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Articles 691 - 720 of 1186

Full-Text Articles in Law and Society

Reining In Property Owners' Associations' Power: Texas's Need For A Comprehensive Plan., Karen Ellert Pena Jan 2001

Reining In Property Owners' Associations' Power: Texas's Need For A Comprehensive Plan., Karen Ellert Pena

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

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The Spanish Predominant Language Ordinance: Is Spanish On The Way In And English On The Way Out., Adriana Resendez Jan 2001

The Spanish Predominant Language Ordinance: Is Spanish On The Way In And English On The Way Out., Adriana Resendez

St. Mary's Law Journal

El Cenizo's Spanish language ordinance is likely to survive a constitutional challenge. The City Council of El Cenizo’s Spanish language ordinance, however, has generated a significant amount of controversy in the United States. The ordinance stipulates that all city council meetings will be made in the city’s predominant language—Spanish. Critics argue that the ordinance has made Spanish the official language. Critics also argue that the ordinance is discriminatory toward English speakers. English only advocacy groups, such as English First and U.S. English, argue that the ordinance will create a trend across the United States of immigrants refusing to embrace an …

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Heci V. Neel: Application Of The Discovery Rule To Damages Arising Out Of Oil And Gas Leases., L. Melanie Martin Jan 2001

Heci V. Neel: Application Of The Discovery Rule To Damages Arising Out Of Oil And Gas Leases., L. Melanie Martin

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas landowners face a heavy burden in bringing claims for damages arising out of inherently undiscoverable damages to mineral estates because the statute of limitations starts at the time of injury rather than the time of discovery. Previously, courts adopted the discovery rule as an exception to the statute of limitations, effectively stalling the starting point of the statute of limitations. A two-pronged threshold inquiry is held before the application of the discovery rule. First, the court must determine if the injury is inherently undiscoverable or not detected despite the use of due diligence. Secondly, there must be objectively verifiable …

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Whither The Texas Tort Claims Act: What Remains After Official Immunity., J. Bonner Dorsey Jan 2001

Whither The Texas Tort Claims Act: What Remains After Official Immunity., J. Bonner Dorsey

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

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Texas Workers' Compensation: A Ten-Year Survey - Strengths, Weaknesses, And Recommendations., Phil Hardberger Jan 2000

Texas Workers' Compensation: A Ten-Year Survey - Strengths, Weaknesses, And Recommendations., Phil Hardberger

St. Mary's Law Journal

The present Texas Workers’ Compensation system began development in January of 1989 and has been in effect since 1991. Texas is the only state in which workers’ compensation coverage is optional. Alternative benefits plans are provided in some cases; however, many injured workers receive less than they would under the Texas Workers’ Compensation system. The current system uses supplemental income benefits (SIBs), meaning injured workers can be cut off from benefits if they are less than 15% impaired, and the maximum time to appeal each case is ninety days (Rule 130.5(e)). The 71st Texas Legislature focused on decreasing attorney involvement …

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Creative Sanctions For Discovery Abuse In Texas., Travis C. Headley Jan 2000

Creative Sanctions For Discovery Abuse In Texas., Travis C. Headley

St. Mary's Law Journal

Creative sanctions are necessary to deter litigants from abusing the discovery process. Under both the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, creative sanctions are allowed and within a judge’s discretion. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37 and Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 215 provide judges a non-exhaustive list of available sanctions to deter abusive discovery practices. Nonetheless, discovery abuse has continued to escalate, and limited precedence exists in the field despite the increased use of sanctions. An unprecedented creative sanction was imposed by Judge Brotman of the District Court for the Virgin Islands. On …

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Much Ado About Spam: Unsolicited Advertising, The Internet, And You., Scot M. Graydon Jan 2000

Much Ado About Spam: Unsolicited Advertising, The Internet, And You., Scot M. Graydon

St. Mary's Law Journal

Internet users need protection from unsolicited commercial emails (UCEs), and this protection should come from federal legislation. Despite seventeen states having passed some sort of legislation regulating UCEs, this is insufficient to protect Internet users from UCEs. State laws are not uniformed and UCEs frequently cross state lines. Internet advertisers prefer commercial emails because of the ability to market to millions of consumers at a low cost. Consumers, however, suffer delays to their Internet access because of the amount of data UCEs accumulate, and in some cases may have to pay additional fees if they exceed the data limits of …

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A Holy Mess: School Prayer, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act Of Texas, And The First Amendment., David S. Stolle Jan 2000

A Holy Mess: School Prayer, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act Of Texas, And The First Amendment., David S. Stolle

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith, the U.S. Supreme Court held the traditional compelling state interest standard for Free Exercise Clause jurisprudence should be replaced by a new test requiring a statute or government action to be facially neutral and generally applicable. In response to Smith, Congress, relying on its Enforcement Clause powers under the Fourteenth Amendment, attempted to resurrect the compelling state interest standard by passing the Religious Freedom of Restoration Act (RFRA). In June 1999, the Texas legislature passed the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (TRFRA). This Comment argues the TRFRA is unnecessary …

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Loss Of Earning Capcity Benefits In The Community Property Jurisdiction - How Do You Figure., Aloysius A. Leopold Jan 1999

Loss Of Earning Capcity Benefits In The Community Property Jurisdiction - How Do You Figure., Aloysius A. Leopold

St. Mary's Law Journal

In the interest of uniformity, benefits for the loss of earning capacity should be subject to the same legal principle when determining marital property rights, regardless of the context in which those rights arise. However, courts throughout the United States have relied upon four different methods to determine title to loss of earning capacity benefits upon divorce. These approaches include the unitary approach, the analytic approach, the mechanistic approach, and the case-by-case approach. Because the determination of title to benefits varies tremendously, the need for certainty in this area of the law is necessary particularly in light of the Texas …

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The Constitution And Reconstitution Of The Standing Doctrine Comment., Laveta Casdorph Jan 1999

The Constitution And Reconstitution Of The Standing Doctrine Comment., Laveta Casdorph

St. Mary's Law Journal

The most effective response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s construction of Article III standards will be to revise citizen suit statutes to reaffirm its important role in giving the injured citizen a voice against the administrative state. With the rise of the administrative state in the late 1930s and 40s, the Court developed a conservative doctrine of standing to protect New Deal legislation from court-based attacks. As individual constitutional rights expanded, standing rules were liberalized, allowing litigants to challenge the actions and decisions of administrative agencies more easily. Congress passed numerous environmental statutes containing “citizen suit” provisions in the 1960s …

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America's Preoccupation With Ethics In Government Essay., Vincent R. Johnson Jan 1999

America's Preoccupation With Ethics In Government Essay., Vincent R. Johnson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Many Americans today expect that the law can, should, and will be used to ensure a level playing field in public life. Americans expect the law to eliminate, insofar as possible, any unfair advantage that might be gained through the use of special connections to those who exercise the power of government. There are numerous rules applicable to judges, lawyers, and public officials that each seek to promote equal treatment for all persons by limiting the ability of persons to use special connections and privileged relationships to gain an advantage in public affairs. There were two threads of development in …

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Resolving The Mult-Fractional Deed Dilemma - Conc.Ord Oil Co. V. Pennzoil Exploration & (And) Production Co. Recent Development, Noelle C. Letteri Jan 1999

Resolving The Mult-Fractional Deed Dilemma - Conc.Ord Oil Co. V. Pennzoil Exploration & (And) Production Co. Recent Development, Noelle C. Letteri

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

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From Little Acorns Great Oaks Grow: The Constitutionality Of Protecting Minors From Harmful Internet Material In Public Libraries Comment., Kimberly S. Keller Jan 1999

From Little Acorns Great Oaks Grow: The Constitutionality Of Protecting Minors From Harmful Internet Material In Public Libraries Comment., Kimberly S. Keller

St. Mary's Law Journal

Congress should focus on the receiver's end of Internet transmissions to overcome the anonymity and transmogrification elements of the Internet to protect minors from harmful material. Throughout the years, librarians have struggled with monitoring minors’ access to the accumulating number of controversial texts in the library. The Internet’s unique infrastructure affords librarians virtually no opportunity for the pre-shelf review available with books and videos. Congress enacted the Communications Decency Act (CDA) in 1996 in an attempt to protect minors from the underbelly of the internet. The United States Supreme Court, in Reno v. ACLU, struck down the CDA ruling that …

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Keeping The Promise: Establishing Nontransferable Election Systems In Jurisdictions Covered By Section Four Of The Voting Rights Act., Adam J. Cohen Jan 1999

Keeping The Promise: Establishing Nontransferable Election Systems In Jurisdictions Covered By Section Four Of The Voting Rights Act., Adam J. Cohen

St. Mary's Law Journal

Jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act (VRA or the Act) need to impose multimember districting and non-transferable election systems. The VRA was enacted in 1965 to enforce the promise of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution: the right to vote shall not be abridged on the basis of race. The Act requires any change in election procedures to be approved in advance so that states are not able to continuously disenfranchise voters based on race by simply changing election procedures. Either the District Court for the District of Columbia or the Attorney General of the United States …

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Texas Rule Of Evidence 503: Defining Scope Of Employment For Corporations Comment., Craig W. Saunders Jan 1999

Texas Rule Of Evidence 503: Defining Scope Of Employment For Corporations Comment., Craig W. Saunders

St. Mary's Law Journal

The attorney-corporate client privilege should be regarded as encompassing only communications made to the corporation’s counsel by employees in the scope of their employment. The Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered the merger of the Civil and Criminal Rules of Evidence. The merger became effective on March 1, 1998 and is now known as the Texas Rules of Evidence. Although the civil and criminal rules often mirror each other, one monumental change is in the new version of Rule 503. This new version significantly alters the analysis used in a corporate context and determines …

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Dead Man Talking: Competing Narratives And Effective Representation In Capital Cases Essay., Jeffrey J. Pokorak Jan 1999

Dead Man Talking: Competing Narratives And Effective Representation In Capital Cases Essay., Jeffrey J. Pokorak

St. Mary's Law Journal

As Karl Hammond’s case indicates, to serve justice, balance between the Kill Story and Human Story is necessary in a capital trial. This Essay seeks, through deconstruction of Karl Hammond’s case, to identify and illustrate the values of telling these combating stories. Part III describes the Kill Story and the Human Story in Karl’s case from the record of his trial, appeals, and petitions. Part III also demonstrates how the failure to tell one side of the story in either the guilt-innocence phase or the punishment phase can have a prejudicial effect on the jury’s decision. Part IV then discusses …

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The Lautenberg Amendment: Congress Hit The Mark By Banning Firearms From Domestic Violence Offenders Comment., Polly Mccann Pruneda Jan 1999

The Lautenberg Amendment: Congress Hit The Mark By Banning Firearms From Domestic Violence Offenders Comment., Polly Mccann Pruneda

St. Mary's Law Journal

Immediate action is critical to preserve the goals of the Lautenberg Amendment to protect victims of domestic violence from future abuse and their abusers. Incidents of gun-related domestic violence are not uncommon in the United States. Statistics show that domestic violence takes one life every three days and the combination of guns and domestic violence cause more deaths than incidents which are not associated with guns. In 1996, Congress attempted to find a solution to this problem. The Lautenberg Amendment, enacted pursuant to Congress’ Commerce Clause power, seeks to protect individuals from gun related injury or death occurring within domestic …

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Beyond Black And White: Selected Writings By Asian Americans Within The Critical Race Theory Movement Perspective., Harvey Gee Jan 1999

Beyond Black And White: Selected Writings By Asian Americans Within The Critical Race Theory Movement Perspective., Harvey Gee

St. Mary's Law Journal

A new generation of progressive intellectuals has evolved, attempting to transform the manner in which law, race, and racial power are understood and discussed in America. The latter half of the twentieth century proved to be a time of profound demographic changes. Racial and political reform policies of the post-modern Civil Rights Movement failed to fully respond to these dramatic social changes. A theory was created to address social racism because the “color-blind” model posited by the Supreme Court of the United States perpetuated racism by supporting the existing hierarchy. Critical Race Theory attempts to tackle these dramatic social changes …

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Splitting The Atom Or Splitting Hairs - The Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 1999 Note., Andrew M. Gilbert, Eric D. Marchand Jan 1999

Splitting The Atom Or Splitting Hairs - The Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 1999 Note., Andrew M. Gilbert, Eric D. Marchand

St. Mary's Law Journal

Problems of bias-motivated violence plague our nation and threaten to erase the progress made during the civil rights era. Recent statistical surveys conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicate the number of hate crimes has generally increased over the past few years. In 1996, over 11,000 individuals were victims of hate crimes—five percent more than reported the previous year. Hate crimes are not only injurious to the individual victim, but also fracture surrounding communities and create disharmony among citizens. As a result, some states implemented legislation in the 1980s to deter hate-motived crimes and a few states have …

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Voluntary Intoxication As A Mitigating Circumstance During The Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: A Proposal For Reform Comment., Jeffrey A. Walsh Jan 1998

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 …

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The Impending Wave Of Legal Malpractice Litigation - Predictions, Analysis, And Proposals For Change., Gary N. Schumann, Scott B. Herlihy Jan 1998

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 …

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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 Jan 1998

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 …

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Standards Of Review In Texas., W. Wendell Hall Jan 1998

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 …

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Texas Rule Of Civil Procedure 166a(I): A New Weapon For Texas Defendants Comment., Robert W. Clore Jan 1998

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 …

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Feminism And Defending Men On Death Row Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Phyllis L. Crocker Jan 1998

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 …

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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 Jan 1998

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.

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A Practitioner's Review Of Civil Appeals Under The 1997 Texas Rules Of Appellate Procedure Comment., Reagan Wm. Simpson Jan 1998

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.

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Toward Permissive Appeal In Texas., Renee Forinash Mcelhaney Jan 1998

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 …

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The Role Of Variances In Determing Ripeness In Takings Claims Under Zoning Ordinances And Subdivision Regulations Of Texas Municipalities., John Mixon, Justin Waggoner Jan 1998

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 …

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Tangible Or Intangible - Is That The Question - Conflict In The Texas Tax Classification System Of Computer Software Comment., Christine E. Reinhard Jan 1998

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 …

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