Law and Society Commons^™

Feeding The Right Wolf: A Niebuhrian Perspective On The Opportunities And Limits Of Mindful Core Concerns Dispute Resolution, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Nevada Law Journal

This Article offers a few observations regarding both the promise and the difficulties faced in using mindful core concerns dispute resolution. Part II focuses on the difficulties faced by mindful negotiators and mediators when confronted with disputants who are too adversarial, selfish, unrealistic, or unresponsive to overtures for interest-based bargaining--even after skilled attempts to neutralize whatever negative emotions may be fueling their counterproductive behavior. In making these assessments and suggestions, the Article relies significantly on the work of Reinhold Niebuhr. Appreciation of Niebuhr's insights can assist mindful negotiation by helping the negotiator to distinguish those situations amenable to the cooperative …

Privatopia In Distress: The Impact Of The Foreclosure Crisis On Homeowners’ Associations, Casey Perkins

Nevada Law Journal

Part I of this Note provides an introduction to HOAs, the foreclosure crisis, and the resulting recession that currently threaten many associations' financial stability. Part I begins with a discussion of the rise of common interest communities in the United States, as well as basic association functions. Following this historical introduction is a discussion of the foreclosure crisis and an overview of the severity of this crisis in Nevada.

Part II introduces the problems faced by HOAs across the country because of the foreclosure crisis. These problems fall into two general categories, budget shortfalls and physical deterioration of abandoned properties. …

Deliberately Defrauding Investors: The Scope Of Liability Comment., Andrew R. Simank

St. Mary's Law Journal

Since the Enron debacle, shareholders have increasingly filed suit in state and federal courts to recoup financial losses resulting from fraudulent representations made by failing corporations. These shareholders have advanced common law misrepresentation claims against publicly traded companies for alleged fraudulent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. Originally, the scope of liability for common law fraud was very narrow. This scope was later broadened in an attempt to provide protection to individuals commonly victimized by fraudulent behavior. Texas courts have gone to great lengths to ensure the “expectation of influencing conduct” requirement for common law fraud requires more than …

In Search Of The Reasonable Woman: Anti-Discrimination Rhetoric In The United States, Francis J. Mootz Iii

Scholarly Works

This article emerged from my participation in a Symposium addressing global perspectives on the topic, "Anti-Discrimination Discourse and Practices," sponsored by The Jean Monnet Chair of European Law at Cagliari University, Sardinia. The article examines the rhetorical development of the "reasonable woman" standard of hostile work environment sexual harassment under Title VII. I argue that the rhetorical framing of the standard has unnecessarily limited its impact, perhaps to the point of undermining its potential to radically revise our understanding of gender discrimination. I suggest how the rhetorical power of the standard might be recovered.

New Law Complicates Foreclosure Sales In Texas., Katherine A. Tapley

St. Mary's Law Journal

A new law that recently took effect has changed the way non-judicial real property foreclosure sales work in Texas. The new law, known as House Bill 655 (HB 655), relates to foreclosure sales in Texas. HB 655 amends the language of Texas Property Code section 51.0075(f) dealing with when the purchase price is due at a foreclosure sale. The amendment, however, complicates foreclosure sales in Texas. The purchase price at the foreclosure sale is no longer due immediately. Instead, if a purchaser at a foreclosure sale requests additional time to deliver the purchase price, the trustee—the person conducting the foreclosure …

Unequal And Unfair: Why Texas Should Require Mandatory Sales Price Disclosure To Reconcile The Texas Property Tax Code With The Texas Constitution., Nathan Morey

St. Mary's Law Journal

Appraisal districts in Texas are implementing a system of taxation that is unequal and unfair. Texas counties, cities, and school districts depend on local ad valorem property taxes for revenue. Under the Texas Property Tax Code, the Code establishes appraisal districts to determine the value of taxable property. There is, however, a discrepancy between the cash value of the land and its appraisal value, especially when compared to commercial property and residential property. Commercial property and high-end residential real estate are often undervalued by appraisal districts throughout the state. Because commercial properties are under-appraised, the tax burden is being unequally …

Leaks, Lies, And The Moonlight: Fiduciary Duties Of Associates To Their Law Firms., Susan Saab Fortney

St. Mary's Law Journal

This symposium article examines the fiduciary duties of law firm associates. After applying agency principles to the firm-associate relationship, the article analyzes specific duties and discusses cases involving alleged breaches of fiduciary duties by associates. It explores associate duties in the current legal, organizational, and socio-technological environment in which associates practice. The article closes with observations on the importance of firm principals considering the effect of firm culture on associate attitudes and conduct.

If One Is Good, Two Must Be Better: A Comparison Of The Texas Standards For Appellate Conduct And The Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct., Edward L. Wilkinson

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals adopted the Standards for Appellate Conduct (Standards) on February 1, 1999. The Standards are intended to “give practitioners a valuable tool to use with clients who demand unprofessional conduct” by imposing “an affirmative duty to educate the client about the Standards of Appellate Conduct.” The Standards further state they do not “alter existing standards of conduct under the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, or the Code of Judicial Conduct.” Under the Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, sanctionable conduct includes “acts or omissions…which violate one or more of the Texas …

Hall's Standards Of Review In Texas Foreword., Wallace B. Jefferson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Technical Problem: How City Of Dallas V. Dallas Morning News, Lp Exposed A Major Loophole In The Texas Public Information Act Comment., Alexander J. Yoakum

St. Mary's Law Journal

The Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) grants everyone a statutory right to access records of a governmental body unless disclosure would violate the law. Generally, TPIA is construed broadly to favor disclosure, but the rise of modern technology like email and text messaging reveals how dated TPIA truly is. According to the recent City of Dallas v. Dallas Morning News, LP, a governmental body is not required to release any business-related electronic communications sent via personal devices. This means governmental employees can conduct official business via personal email or cell phone without being subject to disclosure provisions, unless the requester …

Hall's Standards Of Review In Texas., W. Wendell Hall, O. Rey Rodriguez, Rosemarie Kanusky, Mark Emery

St. Mary's Law Journal

Standards of review distribute power within the judicial branch by defining the relationship between trial and appellate courts. These standards “frame the issues, define the depth of review, assign power among judicial actors, and declare the proper materials to review.” Standards of review are the cornerstones of appeals. These standards must be woven into the discussion of the facts and substantive law in a manner which persuades the appellate court that the trial court erred. Litigants must measure their factual and legal arguments against the appropriate rubric to write an effective and persuasive brief. Appellate judges agree that mechanical recitation …

Culture-Based Crimes Against Women In Societies Absorbing Immigrants - Rejecting The "Mistake Of Law" Defense And Imposing Harsher Sentencing, Gabriel Hallevy

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that the mistake of law defense is irrelevant in cases of culture-based crimes against women, particularly honor killings, committed by immigrants in Western societies. It asserts that such crimes, often justified by cultural preservation, warrant harsher sentencing rather than leniency due to cultural ignorance. The analysis distinguishes between first-generation immigrants and refugees, emphasizing that refugees should not receive special treatment in legal accountability. The article advocates for stricter legal measures to address these crimes and minimize their occurrence.

Mapping The Issues: Public Health, Law And Ethics, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The field of public health is typically regarded as a positivistic pursuit and, undoubtedly, our understanding of the etiology and response to disease is heavily influenced by scientific inquiry. Public health policies, however, are shaped not only by science but also by ethical values, legal norms, and political oversight. Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (expanded and updated 2nd ed., 2010) probes and seeks to illuminate this complex interplay, through a careful selection of government reports, scholarly articles, and court cases together with discussion and analysis of critical problems at the interface of law, ethics, and public health. The …

The Perils Of Empowerment, Jane H. Aiken, Katherine Goldwasser

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This Article examines bystander norms of disinterest and blame that inform and undermine strategies for dealing with significant social problems such as domestic violence. Current strategies rely on individual “empowerment” to reduce such violence. These strategies reflect fundamental misconceptions and false assumptions about the nature of domestic violence, about why this sort of violence persists so stubbornly, and, ultimately, about what it takes to change behavior that has long been tolerated, if not actually fostered, as a result of deeply imbedded social and cultural norms. The net effect is that far from empowering abused women, let alone reaching the norms …

Decriminalizing Students With Disabilities, Dean Hill Rivkin

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Failing The Grade: How The Use Of Corporal Punishment In U.S. Public Schools Demonstrates The Need For U.S. Ratification Of The Children’S Rights Convention And The Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities, Alice Farmer, Kate Stinson

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Equitable Balancing In The Age Of Statutes, Jared Goldstein

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

12th Annual Open Government Summit: Access To Public Records Act & Open Meetings Act, 2010, Department Of Attorney General, State Of Rhode Island

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Screen, Stabilize, And Ship: Emtala, U.S. Hospitals, And Undocumented Immigrants (International Patient Dumping), Jennifer M. Smith

Journal Publications

Pursuant to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), patient dumping is illegal in the United States. American hospitals cannot inappropriately discharge or transfer unstable patients to other medical facilities in the United States without violating EMTALA. Yet, American hospitals are doing this very thing- international patient dumping, by inappropriately transferring or discharging (i.e. shipping) indigent undocumented immigrants in arguably unstable conditions to Third World medical facilities in the home country of the immigrant absent federal government oversight or compliance with EMTALA.

Through Gritted Teeth And Clenched Jaw: Court-Initiated Sanctions Opinions In Bankruptcy Courts., Nancy B. Rapoport

St. Mary's Law Journal

Bankruptcy courts see too many incompetent bankruptcy lawyers, and the courts have few options for dealing with them. A court can rule against the lawyer, but this strategy punishes the lawyer’s client, who may be an innocent bystander. Alternatively, nothing prohibits a judge from deciding to hand down a sanctions opinion. Sanctions opinions arise when one party makes a request, or the court believes a lawyer’s behavior is serious enough to merit a written order. These instances include flouting the law—either bankruptcy law or the ethical rules—or being unaware of the fundamentals of bankruptcy practice and policy. In the instance …