Law and Society Commons^™

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 …

Conflicts Of Interest And The Changing Concept Of Marriage: The Congressional Compromise, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The number of women, including married women, seeking prominent positions in American business and government has increased rapidly in recent years, and this development raises serious questions regarding potential conflicts of interest between spouses who work either in related areas of the public and private sectors or solely within the public sector. Specifically, when one spouse is a member of Congress, conflicts of interest can occur if the other spouse occupies a high-level position in private industry or in the executive branch of the government. This Note examines the potential dangers in these employment arrangements of members of Congress and …

Central Problems Of American Criminal Justice, Francis A. Allen

Michigan Law Review

At periodic intervals during the present century the American "crime problem" has aroused agitated public discussion. At these times both publicists and ordinary citizens are likely to assume that the disturbing conditions have suddenly arisen and are wholly unlike anything experienced before. In considering the crime problem, the beginning of wisdom may lie in the discovery that this is a problem with a history. Crime and its control did not suddenly become significant in the late 1960s, at the end of World War II, or even with the launching of the prohibition experiment at the conclusion of the first great …

The Alienation Of Law Students, Paul D. Carrington, James J. Conley

Michigan Law Review

Not many years ago, as much as one-fifth of a first-year class at The University of Michigan Law School did not return for the second year. It was a cause of regret that so much waste and frustration was associated with this non-event. Whether students failed or voluntarily withdrew, their time, money, and opportunity were lost.

Reflections On Public Interest Directors, Alfred F. Conard

Michigan Law Review

The "public interest director" may not yet be an idea whose time has come, but it is an idea that can no longer be ignored. The time has come for responsible lawyers and other opinion leaders to know why, and to what extent, they favor or oppose it.

The Proposed "Science Court", James A. Martin

Michigan Law Review

This article discusses the desirability of establishing some kind of science court. Section I examines arguments in favor of the creation of a science court. Section II compares the truth-seeking devices of the scientific method and the legal system in order to assess their merits in assisting the public policymakers faced with issues involving scientific matters. Section III discusses the various models that have been proposed for a science court. Section IV concentrates on the model proposed by Dr. Arthur Kantrowitz, taking it as the preferred model, and defends it against some criticism while suggesting various refinements. Section V examines …

Laws That Are Made To Be Broken: Adjusting For Anticipated Noncompliance, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note explores and defends a legislative strategy that has neither been clearly articulated by legal theorists nor methodically pursued by practical lawmakers. Most laws are introduced with the expectation that they will sometimes be broken, but it is generally -thought that noncompliance diminishes the utility of laws. It is possible, however, to design laws the utility of which is actually enhanced by a certain amount of noncompliance. As a corollary, it can ·be shown that it is rational, under some circumstances, for a legislature to enact laws that are not just expected but are intended to be broken with …

Public Participation In The Adoption Of Interpretive Rules And Policy Statements, Michael Asimow

Michigan Law Review

Section I of this article surveys the practices of a selected group of federal agencies in the adoption of interpretive rules and policy statements. It emphasizes the importance of these rules both to members of the public and to the administrative process. Section II analyzes the cases that have considered the AP A exemption of interpretive rules and policy statements from preadoption notice and comment procedures. These cases are in disarray for several reasons. For one thing, the bright lines traditionally assumed to distinguish interpretive rules and policy statements from legislative rules have become blurred and indistinct. Moreover, the courts …

Education And The Law: State Interests And Individual Rights, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

No government activity exerts a more pervasive influence on Americans for a longer period of their lives than the regulation of education. The state seeks through its educational system to achieve two goals: the development of the basic reading, writing and other academic skills that any productive member of society must possess; and the inculcation of values deemed essential for a cohesive, harmonious and law-abiding society. Basically, through uniformity and standardization of the education experience the state attempts to guarantee that children will not become liabilities to society and that a minimal acceptance of shared values and norms will be …

Les Officialités À La Veille Du Concile De Trente, Charles Donahue Jr.

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Les officialités à la veille du Concile de Trente by Anne Lefebvre-Teillard

The Other Government, Daniel D. Polsby

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Other Government by Mark J. Green

Government Information And The Rights Of Citizens, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Project delineates the federal and state responses to these two fundamental societal concerns. The course of the discussion suggests the vitality of these concerns, and the flexibility and continuing development of the governmental responses. Clearly, the interests in maximizing disclosure of government-held information and minimizing the handling and dissemination of unnecessary or inaccurate personal information can conflict. The contours of this conflict, only intimated herein, will doubtless become more bold with the maturation of the opposing statutory schemes.

The Evolution Of Law In The Barrios Of Caracas, Robert C. Means

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Evolution of Law in the Barrios of Caracas by Kenneth L. Karst, Murray L. Schwartz, and Audrey J. Schwartz

Billboard Control Under The Highway Beautification Act Of 1965, Roger A. Cunningham

Michigan Law Review

Although the advertising control provisions of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 have been the subject of unremitting controversy from the date of enactment until the present time, only three substantive amendments to title I have been adopted in the intervening years. These are the amendments to subsections ( d) and (j) and the addition of a new subsection (n) all of which were adopted in 1968.

Beyond The Eye Of The Beholder: Aesthetics And Objectivity, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The term "aesthetic legislation," as used in this Note, refers only to legislation that bears upon the visual character of the physical environment, rather than to legislation on problems of noise and odor. The legal system has handled problems of the latter sort much better; only the sense of sight has been left unprotected. Perhaps one reason for its neglect is that in order to make an area visually pleasing positive programs, such as zoning, must be used, as well as passive prohibitions of such noxious uses as billboards. Noise and odor problems, which can be resolved by prohibitions alone, …

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.

Segregation Of Poor And Minority Children Into Classes For The Mentally Retarded By The Use Of Iq Tests*, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Comment deals with the inadequacies of IQ tests as devices for identifying those children who are to be relegated to classes for the mentally retarded and with the constitutional ramifications of these inadequacies. The present use of standardized tests may violate due process and equal protection guarantees. Additionally, certain procedural due process requirements, heretofore ignored in this context, may apply to the placement process.

Packer & Ehrlich: New Directions In Legal Education, Richard C. Maxwell

Michigan Law Review

A Review of New Directions in Legal Education by Herbert L. Packer and Thomas Ehrlich

Reich: The Greening Of American And Skinner: Beyond Freedom And Dignity, Donald H.J. Hermann

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Greening of American by Charles A. Reich and Beyond Freedom and Dignity by B. F. Skinner

A New Role For The Black Law Graduate--A Reality Or An Illusion, Harry T. Edwards

Michigan Law Review

It is not really surprising that so much attention has recently been given to the gross disparity in White v. Black participation in the legal profession. Indeed, the question of quality participation by Black lawyers is an irrelevant consideration until there is a real commitment to give Blacks equal access to the formerly all-white legal educational institutions. In examining the nature of this heretofore obvious (but only recently acknowledged) problem of Black underrepresentation within our society? (3) What must be done by the legal profession not only to alleviate the negative impact of such a shortage, but also to enhance …

Constitutional Law--Obscenity--The Right To An Adversary Hearing On The Issue Of Obscenity Prior To The Seizure Of Furtively Distributed Films, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note will discuss the procedural safeguards that must be provided when allegedly obscene materials are seized prior to distribution. The discussion will emphasize a consideration of the question whether the procedural requirements with respect to the seizure of printed materials are also applicable to the seizure of films, particularly those films that are being or are intended to be furtively distributed.

Civilizing University Discipline, Paul D. Carrington

Michigan Law Review

It is the purpose of this Article to suggest that the criminal model is not the only possible system of university discipline. There are alternatives to be found in the operation of the civil courts and other administrative agencies that have received little consideration. It is a common, but mistaken, assumption that the proper way to deal with offensive conduct is by means of social punishment. The unfortunate consequences of a general tendency of legislatures to "overcriminalize" have been noted elsewhere. The trend in university discipline may be regarded as a special application of that tendency, or, at least, as …

A Requiem For Requiems: The Supreme Court At The Bar Of Reality, Stanley K. Laughlin Jr.

Michigan Law Review

It is true that the test set out in Roth v. United States is moribund. In a sense it was stillborn. While five Justices, only one of whom remains on the Court, joined in the majority opinion in Roth, that case only adumbrated certain considerations that later were forged into what has come to be known as the Roth test. No sooner did the forging process begin than the Court became fragmented on this issue, and a majority of the Justices has never since concurred in the test-certainly not in a compatible formulation of it. Today, it is not …

Constitutional Law--Church And State--Freedom Of Religion--The Constitutionality Under The Religion Clauses Of The First Amendment Of Compulsory Sex Education In Public Schools, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

It has been said that "[s]ex education, once the domain of the church and the home, has by necessity, become a responsibility of the schools." Indeed, by the operation of most state education statutes, sex education can be made compulsory in public primary and secondary schools if it is taught as part of otherwise compulsory classes or if the local school authorities have prescribed sex education courses as a compulsory part of the curriculum. While some of the state statutes authorize exemptions on religious grounds, most do not. Nevertheless, the introduction of sex education into public schools has not been …

The Public Trust Doctrine In Natural Resource Law: Effective Judicial Intervention, Joseph L. Sax

Michigan Law Review

Public concern about environmental quality is beginning to be felt in the courtroom. Private citizens, no longer willing to accede to the efforts of administrative agencies to protect the public interest, have begun to take the initiative themselves. One dramatic result is a proliferation of lawsuits in which citizens, demanding judicial recognition of their rights as members of the public, sue the very governmental agencies which are supposed to be protecting the public interest. While this Article was being written, several dozen such suits were initiated-to enforce air and water pollution laws in states where public agencies have been created …

Racial Imbalance, Black Separatism, And Permissible Classification By Race, Norman Vieira

Michigan Law Review

The Article will begin with a discussion of the School Segregation Cases which have been invoked both to sustain and to invalidate corrective racial classification. It will then review federal discrimination against Japanese-Americans and against Indians, as well as the more obscure discrimination found in immigration and naturalization laws. It will also consider, in some detail, the paradoxical rules governing the discriminatory selection of jurors and, in lesser detail, the cases dealing with domestic relations and racial designations. A concluding section will discuss black separatism and general policy matters relating to the correction of imbalance in the schools. The Article …

Witherspoon: Administrative Implementation Of Civil Rights, Leon Mayhew

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Administrative Implementation of Civil Rights by Joseph Parker Witherspoon

Reimbursement Of Defense Costs As A Condition Of Probation For Indigents, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

It is extremely difficult to obtain precise information concerning the prevalence of this practice. There is only one reported case on the subject, and empirical evidence is almost wholly lacking because of the wide discretion granted sentencing courts in imposing probation conditions, and because of the reluctance of appellate courts to review the exercise of that discretion. However, courts have frequently imposed costs on nonindigent probationers, and in many jurisdictions the statutes which authorize such a probation condition with respect to solvent probationers seem broad enough to include indigents as well. Moreover, two recent studies have unearthed specific data which …

Cipes: The Crime War, Michael S. Josephson

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Crime War by Robert M. Cipes

Driver Behavior And Legal Sanctions: A Study Of Deterrence, Roger C. Cramton

Michigan Law Review

This Article considers first the general understanding of legal scholars and criminologists regarding the deterrent effect of legal sanctions; a second part summarizes current knowledge concerning the effects of legal sanctions in controlling driver behavior; and a concluding section evaluates briefly the methods available for the development of needed new knowledge.