Law and Society Commons^™

Only Yesterday: The Rise And Fall Of Twentieth Century Sexual Psychopath Laws, Tamara Rice Lave

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No abstract provided.

What's Left Of Solidarity? Reflections On Law, Race, And Labor History, Martha R. Mahoney

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No abstract provided.

Totem, Taboo And The Concept Of Law: Myth In Hart And Freud, Jeanne L. Schroeder

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The article critically examines H.L.A. Hart’s The Concept of Law, arguing that its foundational narrative of legal evolution relies on a mythological anthropology. Hart’s account of the transition from primitive to modern legal systems through secondary rules is revealed to be a myth that, while not historically accurate, conveys deeper truths about the nature of law and modernity. The analysis draws parallels between Hart’s mythography and Freud’s psychoanalytic theories, particularly in Totem and Taboo and Moses and Monotheism, to explore how both thinkers conceptualize the origins of law as a shift from direct force to symbolic authority. The article contends …

The "Accidental Procreation" Argument For Withholding Legal Recognition For Same-Sex Relationships, Edward D. Stein

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This article examines “the accidental procreation argument,” an argument against same-sex marriage that still has some traction in United States appellate courts. The accidental procreation argument is meant to take the place of one of the central arguments made by states — and almost universally accepted by courts — in the first batch of cases in the United States about same-sex marriage. That original procreation-based argument — now widely acknowledged to be inadequate — posited that marriage is crucially related to procreation; therefore, since same-sex couples cannot procreate, same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry. The accidental procreation argument …

The Declining Significance Of Presidential Races?, Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Osamudia R. James

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No abstract provided.

Property Rules, Liability Rules, And Uncertainty About Property Rights, Stewart E. Sterk

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Clarity can be a considerable virtue in property rights. But even when property rights are defined clearly in the abstract, ascertaining the scope of those rights in concrete situations often entails significant cost. In some instances, the cost of acquiring information about the scope of property rights will exceed the social value of that information. In those circumstances, further search for information about the scope of rights is inefficient; the social harm avoided by further search does not justify the costs of the search. Potential resource users, however; make decisions based on private costs and benefits, not social costs and …

Report To The American Bankruptcy Institute: Prevalence Of Substantive Consolidation In Large Public Company Bankruptcies From 2000 To 2005, William H. Widen

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No abstract provided.

(Un)Covering Identity In Civil Rights And Poverty Law, Anthony V. Alfieri

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Prosecuting The Jena Six, Anthony V. Alfieri

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Third-Party Tax Administration: The Case Of Low- And Moderate-Income Households, Michael S. Barr, Jane K. Dokko

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Using a unique household-level data set, this article investigates the taxfiling experiences and refund behavior of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. We document households' tax-filing behavior, attitudes about the withholding system, use of tax refunds to consume and save, and the mechanisms by which households would prefer to receive their income. We also document the prevalence of the use of tax-preparation services and the receipt of tax refunds and refund-anticipation loans. Finally, we argue that there may be a role for tax administration to enable LMI households to make welfare-improving financial decisions.

Faith In Community: Representing "Colored Town", Anthony V. Alfieri

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No abstract provided.

Selecting By Origin: Ethnic Migration In The Liberal State By Christian Joppke (Book Review), David Abraham

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Protecting Gay And Lesbian Families From Eviction From Their Homes: The Quest For Equality For Gay And Lesbian Families In Braschi V. Stahl Associates, Paris R. Baldacci

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No abstract provided.

An Inclusive, Progressive National Savings And Financial Services Policy, Michael S. Barr

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How many of us walk by the signs for "Checks Cashed Here," "Money Orders for Sale," and "Payday Loans: Get Cash Quick" without thinking about the implications of those signs for the daily lives of lower-income households? Most of us can take for granted getting our paychecks directly deposited into our bank accounts, writing a check, or storing our money in an account. We often struggle to save for longer-term goals, such as our children's education, or retirement, but most of us, most of the time, do not worry whether our savings or insurance will be enough to get us …

Constitutional Patriotism, Citizenship And Belonging In America And Germany, David Abraham

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Exploding The Class Action Agency Costs Myth: The Social Utility Of Entrepreneurial Lawyers, Myriam E. Gilles, Gary B. Friedman

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In this article, we challenge the traditional view that entrepreneurial plaintiffs' class action lawyers operating entirely according to their own economic self-interest serve no social utility, or worse yet, tremendous disutility. In seeking to counter this notion, we try to show that the agency costs problem long derided in class action practice is overblown: in the majority of small-claims class actions, there is no legitimate reason to care whether class members are being undercompensated (or compensated at all), nor any reason to worry that entrepreneurial lawyers are being overcompensated. Rather, we assert that the driving force behind class action practice …

Unnatural Rights: Hegel And Intellectual Property, Jeanne L. Schroeder

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The article challenges the common misconception that Hegel's legal philosophy supports the romantic view of intellectual property as an extension of personality or natural right. Instead, it argues that Hegel's framework, rooted in the concept of "abstract right," views property, including intellectual property, as a legal construct created to facilitate freedom and legal subjectivity. The analysis emphasizes the pragmatic and utilitarian aspects of adopting intellectual property regimes within a modern constitutional republic, while rejecting the notion of natural law and highlighting the realization of property rights through alienation and contract.

Dworkin In The Desert Of The Real, David G. Carlson

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The article critically examines Ronald Dworkin's jurisprudence, particularly his theory of right answers, and defends it against critiques that his approach to law and language creates an unbridgeable gap between theory and practice. Dworkin's central argument is that law has an essence that judges must discover through reflective equilibrium, emphasizing the incommensurability between the judge's act and the symbolic order of law. While critics argue that this approach leads to nihilism, Dworkin counters by asserting that conventionalists are contradictory and that justice, as a decision, necessarily transgresses the domain of law.

Prevalence Of Substantive Consolidation In Large Bankruptcies From 2000 To 2004: Preliminary Results, William H. Widen

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No abstract provided.

Making America "The Land Of Second Chances": Restoring Socioeconomic Rights For Ex-Offenders, Deborah N. Archer, Kele Stewart

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No abstract provided.

The Death Penalty's Future: Charting The Crosscurrents Of Declining Death Sentences And The Mcveigh Factor, Scott E. Sundby

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No abstract provided.

Public Law Limitations On Privatization Of Government Functions, Paul R. Verkuil

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The privatization movement is on the verge of succeeding too well. The fact that some of what government does can be done better and cheaper by the private sector has gained such momentum that the public sector is sometimes seen as redundant or irrelevant. But the economist's make-or-buy choice simply fails to capture the full range of responsibilities that government faces in deciding whether to outsource a particular function to private contractors.

This Article illuminates the public dimension of government functions. By exploring the public-private distinction and relating it to constitutional, statutory, and administrative requirements, it structures an argument that …

Credit Where It Counts: Maintaining A Strong Community Reinvestment Act, Michael S. Barr

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The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has helped to revitalize low- and moderate-income communities and provided expanded opportunities for low- and moderate-income households. Recent regulatory steps aimed at alleviating burdens on banks and thrifts are unwarranted, and may diminish small business lending as well as community development investments and services. This policy brief explains the rationale for CRA, demonstrates its effectiveness, and argues that the recent regulatory proposals should be withdrawn or significantly modified.

Tax Preparation Services For Low- And Moderate-Income Households: Preliminary Evidence From A New Survey, Michael S. Barr, Jane K. Dokko

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Recently, researchers have begun to examine the financial service patterns of low- and moderate-income households. These behaviors are of interest because high cost financial services, barriers to saving, the lack of insurance, and credit constraints contribute to poverty and other socioeconomic conditions . Many low- and moderate-income households use alterna­tive financial service (AFS) providers, such as check cashers, for their financial services needs. Tax preparation firms are among the important financial service providers in the lives of low-income households. Such firms help households navigate the complicated process of filing their taxes, and many low-income households obtain sizeable tax refunds. At …

Gideon In White/Gideon In Black: Race And Identity In Lawyering, Anthony V. Alfieri

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No abstract provided.

Why Lawyers Are Unhappy, Martin E.P. Seligman, Paul R. Verkuil, Terry H. Kang

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[According to the authors of this article, the growing unhappiness of lawyers, particularly young lawyers, stems from three causes: (1) Lawyers are selected for their pessimism (or "prudence") and this generalizes to the rest of their lives; (2) Young associates hold jobs that are characterized by high pressure and low decision latitude, exactly the conditions that promote poor health and poor morale; and (3) American law is to some extent a zero-sum game, and negative emotions flow from zero-sum games....

This article has been shared with practitioners as well as academics. It grows out of faculty seminars held at the …

Detroit Area Study On Financial Services: What? Why? How?, Michael S. Barr

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The following article is based on a talk give by Assistant Professor of Law Michael S. Barr to the University of Texas Law School-Harvard Law School Joint Conference on Commercial Law Realities in Austin, Texas, in April. Barr was selected by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center to be the faculty investigator for the Detroit Area Study, which the University has conducted for more than 50 years. Barr is using the study to explore the financial services needs of low- and moderate-income households, building on his groundbreaking analysis in Banking the Poor. Barr raised a …

Credit Where It Counts: The Community Reinvestment Act And Its Critics, Michael S. Barr

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Despite the depth and breadth of U.S. credit markets, low- and moderate-income communities and minority borrowers have not historically enjoyed full access to credit. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was enacted in 1977 to help overcome barriers to credit that these groups faced. Scholars have long leveled numerous critiques against CRA as unnecessary, ineffectual, costly, and lawless. Many have argued that CRA should be eliminated. By contrast, I contend that market failures and discrimination justify governmental intervention and that CRA is a reasonable policy response to these problems. Using recent empirical evidence, I demonstrate that over the last decade CRA …

Past And Present Proposed Amendments To The United States Constitution Regarding Marriage, Edward D. Stein

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Proposals to amend the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage were recently actively discussed and voted on in the U.S. Congress. This Article situates arguments for these proposals within the history of attempts to amend the Constitution related to marriage by providing the first detailed, synthetic analysis of such previously proposed amendments. This examination reveals 133 previously proposed amendments to the Constitution relating to marriage, consisting primarily of proposals to prohibit interracial marriage, proposals to prohibit polygamy, and proposals to empower Congress to make uniform laws concerning marriage and divorce. By tracing the arguments made in support of these amendments, this …

Haitian Refugees And The Rule Of Law, Irwin P. Stotzky

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No abstract provided.