putting Money Into Politics: A Few Modest Proposals To Reform Seattle’S Democracy Voucher Program, Decker O’Donnell

Seattle University Law Review

Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program offers an unconventional response to the growing influence of money in American elections: rather than restricting political spending, it seeks to amplify the participation of ordinary voters by providing publicly funded vouchers that residents may assign to participating candidates. This Article examines the program’s development, operation, and constitutional foundation within the modern campaign-finance framework established by Buckley v. Valeo and subsequent Supreme Court decisions. It argues that democracy vouchers provide a constitutionally viable means of broadening participation in campaign financing while mitigating the influence of wealthy donors. The Article identifies two weaknesses in the current system: …

Legal Malpractice In Washington: Use Of The Rules Of Professional Conduct, Angelo Tadrous

Seattle University Law Review

Legal malpractice claims are difficult to prove. They are difficult to prove because many jurisdictions require that a plaintiff prove that, but for the lawyer’s misconduct, the client would have fared better. Thus, in a malpractice suit, a plaintiff must try a case within a case. Despite this difficulty, many jurisdictions prohibit the use of the Rules of Professional Conduct when litigating a malpractice case. Washington State is one of these jurisdictions. The Washington Supreme Court held in Hizey v. Carpenter that the Rules of Professional Conduct may not be referred to during trial. This Note argues that this prohibition …

Who Decides The Dead? Interpreting Washington’S Disposition Of Remains Statute, Wyatt Young

Seattle University Law Review

Washington’s disposition-of-remains statute, RCW 68.50.160, is designed to honor a decedent’s expressed wishes regarding the control and disposition of their body after death. Yet recent litigation reveals a critical gap between the statute’s intent-centered design and its practical enforceability. In Larotonda v. Blackburn, a trial court acknowledged that irreparable harm would occur if a decedent’s burial wishes were ignored but nonetheless denied relief on the grounds that the individual designated to carry out those wishes lacked standing. The result was a legal paradox: a statute that recognizes decedent autonomy in theory but withholds any meaningful mechanism for its enforcement …

Standar Ganti Rugi Materil Dalam Kasus Perbuatan Melawan Hukum Pada Hewan Di Indonesia Berdasarkan Kasus Blackout Pln Pada Putusan Pengadilan Negeri Nomor 09/Pdt.G.S/2019/Pn Jkt Slt, Nathania Debora Siagian, Rosa Agustina

Lex Patrimonium

This study examines the standard of material compensation for pet deaths due to unlawful acts in Indonesian law, using a case study of District Court Decision No. 09/PDT.G.S/2019/PN JKT Sel, which rejected a claim for the death of four koi fish due to a power outage by PLN. Through doctrinal legal research with case and comparative law approaches, this study finds that Indonesian law still categorizes animals as movable objects, limiting compensation to provable economic loss, without considering emotional value. The court ruled that the power outage was not an unlawful act due to lack of fault, thus limiting PLN’s …

Pengaturan Itikad Baik Dalam Penggunaan Bahasa Asing Pada Perjanjian Dengan Pihak Indonesia, Thesalonika Zipora Manurung

Lex Patrimonium

This research analyzes the application of the principle of good faith in foreign-language agreements involving Indonesian parties following the issuance of Supreme Court Circular Letter Number 3 of 2023. The study focuses on the role of good faith, as stipulated in Article 1338 paragraph (3) of the Indonesian Civil Code, as a standard for assessing the validity and performance of contracts amid the mandatory use of the Indonesian language under Law Number 24 of 2009. This research employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and case-based approaches. The findings demonstrate that Supreme Court Circular Letter Number 3 of 2023 …

Studi Kasus Penetapan Nomor 234/Pdt.P/2025/Pn Ptk Mengenai Pengakuan Anak Oleh Ibu Setelah Ayah Dari Anak Meninggal Dunia, Rahma Qyrana Suherto, Endah Hartati

Lex Patrimonium

The legal status of children born out of wedlock constitutes a significant issue in Indonesian family law. In Indonesia, the recognition of children is regulated through various statutory provisions, including the Civil Code, the Marriage Law, and regulations in the field of population administration, which collectively govern the requirements, procedures, and legal consequences of the recognition of children born out of wedlock. The legal issues examined in this study focus on two main aspects: first, whether the prevailing laws and regulations in Indonesia concerning the recognition of children have adequately accommodated the best interests of the child; and second, whether …

Analisis Perbuatan Melawan Hukum Oleh Direksi Dalam Pengelolaan Keuangan Perseroan Berdasarkan Prinsip Business Judgment Rule (Studi Putusan No. 915 K/Pdt/2017)*, Reynaldi Aditama Rizki

Lex Patrimonium

The Board of Directors, as a corporate organ, holds full authority and responsibility for

the management and administration of the company’s business activities, including the

management of corporate finances; therefore, every policy decision taken may give rise

to legal consequences if it causes losses to the company or other parties. Corporate law

recognizes the Business Judgment Rule as a form of legal protection for Directors with

respect to business decisions made in good faith, with due care, and based on adequate

information; however, this principle is not absolute and cannot be invoked to justify

unlawful conduct. This research aims to …

Perlindungan Pembeli Yang Beritikad Baik Dalam Transaksi Jual Beli Tanah Namun Dinyatakan Wanprestasi: Putusan Mahkamah Agung Nomor 524 B/Pdt.Sus-Arbt/2024, Yosita Dea Suwanto, Togi Marolop Pradana Pangaribuan

Lex Patrimonium

This study examines whether PT Adhi Persada Properti (PT APP) qualifies as a good-faith purchaser under a Land Sale and Purchase Binding Agreement (Perjanjian Pengikatan Jual Beli/PPJB) and is therefore entitled to legal protection in a dispute culminating in Indonesian Supreme Court Decision No. 524 B/Pdt.Sus-Arbt/2024. The study employs a normative juridical method, applying statutory, conceptual/doctrinal, and case-based approaches through an analysis of BANI Surabaya Arbitration Award No. 64/ARB/BANI-SBY/II/2023, Bekasi District Court Decision No. 531/Pdt.Sus-Arb/2023/PN Bks, and Supreme Court Decision No. 524 B/Pdt.Sus-Arbt/2024. The study finds that a PPJB establishes an obligational relationship; accordingly, PT APP is positioned as a …

Tinjauan Hukum Tentang Penerapan Bunga Moratorium Dalam Kasus Pelanggaran Perjanjian Jual Beli (Studi Kasus Putusan Nomor 56/Pdt.G/2024/Pn Byl), Sayidatina Kheista Abigail Arifin, Akhmad Budi Cahyono

Lex Patrimonium

The legal definition of a contract is a legal act whereby two or more parties bind themselves, originating from Article 1313 KUHPerdata In civil law, there are many classifications of contracts which must satisfy four essential conditions for validity: capacity, consent, a specific subject matter, and a lawful cause. When a contract is breached by one of the parties, it is termed breach of contract. It is categorized into three types: total non-performance of the agreement, improper performance of what was promised, or late performance by the debtor. In cases where a party is harmed by the default, that party …

Perbuatan Melawan Hukum Dan Hilangnya Hak Kepemilikan Atas Tanah:Studi Putusan No.712/Pdt.G/2022/Pn.Tng, Muhammad Haikal Keitaro Akuan

Lex Patrimonium

This paper provides an explanation and analysis related to the concept of unlawful acts in civil law as found in Article 1365 of the Civil Code, and existing doctrines and jurisprudence, especially related to the application carried out by the judge in decision number 712/Pdt.G/2022/PN/Tng. This paper was compiled using a doctrinal research method. In the concept of unlawful acts in civil law which is based on Article 1365 of the Civil Code. In practice, especially in decision number 712/Pdt.G/2022/PN/Tng, it turns out that the judge applies the elements of the unlawful act implicitly. In unlawful acts there is also …

Table Of Contents

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

How The Dod Discourages Military Families From Seeking Mental Health Counseling, Christina Welch

Seattle University Law Review

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) administration of the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) presents significant barriers to mental health care access for military spouses and children. This paper explores how the EFMP, though designed to support military families with special needs, inadvertently creates barriers to mental health treatment. Military family members often do not seek mental health treatment to avoid the program's mandatory enrollment requirements. Military family members often view enrollment in the program undesirable because enrollment can restrict the pool of potential future duty assignment locations that are available to service members.

The lack of comprehensive data collection by …

Volume 49 Masthead

Seattle University Law Review

Volume 49 Masthead

2025, Richard Delgado

Seattle University Law Review

"In a cutting and provocative social critique in one of the more extended Rodrigo Chronicles, Richard Delgado in 2025 employs skillful narrative—one of CRT’s many contributions to legal scholarship —to tell a gripping story of just how far the nation has descended into darkness with President Trump’s re-election. In Delgado’s vision, law professors—along with other political opponents of the President: immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, the underserved—have targets on their backs."

-excerpt from Kevin Johnson's review of 2025

Veiled Justice: Secularism And The Hijab Across Democracies, Mohamed ‘Arafa

Seattle University Law Review

For much of 2022, Iran was gripped by widespread protests led by women who openly challenged the regime’s authority, particularly its compulsory veiling laws, following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Women around the globe came around and showed solidarity with the women in Iran. However, in non-Islamic countries and societies, one can still make out many prejudices and stereotyping connected to the question of whether and to what extent veiling is mandatory for women according to Shārīe’ā law. Is wearing the hijab a choice, or rather, an essential religious practice that religious Muslim women need to obey? …

Rewriting The Playbook: The X’S And O’S Of The House Settlement And The Future Of Student-Athletes’ Voice In Their Compensation, Matthew K.V. Glazer

Seattle University Law Review

Since the formation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the 1900s, collegiate athletes (student-athletes) have been prohibited from using their own name, image and likeness (NIL) for profit. But on July 1, 2021, the NCAA changed course and began allowing student-athletes to profit from their own NIL. In the past few years, U.S. college athletics have undergone significant changes, most notably introducing monetary compensation for student-athletes’ NIL. While these changes were long overdue and ultimately beneficial, they have significantly disrupted the landscape of college sports, giving rise to numerous challenges that some experts have compared to the “Wild …

Mr. Trump Goes To Washington Part Ii: A Review Of Richard Delgado's 2025, Kevin Johnson

Seattle University Law Review

Richard Delgado’s The Rodrigo Chronicles have captivated a generation of law students and legal scholars.  Mapping the terrain of race, racism, and Critical Race Theory (CRT), the skillful, and long-running narrative series stands as a testament to Delgado’s dedication to justice for all.

The Rodrigo Chronicles are simply one of Delgado’s many intellectual contributions and part of an unparalleled scholarly legacy.  As one of the founders of CRT, he produced a landmark body of scholarship –authoring the field's primary text,  making the argument for the regulation of hate speech,  forcefully challenging the Black/white binary of civil rights that long dominated …

International Law’S Forgotten Refugees—Palestinian Refugees In Egypt

Seattle University Law Review

This Article examines the legal and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian refugees who have fled to Egypt amidst the ongoing violence in Gaza. While escaping active conflict, these refugees face systemic barriers to employment and education, rendering their living conditions precarious and unsustainable. The unique legal status of Palestinian refugees stems from the fact that they have been excluded from the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, leaving them without any meaningful international protection. This exclusion is rooted in the political complexities of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and reflects a fragmented legal framework that prioritizes limited humanitarian aid over …

The Preventative Care Gap: Completing The Aca’S Vision For Health, Abby Nagaich

Seattle University Law Review

This Note examines the preventive care mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the legal, political, and practical challenges that threaten its effectiveness. While the ACA significantly expanded access to no-cost preventive services, gaps remain—particularly in behavioral health, obesity management, and equitable service delivery. Ongoing litigation, potential administrative rollbacks, and shifting political leadership further destabilize this critical component of public health policy.

This Note argues that for the ACA to fulfill its original promise—and for any health framework to succeed—preventive care must be redefined as a comprehensive, early intervention approach grounded in both systemic access and patient education. It …

Land Without Legacy: The Case For Market-Based Appraisals On Hawaiian Home Lands, Alexis C. Owens

Seattle University Law Review

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 (HHCA) was enacted to restore Native Hawaiians to ancestral lands and promote long term economic self-sufficiency. More than a century later, that promise remains unfulfilled. This Note argues that a central but overlooked barrier lies in the HHCA’s mandated use of the replacement cost appraisal method, which systematically undervalues homestead properties by excluding market forces. In one of the most expensive housing markets in the United States, this approach suppresses home equity, the primary means of intergenerational wealth building, and restricts beneficiaries’ access to credit and financial stability. By severing the connection between …

Reimagining Legal Education: The Transformative Power Of Small-Group Instruction, Michael I. Meyerson

Seattle University Law Review

Legal education is failing its students. Those entering their first year of law school have greater anxiety and less developed reading and writing skills than ever before. The traditional large Socratic class, which was never the most effective teaching method, has become increasingly counterproductive.

This Article contends that small-group instruction provides the opportunity for superior teaching, especially for first-year law students. Recent scholarship in active learning, educational psychology, and students’ mental health demonstrates the limitations of the traditional large Socratic class experience. Building on that theoretical foundation and informed by sustained classroom experience, this Article argues that small-group pedagogy more …

The Martha Wright-Reed Act: How The Fcc Took One Step Forward For Communication Equality For Deaf Individuals In Correctional Facilities And How It Could Be Expanded, Ashley Seebold

Seattle University Law Review

For decades, phone companies preyed on incarcerated individuals and their loved ones due to the lack of regulation of jail phone calls.2 In 2021, the average cost of a fifteen-minute jail phone call was about $3.3 In 2022, the average cost rose to $5.74, while some individuals faced an extreme charge of $24.82 for the same amount of time.4 In the early 2000s, consumer advocate and concerned grandmother Martha Wright-Reed called upon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fix the imbalance so she could speak to her incarcerated grandson.5 Eventually, in 2023, the FCC answered her call to action and …

Outbound Investment Restrictions And International Law’S Challenge, Harlan Grant Cohen

Seattle University Law Review

The Outbound Investment Rule, restricting U.S. investment in certain Chinese advanced technology sectors, has largely been portrayed as an incremental measure, a modest extension to fill loopholes in the existing investment screening regime. But while perhaps the logical next step in the securitization of the economy, the Outbound Investment Rule actually reflects a momentous shift in the relationship between governments and business, one playing out in the United States and around the world and worth attention. Unlike traditional investment screening, the Outbound Investment Rule operates like a sanctions regime, designed not to protect the U.S. economy, but to hamper the …

Navigating Compliance In A Geopolitical Era: The Case Of Chinese Multinationals In The United States, Ji Li

Seattle University Law Review

This Article examines how Chinese multinational companies (MNCs) approach compliance in the United States amid deepening geo-political rivalry and intensified regulatory scrutiny. Drawing on original survey data, this Article maps variations in compliance structures, staffing, and governance mechanisms across Chinese firms and identifies key determinants such as industry-specific regulatory intensity, listing status, and organizational imprinting from headquarters. The analysis employs a dual institutional framework to explain how compliance systems emerge from the interplay between host-state regulatory demands and home-state institutional legacies, producing hybrid structures that blend local adaptation with headquarters-driven replication. Findings reveal that while certain compliance features—such as committee …

The Field Of International Business Transactions Law, Kathleen Claussen

Seattle University Law Review

This Article studies the evolution of the scholarly subfield referred to as the law of “international business transactions” (IBT). It reviews data on academic articles, courses, textbooks and other signifiers of the growth of this research area. Beginning around 1960, scholars began to use the term “international business transactions” and by the 1980s, several law schools were offering a course by that title. A handful of dedicated textbooks soon followed. These data reflect a gradual increase in research on the topic of IBT, particularly in the United States, but also considerable diversity of subject matters covered by those works. The …

Global Supply Chain Resilience In Emerging Technologies: A Case Study Of Bitcoin Mining, Kishanthi Parella, Carla L. Reyes

Seattle University Law Review

The United States has put into motion bold plans in critical and emerging technologies to bolster its national and economic security.  For example, the federal government created a national bitcoin strategic reserve and a stockpile of other cryptocurrency; while several states have committed to or are considering similar goals.  However, the security of these reserves is dependent on two types of supply chains within the Bitcoin mining industry: analogue supply chains, relating to the physical components needed for Bitcoin mining, and data supply chains, relating to the complex and layered logistical network of actors that create input into the software …

Volume 49 Masthead

Seattle University Law Review

Volume 49 Masthead