PROYECTO ACCESO: USING POPULAR CULTURE TO BUILD THE RULE OF LAW IN LATIN AMERICA

Since the 1990s, much of Latin America has transitioned from an inquisitorial model of criminal procedure to an adversarial model. This Herculean task, over a few short years, has been part of the overall process facilitating the return of democratic governance. In much of the region, countries like Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay, have labored… continue reading

GEOGRAPHIC INEQUITY IN MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT – EFFECT OF GEOGRAPHIC PRACTICE COST INDICES ON PHYSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT AND PATIENT ACCESS

Health care reform, particularly Medicare reform, is a central issue in the 2008 presidential election. Candidates and voters are focused on issues related to fees and access to physician care. The Medicare system is divided into three main parts. Part A is primarily related to hospital insurance. Part B is primarily related to medical insurance. Part… continue reading

LAND USE LAW AND ACTIVE LIVING: OPPORTUNITIES FOR STATES TO ASSUME A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN PROMOTING AND INCENTIVIZING LOCAL OPTIONS

With rates of obesity and related diseases on the rise, particularly in children, the time is ripe to raise discussions about how our built and planned environments can encourage not just youth, but people of all ages, to lead healthier lifestyles. Criticism has long been raised that land use policies in the United States encourage… continue reading

OUTSIDERS LOOKING IN: THE AMERICAN LEGAL DISCOURSE OF EXCLUSION

Author: Luis E. Chiesa Shortly after the birth of our nation, Congress enacted the Alien Friends Act, which granted to President John Adams the power to detain and deport aliens from any country deemed “dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States” without affording them due process of law. After the riots and criminal… continue reading

THE UNEQUAL APPLICATION OF NEW JERSEY’S ARTIFICAL INSEMINATION ACT

New Jersey has long served as a leading state in the gay and lesbian civil rights movement. This trend is most evident in the recent developments of New Jersey courts dealing with the rights of same-sex couples. The most notable recent developments are the New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Lewis v. Harris and the legislation that followed. View More

HEALTH INSURANCE: PAYING THE PREMIUM OR PAYING THE PRICE? – ERISA PREEMPTION AND RICO’S RECOURSE

As an employee benefits consultant, I have been exposed to the perils of the health insurance industry in our country. My career requires a commitment to my client, the employer, to structure an employee benefit plan in a way that maintains competitiveness for employees, while maintaining costs associated with offering such benefits. A major portion… continue reading

THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TREATMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

In 2003, the Supreme Court upheld the right of the government to forcibly medicate mentally ill defendants in order to make them competent to stand trial, and created a four- factor test to determine when the state interest in bringing a defendant to trial outweighs the defendant’s right to privacy in his own body. Previous… continue reading

OUR BUILDING BLOCKS OF EDUCATION DO NOT STACK UP

The Brown v. Board of Education decision and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) sit as pillars in our society of education as it stands under the law today. On their faces, both call for equal education. A deeper analysis reveals, however, that the two differ greatly in their approach. And yet, both appear to have had… continue reading