Jurisdiction Commons^™

Revitalization Of The International Judicial Assistance Procedures Of The United States: Service Of Documents And Takings Of Testimony, Richard F. Gerber

Michigan Law Review

This comment will examine two aspects of such judicial assistance-service. of documents and taking of testimony-and it will analyze each from the viewpoint of assistance obtained abroad in aid of American litigation as well as assistance rendered within the United States in aid of foreign litigation. It will attempt to survey some of the problems involved in securing performance of these acts, indicate the changes in current practice which are likely to result from the revisions of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the proposed amendments to the Judicial Code, and, last, suggest some additional measures which might promote …

The Expanding Jurisdiction Of The Securities And Exchange Commission: Variable Annuities And Bank Collective Investment Funds, John W. Erickson

Michigan Law Review

The Securities and Exchange Commission is presently attempting to assert jurisdiction over certain aspects of two industries traditionally exempt from federal securities regulation-insurance and banking. The SEC claims that two recently developed investment vehicles-variable annuities in the insurance field and pooled funds of managing agency accounts in the banking field-are virtually the same as mutual funds, which are subject to SEC regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940. (A mutual fund is essentially a fund (usually in corporate form), the participants' contributions to which are collectively invested in a portfolio of securities, each participation representing a pro rata interest …

Civil Procedure- Venue-Effect Of Contract Provision Fixing Venue As To Future Litigation, Robert C. Bonges

Michigan Law Review

Defendants, residents of Harris County, Texas, executed in Harris County a conditional sale contract to purchase a food freezer from plaintiff's assignor. One of the contract provisions was that any suit on the contract was to be tried in Travis County, Texas. Plaintiff subsequently brought an action on the contract in Travis County, and defendants, contrary to their agreement, requested the trial court to transfer the action to a court of proper jurisdiction in Harris County, which was the proper county for suit under the applicable venue statute. In response, plaintiff argued that, since the contract created an obligation performable …

Taxation-Federal Tax Liens-Section 6321 Of The Internal Revenue Code As Basis For Injunction Binding Assets Of Foreign Branch Of American Bank, Gerald J. Laba

Michigan Law Review

The Commissioner of Internal Revenue issued jeopardy assessments against the taxpayer, Omar, S.A., a Uruguayan corporation. To avoid payment, Omar began to liquidate its American-held assets by transferring receipts out of the country. Pursuant to its statutory right, under section 6321 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, to impose a lien upon all property of a delinquent taxpayer, the United States brought suit against Omar and various New York banks in the domestic and foreign branches of which Omar's funds were deposited. The district court granted a preliminary injunction restraining certain of the banks from transferring any property whether …

Crimes Against Humanity And The Principle Of Nonextradition Of Political Offenders, Manuel R. Garcia-Mora

Michigan Law Review

It is thus the purpose of this article to discuss the nature of crimes against humanity in an effort to determine whether they can be classified as political offenses. It is hoped that from the uncertainty and confusion which appear to underlie the practice of the State, some useful legal principles may be extracted.

Constitutional Law-Elections-Jurisdiction Of State Courts To Entertain Actions Arising Out Of Congressional Elections, C. Douglas Kranwinkle

Michigan Law Review

Relator was the losing candidate in an election for the office of Representative to the United States Congress. He commenced proceedings in the House, pursuant to statute, contesting the seating of his opponent, and petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court to enjoin and restrain the Minnesota Secretary of State from issuing a certificate of election until the contest was finally determined. Relator based his petition on a Minnesota statute which provides that the Secretary of State may not issue a certificate of election in case of a contest until it has been determined by the proper court. A temporary injunction and …

Child Custody In A Federal System, Leonard G. Ratner

Michigan Law Review

Among the most difficult of judicial functions is the determination of a child's custody after its parents have separated. The difficulties are acute enough when all the parties remain in the same place; when the parties are in different states, an additional perplexing problem arises as to which state should have authority to make the custody decision. This broad question can be resolved into three distinct though interrelated issues: (1) what state may initially determine custody; (2) what state may later modify that determination; (3) to what extent is such a determination binding on other states.

Federal Procedure-Jurisdiction Of District Court To Grant Declaratory Judgement To Nontaxpayer Whose Property Has Been Seized By District Director Of Internal Revenue, Philip B. Bass

Michigan Law Review

Personal property of plaintiff, a delinquent taxpayer, was seized and sold by defendant district director of internal revenue. Defendant contended that the seized property actually belonged to plaintiff's corporation, which also was delinquent in its taxes; he planned to apply the proceeds of the sale of the property against the corporation's tax liability. Plaintiff sued in federal district court for a declaratory judgment that the property belonged to him, not the corporation, and that the proceeds should be applied against his own tax liability. Plaintiff and defendant were citizens of the same state. Plaintiff sought to base federal jurisdiction either …

The Constitution And Preclusion/Res Judicata, Allan D. Vestal

Michigan Law Review

The interrelation of lawsuits is one of the most troublesome, yet least commented upon, areas of the law. The ramifications are great; related lawsuits may be pending concurrently, either brought by the same individual-repetitive litigation--or brought by different parties-reactive litigation. Such lawsuits may occur serially over a period of time. The courts are then faced with problems which have traditionally been discussed in terms of res judicata, bar, merger, or estoppel. It is impossible to cover the whole area or even a sizable part of it in a single article, but it is feasible to examine one facet which certainly …

Notice Requirements Of Guaranty Contracts, Richard F. Dole Jr.

Michigan Law Review

The following is an attempt to verify Corbin's educated guess through the application of factual analysis. If significant facts can be isolated which produce the same result regardless of the theory applied by the court, no real conflict can be said to exist. An initial exploration of the problems involved is a prerequisite to delineating the area in which factual analysis must be used.

The New Michigan Pre-Trial Procedural Rules-Models For Other States?, Robert Meisenholder

Michigan Law Review

The new Michigan procedural laws are embodied in a revised set of statutes and court rules which became effective January 1, 1963, after a long period of study by a Joint Committee on Michigan Procedural Revision. They abolish an anachronistic distinction between procedures in law and equity, abrogate a scattered, disorganized set of rules and statutes, and create a unified, coherent procedural system.

Federal Jurisdiction-Three-Judge Courts-The Recent Evolution In Jurisdiction And Appellate Review, Peter W. Williamson S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

This comment seeks to analyze each decision against its historical background. No more than a proforma attempt will be made to integrate one decision with the others, for sufficient material is not yet available to predict with any accuracy the Court's ultimate achievements in this important area of federal civil procedure.

Federal Jurisdiction-Federal Civil Procedure-Right To Jury Trial Of Seaman's Claim For Maintenance And Cure Where Joined With Claim Under Jones Act, Edwin A. Howe Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff seaman, having been injured while in the employ of defendant shipowner, filed an action in federal district court. Plaintiff invoked the court's federal-question jurisdiction alone, under section 1331 of the federal Judicial Code. He alleged claims for negligence under the Jones Act, for unseaworthiness, and for maintenance and cure, and demanded jury trial of all three counts. The trial court sustained the demand as to the first two counts, but ordered that the claim for maintenance and cure be tried to the judge alone, sitting as a court of admiralty. On appeal from the order denying jury trial …

Ripeness And Reviewable Orders In Administrative Law, Louis L. Jaffe

Michigan Law Review

The requirement of "ripeness" as a condition for judicial review is not so much a definable doctrine as a compendious portmanteau, a group of related doctrines arising in diverse but analogically similar situations. In its most general sense ripeness is a requirement not of the administrative action to be reviewed but of the judicial controversy between the plaintiff and the agency. Consider the case where an agency has gone no further than to threaten a certain action which the plaintiff in an equity or declaratory proceeding claims would be contrary to law: here, in all strictness, the controversy concerns …

Labor Law--Federal Pre-Emption--Scope Of Arguable Nlrb Jurisdiction, Martin B. Dickinson Jr., S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Picketing by petitioner interrupted the unloading of respondent's cargo vessels. A state court granted respondent's request for a permanent injunction against further picketing, despite petitioner's contention that, since it was a "labor organization" within the meaning of section S(b) of the Labor Management Relations Act and respondent had alleged an unfair labor practice, the National Labor Relations Board had exclusive jurisdiction of the dispute. The Supreme Court of Minnesota affirmed the granting of injunctive relief. On certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, held, reversed, one Justice dissenting. Since an unfair labor practice has been alleged and petitioner is …

Political Thickets And Crazy Quilts: Reapportionment And Equal Protection, Robert B. Mckay

Michigan Law Review

If asked to identify the two most important cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in the twentieth century, informed observers would be likely to name, in whichever order, Brown v. Board of Education and Baker v. Carr.

Legislative Apportionment And Representative Government: The Meaning Of Baker V. Carr, Jo Desha Lucas

Michigan Law Review

In three recent cases the Supreme Court has reopened the question of the extent to which federal courts will review the general fairness of state schemes of legislative apportionment. It is a question on which the Court has had nothing to say for over a decade, leaving the bar to patch together the current state of the law from the outcome of cases disposed of without opinion considered against a backdrop of language used in earlier decisions.

Administrative Law-Judicial Control-Injunctive Extension Of The Rate Suspension Period Under The Interstate Commerce Act, John Eppel

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiffs, two interstate carriers and a municipal corporation, and defendants, four railroad companies, were parties to an investigation and suspension proceeding before the Interstate Commerce Commission. Section 15(7) of the Interstate Commerce Act allows the Commission to suspend the effectiveness of rate revisions proposed by carriers for seven months while it is deciding whether to approve them. If no decision is reached by the end of the suspension period, the proposed rates automatically become effective subject to a subsequent determination of their validity by the ICC. Expiration of the order suspending defendants' rate proposals was imminent when, in an unprecedented …

Bankruptcy-Fradulent Transfers-Venue For Plenary Actions Under Section 70(E), Martin B. Dickinson Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff trustee in bankruptcy brought a plenary action under section 70(e) of the Bankruptcy Act in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for recovery of fraudulently transferred property located within the district. The defendants were citizens of Illinois, except the bankrupt's daughter, a California citizen. The district court granted the daughter's motion to dismiss for lack of venue. On appeal, held, reversed and remanded. Sections 23(b) and 70(e)(3) of the Bankruptcy Act exclude actions under section 70(e) from the requirements of the general venue provision of Title 28, U.S.C.; in all cases under section 70(e) …

Federal Appellate Jurisdiction-International Extradition-Review Of Extradition Proceedings, Martin R. Fine S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

The Consul General of Venezuela filed a complaint in a federal district court, pursuant to treaty and statute, seeking the extradition of former President Perez Jimenez for the crimes of murder and embezzlement. While the required extradition hearings were pending, Venezuela sought to use the civil deposition and subpoena procedure8 to compel several New York banks to produce records of deposits and to give depositions concerning the accounts of Jimenez and his alleged confederates. Jimenez moved for a protective order' to prevent Venezuela from obtaining and using these records as evidence against him in the extradition hearings. On appeal from …

The Constitution And Contempt Of Court, Ronald Goldfarb

Michigan Law Review

Few legal devices find conflict within the lines of our Constitution with the ubiquity of the contempt power. These conflicts involve issues concerning the governmental power structure such as the separation of powers and the delicate balancing of federal-state relations. In addition, there are civil rights issues attributable to the conflict between the use of the contempt power and such vital procedural protections as the right to trial by jury, freedom from self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and indictment-to name only the most recurrent and controversial examples. Aside from these problems, there are other civil liberties issues, such as those involving freedom …

Federal Courts-Jurisdiciton-District Court Transfer Of Action Under Section 1406(A) Without Jurisdiction Over Person Of Defendant, J. Patrick Martin S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

In 1956 plaintiff corporation brought a private antitrust action against various persons and corporations in a federal district court in Pennsylvania. Service was made upon defendant corporations by means of alias summonses in New York where they were amenable to suit. Since defendant corporations were not inhabitants of, "found," or transacting business in Pennsylvania, venue was improper there and the extraterritorial service of- process provision of the Clayton Act was not available to plaintiff. Defendant corporations moved to dismiss for lack of in personam jurisdiction. Instead, however, the court, invoking section 1406(a) of the Judicial Code, transferred the action in …

International Law-Sovereign Immunity-State Court Authority To Determine Title To Property Under Its Jurisdiction Despite A Department Of State Suggestion Of Immunity, John A. Krsul Jr., S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

In 1952 plaintiff brought a creditor's action for the appointment of a permanent receiver for the assets of the defendant located in New York. Defendant, Zivnostenska Banka, was a Czechoslovak corporation that had at one time been engaged in banking activities in New York. Plaintiff succeeded in having a receiver appointed upon proving that defendant had been nationalized, contrary to New York policy and law, by a 1950 decree of the Czechoslovak Government which had merged the defendant and its assets with the State Bank of Czechoslovakia. The instant controversy arose when the receiver attempted to set aside, as a …

Territorial Courts And Law: Unifying Factors In The Development Of American Legal Institutions-Pt.1-Establishment Of A Standardized Judicial System, William Wirt Blume, Elizabeth Gaspar Brown

Michigan Law Review

The United States first became a sovereign nation when individual states of the Confederation ceded to the states collectively their several interests in the lands west of the Appalachians which lay east of the Mississippi, north of Spanish Florida, and south of the Great Lakes. This area had been relinquished by Great Britain by the Treaty of 1783 and, with the exception of Kentucky, now became the property of the United States. It was the first area over which the states as a group had complete sovereignty, subject only to the claims of the various Indian tribes. Colonies fresh from …

Labor Law--Injunctions--Order Restraining Election Aboard "Flag-Of-Convenience" Vessel, Lee D. Powar

Michigan Law Review

Upon petition of the National Maritime Union, the National Labor Relations Board directed a representation election among all unlicensed foreign seamen employed by Empresa Hondurena de Vapores, S.A., aboard a Honduran-registered ship. Empresa, a Honduran corporation which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the United Fruit Company, sought injunctive relief in a federal district court. The petition alleged that the Board's order violated treaty obligations, the Constitution of the United States and principles of international law. The Regional Director of the NLRB moved to dismiss, asserting that the district court lacked jurisdiction to enjoin such an order and that the Board's …

Procedural Problems Of Class Suits, Joseph J. Simeone

Michigan Law Review

The purpose of this article is to discuss numerous aspects of the class device, to discuss the many procedural problems confronting court and counsel, to determine the effectiveness of one type of class suit-the spurious-and in the conclusion, to propose legislation for a new rule independent of the rules regarding class actions, a remedy which would more effectively permit the dispatch of numerous claims arising from similar fact patterns.

Labor Law--Federal Pre-Emption--State Jurisdiction To Prosecute Labor Organizers For Criminal Trespass, John W. Galanis

Michigan Law Review

Defendants, non-employee union organizers, entered the parking lot of a retail department store without permission for the sole purpose of distributing union material to the store's employees. After continued refusal to comply with requests to leave, the defendants were arrested, tried, and convicted of criminal trespass. It was contended that the trial court lacked jurisdiction because the National Labor Relations Act had pre-empted state control of the labor activities involved. On appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court, held, affirmed. State jurisdiction was justified not only by the state's interest in domestic peace and the protection of employer's property rights, …

Civil Aeronautics Act-Discrimination-Private Cause Of Action For Punitive Damages, L. B. Hirsch

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff held a reconfirmed tourist reservation on one of defendant's St. Louis-to-Los Angeles flights. Defendant oversold the flight and subsequently "bumped" the plaintiff from the flight in favor of a first-class passenger who was given plaintiff's accommodations in the tourist section. Defendant's agent booked a reservation for the plaintiff aboard another airline and provided plaintiff with lunch. The only expense incurred by the plaintiff as a result of being removed from defendant's flight was the cost of a telephone call to inform his wife of his new arrival time; and plaintiff was inconvenienced by a delay of four hours on …

Securities Regulation- Federal Courts-Private Rights Of Action Under The Investment Company Act Of 1940, Lee D. Powar

Michigan Law Review

Two actions for damages were brought against officers and directors of a mutual investment fund alleging violations of the Investment Company Act of 1940. These actions, by the fund itself and by a stockholder on behalf of the fund, were consolidated in a federal district court. The court denied defendant's motion to dismiss for want of federal jurisdiction. On an interlocutory appeal by the non-affiliated directors, held, reversed. The Investment Company Act of 1940 does not expressly or by implication create a private right of action cognizable in the federal courts against non-affiliated directors. Brouk v. Managed Funds, Inc. …

Federal Agency Investigations: Requirements For The Production Of Documents, Frank E. Cooper

Michigan Law Review

The United States district courts are frequently called upon to decide whether an administrative agency is entitled to enforcement of a subpoena requesting production of documentary evidence which the person to whom the subpoena is addressed assails as an unnecessary and improper inquisitorial investigation.

Neither the statute nor the decision-landmarks though they both are-offers a convenient rule of thumb to guide the district courts in the intensely difficult problems posed by requests for enforcement of administrative subpoenas.

However, an examination of the decisions passing upon such requests does disclose the standards by which the courts apply the three classic tests, …