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Articles 361 - 390 of 436
Full-Text Articles in Law and Society
Wrongful Adoption: A Guide To Impending Tort Litigation In Texas., Fred S. Wilson
Wrongful Adoption: A Guide To Impending Tort Litigation In Texas., Fred S. Wilson
St. Mary's Law Journal
Texas has an opportunity to improve a necessary tool of family law by recognizing and advancing wrongful adoption. There is an underlying lack of recognition for the interests of adoptive parents in adoption law. Those who choose to adopt necessarily rely on the information provided by an adoption agency in making their decision. As such, adoptive parents are particularly vulnerable to misrepresentation about the pertinent history of the adoptee. Recent cases in other states demonstrate the progression of wrongful adoption as a tort, yet many inadequacies remain. The necessary progression of wrongful adoption calls for the imposition of a duty …
Heitman V. State: The Question Left Unanswered., Matthew W. Paul, Jeffrey L. Van Horn
Heitman V. State: The Question Left Unanswered., Matthew W. Paul, Jeffrey L. Van Horn
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Heitman v. State, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals appeared to break with the court’s prior holdings to announce it would no longer “automatically adopt and apply” to the search and seizure provisions of the Texas Constitution “the Supreme Court’s interpretations of the Fourth Amendment.” The reaction to Heitman was immediate and striking. Heitman is obviously a significant decision that could impact Texas criminal jurisprudence for decades. Yet, the decision left many questions unanswered, including whether the search and seizure provision should be construed as placing greater restrictions on law enforcement than the Fourth Amendment of the United States …
Joint Ventures In Mexico: A Current Perspective., Rona R. Mears
Joint Ventures In Mexico: A Current Perspective., Rona R. Mears
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Article is intended to go beyond legal issues, to address core practical considerations in forging successful U.S.-Mexico joint ventures. Opportunities unmatched in Mexico’s history are now available for foreign investors and traders doing business in Mexico. This Article will begin by presenting a historical perspective on joint venturing in Mexico and then contrast it with an examination of current uses of joint ventures in Mexico. It will also highlight the traditional advantages of strategic business alliances. Following is a detailed review of structuring the Mexican joint venture. Finally, this Article identifies strategies for dealing with practical issues which arise …
Planning For Free Trade: Taking Advantage Of The Transition., John M. Vernon, Enrique A. Gonzalez Calvillo
Planning For Free Trade: Taking Advantage Of The Transition., John M. Vernon, Enrique A. Gonzalez Calvillo
St. Mary's Law Journal
After two decades of restrictive policies regarding foreign involvement, Mexico is transforming its legal and regulatory structure. The progression of foreign investment, technology transfer, and industrial property laws and regulations is revealing. The significance of the overhaul of the industrial property and technology transfer framework in Mexico is evident considering the historical context in which it developed. With these reforms in place, Mexico significantly improved the conditions for placing U.S. franchises across the border. Mexico decreased tariff rates, eliminated import licenses for numerous products, and divested over half of the businesses previously owned or operated by the state. It also …
Maquiladoras: Will The Program Continue., Cheryl Schechter, David Brill Jr.
Maquiladoras: Will The Program Continue., Cheryl Schechter, David Brill Jr.
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Article will discuss the industry and relevant aspects of the legal framework which evolved into the modern maquiladora operation. It will also analyze the possible impact of the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations on the Mexican maquiladora industry. In the late seventies and early eighties, Mexico plunged into an economic crisis brought on in part by its almost exclusive dependence on oil exports. The extreme drop in the international oil market forced the country to restructure its economy with a greater emphasis on manufacturing for export. Mexico’s maquiladora program played a key role in this aspect …
Federal Income Tax Issues In The Organization, Financing, And Operation Of Maquiladoras., William R. Leighton, T. Richard Sealy Iii
Federal Income Tax Issues In The Organization, Financing, And Operation Of Maquiladoras., William R. Leighton, T. Richard Sealy Iii
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Article principally considers various United States federal income tax issues in the formation, financing, and operation of maquiladoras. Mexico’s most successful means of attracting foreign investment is its Maquiladora Program. Mexico created the program to encourage U.S. and other non-Mexican enterprises to establish manufacturing facilities in Mexico. It spawned a domestic industry whose economic output is second only to that of Mexico’s national oil industry. In the 1980s, the maquiladora industry experienced explosive growth from 620 plants in 1980 to more than 2,000 currently. They employ approximately 500,000 workers earning an average wage of five dollars per day plus …
Foreign Investment In Mining In Mexico., Rodrigo Sanchez-Mejorada Velasco
Foreign Investment In Mining In Mexico., Rodrigo Sanchez-Mejorada Velasco
St. Mary's Law Journal
The object of this Article is to focus on the current legal provisions which regulate foreign investment in mining in Mexico. Legislation implemented in 1961 reduced foreign participation in mining to a minority position, and legislation implemented in 1975 further developed Mexican control over mining activities. The enactment of new foreign investment regulations in 1989, and new mining regulations in late 1990 allowed wider participation of foreigners in mining. Mining is one of the oldest economic activities in Mexico. Mercantilist economic ideas, in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, stressed accumulation of precious metals by states and saw American …
Environmental Permits: Land Use Regulation And Policy Implementation In Texas., Wm. Terry Bray, R. Alan Haywood, David S. Caudill, Pamela S. Bacon
Environmental Permits: Land Use Regulation And Policy Implementation In Texas., Wm. Terry Bray, R. Alan Haywood, David S. Caudill, Pamela S. Bacon
St. Mary's Law Journal
Real estate lawyers traditionally focused on the applicable zoning ordinances of the governing municipality. Real estate lawyers also are familiar with applicable subdivision ordinances, which typically impose additional limitations on the use of real property. Subdivision platting was originally envisioned as a procedure to ensure orderly development of property within the jurisdiction of a municipality. Many local land use regulations promulgated in recent years focus on the “environment” and purport to be necessary to conserve and protect natural resources. A complex network of federal and state statutes now exists which regulates the use of real property in order to protect …
Admissibility Of A Rape Victim's Prior Sexual Conduct In Texas: A Contemporary Review And Analysis., James A. Vaught, Margaret Henning
Admissibility Of A Rape Victim's Prior Sexual Conduct In Texas: A Contemporary Review And Analysis., James A. Vaught, Margaret Henning
St. Mary's Law Journal
The treatment of rape victims in criminal prosecutions has become and remains a matter of intense public and legal interest in America. The conventional use of evidence of a rape complainant's prior sexual history in rape prosecutions was a major focus of the rape reform movement. A major consequence of the movement for reform is the federal government and forty-nine states enacting rape shield laws limiting the admissibility of evidence concerning the complainant’s sexual history in rape prosecution. This article analyzes the admissibility of evidence of a rape complainant’s prior sexual conduct from its common law origins concentrating on the …
An Empirical Study Of Kent Style Juvenile Transfers To Criminal Court., Robert O. Dawson
An Empirical Study Of Kent Style Juvenile Transfers To Criminal Court., Robert O. Dawson
St. Mary's Law Journal
Kent v. United States was the first in a series of majority decisions by the United States Supreme Court which fixed constitutional minimum requirements for the juvenile justice system. This decision follows case law establishing the adjudication phase of the process: a right to notice of charges, to confrontation and cross-examination of witnesses, not to be compelled to incriminate oneself, and to counsel. Shortly afterwards, the Court established the constitutional requirement the government must prove its charges in juvenile court beyond a reasonable doubt. Finally, the Court determined the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Constitution applies in the juvenile process. …
Peremptory Jury Strike In Texas After Batson And Edmondson., Alan B. Rich
Peremptory Jury Strike In Texas After Batson And Edmondson., Alan B. Rich
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Batson v. Kentucky, the United States Supreme Court overruled that portion of Swain v. Alabama, which had imposed a “crippling burden of proof” upon a person who wished to vindicate his right of equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment in the face of a racially motivated peremptory challenge. Under Batson, a defendant can raise an inference of discrimination and prove it using only evidence adduced at his own trial. Two fundamental questions needing resolution prior to involving the Batson procedures are: (A) who has standing to bring a Batson challenge; and (B) who must be challenged before the Batson …
The Case For A Texas Compulsory Unitization Statute., Paula C. Murray, Frank B. Cross
The Case For A Texas Compulsory Unitization Statute., Paula C. Murray, Frank B. Cross
St. Mary's Law Journal
Compulsory unitization of oil and natural gas reservoirs would substantially enhance the welfare of the United States and of Texas in particular. The present regulated free market for oil production produces both inefficiencies and inequities. Consequentially, oil exploration is discouraged, oil production is unnecessarily costly and wasteful, and the private distribution of oil revenues can be arbitrarily unfair. Compulsory unitization would remedy many of these shortcomings which result from extant structures. Unitization means the cooperative development of an entire reservoir of oil or gas. Compulsory unitization in most states also contains a variety of substantive and procedural prerequisites to unitization …
Unpublished Opinions Shall Not Be Cited As Authority: The Emerging Contours Of Texas Rule Of Appellate Procedure 90(I)., David M. Gunn
Unpublished Opinions Shall Not Be Cited As Authority: The Emerging Contours Of Texas Rule Of Appellate Procedure 90(I)., David M. Gunn
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Texas, worries of judicial overproduction have persisted throughout the twentieth century. Although the Texas Supreme Court began to use per curiam opinions more frequently around 1925, the flood continues. Texas now has more courts and judges than ever before, and history offers no reason to expect retrenchment. The present scheme in Texas creates two classes of judicial opinions, published and unpublished. Unpublished opinions are not supposed to count for purposes of stare decisis, while published opinions do. Texas Appellate Rule 90 regulates the issuance of opinions from the courts of appeals. Part (a) requires intermediate courts to issue written …
The Evolution Of Government Liability Under Section 1983., Christopher J.M. Pettit
The Evolution Of Government Liability Under Section 1983., Christopher J.M. Pettit
St. Mary's Law Journal
The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides in order to enforce the law, Congress shall have the power to pass enabling legislation. In the exercise of this power, Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1871, to implement the prohibition of slavery as required by the Thirteenth Amendment. Although the Thirteenth Amendment abolished the institution of slavery, discriminatory actions by private citizens remained prevalent. During the period following reconstruction, congressional legislation shifted focus from prohibiting state action to prohibiting the actions of private individuals who violated the civil liberties of others. Through the passage of the Civil Rights …
Capital Punishment: A Critique Of The Political And Philosophical Thought Supporting The Justices' Positions., Samuel J.M. Donnelly
Capital Punishment: A Critique Of The Political And Philosophical Thought Supporting The Justices' Positions., Samuel J.M. Donnelly
St. Mary's Law Journal
Since Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court has developed what could be described as a subparadigm for capital punishment. This subparadigm is now at a point of crisis for two enduring and mutually supporting reasons. The dissents by Justice Brennan and Justice Marshall represent the convergence of the better modern thought in regard to capital punishment. Even with the retirement of both Justices, the criticism found in their dissenting opinions presents a continuing challenge to the plurality’s position. Those using the plurality’s rhetoric are now split into two groups. Justices Blackmun and Stevens regularly vote against capital punishment, while focusing …
The Political Philosophy Of Campaign Finance Reform As Articulated In The Dissents In Austin V. Michigan Chamber Of Commerce., John S. Shockley, David A. Schultz
The Political Philosophy Of Campaign Finance Reform As Articulated In The Dissents In Austin V. Michigan Chamber Of Commerce., John S. Shockley, David A. Schultz
St. Mary's Law Journal
The 1992 presidential candidacy of Jerry Brown, who called for campaign contribution limits, has reignited the issue of campaign finance reform. Indeed, the United States Supreme Court has recognized the importance of campaign finance reform as a judicial issue. The importance of this issue is marked by the Court’s continued willingness to address the regulation of campaign finance since the 1976 landmark case of Buckley v. Valeo. The case of Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce emphasized the somewhat confused nature of the Supreme Court’s campaign finance reform decisions. The Supreme Court and state legislatures will likely continue to address …
Limiting Punitive Damages: A Placebo For America's Ailing Competitiveness., Jimmie O. Clements Jr.
Limiting Punitive Damages: A Placebo For America's Ailing Competitiveness., Jimmie O. Clements Jr.
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Comment will discuss Vice President Dan Quayle’s proposed legislation by reviewing the history of punitive damages and providing an overview of current state legislation. Thereafter, this Comment debunks the theory of an unruly punitive damage system and analyzes the impact of a punitive damages cap on competitiveness, quality, safety and the doctrine’s underlying goals. On August 13, 1991, Vice President Quayle, as head of the President’s Council on Competitiveness (the Council), addressed the American Bar Association’s annual meeting. He announced a fifty-point proposal designed to improve the civil justice system. Vice President Quayle proposed, inter alia, a cap on …
Analyzing Scientific Evidence: From Validity To Reliability With A Two-Step Approach., Renee A. Forinash
Analyzing Scientific Evidence: From Validity To Reliability With A Two-Step Approach., Renee A. Forinash
St. Mary's Law Journal
Throughout legal history, courts have wrestled with scientific evidence. Sometimes the courts admitted invalid evidence disguised as science. In the 1920’s, courts developed a very limited standard of admissibility for scientific evidence. Under the Frye test, a scientific expert’s conclusion was inadmissible unless the conclusion was generally accepted by the scientific community. Although this prevented “junk science” from invading courtrooms, it also protected invalid scientific evidence already present in the system and restricted using new, but valid, scientific techniques. In response, many jurisdictions developed more liberal evidentiary standards. The liberal standards averted the “cultural lag” for which Frye was criticized …
Child Support For Adult Disabled Children: New Texas Legislation., Dan R. Price
Child Support For Adult Disabled Children: New Texas Legislation., Dan R. Price
St. Mary's Law Journal
In 1989, the Texas legislature modified the Texas Family Code by relaxing the criteria necessary to allow awards of support to adult disabled children. Texas has historically recognized, through both state and case law, that parents have both a moral and legal obligation to support minor unemancipated children, but only until the age of majority. An exception to the limitation of parental support only until the age of majority is the “disability exception.” Many jurisdictions recognize that when a minor child suffers from a disability and is incapable or unable to take care of themselves, parental support may extend past …
In Sharp Contrast To The Past: The Demise Of The Per Se Rule Against Vertical Price Fixing., Christopher J. Pettit
In Sharp Contrast To The Past: The Demise Of The Per Se Rule Against Vertical Price Fixing., Christopher J. Pettit
St. Mary's Law Journal
Actions by the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court lessening vertical pricing protections under the Sherman Antitrust Act require Congressional intervention. By enacting the Sherman Antitrust Act, Congress intended agreements fixing vertical prices or having the ultimate effect of fixing vertical prices at any level be illegal per se. Vertical pricing agreements set, maintain, stabilize, raise, or depress prices of goods or services among the different levels of the product distribution chain. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken positive steps in limiting the per se rule of illegality by failing to pursue allegations of vertical price fixing and …
Television Advertising: Professionalism's Dilemma., Laura R. Champion, William M. Champion
Television Advertising: Professionalism's Dilemma., Laura R. Champion, William M. Champion
St. Mary's Law Journal
Lawyers are concerned about tactics and antics of advertising attorneys because of possible harm to the reputation of the legal profession due to tasteless, crass ads circulated among the non-legal public. This controversial issue of what is good taste includes the question of how far ads can go before crossing the line of prohibited solicitation. Lawyers advertise through direct mail, television, radio, telephone yellow pages, billboards, newspapers, and magazines. This Article traces the background of legal advertising, focusing on the particular issue of television ads. Some courts purposefully avoid this aspect of legal communication with the public and leave many …
Educational Choice Legislation After Edgewood V. Kirby: A Proposal For Clearing The Sectarian Hurdle., C. Lee Cusenbary Jr.
Educational Choice Legislation After Edgewood V. Kirby: A Proposal For Clearing The Sectarian Hurdle., C. Lee Cusenbary Jr.
St. Mary's Law Journal
States can reform the ineffective educational system by adopting a free educational choice system. A free educational choice system would reimburse parents of educational expenditures through a voucher or tax deduction and will give parents the freedom to select the school their child attends. While free choice may present a viable solution for educational reform, one major obstacle is the possibility free choice would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by providing aid to sectarian schools. A free educational choice legislation will be subject to review under the Lemon v. Kurtzman test to determine if the financial aid …
Tdhs V. E.B., The Coup De Grace For Special Issues., John J. Sampson
Tdhs V. E.B., The Coup De Grace For Special Issues., John J. Sampson
St. Mary's Law Journal
Although the bench and bar have been recalcitrant in recognition, the Texas Supreme Court has declared the special interest experiment a failure. For nearly eighty years Texas has engaged in an experiment requiring juries answer specific, factually detailed inquiries in various circumstances. The theoretical justifications of special issue inquiries were to ease appeals processes and add clarity to jury decisions. Although the goals were meritorious, the actual result was jury confusion, inefficiency, complexity, and too many retrials. The Texas Supreme Court’s ruling in TDHS v. EB signals the end of special issues and mandates the use of broad form submissions. …
First-To-Invent: A Superior System For The United States., Ned L. Conley
First-To-Invent: A Superior System For The United States., Ned L. Conley
St. Mary's Law Journal
The United States uses the first-to-invent patent system, which is a time-honored system not worth abandoning in pursuit of harmonization. First-to-invent and first-to-file patent systems incentivize different approaches to obtaining a patent. However, a first-to-invent approach is, in part, what has allowed the United States to lead the world in innovation and it should not abandon this approach. The United States patent system is unique when compared to most other patent systems used by democratic, capitalistic, developed nations. A first-to-invent system provides incentive to invent, particularly to inventors who are less well financed. The incentive to innovate is in the …
Reformers' Regress: The 1991 Texas Workers' Compensation Act., Jill Williford
Reformers' Regress: The 1991 Texas Workers' Compensation Act., Jill Williford
St. Mary's Law Journal
The revision of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act will affect most Texas taxpayers and workers. The Act, entering into force January 1, 1991, significantly restructures the preexisting seventy-six-year-old system. Before the advent of workers’ compensation systems employees relied on the court and common-law causes of action as the sole means of recovery. In 1913, Texas enacted one of the first versions of workers’ compensation in the United States. The original act created a system to compensate workers for injuries sustained during employment without regard to fault. Initially the act was elective for employers and mandatory for employees but was later …
Entering The Thicket - Mandamus Review Of Texas District Court Witness Disclosure Orders., David W. Holman, Byron C. Keeling
Entering The Thicket - Mandamus Review Of Texas District Court Witness Disclosure Orders., David W. Holman, Byron C. Keeling
St. Mary's Law Journal
In the absence of statutory authorization of interlocutory appeal, the writ of mandamus usually is the sole convenient remedy for an egregious trial court decision prior to judgment. The increasing number of mandamus petitions which annually invade the Texas appellate courts reflects the importance of the writ of mandamus. While once described as the “extraordinary” remedy, it is not uncommon for proceedings in a trial court to cease while a party seeks mandamus review of a controversial discovery ruling. One type of discovery rule which has not escaped mandamus review is the admission or exclusion of the testimony of witnesses …
Mexico's Maquiladora Program: Challenges And Prospects., Matilde K. Stephenson
Mexico's Maquiladora Program: Challenges And Prospects., Matilde K. Stephenson
St. Mary's Law Journal
A Maquila is usually a one-hundred percent foreign-owned assembly or manufacturing operation located in Mexico. They manufacture, process or assemble an array of products under Mexican law. Both the United States and Mexico receive a great deal of economic benefits from employing the maquiladora system, but it can also have some political and social consequences that make the system economically volatile. The viewpoints of both the U.S. and Mexican governments are considered, as well as the U.S. and Mexican industry, in evaluating the system’s overall effect on U.S.-Mexico relations. The general conclusion is that maquiladoras are extremely desirable for labor …
Ethics And Due Diligence: A Lawyer's Perspective On Doing Business With Mexico., Rona R. Mears
Ethics And Due Diligence: A Lawyer's Perspective On Doing Business With Mexico., Rona R. Mears
St. Mary's Law Journal
The focus of this study is to survey ethical issues faced by legal practitioners in providing legal counsel for international business transactions, with special attention to lawyers counseling clients who are doing business with Mexico. This paper is intended for lawyers who practice in the United States (U.S.), involved in counseling clients outside the U.S. The purpose of this study is to highlight only those issues that raise special difficulties for such a practitioner, and then to provide practical advice on how to avoid ethical problems in U.S.-Mexico transactions. The Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MPRC), the International Code of …
Alamo Lumber And Texas Usury Law: Playing With Fire In The Usury Forest., Terry W. Wright, W. Alan Wright, Scott G. Night
Alamo Lumber And Texas Usury Law: Playing With Fire In The Usury Forest., Terry W. Wright, W. Alan Wright, Scott G. Night
St. Mary's Law Journal
The effect of Alamo Lumber Co. v. Gold, and later cases interpreting third party assumption of debt as interest can be perilous to lenders. Lenders are in the business of offering loans to make money. Lenders achieve profit maximization by charging as much interest as possible in the market. Although economic and market factors are always considerations in a lender’s business, in Texas, lenders must also consider harsh usury laws that restrain the maximum amount of chargeable loan interest. Texas defines interest broadly. Statutes define interest as the receipt of compensation for the detention, forbearance or use of money. The …
Pyrrhic Victories And Glorious Defeats: Why Defendants Are Winning And Plaintiffs Are Losing The Struggle Over Actual Malice And Fictionalized Quotations., Richard A. Gonzales
Pyrrhic Victories And Glorious Defeats: Why Defendants Are Winning And Plaintiffs Are Losing The Struggle Over Actual Malice And Fictionalized Quotations., Richard A. Gonzales
St. Mary's Law Journal
This article reviews Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, a case of fabricated quotations. The article looks first at the legal background and Supreme Court's development of the actual malice standard. An analysis of the problem through journalistic ethics and investigation of the difficulties confronting libel plaintiffs will follow. Finally, the comment explores the misquotation problem from both a legal and a journalistic perspective.