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Bioethics in America: Who decides

Description: This paper is concerned with the process by which bioethics decisions are made as well as the actual decisions that are reached. The process commonly is one of shared decision-making,'' that is, decisionmaking at several levels, beginning with the government and ending with the individual. After the government has defined a scope of permissible activity, the research or health care institution may further limit what activities are permitted. Finally, the individual patient, or, if the patient i… more
Date: January 1, 1992
Creator: Yesley, M.S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Length of Time from Nomination to Confirmation for U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominees: Overview and Policy Options to Shorten the Process

Description: This report seeks to inform the current debate over the nomination and confirmation for U.S. circuit and district court nominees in three ways: first, by providing an overview of the time taken by the Senate during recent presidencies to confirm U.S. circuit and district court nominees; second, by identifying potential consequences of a protracted confirmation process for such nominees; and third, by identifying policy options the Senate might consider to shorten the length of time from nominat… more
Date: November 20, 2013
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Role of Home State Senators in the Selection of Lower Federal Court Judges

Description: This report examines the role played by Senators in the selection of nominees to two kinds of lower federal court judgeships. Specifically, the judgeships in question, over which Senators have historically played a role in nominee selection, are those (1) in the U.S. district courts lying geographically within the Senators' states and (2) in the U.S. court of appeals circuits of which the Senators' states are a geographic part. This report also discusses several historical and ethical aspects r… more
Date: November 10, 2010
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Statutory Interpretation: General Principles and Recent Trends

Description: The Supreme Court has expressed an interest "that Congress be able to legislate against a background of clear interpretive rules, so that it may know the effect of the language it adopts." This report identifies and describes some of the more important rules and conventions of interpretation that the Court applies. Although this report focuses primarily on the Court's methodology in construing statutory text, the Court's approach to reliance on legislative history are also briefly described.
Date: August 31, 2008
Creator: Kim, Yule
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Awards of Attorneys' Fees by Federal Courts and Federal Agencies

Description: In the United States, the general rule, which derives from common law, is that each side in a legal proceeding pays for its own attorney. There are many exceptions, however, in which federal courts, and occasionally federal agencies, may order the losing party to pay the attorneys' fees of the prevailing party. There are roughly two hundred statutory exceptions, which were generally enacted to encourage private litigation to implement public policy.
Date: June 20, 2008
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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President Bush's Judicial Nominations During the 101st and 102nd Congresses

Description: There are ten categories of courts (including the local courts of the District of Columbia) to which the President nominates judges. The report provides background and statistics concerning President Bush's judicial nominations in each court category as well as actions taken on those nominations by the United States Senate. Each of the report's ten sections discusses the composition and jurisdiction of the court in question and notes the committee to which nominations to this court were referr… more
Date: March 29, 1993
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The "Flores Settlement" and Alien Families Apprehended at the U.S. Border: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report answers frequently asked legal questions pertaining to the Flores Settlement and the settlement's impact on the detention of alien families apprehended at or near the U.S. border. In particular, the report addresses (1) background of the litigation, (2) how the Settlement restricts DHS's power to keep families in detention, (3) the relationship between the Ms. L. litigation and the Settlement, (4) the executive branch's policy options under the Settlement, and (5) the extent to whic… more
Date: August 28, 2018
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman & Harrington, Ben
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The "Flores Settlement" and Alien Families Apprehended at the U.S. Border: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report answers frequently asked legal questions pertaining to the Flores Settlement and the it's impact on the detention of alien families apprehended at or near the U.S. border. In particular, the report addresses (1) background of the litigation, (2) how the Settlement restricts DHS's power to keep families in detention, (3) the relationship between the Ms. L. litigation and the Settlement, (4) the executive branch's policy options under the Settlement, (5) proposed rulemaking for implem… more
Date: September 17, 2018
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman & Harrington, Ben
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Judiciary Appropriations, FY2017

Description: The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2017 judiciary appropriations, followed by a section on prior-year actions and funding. The report then provides an overview of judiciary accounts.
Date: August 3, 2016
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nominations to Article III Lower Courts by President George W. Bush During the 110th Congress

Description: This report tracks nominations made by President George W. Bush to judgeships on the U.S. courts of appeals, the U.S. district courts, and the U.S. Court of International Trade. It lists and keeps count of all nominations made to these courts during the 110th Congress, including pertinent actions taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate. It also tracks the number of judicial vacancies on the courts (including vacancies classified by the federal judiciary as "judicial emergenc… more
Date: May 30, 2008
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven; Scott, Kevin M. & Bearden, Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nomination and Confirmation of Lower Federal Court Judges in Presidential Election Years

Description: This report seeks to shed light on whether Senate processing of lower court nominations, particularly to the courts of appeals, has tended over recent decades to slow down in presidential election years. The report begins by reviewing recent debate, and historical events dating back to 1980, concerning whether the Senate and its Judiciary Committee customarily observe a practice referred to as the "Thurmond rule." Next, the report provides narratives on each presidential election year from 1980… more
Date: August 13, 2008
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven & Scott, Kevin M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Power to Create Federal Courts: A Legal Overview

Description: This report provides an overview of this often difficult and misunderstood area of law, beginning with a discussion of the various types of federal tribunals. The report continues by noting the rationales for why Congress established the breadth of different courts that exist today and concludes with a discussion of the various factors and relevant issues that limit Congress's discretion in establishing federal courts.
Date: October 1, 2014
Creator: Nolan, Andrew & Thompson, Richard M., II
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Agency Actions Following the Supreme Court's Climate Change Decision in Massachusetts v. EPA: A Chronology

Description: This report presents a chronology of major federal agency actions related to environmental concerns following the decision of Massachusetts v. EPA; it particularly looks at actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court held that greenhouse gases (GHGs), widely viewed as contributing to climate change, constitute "air pollutants" as that phrase is used in the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Date: August 29, 2013
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nominations to Article III Lower Courts by President George W. Bush During the 110th Congress

Description: This report tracks nominations made by President George W. Bush to judgeships on the U.S. courts of appeals, the U.S. district courts, and the U.S. Court of International Trade — the lower courts on which, pursuant to Article III of the Constitution, judges serve "during good Behaviour." It lists and keeps count of all nominations made to these courts during the 110th Congress, including pertinent actions taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate. It also tracks the number of … more
Date: October 20, 2008
Creator: Rutkus, Denis Steven & Bearden, Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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[Not Over 'Til It's Over: TransCanada Denial of Keystone XL Permit]

Description: This report discusses the TransCanada announcement that they planned to sue the United States under NAFTA agreements for rejecting the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. It also describes a suit in U.S. District Court regarding its view that the executive branch and the President don't have power over cross-border petroleum trade since Congress has passed general legislation regarding such matters as well as legislation approving the Keystone XL Pipeline which was vetoed by the President.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Climate Change Litigation Update: "Children's Crusade" Case Against the United States Goes Forward

Description: This report discusses the case of "Juliana v. United States" which was brought by a group of 21 individuals all under the age of 20 organized through an Oregon nonprofit called Our Children's Trust. The plaintiffs seek to compel the federal government to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through appeals to the Constitution and common law.
Date: January 1, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dude, Where's My Jurisdiction? Congressional Efforts to Strip Federal Courts of Jurisdiction

Description: This report discusses Congress' right to strip federal courts of jurisdiction at any time including during litigation. It specifically discusses the case of "Patchak v. Jewell" concerning the Department of Interior's right to hold land in trust for a Native American tribe which led to Congress using their right to strip courts of jurisdiction to end the case.
Date: August 17, 2016
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Judiciary Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2017

Description: This report describes the 2017 fiscal year appropriations for the judiciary branch. The judiciary's FY2017 budget request of $7.58 billion was submitted on February 9, 2016 and represents a 3.3% increase over the FY2016 enacted level of $7.34 billion provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113), Division E, Title III, enacted December 18, 2015. The House Appropriations Committee held a markup (H.R. 5485) on June 9, 2016, and recommended a total of $7.55 billion. The Sena… more
Date: May 15, 2017
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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In Any Way, Shape, or Form? What Qualifies as "Any Court" Under the Gun Control Act?

Description: This report discusses the requirements under the Gun Control Act of 1968 that prohibit persons convicted of felony crimes and misdemeanor domestic violence from buying or possessing firearms and what courts are covered under the phrase "any court' in the legislation.
Date: November 14, 2017
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congress's Power Over Courts: Jurisdiction Stripping and the Rule of "Klein"

Description: This report highlights a series of Supreme Court rulings that have examined separation-of-powers-based limitations on the Exceptions Clause, congressional jurisdiction stripping, and the ability of Congress to amend laws with the purpose of directly impacting litigation. The Court's jurisprudence largely begins with the Reconstruction-era case "United States v. Klein", and leads to "Patchak v. Zinke", which is scheduled for oral argument before the Supreme Court in November 2017.
Date: September 26, 2017
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Judiciary Appropriations, Fiscal Year 2018

Description: This report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2018 judiciary appropriations, with subsections covering each major action, including the initial submission of the request on May 23, 2017; a hearing held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government; the House Appropriations subcommittee markup on June 29, 2017; and the House Appropriations Committee markup on July 13, 2017. The status of FY2018 judiciary appropriations is summarized in Table … more
Date: August 30, 2017
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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"Smith v. Obama": A Servicemember's Legal Challenge to the Campaign Against the Islamic State

Description: This report discuses the case of "Smith v. Obama" where a military officer sued President Obama for overstepping his bounds as President by waging war on the Islamic State without a Congressional declaration of war. The case was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction by the court.
Date: December 12, 2016
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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