Restoring the Civil Jury in a World without Trials
Dmitry Bam
Early in this nation’s history, the civil jury was the most important institutional check on biased and corrupt judges. Recently, concerns about judicial bias, especially in elected state judiciaries, have intensified as new studies demonstrate the extent of that bias. But the jury of Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson is nowhere to be found. In fact, the civil jury is virtually dead. It is used in less than 1% of all civil cases, and even when it makes a rare appearance, the jury’s powers have been significantly curtailed. This Article argues that we must reimagine the civil jury to match the framework of modern civil litigation and modern civil procedure. Civil litigation in the 21st century revolves around pre-trial practice, including the motion to dismiss and the motion for summary judgment. Today, judges alone decide those dispositive motions. And when the judges deciding these motions are biased, the jury is conspicuously absent. I propose that jurors serve alongside judges to decide fact-intensive dispositive motions on what I call Hybrid Judicial Panels. This proposal restores the jury’s historical power to control biased judges, and offers the people themselves a renewed role in modern civil litigation.
Everything Old Is New Again: Enforcing Tribal Treaty Provisions to Protect Climate Change-Threatened Resources
Elizabeth Ann Kronk Warner
In an age when vulnerable tribes and Native communities around the country are threatened by the impacts of climate change, advocates seek new and innovative legal tools to provide protection for endangered resources. To date, legal tools such as litigation and adaptation plans have been used with varying levels of success. For the first time, this article considers whether tribal treaties with the United States may prove helpful in protecting threatened resources. Treaties historically played an important role for many tribes, as they have a profound cultural connection and are a powerful expression of tribal sovereignty. Also, when courts find treaties applicable, tribes have generally been successful in protecting the resources at issue. In considering whether such historical documents may be applied in the climate change context, this article begins by looking at the treaty language of specific tribes, which have expressed interest in shielding treaty-protected resources, and also methodologies of interpreting treaties. The article then goes on to consider how such treaty language might be used in a legal claim against the United States, speculating as to uses under both domestic and international law. Ultimately, the article concludes that it may be possible to use treaty language to protect resources threatened by climate change under certain circumstances.
Standing on Thin Ice: How Nebraska’s Standing Doctrine Prevents the Majority of Surface Water Users from Obtaining Judicial Relief against Groundwater Users Interfering with Their Appropriations
Logan Hoyt
I. Introduction
II. Background ... A. Water Development in Nebraska ... B. Spear T Ranch, Inc. v. Knaub ... C. Introduction to Standing Doctrine
III. Standing in Water Law Cases ... A. Natural Resource Districts and Standing to Challenge Governmental Actions ... B. Surface Water Entities and Standing ... C. Contrast between Natural Resources District Standing Cases and Central ... D. Nebraska’s Standing Doctrine Prevents Most Surface Water Users from Obtaining Relief
IV. Is It Good Public Policy to Allow Surface Water Users to Pursue Judicial Relief? ... A. Arguments in Favor of Judicial Intervention ... B. Arguments against Allowing Surface Water Irrigators to Obtain Judicial Relief ... C. Policy Summary
V. If Surface Water Irrigators Should Be Able to Sue, What Changes Can Be Made? ... A. Legislative Intervention ... B. Judicial Intervention
VI. Conclusion
Judicial Bypass in Nebraska: How the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Decision in In re Anonymous 5, 286 Neb. 640, 838 N.W.2d 226 (2013) Illustrates the Complexity of Parental Consent Laws for State Wards Seeking Abortion
Amy J. Peters
I. Introduction
II. Background ... A. Parental Consent Laws for Minors Seeking Abortion ... B. Teen Pregnancy and Abortion in Foster Care ... C. Nebraska’s Parental Consent Law and the Supreme Court’s Holding in Anonymous 5
III. Analysis ... A. Nebraska’s Parental Consent Law Grants Judges an Impermissible, “Absolute, and Possibly Arbitrary, Veto” over a State Ward’s Access to Abortion ... B. Nebraska’s Parental Consent Law Imposes an Undue Burden on State Wards Seeking an Abortion ... C. Nebraska’s Abortion Law Needs Reform to Clarify Parental Consent Requirements and Judicial Bypass Considerations for State Wards ... 1. Consent Requirements ... 2. Judicial Bypass Considerations
IV. Conclusion
Practice and Procedure before the Nebraska State Railway Commission
J. Max Harding
I. Introduction
II. The Original or Extension Application
III. The Transfer Application
IV. Orders to Show Cause and Formal Complaints
V. After the Hearing
VI. Conclusion
Inconsistent Jury Verdicts in Civil Actions
John C. McElhaney
I. Vicarious Liability of Co-Defendant … A. General Problem and Solution … B. Joint Tortfeasors as Defendants … C. Indemnity Cases … D. The Comparative Negligence Doctrine
II. Derivative Causes of Action … A. General Problem and Solution … B. Power to Grant a New Trial … C. Who May Complain of the Inconsistency
III. Separate Cases Consolidated for Trial … A. General Problem and Solution … B. The Right to a Jury Trial
IV. Other Related Fact Situations
V. General Comments on Inconsistencies … A. Reconciliation of Apparent Inconsistencies in the Verdicts … B. Validity of General Verdicts Based on Alternative Pleas … C. Verdicts Which Are Silent as to One Party Defendant
VI. Conclusion
Nebraska “Grade A” Dairy Regulation—A Study in Regulative Overlap
Deryl F. Hamann
I. Introduction … A. State Statutes Predating the 1957 “Grade A” Law … 1. 1951 Grade A Labeling Law … 2. General Milk Statutes … B. Municipal Ordinances
II. The New “Grade A” Law and Municipal Milk Control … A. Basic Policy Factors in Municipal Milk Control … B. Validity of Existing Municipal Ordinances … 1. Power of the Municipality to Legislate … 2. Pre-emption and Conflict—State versus Municipal Control … a. Occupation or Pre-emption of the Field … b. State-Municipal Conflict … 3. Interference with Liberty … C. Effect If Municipal Ordinances Are Generally Valid … 1. Confusion of Standards … 2. Inspection by Local Officials … D. The Reference Problem
III. “Grade A” and Other Nebraska Dairy Statutes
IV. Desirability of the USPHS Milk Ordinance and Code
V. Suggested Changes … A. Adoption of the USPHS Milk Ordinance and Code … B. State-Municipal Control … C. Grade A and Other Nebraska Statutes … 1. Foreign substances … 2. Nonfat solids in skim milk … 3. Bacteria … 4. Tuberculosis inspection
VI. Conclusion