Oct

20

Barry Bonds’ Contribution to the Growth of American Law

Posted by: J. Gordon Hylton | October 20, 2009 | 2 Comments

Baseball player Barry Bonds’ problems with perjury and illegal performance enhancing drugs have been well documented, but what is not nearly so well know is his contribution to the law regarding prenuptial agreements, particularly in California.
In 1988, Barry Bonds married Susann “Sun” Margreth Blanco, a native of Sweden, in Las Vegas.  The two had met [...]

Apr

8

Some Different Thoughts on the Iowa Supreme Court Marriage Decision

Posted by: Richard M. Esenberg | April 8, 2009 | 1 Comment

I wanted to respond to Mr. Samis’s thoughtful post on the Iowa marriage case and thought it’d be easier to do so by a separate post than by a comment. It is hard to engage such a complicated and emotionally charged question within the confines of a blog. Although I have generally found both my [...]

Feb

14

Favorite Wisconsin Cases to Teach: State v. Oakley

Posted by: David R. Papke | February 14, 2009 | 1 Comment

It’s unusual for a law review in one state to devote an issue to a decision from the supreme court of another state, but that’s exactly what happened when the Western New England Law Review published a 2004 symposium issue concerning State v. Oakley, 629 N.W.2d 200 (Wis. 2001).  I personally welcome the opportunity to [...]

Jan

19

Public Legal Services in Times of Distress

Posted by: Daniel D. Blinka | January 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

While the nation is not (yet?) in an economic depression, our “worsening recession” has catastrophically affected thousands of area families across the social spectrum. For those who were desperately poor a year ago, not much has changed except perhaps for having even less reason to hope — dreams of government bailouts are duly noted. [...]

Oct

31

Halloween Frights

Posted by: Judith G. McMullen | October 31, 2008 | 2 Comments

It’s Halloween, so children have dreams of scaring adults, and adults have nightmares about other adults harming children. Lawmakers in Missouri this year have been concerned about a particular kind of harm: sexual offenses against children. They passed a state law that prohibited convicted sexual offenders from having any “Halloween-related contact with children,” and required [...]

Oct

28

Love, Loss, and Palimony

Posted by: Judith G. McMullen | October 28, 2008 | 3 Comments

Today, Law.com reports on a New Jersey appellate court’s decision in Bayne v. Johnson, which involved a palimony claim by a woman who had been a party in a bizarre triangular relationship for almost twenty years.  According to the article, Fiona Bayne, then a 25-year-old flight attendant with British Airways, began a romance with 41-year-old [...]

Oct

27

Grieving Loved Ones at War Over a Pension

Posted by: Judith G. McMullen | October 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment

It is sad when a family member dies, and even sadder when the aftermath of the death brings feuding and court actions between loved ones.  The parents and fiancée of Kevin Prior, a firefighter killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, are embroiled in such a dispute over the $37,600 a year [...]

Oct

20

The Culpability of Passive Abuse

Posted by: Judith G. McMullen | October 20, 2008 | 5 Comments

Last Friday, a Brooklyn mother was convicted of manslaughter in an infamous case that has, once again, led to soul-searching and overhaul of New York City’s child welfare system.  What is remarkable about this case is that the mother never struck a single blow; rather, her 7-year-old daughter was beaten to death by her stepfather.  [...]

Oct

10

Lessons from Nebraska’s Struggle With an Abandoned Baby Law

Posted by: Judith G. McMullen | October 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

In the past few years, many states have passed legislation allowing parents of newborns to drop their infants off at a designated safe place, no questions asked. These laws are intended to prevent the tragedy of unwanted newborns that have been literally left to die in dumpsters, public toilets, and similar places, usually by [...]

Sep

12

Should Criminal Law Be Used to Enforce Family Responsibilities?

Posted by: Michael M. O'Hear | September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This important question is explored in a forthcoming mini-symposium in the Boston University Law Review. The lead article, written by Professors Jennifer Collins, Ethan Leib, and Dan Markel, argues that if criminal law is going to be used to enforce the responsibilities of family members to one another, then there also ought [...]