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Articles 211 - 240 of 242
Full-Text Articles in State and Local Government Law
California Family Law Act, Meredith A. Nelson
California Family Law Act, Meredith A. Nelson
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
California's Family Law Act has been heralded as the first major change in the State's divorce provisions in one hundred years. The Act is an attempt to remedy two major criticisms of current divorce practice both in California and throughout the United States. First, those advocating reform believe that laws controlling the granting of divorces are in conflict with modem concepts of marriage and divorce. Many divorce laws impose punitive sanctions in an attempt to deter those who would otherwise seek a divorce. Second, notwithstanding their intent, divorce laws have not, in fact, reduced the frequency of divorce. The inability …
Michigan "Freedom Of Information Act", David T. Alexander
Michigan "Freedom Of Information Act", David T. Alexander
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
A policy of public disclosure is as appropriate at the state level as it is at the federal level. There are comparable state agencies for almost all Federal departments concerned with commerce and the public health, safety and welfare. Through licensing and supervisory powers over businesses and individuals, state agencies exercise extensive quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers of immediate concern to the public. The resulting rules, records, regulations, orders and opinions serve as both the factual findings and the substantive law of the particular area administered by each agency. Recognizing this need for public disclosure at the state level, the Michigan …
The Language Of Involuntary Mental Hospitalization: A Study In Sound And Fury, Steven H. Levinson
The Language Of Involuntary Mental Hospitalization: A Study In Sound And Fury, Steven H. Levinson
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Involuntary civil commitment is the business of hospitalizing and treating, without their consent, persons whom a court, with the aid of professional diagnosticians, determines to be psychologically disturbed or mentally ill. The purpose of the present study will be to demonstrate that the medical diagnoses of mental illness which justify involuntary civil commitment are achieved on the basis of at least unreliable and at worst invalid sets of diagnostic categories and assessments. For the purpose of determining the reliability of these diagnostic findings, the author selected a representative sample of the involuntary mental hospitalization proceedings of the Wayne County Probate …
Decentralization Of Metropolitan Government: Reform In Indianapolis, Charles T. Richardson
Decentralization Of Metropolitan Government: Reform In Indianapolis, Charles T. Richardson
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
This note will deal first with the reasons for centralization of local governments and how certain cities, especially Indianapolis, have achieved that goal. The issue of involving smaller communities in the solution to urban problems will then be discussed, first in the context of certain objections to the Indianapolis consolidation, then in the context of the achievement record of community development corporations, and finally with relation to MINIGOV itself. Part IV will consider specific sections of the MINIGOV bill dealing with citizen participation in land use planning and development, and Part V will more broadly compare the Indianapolis scheme to …
Michigan Air Pollution Control: A Case Study, William A. Irwin
Michigan Air Pollution Control: A Case Study, William A. Irwin
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The State of Michigan began its fight against air pollution with the passage of two Acts in 1965: the Air Pollution Act and the Tax Exemption for Air Pollution Control Act. In adopting these acts the legislature hoped to solve the state's special needs for immediate air pollution control, created by the heavy concentration of automobile manufacturers and their suppliers in the state. The fight was to be waged through the efforts of a newly-created Air Pollution Control Commission and its staff. To present an evaluation of the success of these efforts, this comment concentrates upon two case studies of …
Water Pollution Control In Vermont: A System Of Effluent Charges, Hobart Birmingham
Water Pollution Control In Vermont: A System Of Effluent Charges, Hobart Birmingham
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
In the final hours of a three month session, Vermont's legislature adopted a water pollution control law which imposes fees on polluters. Control of water pollution has been a popular issue in Vermont-its first comprehensive laws on the subject were passed in 1949 -and this new legislation is designed to be a major step toward upgrading much of that state's water resources. Increasing industrial and municipal water use has resulted in such widespread pollution that the traditional private law of riparian rights provides an inadequate remedy to the problem of unclean water. Consequently, state intervention has become essential to the …
Controlling The Controllers In Parent-Subsidiary Relations, James C. Bruno
Controlling The Controllers In Parent-Subsidiary Relations, James C. Bruno
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
This article will examine the rights and responsibilities of a party in control of a corporation. The discussion of these rights and responsibilities focuses principally on the law of Michigan. However, passages on policy, discussion of the development of relevant Michigan law, and recommendations for changes in the law are pertinent to the general problem-area of parent-subsidiary relations encountered in all jurisdictions.
Massachusetts In The Federal Courts: The Constitutionality Of The Vietnam War, Anthony A. D'Amato
Massachusetts In The Federal Courts: The Constitutionality Of The Vietnam War, Anthony A. D'Amato
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
One of the most singular pieces of legislation in American constitutional history passed both houses of the Massachusetts legislature on April 1st, 1970, and was signed into law on the following day by Governor Francis W. Sargent. It provides that, except for an emergency, no inhabitant of Massachusetts inducted into or serving in the armed forces "shall be required to serve" abroad in an armed hostility that has not been declared a war by Congress under Article 1, Section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution. The bill further directs the state's attorney general to bring a suit testing …
Michigan Environmental Protection Act Of 1970, Susan Pearce
Michigan Environmental Protection Act Of 1970, Susan Pearce
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Widespread public preoccupation with environmental quality is a recent development, and one that has provided the impetus for a thorough examination of existing governmental structures in order to establish a functional system for the environment's protection and improvement. Commenting on this development, a leading environmental lawyer recently noted: "[T]he explosion of concern for the environment, at every private and governmental level, is the great political phenomenon of the last twelve months." As concern has grown about the quality of the environment, so too has skepticism increased about the ability of present institutions to cope with the problem. A constitutional amendment …
Restrictions On Student Voting: An Unconstitutional Anachronism?, W. Perry Bullard, James A. Rice
Restrictions On Student Voting: An Unconstitutional Anachronism?, W. Perry Bullard, James A. Rice
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Using Michigan as a vehicle for analysis because it has a student voting process representative of many states, this note seeks to accomplish four purposes: (1) an examination of the case law often underlying the presumption against student registrability; (2) an analysis of recent constitutional developments in the due process and equal protection areas as they relate to the particular problems posed by the student voter; (3) a survey of the competing local and student interests in the student vote issue; and (4) a conclusion regarding the likelihood that thwarted student voters can follow the paths of other disfranchised groups …
New York City Consumer Protection Law Of 1969, Thomas G. Morgan
New York City Consumer Protection Law Of 1969, Thomas G. Morgan
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
In recent years there has been growing concern over the lack of legal protection afforded the American consumer. Comprehensive consumer protection legislation has been introduced at all levels of government, and several significant proposals have been enacted into law. One such enactment at the municipal level is the New York City Consumer Protection Law of 1969, which establishes a framework for a broad ban against unfair trade practices and vests the city's Commissioner of Consumer Affairs with extensive powers of enforcement. In this note, the New York City ordinance will be analyzed and evaluated against the general background of existing …
Michigan Environmental Protection Act, Roger L. Conner
Michigan Environmental Protection Act, Roger L. Conner
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Each of the questions discussed in this note revolve around the same basic issue: the propriety of vesting broad power in the courts to prevent environmental destruction, and to develop an environmental common law. The need for the broad standard of the Act derives from the complexity of the problem. The clear authority of the courts to decide cases which have been, or should have been dealt with by an administrative agency is important both for the relationship it establishes between citizens and agencies, and to insure that the policies of the Act will be implemented. In responding to these …
Compulsory No-Fault Medical Insurance For Automobile Owners, William L. Schlosser
Compulsory No-Fault Medical Insurance For Automobile Owners, William L. Schlosser
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The enactment of the Massachusetts compulsory no-fault insurance bill, and Senator Phillip Hart's recent introduction of national no-fault insurance legislation, indicate the serious consideration no-fault insurance is receiving as a method of reforming the existing auto accident compensation system. The current tort system of recovery of auto accident medical expenses is inefficient, and, in many cases, does not adequately compensate the injured parties. Compulsory no-fault insurance is well suited to remedy these deficiencies. Under a no-fault insurance plan, benefits would be paid without regard to the question of fault; consequently, every accident victim would receive compensation without first having to …
The Proposed Michigan Business Corporation Act, Stanley Siegel
The Proposed Michigan Business Corporation Act, Stanley Siegel
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The author of this article was selected by the Commission as Reporter, to draft and revise the statute. It is the purpose of this article to describe the drafting process, to outline the general structure and to examine some unique aspects of the proposed Michigan Business Corporation Act. In this discussion, the author expresses his own views only, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Law Revision Commission or its members.
New York City School Decentralization, Barry D. Hovis
New York City School Decentralization, Barry D. Hovis
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The 1969 New York Education Act grew out of a movement demanding decentralization of the New York City school system. The ultimate goals of this movement were to: (1) encourage community awareness and participation in the development of educational policy, and (2) create sufficient flexibility in the school system to enable administrators to resolve the diverse needs of the varying communities within the city. Support for the plan arose out of more than a decade of dissatisfaction with the centralized system by educators, school administrators, and parents. Supporters of decentralization had pointed in particular to the failure of the centralized …
Detroit Housing Code Enforcement And Community Renewal: A Study In Futility, Brett R. Dick, John S. Pfarr Jr.
Detroit Housing Code Enforcement And Community Renewal: A Study In Futility, Brett R. Dick, John S. Pfarr Jr.
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
This article will demonstrate that the inconsistency is, to a large extent, more apparent than real and results from the application of two different conceptions of the purpose of the program to the same facts. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated that Detroit's Building (housing) Code has failed in its attempt to force rehabilitation of residential structures through Code enforcement. Although it can be made to work more efficiently, the Code will never serve as an effective solution to the housing problem.
Michigan Compulsory Arbitration Act For Essential Services, William J. Rainey
Michigan Compulsory Arbitration Act For Essential Services, William J. Rainey
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
When Public Act 312 became effective on October 1, 1969, Michigan joined Rhode Island and Pennsylvania in permitting compulsory arbitration of unresolved labor disputes involving municipal police and firemen. Wyoming similarly provides for compulsory arbitration in fire department disputes. Passage of the Act was prompted by a desire to avoid the dire consequences of strikes or work stoppages by firefighters and policemen, and to provide a method by which the bargaining power of public service unions could be maintained in the absence of the strike privilege. Since Michigan had barred strikes by public employees in 1947, the unions felt that …
New York Minimum Wage Act For Migrant Workers, Karen E. Kuntz
New York Minimum Wage Act For Migrant Workers, Karen E. Kuntz
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The abject state in which most migrant workers in this country exist has recently become a matter of national concern. The increasing stridency of the migrants, personified by César Chavez in California, has resulted in recognition of the need for legislative assistance to rescue them from their plight. The migrant worker is unable to help himself, being burdened by a low annual income and an education level of only eight and a half years in school. In New York, the migrant's situation is aggravated by the powerful position of the crew leader or "farm labor contractor," who often determines workers' …
Integrated Pretrial Attack On A Pleading: A Critical Evaluation Of Michigan's New Summary Judgement Rule, Carl S. Hawkins, Brett R. Dick
Integrated Pretrial Attack On A Pleading: A Critical Evaluation Of Michigan's New Summary Judgement Rule, Carl S. Hawkins, Brett R. Dick
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Modern procedural reforms reflect diminished confidence in the demurrer or "no cause" motion as a device to dispose of non-meritorious claims before trial. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, setting the pattern of reform for many states, abolished the demurrer. Although a preliminary attack upon the legal sufficiency of the complaint is still permitted by a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule 12 (b) (6), the challenged pleading may be amended as a matter of course, to minimize the risk that a good claim might be lost because it was poorly pleaded. The risk that sham amendments might then be …
Overcoming Barriers To Scattered-Site Low-Cost Housing, Darrel J. Grinstead
Overcoming Barriers To Scattered-Site Low-Cost Housing, Darrel J. Grinstead
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The effect of most zoning devices which have been used in suburban and non-ghetto city planning in the past few decades has been to erect substantial economic barriers around entire cities. These devices include minimum lot size requirements, density zoning, frontage requirements, single family restrictions, and minimum living space requirements. While such zoning practices may not be exclusionary in purpose, exclusion of minority groups has been the result. Moreover, since most minorities are heavily concentrated in low income groups, economic segregation will bring about a high degree of racial and ethnic segregation. Indeed, it has been suggested that these economic …
A Goal-Oriented Model Code Of Pre-Arraignment Procedure For Wisconsin, Cyril D. Robinson
A Goal-Oriented Model Code Of Pre-Arraignment Procedure For Wisconsin, Cyril D. Robinson
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
In this article we analyze the arrest chapter of the proposed code as it was substantially completed at the time the project was terminated, although it has been updated to accommodate relevant recent case law. We examine the need for guiding principles in drafting a code, the proper aims and organization of the code, the proposed provisions of the arrest chapter, and the law and practice which recommend both the principles and the provisions.
Commonwealth Of Puerto Rico V. Rosso: Land Banking And The Expanded Concept Of Public Use, David L. Callies
Commonwealth Of Puerto Rico V. Rosso: Land Banking And The Expanded Concept Of Public Use, David L. Callies
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
As the supply of vacant land on which to expand dwindles, the economic, social and cultural blight attendant upon the rapid but relatively unplanned growth of metropolitan areas increasingly becomes a subject of grave concern throughout the world. The two most common traditional approaches to land use problems are now proving inadequate, given the nature of urban sprawl. The first is zoning, basically an exercise of the police power whereby a governmental body restricts the use of land by appropriate regulation without compensating the owner. The restriction must be for the purpose of promoting the health, morals, safety or welfare …
Constitutionality Of The Illinois Draft Card Burning Act, Robert J. Dyer Iii
Constitutionality Of The Illinois Draft Card Burning Act, Robert J. Dyer Iii
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Pre-emption, a doctrine based on Article VI of the United States Constitution (the “Supremacy Clause”), considers “…the validity of state laws in the light of… Federal laws touching on the same subject.” Where state and federal laws embrace the same subject matter the question is whether Congress intended to preclude state legislative participation in the area or to allow concurrent power. If Congress did intend to preclude state legislation on the subject, the state law must be struck down as a violation of Article VI. Where there is no directly expressed Congressional intent the Court must discover that intent, and …
Reflections From A Different Perspective, B. J. George Jr.
Reflections From A Different Perspective, B. J. George Jr.
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
A signal fact of the 1960's is the widespread attention being paid to modernization of America's criminal law and procedure. After nearly a century of patchwork adjustments of state codes or fragmentary modification of the common law, the federal government and a great many states are moving toward new substantive codes and new codes or rules of criminal procedure. As one who has been working as a reporter in Michigan's endeavor to revise its criminal law and procedure, I have been asked to comment in a general way on Mr. Robinson's effort at reforming Wisconsin law.
Persuader: Mobilization Of Support, Mary Ann Beattie
Persuader: Mobilization Of Support, Mary Ann Beattie
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Law reform can be achieved through precedent-setting case law and through legislation. Each is a time-consuming activity with its own stumbling blocks. To establish law through the case method, one must have a fact situation directly on point with the inequity which one is trying to remedy. In many situations the client must be willing to follow through a long process of trial and appeal, instead of settling for a more immediate but incomplete resolution of his problem. The costs of litigation may become an insurmountable problem. Another difficulty with the test case as a vehicle for law reform is …
Unconstitutional Uncertainty: A Study Of The Use Of Detainers, Donald E. Shelton
Unconstitutional Uncertainty: A Study Of The Use Of Detainers, Donald E. Shelton
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The question is why a prosecutor would go through the motions of asking a warden to notify him of the availability of a prisoner that he never intends to take into custody. The first answer is that it is common practice for many prosecutors to automatically file a detainer upon learning that an accused is imprisoned elsewhere. This decision is made without any regard to their eventual decision to prosecute. But the more basic answer, and the reason why this practice of automatic filing of detainers has developed, lies in the effects a detainer has upon the prisoner.
The Need For An Ombudsman In State Government, Frank E. Cooper
The Need For An Ombudsman In State Government, Frank E. Cooper
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Despite the vast powers which have been delegated to state administrative agencies, comparatively little attention has been paid to their organization or methods of operation. As a result, some state agencies in their day-to-day operations fail to meet desirable standards of fair procedure. Each year, thousands of American citizens emerge indignant from an encounter with some agency representative who they assert has treated them impolitely or denied them what they deem to be their rights. But often the case does not involve enough to justify the expense of taking it to court, and the outraged citizen fumes in frustration, concluding …
The Trend In Water Law Development, Jerome Maslowski
The Trend In Water Law Development, Jerome Maslowski
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The basis of public and private rights in the waters of the State of Michigan is grounded principally in the common law. There has been a scarcity of statutory law on the subject and it is only within the last ten years that any statutes have been enacted which seek to delineate public and private rights.
A Reasoned Approach To The Reform Of Sex Offense Legislation, Ronald B. Schram
A Reasoned Approach To The Reform Of Sex Offense Legislation, Ronald B. Schram
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Currently there is a widespread movement toward the revision of state criminal codes. The goals of such an undertaking are varied: (1) to reduce the size of the criminal law by eliminating inconsistent, overlapping, or obsolete provisions; (2) to phrase the prohibitions in clear and concise language; (3) to introduce more modern approaches to the definition and treatment of criminal offenses; and (4) to harmonize the penalty imposed for a particular act with the severity of the act and the penalty for other acts. This paper will concentrate on sex offenses in an attempt to understand the legislative process of …
Michigan Landlord-Tenant Law: Course Of Statutory Reform
Michigan Landlord-Tenant Law: Course Of Statutory Reform
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Introduction to the Articles, Draftsman: Formulation of Policy, Persuader: Mobilization of Support, and Tenant's Attorney: Evaluation of Impact