State Sovereignty and the Eleventh Amendment in the U.S. Supreme Court: The 1988 Term

During its 1988 term, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed two importantaspects of the Eleventh Amendment, which generally protectsstates from being sued in federal courts. First, the Court heldthat the Congress has power to abrogate states' immunity fromsuit—to subject states to suits in federal courts fordamages—under Congress' expansive commerce-clause power.Second, the Court made clear that such abrogation would be foundonly where the text of the statute itself, as distinct fromits legislative history, clearly and specifically so provided.This article describes these decisions, and analyzes some oftheir implications for judicial federalism.     

A rapid method to detect dried saliva stains swabbed from human skin using fluorescence spectroscopy

Saliva on skin is important in forensic trace evidence. If areas where saliva is present can be outlined, this may lead to DNA analysis and identification. This study describes a rapid and non-destructive method to detect dried saliva on the surface of the skin by fluorescence spectroscopy. Eighty-two volunteers deposited samples of their own saliva on the skin of their ventral forearm. A control sample of water was deposited at three different sites on the contralateral arm. Saliva and water control were then allowed to air-dry. Swab samples were taken from dried saliva and control sites and were dissolved in 0.1M KCl solution. Emission spectra were obtained from the solution and were characterized by a principal maximum at 345-355nm with excitation at 282nm. The fluorescence emission intensity was greater than background readings obtained from the control swab site in 80 of 82 volunteers (approximately 97.6%). The fluorescence profile of saliva samples were similar to those obtained from aqueous samples of pure amylase and tryptophan, an endogenous fluorophore in alpha-amylase. The presence of an emission peak at 345-355nm with excitation at 282nm could provide a strong presumptive indication of saliva deposition.     

the impact of constitutional structures and collective and competitive veto points on income inequality in industrialized democracies

This paper presents the first systematic, empirical examination of the impact of constitutional structures on income inequality among eighteen OECD countries. Our pooled time series/cross–sectional panel analysis (n = 18, t = 2) reveals that consensual political institutions are systematically related to lower income inequalities while the reverse is true for majoritarian political institutions. We also make a crucial distinction between 'collective' and 'competitive' veto points. Our multiple regression results provide strong evidence that collective veto points depress income inequalities while competitive veto points tend to widen the inequality of incomes. Thus, some institutional veto points have constraining effects on policy while others have 'enabling' effects.     

The feasibility and utility of pretrial instruction in the substantive law

Jurors are traditionally instructed in the governing law after trial, just prior to deliberation. Several legal scholars have proposed that instructing jurorsprior to trial would better equip them to evaluate the evidence and integrate it with the law. The most controversial aspect of this position is preinstruction in thesubstantive law. Critics warn that substantive preinstruction may impair jurors' performance and that it poses unreasonable administrative problems. This research surveys the opinions of California Superior Court judges on the advantages and disadvantages of substantive preinstruction to understand the reasons that judges either do or do not preinstruct on substantive issues. The most important advantage to emerge was the potential for a substantive precharge to improve jurors' integration of facts and law. The most critical disadvantages were administrative ones: The judge does not know before trial what substantive instructions are appropriate, and the procedure may cause burdensome delays.     

Long live the doge? Death as a term limit on Venetian chief executives

Public Choice - Can an electorate use the projected life expectancy of a lifetime-appointed chief executive to enforce binding, informal term limits? Informal term limits based on the life...     

Self-reported suicidal behavior and attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention among psychology students in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway

Self-reported suicidal behavior and attitudes toward suicide in psychology students are reported and compared in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway. Small differences only were found in own suicidal behavior. However, experience of suicidal behavior in the surroundings was more common in Uganda than in Ghana and Norway. Although differences were found between the three countries in attitudes toward suicide, which emphasizes the need for culture-sensitive research and prevention, many of the differences were not as big as expected. The most pronounced difference was that the Norwegian students were more reluctant to take a stand on these questions compared to their African counterparts. Some differences were also found between the two African countries. The implications of the results for suicide prevention in Africa are discussed.     

Climate Challenged Society

Climate Challenged Society. By J.S. Dryzek, R.B. Norgaard and D. Schlossberg (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), £16.34 (pb).