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Articles 271 - 300 of 390
Full-Text Articles in Military, War, and Peace
Federalism Revisited: The Supreme Court Resurrects The Notion Of Enumerated Powers By Limiting Congress's Attempt To Federalize Crime Comment., Larry E. Gee
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Comment argues the federal system must be preserved and the Supreme Court should build upon the interpretation of the Commerce Clause in United States v. Lopez to reinstate the Framers’ vision of federalism. The social justifications for the Court’s expansive construction of the Commerce Clause during the past sixty years no longer existed to justify the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Part II of this Comment traces the background of Commerce Clause jurisprudence, focusing on social justifications for traditional rubber stamping of Congress’s broad exercises of power. Part III reviews the Fifth Circuit’s reasoning in deeming the Gun-Free …
The Texas Homestead: The Last Bulwark Of Liberty Forum., Henry B. Gonzalez
The Texas Homestead: The Last Bulwark Of Liberty Forum., Henry B. Gonzalez
St. Mary's Law Journal
For more than 155 years Texans have adamantly supported the principle that the fundamental need for shelter justifies strict constitutional protection of homes from creditors in all but a few situations. This Article discusses where homestead protection came from and why it should not be lightly discarded. The Texas Constitution contains many rights and liberties for the protection and benefit of the state’s citizens. Unique among these treasured liberties is the protection of a person’s homestead from forced sale or foreclosure by creditors. A group of bankers and other financiers—for whom a homestead is nothing more than collateral and a …
Trying To Make Ends Meet: Reconciling The Law And Practice Of Human Rights Amnesties Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas - Commentary., Robert O. Weiner
Trying To Make Ends Meet: Reconciling The Law And Practice Of Human Rights Amnesties Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas - Commentary., Robert O. Weiner
St. Mary's Law Journal
The problem of amnesty for widespread human rights violations in the Americas illustrates the credibility gap in public international law. This Commentary reviews applicable standards and attempts to identify a minimum state response to past human rights violations. It also examines the question of amnesties, offers certain legal interpretations, and presents some criteria for an amnesty framework which might be reconcilable with the state’s international obligations. This Commentary’s aim is not to suggest amnesties are a proper response to the problem of past human rights abuses, however, it does acknowledge amnesties have so far been the most common response. It …
The Size Of A Government Body Is Not Subject To A Vote Dilution Challenge Under Section 2 Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965., Peter J. Beverage
The Size Of A Government Body Is Not Subject To A Vote Dilution Challenge Under Section 2 Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965., Peter J. Beverage
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Holder v. Hall, the Court held the size of a government body is not subject to a vote dilution challenge under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Act consists of two primary components, Sections 2 and 5, designed to eliminate and prevent subtle voting practices and procedures utilized to obstruct minority voter participation. Section 5 requires states with a history of discriminatory voting practices to obtain federal preclearance before changing a voting standard, practice, or procedure. Section 2 addresses the existing methods utilized to deny or abridge a citizen’s right to vote. In Holder, the …
Flow Control Ordinances That Require Disposal Of Trash At A Designated Facility Violate The Dormant Commerce Clause., Laura Gabrysch
Flow Control Ordinances That Require Disposal Of Trash At A Designated Facility Violate The Dormant Commerce Clause., Laura Gabrysch
St. Mary's Law Journal
In C & A Carbone, Inc. v. Town of Clarkstown, the Court held flow control ordinances that require disposal of trash at a designated facility violate the Dormant Commerce Clause. In the absence of congressional action, the Court has recognized—the Dormant Commerce Clause—restrictions on states’ ability to regulate interstate commerce. The Dormant Commerce Clause doctrine does not emanate directly from the Constitution, but instead flows from the body of Commerce Clause jurisprudence that has gained legitimacy throughout the years. In Carbone, the Court elevated the economic interests of one local waste processor over Clarkstown’s environmental and public protection. This type …
In Re Oluloro: Risk Of Female Genital Mutilation As Extreme Hardship In Immigration Proceedings Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas - Recent Development., Patricia Dysart Rudloff
In Re Oluloro: Risk Of Female Genital Mutilation As Extreme Hardship In Immigration Proceedings Symposium - Human Rights In The Americas - Recent Development., Patricia Dysart Rudloff
St. Mary's Law Journal
On March 23, 1994, in In re Oluloro, Immigration Judge Kendall Warren’s decision indicated the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) should consider human rights abuses directed at women. The overriding concern was the possibility that two young U.S. girls would suffer female genital mutilation (FGM) if the INS deported their mother to Nigeria. In reaching the decision to suspend the mother’s deportation, Judge Warren condemned FGM as “cruel and serv[ing] no known medical purpose.” Judge Warren ruled the practice presented an extreme hardship for the girls. Unfortunately, the court’s ruling has no precedential value because the INS did …
Oil And Gas Issues Involved In Cercla Reauthorization., Joseph R. Dancy, Victoria A. Dancy
Oil And Gas Issues Involved In Cercla Reauthorization., Joseph R. Dancy, Victoria A. Dancy
St. Mary's Law Journal
After several decades of environmental legislation, the regulated community faces an extremely complex and costly matrix of obligations and responsibilities. For industry in general, the most expensive environmental statute enacted has been the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). CERCLA created the Hazardous Substances Superfund (Superfund) and established retroactive liability for remediation of hazardous substance contamination. President Clinton admitted CERCLA does not work and even labelled the Superfund a “disaster.” Even though public and private entities have already spent twenty billion dollars on the CERCLA program since its inception, only around ten or twenty percent of …
International Law Of Trade Preferences: Emanations From The European Union And The United States., Kele Onyejekwe
International Law Of Trade Preferences: Emanations From The European Union And The United States., Kele Onyejekwe
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Article posits that the increase of tariff arrangements, like the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), is evidence of the “hardening” of a body of international trade-preference law. It contends that the law of trade preferences is widely practiced in international affairs and the developed nations which terminate all trade preferences for developing countries most likely engage in illegal conduct under international law. Classical international law principally consisted of the law between nations and an international law of trade preferences in any form was unthinkable. Thus, neither international cooperation nor a duty for developed countries to assist developing countries is …
Legislative Redistricting In 1991-1992: The Texas Bill Of Rights V. The Voting Rights Act., James C. Harrington, Judith Sanders-Castro
Legislative Redistricting In 1991-1992: The Texas Bill Of Rights V. The Voting Rights Act., James C. Harrington, Judith Sanders-Castro
St. Mary's Law Journal
Every decade, after the federal government has taken the census, Americans endure the process of redistricting Congress, state legislatures, county commissioner precincts, school boards, city councils, and a host of other elected bodies. Governed by the interplay of federal, state, and local law, the reapportionment process would seem to be a relatively easy task in theory. Yet, overriding forces unique to the political arena and the judiciary’s voice in redistricting questions undermine the implementation of such a simple system. Narrow interpretation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the United State Supreme Court and lower federal courts further intensify …
Self-Publication: Defamation Within The Employment Context., Howard J. Siegel
Self-Publication: Defamation Within The Employment Context., Howard J. Siegel
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Article reviews the rules and reasoning various jurisdictions have maintained in defamation actions supported by self-publication. This type of defamation action is commonly known as self-defamation. Before the law will hold the originator of a defamatory statement liable for defamation, publication of the defamatory comments must occur. Generally, defamatory communications are those communications which tend to injure one’s reputation. Publication normally occurs when one communicates the defamatory matter to “one other than the person defamed.” Originally, courts considered defamation actions valid only when the defamed person alleged that the originator directly published the statement to a third person. Under …
Time Limitations For Objecting To Claims: The Interplay Between Sections 502(D) And 546(A) Of The Bankruptcy Code., Gregory G. Hesse
Time Limitations For Objecting To Claims: The Interplay Between Sections 502(D) And 546(A) Of The Bankruptcy Code., Gregory G. Hesse
St. Mary's Law Journal
It is common lore among bankruptcy trustees and lawyers that a bankruptcy trustee has an unlimited time period under the Bankruptcy Code (the Code) to file objections to claims. Neither Section 502(a) of the Code nor Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3007 contains time limitations within which an objection to a claim must be filed. Yet, creative creditor attorneys have fashioned arguments that the two-year limitations period placed on avoidance actions by Section 546(a) of the Code applies to claim objection proceedings brought under Section 502(d). Because courts have held the limitations period of Section 546(a) applies to claim objection …
U.S. Taxation Of U.S. Persons Doing Business Or Investing In Mexico: An Overview., William H. Hornberger
U.S. Taxation Of U.S. Persons Doing Business Or Investing In Mexico: An Overview., William H. Hornberger
St. Mary's Law Journal
U.S. persons who plan to do business in Mexico or invest in new or existing Mexican business ventures are faced with a myriad of U.S. federal income tax issues. U.S. counsel advising U.S. persons regarding the ownership structure for a contemplated business or investment in Mexico should have a basic understanding of the U.S. system of international taxation. While a working knowledge of Mexico’s tax system is also helpful, Mexican counsel can provide information regarding the Mexican tax implications of doing business or investing in Mexico. A review of the U.S. system of international taxation should begin with a consideration …
Enhanced Punishment Under The Texas Hate Crimes Act: Politics, Panacea, Or Pathway To Hell., David Todd Smith
Enhanced Punishment Under The Texas Hate Crimes Act: Politics, Panacea, Or Pathway To Hell., David Todd Smith
St. Mary's Law Journal
Nearly without exception, modern legislatures have responded to the reprehensible nature and detrimental social effects of hate crime by enacting laws specifically designed to punish the offender’s discriminatory animus. The term “hate crime” describes criminal conduct which is motivated by the offender’s bias or prejudice against another cognizable group. Although the reprehensible nature of a hate crime is often apparent from the facts of any given case, the repercussions of these offenses exceed the ignoble character of any one specific act. Texas has now joined the ranks of these jurisdictions by adopting legal provisions which authorize heightened penalties upon a …
The Supreme Court Takes A Weapon From The Drug War Arsenal: New Defenses To Civil Drug Forfeiture., Scott Alexander Nelson
The Supreme Court Takes A Weapon From The Drug War Arsenal: New Defenses To Civil Drug Forfeiture., Scott Alexander Nelson
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Comment discusses the history and development of forfeiture law—emphasizing the misnomer of “guilty property”—and addresses the lack of constitutional safeguards in the civil forfeiture statutes. It outlines prospective constitutional defenses announced by the United States Supreme Court, emphasizing the Fifth Amendment guarantee of due process, the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause, and the “innocent owner” defense. The federal statute authorizing civil forfeiture, 21 U.S.C. § 881 (Forfeiture Statute), was initially enacted as part of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The Comprehensive Forfeiture Act of 1984 amended the statute to impose forfeiture on real property …
Foreign Investment In Mexico From The Perspective Of The Foreign Investor., Hope H. Camp Jr., Jaime Alvarez Garibary, C. Lee Cusenbary Jr.
Foreign Investment In Mexico From The Perspective Of The Foreign Investor., Hope H. Camp Jr., Jaime Alvarez Garibary, C. Lee Cusenbary Jr.
St. Mary's Law Journal
A factor contributing to the continuation of the economic revolution in Mexico has been, and will continue to be, foreign investment. The liberalized foreign-investment regulations and the positive attitude of the Foreign Investment Commission (FIC) in approving foreign investment proposals promote a more favorable environment for foreign investors. The Mexican government recently completed negotiating the NAFTA, a proposed free-trade agreement with the United States and Canada. The government is now considering what additional actions may be required to compete successfully with those other nations trying to attract scarce investment funds. Opportunities for foreign investors in Mexico are brighter than they …
Contracting In Mexico: A Legal And Practical Guide To Negotiating And Drafting., Rona R. Mears
Contracting In Mexico: A Legal And Practical Guide To Negotiating And Drafting., Rona R. Mears
St. Mary's Law Journal
This Article is intended as a primer in contracting for the United States attorney counseling clients doing business in Mexico. Thus, this Article begins by surveying the legal foundations of contracting in Mexico. This includes basic contract principles in Mexico’s civil-law system, the distinction between civil and commercial contracts, and procedural formalities applicable to contracts in Mexico. Following the introduction is a discussion of successful contract negotiations in Mexico, including certain cultural factors and Mexican business customs which can affect negotiations. This section includes suggestions for preparing for negotiations and managing the negotiation process to obtain the best result. Next, …
Consent Decrees Resulting From Institutional-Reform Litigation May Be Modified Upon Showing A Significant Change In Law Or Fact And A Modification Appropriately Tailored To That Change., Christy J. Lindsay
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Rufo v. Inmates of Suffolk County Jail, the Court held that courts may modify consent decrees resulting from institutional reform litigation upon showing a significant change in law or fact and a modification appropriately tailored to that change. The case of Swift v. United States set a strict standard for modification of consent decrees, requiring movants to demonstrate extreme, unexpected hardship and oppression. However, there is a modem trend toward adopting a more flexible standard. The Court deems the “flexible test” as particularly appropriate in the case of the institutional reform consent decree because of its speculative, long-term nature. …
Agricultural Trade Wars: A Threat To The Gatt And Global Free Trade., Thomas J. Schoenbaum
Agricultural Trade Wars: A Threat To The Gatt And Global Free Trade., Thomas J. Schoenbaum
St. Mary's Law Journal
Agriculture, today, is the center of a set of multi-dimensional international controversies and crises. International agricultural strife threatens the future of the global free-trade system. This strife soured relations between the United States and its principal allies and trading partners: Canada, the European Community (EC), and Japan. The agricultural trade controversy is at the heart of the bitter stalemate of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations. The deadlock over farm trade called into question the very future of the GATT as an international organization. Controversies over agriculture also endanger approval of the recently …
The Texas Employer's Liability In Tort For Injuries To An Employee Occurring In The Course Of The Employment., David W. Robertson
The Texas Employer's Liability In Tort For Injuries To An Employee Occurring In The Course Of The Employment., David W. Robertson
St. Mary's Law Journal
The focus of this Article is tort suits by employees, or their families, based on personal injury or death occurring in the course and scope of the worker’s employment. If an injury does not occur in the course and scope of employment, the defendant’s status as employer becomes irrelevant; the lawsuit is a common-law tort action, and the defendant has all of the common-law defenses. In 1989 the Texas Legislature repealed the former workers’ compensation law and replaced it with the new Texas Workers’ Compensation Act. The new Act took effect on January 1, 1991. The essentially voluntary nature of …
Criminal Trespass And The Exclusionary Rule In Texas., Paul R. Stone, Henry De La Garza
Criminal Trespass And The Exclusionary Rule In Texas., Paul R. Stone, Henry De La Garza
St. Mary's Law Journal
In State v. Hobbs, the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals held a warrantless intrusion by police onto private property to obtain evidence constitutes criminal trespass under Section 30.05 of the Texas Penal Code. The resulting evidence falls within the exclusionary rule and this article considers whether this protection, which goes beyond constitutional guarantees, is necessary or desirable. The first part of this paper reviews existing federal and state constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. Next, the paper analyzes the history and purpose of criminal trespass and the exclusionary rule in Texas. Finally, the paper considers a question the court of appeals …
Expert Witness Fees In Federal Diversity Cases., Wade P. Webster
Expert Witness Fees In Federal Diversity Cases., Wade P. Webster
St. Mary's Law Journal
Even with the increasing complexity of litigation and the increased utilization of expert witnesses to provide expensive evidence on narrow scientific and technical issues, Congress still limits compensation of expert witnesses to only forty dollars per day, the same rate as ordinary fact witnesses. The justification for the low rate is that the witness fee statute was not intended by Congress to compensate witnesses fully for their lost time and income. Presumably this same reasoning also applies to expert witnesses. The problem with this reasoning, unlike law witnesses who may be compelled by subpoena, individual litigants must pay the fees …
Private Property And Russia's Leap Of Faith., Douglas R. Haddock
Private Property And Russia's Leap Of Faith., Douglas R. Haddock
St. Mary's Law Journal
Popular notions of property are enshrined in constitutional protections which seem to make quite clear society’s emphasis on the individual’s preeminence in matters of property. Americans have never been able to accept the “socialist ownership” notions of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries as a viable scheme of property. It is probably irrefutable that the application of socialist ownership principles in the Soviet Union has been less efficient than the American model of private ownership. Yet, it is reactionary to entirely condemn the idea of socialist ownership and conclude the downfall of the Soviet Union proved the “rightness” of …
Enactments Altering Or Reallocating Elected Officials' Powers Do Not Directly Relate To Or Affect Voting And Are Therefore Not Subject To Judicial Or Administrative Preclearance Under Section 5 Of The Voting Rights Act Of 1965., Sharon N. Humble
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Presley v. Etowah County Comm’n, the Court held enactments altering or reallocating elected officials’ powers do not directly relate to or affect voting. Therefore, not subject to judicial or administrative preclearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, the Court’s holding in Presley, that the changes at issue must directly relate to voting, contradicts the Court’s earlier holdings that indirect or minor changes affecting voting must meet Section 5 preclearance requirements. In Presley, the Court limited the coverage of Section 5 by holding that enactments reallocating elected officials’ decision-making authority do not require judicial or …
The Filing Of An Indictment Against A Criminal Defendant Activates His Sixth Amendment Right To A Speedy Trial, Notwithstanding The Fact That The Defendant Had No Knowledge Of The Indictment Until The Time Of His Arrest., Ronna A. Laidley
St. Mary's Law Journal
In Doggett v. United States, the Supreme Court held the filing of an indictment against a defendant activates his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial, notwithstanding the defendant not knowing of the indictment until his arrest. The right to a speedy trial serves to vindicate the rights of individuals who have incurred impediments to their personal liberty because of governmental negligence. The Court stated the Speedy Trial Clause aims to prevent undue and oppressive pre-trial incarceration, limit the anxiety accompanying public accusation, and diminish delays that might cripple a defendant’s ability to prepare an adequate defense. Since Doggett suffered …
The Legal Dilemma Of Groundwater Under The Integrated Environmental Plan For The Mexican-United States Border Area., M. Diane Barber
The Legal Dilemma Of Groundwater Under The Integrated Environmental Plan For The Mexican-United States Border Area., M. Diane Barber
St. Mary's Law Journal
This paper will explore the dilemma of implementing an appropriate legal format to best guide proposals for resolution of groundwater contamination. It will review groundwater under the Integrated Environmental Plan for the Mexico-United States Border Area (the Plan) and examine groundwater law in Mexico and in the four border states from a historical perspective. It will consider existing agreements between the two countries and propose adoption of the Bellagio Draft Treaty as the only legally viable means of achieving long-term remedial groundwater solutions. This paper, however, will also note isolated situations may be effectively addressed by the IBWC Minute, pending …
Mexico's Accession To The Gatt: A Catalyst At Odds With The Outcome., John M. Vernon
Mexico's Accession To The Gatt: A Catalyst At Odds With The Outcome., John M. Vernon
St. Mary's Law Journal
The history behind Mexico’s accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) sheds light on Mexico’s progression toward improved bilateral trade relations with the United States. Mexico embarked on its modernization and reform path with its accession to the GATT in 1987. The recent initialing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by Canada, Mexico, and the United States is a symbolic event in the continued globalization of the world economy. The trilateral NAFTA is revolutionary because of Mexico’s participation. Part II of this article addresses Mexico’s progression toward accession to the GATT. Part III provides an …
The Meat And Potatoes Of The North American Free Trade Agreement., Ruth K. Agather, Timothy N. Tuggey
The Meat And Potatoes Of The North American Free Trade Agreement., Ruth K. Agather, Timothy N. Tuggey
St. Mary's Law Journal
Agricultural trade has always been particularly susceptible to governmental intervention and imposition of protectionist barriers. This Article explores the evolution of agricultural trade regulation between the United States and Mexico culminating in the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). First, the Article reviews the existing regulatory framework governing United States-Mexico agricultural trade. The Article then highlights major, proposed revisions to this regime under the NAFTA and offers perspectives on the effect of these revisions upon the United States’ agricultural industry sectors. This analysis includes a commodity reference guide, which highlights specific commodity trade sectors and the NAFTA treatment of …
The North American Free Trade Agreemet And United States Employment., Roger W. Wallace, Max Scoular
The North American Free Trade Agreemet And United States Employment., Roger W. Wallace, Max Scoular
St. Mary's Law Journal
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will create new opportunities for United States firms and workers while simultaneously protecting United States workers over a 15-year timeframe. The benefits of NAFTA include eliminating conditions that currently encourage or require United States firms to invest south of the border, establishing free trade in services, and eliminating non-tariff barriers which impede United States merchandise exports to Mexico. Furthermore, NAFTA would provide an improved and expanded regional trade and investment base resulting in a boost to the global competitiveness of US products. NAFTA would also increase trade liberalization with Mexico and maintain Mexico …
Revisiting Standards Of Review In Civil Appeals., W. Wendell Hall
Revisiting Standards Of Review In Civil Appeals., W. Wendell Hall
St. Mary's Law Journal
Applying and defining the accurate standard of review determines how likely an appeal will be successful. While the proper standard of review may be easy to identify, applying the standard of review to a case is often problematic. The standards define the interactions between trial and appellate courts by distributing the power of review throughout the judicial branch. The standards of review also limit a court’s authority to determine an error by a trial court, and whether the error warrants reversal. The standard sets the requirements of substantive law and provides a means for appellate judges to weigh arguments. This …
Transracial Adoption In Texas: Should The Best Interests Standard Be Color-Blind., Jo Beth Eubanks
Transracial Adoption In Texas: Should The Best Interests Standard Be Color-Blind., Jo Beth Eubanks
St. Mary's Law Journal
Legislative amendments must go further than limiting race from being a primary factor in adoptions; amendments must eliminate race as an acceptable factor. Diverging opinions of “race matching” in foster care and adoption exist. Administrative policies regulating adoption hold that same-race placement, between the adoptive parent and child, is a primary consideration when awarding custody in Texas. Basing child placement on the race or ethnicity of the parties involved raises serious constitutional concerns. The best interest standard is the predominant method in determining child placement, for both custody and adoption proceedings. The premise of the best interest standard is prioritization …