Determining the Finance Charge Under the Truth in Lending Act

Determination of the finance charge is central to the Truth in Lending disclosure scheme. The author analyzes difficulties encountered in drafting the finance charge provisions, judicial and administrative interpretations of the statutory provisions, and application of the concept to various types of transactions. He concludes that, despite imperfections in the statute and regulation, the present provisions are about the best that can be expected given the varieties of credit transactions and differences in state law provisions regulating such transactions.     

《公务员法》纠纷解决机制初论

《公务员法》是新中国成立以来我国首部干部人事管理的综合法律。《公务员法》是在《国家公务员暂行条例》的基础上修改、升位而成的。较之《国家公务员暂行条例》,《公务员法》有较多创新之处;该法的纠纷解决机制,就是一个值得关注和探讨的问题。     

论侵权法中的不作为因果关系

不作为因果关系是侵权行为法中的一个重要问题,但民法学界对此关注不够。本文对此作了较为全面的分析,从如何理解不作为成为因果关系中的原因入手,论述了不作为因果关系的特殊性、类型及对民事责任的影响。     

英国反就业歧视法与我国立法之完善

当前我国存在许多就业歧视现象,应通过立法禁止就业歧视并为受害人提供救济。英国建立了较为完善的反就业歧视制度。我国应借鉴英国立法,在《劳动法》和《就业促进法》之外,制定单独的《反就业歧视法》,规定禁止歧视的事由、保护范围、各种歧视的方式和判断标准、被告的抗辩事由、举证责任的分配和受害人的救济等内容,以保护劳动者的平等就业权和公民的平等权。     

论原因自由行为中实行行为的着手问题

对于原因自由行为中实行行为着手的认定,应当坚持"实行行为与责任能力同时存在"为内容的责任原则。"结果行为说"与"两分说"因与责任原则存在冲突而具有明显的不合理性。"利用行为说"基本上是妥当的,应将原因行为认定为原因自由行为中的实行行为。并可以将原因自由行为作与间接正犯相似的理解,原因自由行为类似于将自己的身体当作工具实施犯罪的间接正犯,对其实行行为的着手,需要能够看出实现犯罪的现实危险性。     

论侵权责任法中一般条款和类型化的关系

大陆法系侵权责任法的特点在于,其采一般条款模式。我国学界也普遍认为,侵权责任法应设计一般条款。但是,一般条款的抽象性特点决定了它无法适用法律可操作性的要求,因此,要求类型化的规定予以配合。在我国侵权责任法制定中,应当妥当处理这两者的关系,这不仅仅是立法技术的要求,涉及到侵权责任法内容体系的建构,而且,也会影响到侵权责任法的具体适用。有鉴于此,本文将对这两者之间的关系进行探讨。     

论《刑法修正案（八）》对刑事处罚制度的完善

《刑法修正案（八）》彻底贯彻了宽严相济刑事政策，重在完善刑事处罚体系。其最大亮点之一就是取消了13种罪名的死刑以及调整了死缓的相关执行规定；其次是对自由刑的重要调整，使得“生刑”和死刑之间差距更加合理、管制刑更加完善，假释和缓刑规定更加明确和丰富；其三是财产刑得到重视，有所增加；其四是量刑情节相关规定更加完善。总之，本次务实、协调的刑法修订具有极其重要的现实意义。     

表见代理中本人可归责性的认定及其行为样态

表见代理制度中本人的可归责性是其承担履行责任的正当性依据,其特点是并不以主观过失为必要,而是以过失为中心上下挪动。对本人可归责性的认定,必须斟酌多种因素特别是结合相对人的信赖合理性进行弹性化处理。本人可归责性的行为样态表现出复杂性和多样性。     

In the Best Interests of an Indian Child: The Indian Child Welfare Act

Before passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, state, private, and federal agencies systematically removed Indian children from their families and tribal communities, placing them with non‐Indian families with little appreciation for the detrimental impact that cultural deprivation would have on these children. State courts often ignored the sovereign authority of tribal courts with regard to their children, and were, more often than not, unwilling to acknowledge the importance of the perspective of the child's tribe and/or extended family members. With passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, Congress imposed upon state child welfare practices substantive and procedural requirements to which state courts must adhere, most notably the mandate that state courts must now give primary consideration to the placement of Indian children within their extended families and tribal communities. In addition, federal law requires state courts to recognize tribal court authority and jurisdiction over tribal children. This article reviews the history of federal, state, and private practices that propelled Congress to pass the ICWA, the changes that have resulted from this vital legislation, and the challenges that face courts in ensuring that state courts meet these requirements.     

‘In Vino Veritas’: Truth and Method in Vinogradoff's Historical Jurisprudence

Sir Paul Vinogradoff is widely regarded as the intellectual heir of Sir Henry Maine. As such, he is implicated with Maine in the failure of historical jurisprudence to displace Austinian positivism at the heart of English legal theory. Yet Vinogradoff was of a different generation and intellectual provenance from Maine. By examining the relationship between Vinogradoff's historical jurisprudence and the work of the celebrated German historian Theodor Mommsen, this article aims to reaffirm the distinctiveness of Vinogradoff's contribution to English jurisprudence. It finds at the core of that contribution a Germanic commitment to ‘science’ and ‘method’ that proves both a strength and a weakness in the common law world of the time, and so reflects something of the character of that broader world itself.