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The Future Of Liberal Legal Scholarship, Ronald K.L. Collins, David M. Skover

Michigan Law Review

Earl Warren is dead.

A generation of liberal legal scholars continues, nevertheless, to act as if the man and his Court preside over the present. While this romanticism is understandable, it exacts a high price in a world transformed.

The following commentary is a reconstructive criticism written from the perspective of two liberals concerned about the future of "legal liberalism." We present our views as a commentary to emphasize their preliminary character; they represent our current assessment of where liberals stand and where they might redirect their energies.

Rummaging Through The Emperor's Wardrobe, Don Herzog

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Politics: A Work in Constructive Social Theory. 3 Volumes by Roberto Mangabeira Unger

The Authoritarian Impulse In Constitutional Law, Robin West

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Should there be greater participation by legislators and citizens in constitutional debate, theory, and decision-making? An increasing number of legal theorists from otherwise divergent perspectives have recently argued against what Paul Brest calls the "principle of judicial exclusivity" in our constitutional processes. These theorists contend that because issues of public morality in our culture either are, or tend to become, constitutional issues, all political actors, and most notably legislators and citizens, should consider the constitutional implications of the moral issues of the day. Because constitutional questions are essentially moral questions about how active and responsible citizens should constitute themselves, we …

Teaching Tolerance, Robert F. Nagel

Publications

No abstract provided.

Constituting Communities Through Words That Bind: Reflections On Loyalty Oaths, Sanford Levinson

Michigan Law Review

Preparation of this essay has not served to resolve my own ambivalences about what, after all, Duncan Kennedy once named the "fundamental contradiction" of all social life, the tension between "individual freedom" and the coercive communal life with "[o]thers (family, friends, bureaucrats, cultural figures, the state)" that is "necessary if we are to become persons at all - they provide us the stuff of our selves and protect us ,in crucial ways against destruction." It should not be surprising if something so fundamental does not prove amenable to resolution. In any case, the reader should not expect to find a …

A Comment On Religious Convictions And Lawmaking, John H. Garvey

Michigan Law Review

Professor Kent Greenawalt's Cooley Lectures on Religious Convictions and Lawmaking are fresh, honest, and thoughtful. They offer some troubling questions for liberal democratic theorists (Greenawalt names Bruce Ackerman and John Rawls as representatives of the class) who argue that good citizens and officials should set their religious co~victions aside when they deal with political questions. Greenawalt contends that religious liberal democrats are not committed to such a program of self-denial - that sometimes (though not always) political judgments can rest on religious convictions. I think he is right but too modest about the implications of his thesis.

Freedom Of Speech As Therapy, Pierre Schlag

Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Passion: An Essay On Personality , Richard F. Devlin Frsc

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Passion is a cogently structured, compel Jingly argued and seductively enthralling masterpiece which, in years to come, will undoubtedly stand out as an inspirational source for many who seek social transformation. Unger's style, in this essay at least, is lucid and inviting. Substantively, Passion demonstrates not only the depth of his penetrating intellect but also his command of an array of' disciplines. Unger's polymathy is all the more impressive when we remember that ours is an era in which idiosyncratic specialization is the norm.

Commissioning Morallity: An Introduction To The Symposium, Alan J. Weisbard, John D. Arras

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Electoral Folklore: An Empirical Examination Of The Abortion Issue, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Though partisans on both sides claim credit for electoral victories and defeats, and politicians treat both groups with deference, few studies have attempted to gauge the impact of the abortion issue in more than an anecdotal manner. In 1976, NARAL noted that of the 13 members of the U.S. Representatives that lost re-election bids, nine were pro-life, and four were pro-choice. A study conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute of the 1974 House races found that, in “competitive” districts, 92 percent of the pro-choice candidates studied were re-elected while only 61 percent of the pro-life candidates were returned to Congress, …

Crisis In Legal Services For The Poor, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

In Search Of A Role For The Legal System, Fernando E. Agrait

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Abortion And The Presidential Election Of 1976: A Multivariate Analysis Of Voting Behavior, Maris A. Vinovskis

Michigan Law Review

Despite the widespread public interest in the role of the abortion controversy in American politics today, no one has attempted to analyze systematically its impact on the electorate. Some national opinion surveys have asked voters whether or not they would be influenced by a candidate's position on abortion, but they have not attempted to ascertain its relative importance, compared to other considerations, in the final deliberations of the electorate. In an effort to provide a more systematic study of the role of abortion in American politics today, this Article analyzes the campaign to elect the President of the United States …

Public Support For Pro-Choice Abortion Policies In The Nation And States: Changes And Stability After The Roe And Doe Decisions, Eric M. Uslaner, Ronald E. Weber

Michigan Law Review

"The Supreme Court," according to the legendary Mr. Dooley, "follows the election returns." In 1973, the Court's two landmark decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, struck down statutes in the forty-six states where abortions were not permitted under any circumstances or were allowed only to save the life of the woman during the first three months of pregnancy. There had been a considerable increase in the level of support for the pro-choice position among the public in the few years preceding Roe and Doe. But did the decisions themselves lead to even more public support for …

The Nonpartisan Freedom Of Expression Of Public Employees, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Governmental activities affect each of us in a myriad of ways. The government's role as employer may pale in comparison with the more glamorous activities of the government as national defender, law enforcer, and allocator of scarce resources. Yet the legal ramifications of public employment-where the public interest in efficient governmental operation often conflicts with the public employee's freedom-have a profound influence upon American society.

In 1968, the Supreme Court in Pickering v. Board of Education formulated a test designed to balance these interests in defining the scope of a public employee's freedom of expression. In examining the nonpartisan free …

Lessons Of Watergate, Roger C. Cramton

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Fairness Doctrine And Pro-Natalism In Television, Myra Spicker

IUSTITIA

It is a premise of this paper that television reflects a pro-natalist bias in its promotion of the traditional female role in society, and that such bias is evident in both commercial advertisements as well as in dramatic presentations particularly on daytime television. Those who are opposed to a pro-natalist point of view will find it virtually impossible to air their opposition effectively. At best anti-natalist groups may be able to garner only meager financial resources to air spot commercials, but this is hardly adequate to combat the subtle onslaught of the opposition. Suggestions have been made that pro-natalist attitudes …

Some Determinants Of The Method Of Case Disposition: Decision-Making By Public Defenders In Los Angeles, Lynn M. Mather

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

A Comment On Dean Sovern's Paper, Patrick L. Baude

IUSTITIA

As I understand Mr. Sovern's proposition, we ought to expect a protest group to be at its most effective in court, since in the United States, adjudication is a widely and deeply respected method of resolving conflict and of presenting claims, of taking part in the shared traditions of decency and civility and law. If you want to avoid being criticized for impermissible methods, writing a brief is one of the easiest ways to avoid it. It doesn't involve rock-throwing, shouting, or even picketing. Yet, at this very place where one would expect a protest group to be most effective, …

A Comment On Professor Hook's Paper, Julius G. Getman

IUSTITIA

I start with the concession that much of what Professor Hook says is true. Not to recognize this would be folly. Hook's condemnation of academic violence is necessary, justified, and important. Ultimately, however, the picture he draws and the conclusions he states are misleading.

Academic freedom is indeed in jeopardy, but not merely from the internal sources Hook mentions. Outside pressures exist as well. Professor Hook suggests that by establishing a criminal law system, universities can successfully cope with student violence. Having been involved at almost every level of the internal judicial process at the university, I am convinced such …

Legal Knowledge Of Michigan Citizens, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This empirical study of the legal knowledge of Michigan citizens arose in response to the paucity of research in the area, especially in Michigan, where no such study had previously been conducted, and the contradictory findings of those earlier studies that had been conducted. Its findings may have implications for future efforts to educate the public and may provide some clues as to whether and why certain segments of the population are deficient in legal knowledge.

Two Papers Delivered At A Symposium, "The Response Of Society To Unusual And Extreme Pressure Groups," Presented At Indiana University School Of Law, Sidney Hook, Michael I. Sovern

IUSTITIA

The following articles by Professor Hook and Dean Sovern are derived from talks delivered at a symposium, "The Response of Society to Unusual and Extreme Pressure Groups," presented at Indiana University School of Law on November 6, 1970. While the door has apparently closed upon the period of ghetto and campus riots of the la te six ties and early seven ties, the fundamental issues of human righ ts which they raised remain unresolved. The symposium attempted to assess the origins, consequences, and remedies for these conflicts. The recent confrontation between American Indians and federal troops at Wounded Knee, South …

Justice As Fairness: A Commentary On Rawls's New Theory Of Justice, Gilbert Merritt

Vanderbilt Law Review

A Theory of Justice,' John Rawls's new book on social and legal philosophy, appears likely to become a monument of systematic thought comparable to Locke's Second Treatise of Government and Mill's Utilitarianism. It provides answers systematically to the most difficult questions of our time and promises to shape the thought and action of men for many years. Daniel Bell, a noted social scientist, has said that in Rawls "we can observe the development of a political philosophy which will go far to shape the last part of the 20th Century, as the doctrines of Locke and Smith molded the 19th."' …

Constitutional Approaches To Metropolitan Planning, John W. Ragsdale Jr

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Militants, Moderates, And Social Change, Michael I. Sovern

Faculty Scholarship

The thesis of this paper is a simple generalization: To the extent that social protest draws attention to its form rather than to the grievance it seeks to redress, it is likely to be unproductive. I add a quick qualification. In offering this generalization, I am assuming that the protester is genuine in seeking to redress one or more grievances and that he is not using the grievance as a subterfuge to pick a fight. If the purpose of the protest is in fact to provoke a repressive response, then, of course, my generalization is inapplicable.

We obviously have a …

Political Trends And Life Styles In North Carolina For The Decade 1970, Howard N. Lee

North Carolina Central Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federalizing Through The Franchise: The Supreme Court And Local Government, R. Perry Sentell Jr.

Scholarly Works

Decisionmaking at the local government level has been significantly affected by both national legislation and federal court decisions seeking to protect the right to vote. Indeed, Professor Sentell feels that the Supreme Court, through decisions invalidating restrictions on the franchise, has involved itself to an unparalleled degree in heretofore purely local affairs. In examining these decisions, the author queries if legitimate voting regulations may be now imposed by local governments. In so doing he focuses upon the Court's equal protection analysis of extraordinary majority vote requirements and elections restricted to certain segments of the electorate and upon the expansive judicial …

Political Warfare, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Powell Speeches

Lewis F. Powell Jr. prepared this paper and submitted it to President Richard M. Nixon on a confidential basis while Powell served as a member of the President's Blue Ribbon Panel on National Defense.

Selective Conscientious Objection: Divine Will And Legislative Grace, Hugh Macgill

Faculty Articles and Papers

No abstract provided.

Notes For Law Day Speech, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Powell Speeches

Speech delivered at Richmond Kiwanis Club, Richmond, Virginia.