Stepping Up to the Plate: Minor Leaguers Attempt to Remedy their Unconscionable Plight

Professional baseball players are often thought of as making multi-million-dollar salaries, but most professional baseball players have recently made under $15,000 a year. Minor league players toiled under an onerous system resulting from baseball's judicially created antitrust exemption and lobbying efforts that exempted them from minimum wage and overtime. These factors allowed teams to impose a uniform player contract (UPC) on players with numerous unconscionable provisions for years. However, a late-night Tweet in August of 2022 sent shockwaves through the sports and labor world, announcing that the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) was sending out authorization cards to represent minor league players. After years of fighting to maintain the authority to impose conditions on minor league players, through lobbying and litigation, Major League Baseball (MLB) turned over a new leaf and recognized the unionization of minor league players under the MLBPA less than three weeks later. In light of this long sought-after recognition, this article takes a novel approach. First, it provides historical context for baseball's unique ability to impose working conditions on minor leaguers without significant concern for legal ramifications. Second, it provides an overview of the doctrine of contractual unconscionability and analyzes the prior UPC as an unconscionable agreement. Finally, it details the historic unionization process and makes detailed recommendations to ameliorate the unconscionable conditions minor league players have faced when they negotiate with MLB owners to draft their initial collective bargaining agreement.     

中国共产党的集中统一领导决定抗"疫"之效

中国共产党的集中统一领导是中国特色社会主义制度最大、最根本的政治优势。突发的新冠肺炎疫情是对中国共产党执政能力和领导力、号召力、动员力的检验,是对党的一次大考。抗击新冠肺炎疫情的斗争,进一步彰显了中国共产党集中统一领导的政治优势。党的集中统一领导决定了我国抗"疫"之效、抗"疫"之功。在党的集中统一领导下抗"疫"斗争必将取得伟大胜利。     

Prisons or Problem-Solving: Does the Public Support Specialty Courts?

ABSTRACT

Recently, “problem-solving” courts have been developed as an alternative to imprisonment. They are often called “specialty” courts because they process and divert into treatment programs offenders who are seen as different from the general criminal population, such as those with mental health or drug problems, those who are homeless or veterans, and those who engage in domestic violence. Based on a 2017 national survey of 1,000 respondents, the current study examines overall public support for rehabilitation as a goal of corrections and then focuses specifically on support for different types of specialty courts. The analysis reveals that the American public endorses not only the rehabilitative ideal but also the use of problem-solving courts. Further, with only minimal variation, strong support for these courts appears to exist regardless of political orientation and sociodemographic characteristics.     

在借条空白处加盖公章的担保效力审查

【裁判要旨】借条空白处的公司盖章应由公司承担反证义务,公司无法证明借条空白处盖章的合理性,应承担相应责任。债权人主张盖章公司应承担担保责任,但未尽到审查公司担保决议的义务,公司应承担不能清偿部分的二分之一的补充清偿责任。一人有限责任公司股东应举证证明公司财产独殳于股东个人,不能证明的,应在公司的责任范围内承担连带清偿责任。     

习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的内在逻辑与意义探析

党的十八大以来,以习近平同志为核心的党中央通过艰辛的理论和实践探索,形成了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想。中国共产党在指导思想上的与时俱进,是我们党生命力、创造力的重要体现,更是党团结带领全国各族人民决胜全面建成小康社会,全面建设社会主义现代化强国的行动指南。科学把握习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的内在逻辑、核心要义与重大意义,有助于进一步增强"四个自信",为实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦提供理论指引和实践指南。     

The Real Motive

U.S.President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan,called by some the"deal of the century,"is an important step-to win the support of Jewish voters in this year's presidential election.Given the complexities of the situation in the Middle East and the failure of negotiations between Israel and Palestine,the plan is unlikely to take the peace process between the two key actors forward.     

法医学尸体检验职业防护指南(建议稿)

法医工作者的职业暴露风险极大,案件现场及尸体上的有毒有害物质、高致病性微生物以及利器、骨折等因素均可能给法医带来身心伤害甚至生命危险。随着经济社会发展,法医的工作环境已经较过去显著改善,但是针对个人防护的重视程度仍需提高。近年来公共卫生事件频发,给法医职业防护带来新的挑战,迫切需要借鉴生物安全领域的先进技术和防护理念,以满足新形势下法医工作的需要。本指南立足当前法医职业防护的实际需求,从暴露风险、防护分级、应急处置等角度阐述,希望能为制定法医职业防护相关标准提供参考,以指导法医工作者开展个人防护工作,为提升法医职业化水平和身心健康提供帮助。     

认罪认罚从宽制度的体系性反思与建构

虽然认罪认罚从宽制度是在我国《刑事诉讼法》中得以正式确立的,但《刑事诉讼法》中涉及此制度的具体规定又都是操作层面的。据此,认罪认罚从宽制度的合理性并不能得以阐释。而依据我国《刑法》,对认罪认罚从宽制度的合理性则可以从形式逻辑、实质逻辑以及价值理念三个维度予以充分证成。由此可知,认罪认罚从宽制度本质上系《刑法》中的一种刑罚裁量制度,认罪认罚本质上是法定的从宽量刑情节。在定罪层面,犯罪嫌疑人、被告人只需自愿承认不法事实系其所为,即构成"认罪",而无需准确评价自身行为的法律性质并准确识别具体罪名;在量刑层面,"认罚"考察的重点是犯罪嫌疑人、被告人的悔罪态度和悔罪表现。应当通过刑法立法的方式将认罪认罚从宽制度与自首制度、坦白制度部分重叠地整合在一起,以避免"概念混同""重复评价"的错误倾向。     

自我与职业的双重生产:基于网络主播的数字化表演劳动实践

伴随电商直播时代的到来,青年带货主播的劳动激励机制从"礼物打赏"转变为"带货提成",其工作形态也从情感劳动转向数字化表演劳动。数字化表演劳动是指主播通过"养号"、组团、打造"人设"、激活消费者体验等方式,创造出一种区别于线下的购物剧场,从而将粉丝的观看量转化为消费者的订单量。由于主客观方面的限制,基于数字化表演劳动的直播带货会形成不稳定的短期化就业。但"离场"后的主播并不完全切断与直播的联系,而是将数字化表演劳动后置为一种能随时"返场"的就业选择,以此更主动、更具弹性地应对不确定的未来生活。在此背景下,我们需要创造精准服务各类青年数字劳动者的良好制度环境,促使其成为壮大数字产业的生力军和推进数字治理的新力量。     

论正当防卫中不作为的不法侵害

真正的不作为和不真正的不作为都可以构成正当防卫意义上的不法侵害。单纯不履行民事债务的,也同样。当行为人的不作为与即将造成的法益损害间不再存在显著的时间间隔,或者行为人故意或过失地导致自己丧失之后履行作为义务的可能性时,不作为的不法侵害已开始。行为人以不作为的方式维持对法益既存的危险状态,且这种状态的延续仍然在提升对相关法益的危险或者扩大法益损害的范围,则不作为的不法侵害就尚未结束。对不作为之不法侵害的防卫行为受防卫必要性要件的限制,只有在其客观上确属有效制止不作为之不法侵害所必需的手段时,才能通过正当防卫合法化。