Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons^™

A Trial Court's Refusal To Question Prospective Jurors About The Specific Contents Of Pretrial Publicity Which They Had Read Or Heard Did Not Violate A Defendant's Sixth Amendment Right To An Impartial Jury, Or Fourteenth Amendment Right To Due Process., Karen A. Cusenbary

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Mu'Min v. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court held a defendant has no right to ask jurors about the potential influence of prejudicial pretrial publicity. A defendant may ask only if the jurors can remain impartial. The Court mandates that overturning a trial court’s jury selection is allowable only if manifest error renders the trial fundamentally unfair. The Court did not find that the case involved sufficient public passion to necessitate a more extensive jury examination by the trial court to include inquiries involving the effect of pretrial publicity. The ruling in Mu'Min leaves too much discretion to the …

Nude Dancing Conveying A Message Or Eroticism And Sexuality Is Protected By The First Amendment But Can Be Limited Under State Police Powers Provided The Government Establishes A Substantial, Content-Neutral Purpose., Fred S. Wilson

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc., the Supreme Court held the First Amendment protects nude dancing as conveying an expressive message, but state police powers may limit protection if the government establishes a substantial, content-neutral purpose. It is a principal of constitutional law where an actor intends to convey a message by expressive conduct, the First Amendment protection extends to that expression. Traditionally, time, place, and manner regulations restricting expressive conduct based on either the subject-matter of the message or the viewpoint of the actor receive content-based classification. However, content-based regulation of expressive conduct is constitutional only when narrowly drawn …

An Independent And Adequate Procedural Rule Bars A State Prisoner, Who Has Defaulted His Entire Appeal, From Asserting A Federal Claim Unless The Prisoner Demonstrates Cause For, And Actual Prejudice Resulting From, The Procedural Default, Or In The Alternative, Proves A Fundamental Miscarriage Of Justice Will Result If The Federal Habeas Court Fails To Hear The Claim., Jared R. V. Woodfill

St. Mary's Law Journal

The current jurisprudential regime accepts a blanket procedural default policy which denies the federal habeas court its proper constitutional role. An ideological coup d’etat is needed which reappraises the modern procedural default doctrine and supplants it with a rule in the spirit of Fay v. Noia. Such a revolution would emphasize the federal habeas court’s role as a defender of constitutional rights. In an era of multifarious litigation and sociological jurisprudence, a habeas prisoner should not lose his life because a negligent public defender failed to preserve the right in procedural formaldehyde. On April 23, 1982, a court convicted Roger …

An Employer Cannot Avoid Its Obligation To Contribute To An Employee-At-Will's Pension Plan By Terminating The Employee., Carol Jendrzey

St. Mary's Law Journal

In McClendon v. Ingersoll-Rand Co., the Texas Supreme Court held an employer cannot avoid its obligation to contribute to an employee-at-will’s pension plan by terminating the employee. A minority of jurisdictions recognize an implied contract exception to the employment-at-will doctrine allowing termination only with cause. In these jurisdictions, employers who raise the defense of statute of frauds because there is no written employment contract may be defeated by the terms of employment articulated in employee handbooks and manuals. Though both the legislatures and the courts recognize a public policy interest in protecting employee pension plans, the United States Supreme Court …

Applying Edgewood V. Kirby To Analysis Of Fundamental Rights Under The Texas Constitution., Albert H. Kauffman, Carmen Maria Rumbaut

St. Mary's Law Journal

State constitutions are affirmative grants of power under which both stated and implied fundamental rights can be sought. A proposed test for fundamental rights under the Texas Constitution looks at three factors: the history of the topic within the Texas Constitution and case law; the actual language used in the controlling provision; and the importance of that value to the people of Texas. The declaration of a constitutional right as fundamental certainly has implications for future relationships between the people and the government.

The Edgewood v. Kirby case has the potential to change much in Texas. The case stands for …

A Practical Guide To The Admissibility Of Novel Expert Evidence In Criminal Trials Under Federal Rule 702., Cathleen C. Herasimchuk

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Benign Classification Based On Race Must Be Narrowly Tailored To Achieve A Compelling Governmental Interest., Martha J. Hess

St. Mary's Law Journal

In City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., the Supreme Court held a minority business utilization plan (Richmond Plan) was violative of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Richmond Plan required all builders awarded city construction contracts to subcontract, at minimum, 30% of the contract value to Minority Business Enterprises. A state government enacting legislation that burdens one class of persons and benefits a similarly-situated class must provide sufficient justification for its action to survive equal protection analysis. When distinction is based on race or national origin—classes considered inherently suspect—a reviewing court subjects the governmental legislation to strict scrutiny, …

Dtpa In The Courts: Two Empirical Studies And A Proposal For Change., Nancy Friedman Atlas, Scott J. Atlas, Raymond T. Nimmer

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Personal Injury Actions Under The Dtpa., Paul N. Gold, George (Tex) Quesada

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Dedication., Orville C. Walker

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Texas Adopts The Outstanding Balance Method Of Determining Whether Monies Bid At A Foreclosure Sale Involving Wraparound Mortgages Generate Excess Proceeds Or Constitute A Deficiency., Cynthia K. Brotman

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Government Regulations Authorizing M.Andatory Alcohol And Drug Testing Of Private Railroad Employees On Less Than Individualized Suspicion To Enhance Safety Are Constitutional, Keith Dorsett

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Dedication., James P. White

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

The Stagnation Of Texas Ground Water Law: A Political V. Environmental Stalemate., Karen H. Norris

St. Mary's Law Journal

The rapidly increasing Texas population coupled with the scarcity of water resources has created an urgent need for regulation of ground water pumpage. The extraction of ground water in Texas remains largely unregulated. Texas landowners, by virtue of their surface ownership, have property rights in all underlying ground water. As such, Texas landowners have the right to unlimited pumpage of the ground water beneath their land. Texas landowners have jealously guarded this right at the expense of our environment and future water resources. The Texas legislature created conservative underground water districts to help preserve water resources. However, the limited scope …

Dedication., Editorial Board St. Mary's School Of Law

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Prenatal V. Parental Rights: What A Difference An A Makes., Ali Gallagher

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Protecting The Fetus From Maternal Drug And Alcohol Abuse: A Proposal For Texas., Tom Rickhoff, Curtis L. Cukjati

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

You Should See Your Irs File: Access To Irs Information - What Are A Taxpayer's Rights., Richard J. Wood

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Estate Planning For The Non-Taxable Estate., Mcken V. Carrington

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Lust - Deep In The Heart Of Texas: Federal Epa Regulations Affecting Underground Storage Tanks - The Texas Statutory And Regulatory Counterparts., Blaine D. Edwards

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

42 U.S.C. 1981 Does Not Provide A Remedy For Racial Harassment During Employment., Jeffrey A. Lacy

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, the United States Supreme Court held 42 U.S.C. § 1981 does not provide a remedy for racial harassment during employment. In 1976, in Runyon v. McCrary, the Court expanded the scope of § 1981 to cover private discrimination in contractual settings, including racial discrimination in private schools, when previously unavailable. More than a decade after the Runyon decision, the Supreme Court in Patterson, established that there were limits to § 1981’s applicability in private racial discrimination claims. Specifically, the Court held while § 1981 prohibits discriminatory conduct while entering into or enforcing a contract, …

Recognizing An Implied Warranty That Professional Services Will Be Performed In A Good And Workmanlike Manner., Mark L. Kincaid

St. Mary's Law Journal

Although the Court received a deluge of amicus curiae briefs after its initial ruling in Melody Home ushering the Court to reevaluate the consequences of its decision, there is no sound basis for excluding professional services from the implied warranty recognized by the Texas Supreme Court that services will be performed in a good and workmanlike manner. The issue of what is properly considered a “professional” service or what definition is to be applied to distinguish “non-professional” and “professional” services if the latter were to be excluded from the implied warranty. Instead of differentiating between “non-professional” and “professional” services in …

1989 Texas Dtpa Reform: Closing The Dtpa Loophole In The 1987 Tort Reform Laws And The Ongoing Quest For Fairer Dtpa Laws., John T. Montford, Will G. Barber, Robert L. Duncan

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct: Additional Liability For Texas Lawyers., Xavier G. Medina, Virginia Coyle

St. Mary's Law Journal

As a result of the enactment of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (“Rules”), Texas lawyer no longer practice under guidelines which include aspirational goals and discretionary moral choices. The Rules are mandatory in nature and depict a minimum standard of professional conduct which, if violated, could subject the offending lawyer to disciplinary action. Although the Rules provide a disclaimer stating that they “do not undertake to define standards of civil liability of lawyers for professional conduct,” Texas lawyers fear the Rules will be utilized as an independent basis for liability, or a standard of care for malpractice. The …

In Memoriam.

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Dedication., Ernest A. Raba

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Dedication., Jack Pope

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Dedication., Sam S. Crutchfield

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

The Original Intent Of The Education Article Of The Texas Constitution., Mikal Watts, Brad Rockwell

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Commanding Respect: Criminal Sanctions For Environmental Crimes., Eva M. Fromm

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.