Concurrent Jurisdiction and Parallel Investigations and Criminal Proceedings in Cases of Foreign Bribery

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Concurrent Jurisdiction and Parallel Investigations and Criminal Proceedings in Cases of Foreign Bribery Department of Law Spring Term 2016 Master’s Thesis in Anti-Corruption 30 ECTS Concurrent jurisdiction and parallel investigations and criminal proceedings in cases of foreign bribery With focus on global settlement agreements Author: Sara Olofsson Supervisor: Doctoral candidate Victoria Bui 1 Corruption is an insidious plague that has a wide range of corrosive effects on societies. It undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organised crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish. This evil phenomenon is found in all countries — big and small, rich and poor — but it is in the developing world that its effects are most destructive. Corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended for development, undermining a government's ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice and discouraging foreign aid and investment. Corruption is a key element in economic underperformance and a major obstacle to poverty alleviation and development. – Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General from 1997 to 2006 2 List of abbreviations Anti-Bribery Convention OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions BrB Swedish Penal Code (SFS 1962:700) Code of Business Swedish Code of Gifts, Rewards and other Benefits in Conduct Business DOJ Department of Justice DPA Deferred prosecution agreement ECHR European Convention on Human Rights ECJ European Court of Justice FCPA Foreign Corrupt Practice Act 2010 FCPA Guidance A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practice Act NPA Non-prosecution agreement OFAC Office of Foreign Assets Control RB Swedish Procedural Code (SFS 1942:740) RF Swedish Instrument of Government (SFS 1974:152) SEC Securities and Exchange Commission SFO Serious Fraud Office Recommendation OECD Recommendation for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Working Group OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transaction UNCAC United Nations Convention against Corruption Sentencing Guidelines US Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual 3 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 6 1.1 THE STORY OF TELIASONERA ...................................................................................................... 6 1.2 THE LONG ARM OF UK AND US AUTHORITIES ......................................................................... 7 1.3 PURPOSE AND DELIMITATION ...................................................................................................... 9 1.4 METHOD AND MATERIAL ............................................................................................................. 10 1.5 DISPOSITION ................................................................................................................................... 11 2 TELIASONERA .............................................................................................................. 13 2.1 ABOUT TELIASONERA .................................................................................................................. 13 2.2 TELIASONERA’S AFFAIRS IN UZBEKISTAN ................................................................................ 13 2.3 THE SWEDISH ANTI-BRIBERY LEGISLATION APPLIED TO THE TELIASONERA CASE, BEFORE AND AFTER 2012 ........................................................................................................................ 14 3 THE SWEDISH ANTI-BRIBERY LEGISLATION ..................................................... 16 3.1 THE CRIMINAL OFFENCES ............................................................................................................ 16 3.1.1 Trading in influence and negligent financing of bribery .................................................................. 16 3.1.2 The Swedish Code of Gifts, Rewards and other Benefits in Business ............................................. 17 4 BRIBERY ACT 2010 ........................................................................................................ 18 4.1 THE CRIMINAL OFFENCES ............................................................................................................ 18 4.2 EXTRA TERRITORIAL APPLICATION ........................................................................................... 18 5 FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT 1977 ............................................................ 20 5.1 THE CRIMINAL OFFENCES ............................................................................................................ 20 5.2 EXTRA TERRITORIAL APPLICATION ........................................................................................... 20 5.3 IN SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 22 6 CONCURRENT JURISDICTION AND LIMITATIONS ........................................... 22 6.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 22 6.2 INTERNATIONAL COMITY ............................................................................................................ 23 6.3 THE UK AND THE US COORDINATION ..................................................................................... 23 6.4 THE OECD ANTI-BRIBERY CONVENTION .............................................................................. 25 6.4.1 The members of the OECD Anti-Bribery convention .................................................................. 25 6.4.2 The preamble and articles of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention .............................................. 25 6.4.3 The monitoring system of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention ................................................... 27 6.4.4 The OECD Working Group and Sweden .................................................................................. 27 6.4.5 The OECD Working Group and the US .................................................................................. 29 6.5 THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST CORRUPTION (UNCAC) ........................ 30 6.5.1 The preamble and articles of the UNCAC .................................................................................. 30 6.6 IN SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 31 4 7 GLOBAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS ................................................................. 33 7.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 33 7.2 AGREEMENTS BETWEEN PROSECUTOR AND DEFENDANT ................................................... 34 7.2.1 The UK and the US approach to negotiated settlement and plea bargain ...................................... 34 7.2.2 The UK and the US approach to settlement agreements in criminal proceedings ............................ 34 7.2.3 Current Swedish law and negotiated settlements/plea bargain ....................................................... 38 7.2.4 Current Swedish law and DPAs/NPAs .................................................................................... 40 7.2.5 Arguments in favour of a prosecution system based on agreements ................................................. 41 7.2.6 Arguments against a prosecution system based on agreements ........................................................ 41 7.3 IN SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 42 7.4 THE SWEDISH CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ............................................................................... 43 7.4.1 In what way should Swedish prosecutors and Courts approach a global settlement agreement ......... 43 7.4.2 Basic principles and frame for discussion ...................................................................................... 43 7.4.3 International ne bis in idem ......................................................................................................... 44 7.4.4 The role of Swedish Prosecutors .................................................................................................... 51 7.4.4.1 Principle of legality and opportunity ............................................................................. 51 7.4.4.2 Mandatory prosecution ................................................................................................... 52 7.4.4.1 Special consideration of charges .................................................................................... 53 7.4.4.2 Waiver of prosecution ..................................................................................................... 53 7.4.5 Ch 2 s 6 BrB ............................................................................................................................. 56 7.4.6 Ch 36 s 10 BrB ......................................................................................................................... 57 7.5 IN SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 62 8 CASE STUDY .................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • FERC Vs. Bankruptcy Courts—The Battle Over Jurisdiction Continues
    FERC vs. Bankruptcy Courts—The Battle over Jurisdiction Continues By Hugh M. McDonald and Neil H. Butterklee* In energy industry bankruptcies, the issue of whether a U.S. bankruptcy court has sole and exclusive jurisdiction to determine a debtor’s motion to reject an executory contract has mostly involved a jurisdictional struggle involving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The dearth of judicial (and legislative) guidance on this issue has led to shifting decisions and inconsistent outcomes leaving counterparties to contracts in still uncertain positions when a contract counterparty commences a bankruptcy case. The authors of this article discuss the jurisdiction conundrum. The COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on all aspects of the United States economy, including the energy sector. Counterparties to energy-related contracts, such as power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) and transportation services agreements (“TSAs”), may need to commence bankruptcy cases to restructure their balance sheets and, as part of such restructuring, may seek to shed unprofitable or out-of-market contracts. However, this situation has created a new stage for the decades-old jurisdictional battle between bankruptcy courts and energy regulators. The U.S. Bankruptcy Code allows a debtor to assume or reject executory contracts with the approval of the bankruptcy judge presiding over the case.1 The standard employed by courts when assessing the debtor’s request to assume or reject is the business judgment standard. A debtor merely has to demonstrate that assumption or rejection is in the best interest of the estate and the debtor’s business. However, most energy-related contracts are subject to regulatory oversight by federal and/or state regulatory bodies, which, depending on the type of contract that is being terminated, apply different standards—most of which take into account public policy concerns.
    [Show full text]
  • Concurrent Jurisdiction Over Federal Civil RICO Claims: Is It Workable? an Analysis of Tafflin
    St. John's Law Review Volume 64 Number 4 Volume 64, Fall 1990, Number 4 Article 7 Concurrent Jurisdiction Over Federal Civil RICO Claims: Is It Workable? An Analysis of Tafflin. v Levitt Yolanda Eleni Stefanou Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/lawreview This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in St. John's Law Review by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CONCURRENT JURISDICTION OVER FEDERAL CIVIL RICO CLAIMS: IS IT WORKABLE? AN ANALYSIS OF TAFFLIN v. LEVITT YOLANDA ELENI STEFANOU* INTRODUCTION With its January 22, 1990 decision of Tafflin v. Levitt,1 the Supreme Court of the United States put an end to the many years of debate between both federal and state courts as to whether state courts have concurrent jurisdiction over civil claims arising under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO").2 In a unanimous opinion by Justice O'Connor, the Court concluded that such jurisdiction on the part of the states was indeed permitted.3 In reaching its decision, the majority ex- amined both the statutory language of RICO4 as well as its legisla- tive history, and determined that Congress had failed to address the jurisdictional issue.5 Moreover, the Court found that there would be no "clear incompatibility" between the exercise of state court jurisdiction over civil RICO actions and federal interests., This Article explores the implications of Tafflin, focusing on its probable effects and the jurisdictional problems associated with civil RICO claims.
    [Show full text]
  • The Opinion in US V. Gabrion
    RECOMMENDED FOR FULL-TEXT PUBLICATION Pursuant to Sixth Circuit Rule 206 File Name: 08a0111p.06 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT _________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, X Plaintiff-Appellee, - - - Nos. 02-1386/1461/1570 v. - > , MARVIN CHARLES GABRION, II, - Defendant-Appellant. - N Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan at Grand Rapids. No. 99-00076—Robert Holmes Bell, Chief District Judge. Argued: February 28, 2007 Decided and Filed: March 14, 2008 Before: MERRITT, BATCHELDER, and MOORE, Circuit Judges. _________________ COUNSEL ARGUED: Judy C. Clarke, FEDERAL DEFENDERS OF SAN DIEGO, San Diego, California, Margaret S. O’Donnell, McNALLY & O’DONNELL, Frankfort, Kentucky, for Appellant. Joan E. Meyer, ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Grand Rapids, Michigan, for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Judy C. Clarke, FEDERAL DEFENDERS OF SAN DIEGO, San Diego, California, Margaret S. O’Donnell, Kevin M. McNally, McNALLY & O’DONNELL, Frankfort, Kentucky, for Appellant. Joan E. Meyer, ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Grand Rapids, Michigan, for Appellee. BATCHELDER, J., delivered the opinion of the court. MOORE, J. (pp. 16-32), delivered a separate opinion concurring in the judgment. MERRITT, J. (pp. 33-42), delivered a separate dissenting opinion. _________________ OPINION _________________ ALICE M. BATCHELDER, Circuit Judge. In this appeal from a federal criminal conviction, we are confronted with the precursory issue of whether a district court has subject matter jurisdiction over a criminal prosecution for murder — the federal statute for which predicates subject matter jurisdiction on the murder’s having been committed on certain federal property — when the property in question is within the national forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Federalism and Civil Rights: Complementary and Competing Paradigms
    Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 47 Issue 5 Issue 5 - Symposium: Federalism's Article 3 Future 10-1994 Federalism and Civil Rights: Complementary and Competing Paradigms James F. Blumstein Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons Recommended Citation James F. Blumstein, Federalism and Civil Rights: Complementary and Competing Paradigms, 47 Vanderbilt Law Review 1251 (1994) Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr/vol47/iss5/3 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vanderbilt Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Federalism and Civil Rights: Complementary and Competing Paradigms James F. Blumstein* I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1252 II. THE IMPORTANCE OF FEDERALISM AND THE FEDERALISM DEAL ...................................................... 1256 III. FEDERALISM AS A CIVIL RIGHTS PARADIGM ....................... 1259 A. The Nature of Federalism...................................... 1260 B. Federalismand Civil Rights: Voting Rights as a Case Study ...................................................... 1262 1. Voting Rights as Part of the Federalism Deal ......................................... 1262 2. The Tensions Between the Federalism and Civil Rights Paradigms: Voting Rights as an Example ...............................
    [Show full text]
  • Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866
    NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS THE 24TH ANNUAL DERRICK BELL LECTURE ON RACE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 |6:00 pm Civil Rights Act of 1866, parts of which are now codified at 42 USC section 1981, 1982, and 1983. During Reconstruction, Congress passed several statutes aimed at protecting the rights of the newly freed slaves, many of them over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. One such law was the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which declared that all people born in the United States were U.S. citizens and had certain inalienable rights, including the right to make contracts, to own property, to sue in court, and to enjoy the full protection of federal law. The act gave the U.S. district courts exclusive jurisdiction over criminal cases related to violations of the act, and concurrent jurisdiction, along with the U.S. circuit courts, of all civil and criminal cases affecting those who were unable to enforce in state court the rights guaranteed by the act. The Civil Rights Act began a gradual transformation of the federal courts into the primary forums for individuals to enforce their constitutional and statutory rights. Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (Section 1981) A federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, and ethnicity when making and enforcing contracts. Section 1981 specifically grants all individuals within the US jurisdiction the same rights and benefits as "enjoyed by white citizens" regarding contractual relationships (42 U.S.C. § 1981(a)).
    [Show full text]
  • Wisconsin Statutes
    69 WISCONSIN STATUTES 1947 TITLE 1. Sovereignty, Jurisdiction and Civil Divisions of the State. CHAPTER 1. SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF THE STATE. 1.01 State sovereignty and jurisdiction. 1. 05 United States sites for aids to naviga- 1.02 United States sites and buildings. tion. 1.03 Concurrent jurisdiction over United 1. 055 National forest. States sites; conveyances. 1.056 State conservation areas. 1. 035 Wild life and fish refuge by United 1.06 Surveys by United States; adjustment States. of damages. 1.036 Bird reservations, acquisition by 1.07 State coat of arms. United States. 1 .08 State flag. 1. 04 United States sites exempt from taxa­ 1 .09 Seat of government. tion. 1.01 State sovereignty and jurisdiction. The sovereignty and jurisdiction of this statf; extend to, all places within the boundaries thel'eof as declared in the constitution, subject only to such rights of jurisdiction as have been or shall he acquired by the United States over any places therein; and it shall be the duty of the governor, and of all subordinate officers of the state, to maintain and defend its sovel'eig'nty and jmis­ diction. Snch sovel'eignty and ,ill1'isdiction are hereby asserted and exercised over the St. Croix riveT from the eastern shore thereof to the center or thread of the same, and the exclusive jurisdiction of the state, of Minnesota to authorize any person or corporation to obstruct the navigation of said river east of the center or thread thereof, 01' to enter upon the same and build piers, booms or other fixtures, or to occupy any part of said river east of the center or thread thereof for the purpose of sorting or holding logs, is denied; such acts can only be authorized by the concurrent consent of the legislature of this state.
    [Show full text]
  • Jurisdiction and Courts in Indian Country
    JURISDICTION AND COURTS IN INDIAN COUNTRY Angelique Townsend EagleWoman (Wambdi A. WasteWin) Associate Professor of Law and James E. Rogers Fellow in American Indian Law University of Idaho College of Law Email: [email protected] DETERMINING LAND STATUS & CITIZENSHIP The inquiry begins with the status of the land for any issue involving jurisdiction and American Indians. Is the land within the tribal territorial boundaries? Is the land held in trust status by the U.S.? Is the land fee simple and who is the owner? The next question is who is involved in the jurisdictional inquiry – American Indian legally defined? Non-Indian? Finally, if Non-Indian, what activity is involved? Answering these questions will lead to determining whether there is exclusive tribal jurisdiction; concurrent tribal jurisdiction with concurrent federal jurisdiction; concurrent tribal jurisdiction with concurrent state jurisdiction; or exclusive state jurisdiction. INDIAN COUNTRY DEFINED IN U.S. LAW 18 U.S.C. § 1151 (Criminal Statute part of Major Crimes Act): Except as otherwise provided in sections 1152 and 1156 of this title, the term “Indian country”, as used in this chapter, means (a) all land within the limits of any Indian reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States Government, notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, and, including rights-of-way running through the reservation, (b) all dependent Indian communities within the borders of the United States whether within the original or subsequently acquired territory thereof, and whether within or without the limits of a state, and (c) all Indian allotments, the Indian titles to which have not been extinguished, including rights-of-way running through the same.
    [Show full text]
  • The Supreme Court of the United States
    OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT OF THE "v...... UNITED STATES CAPTION*. FRANCINE TAFFLIN, ET AL., Petitioners, JEFFREY A LEVITT, ET AL. CASE NO: 88-1650 PLACE: Washington, D.C. DATE: November 27, 1989 PAGES: 1-29 ALDERSON REPORTING COMPANY 1111 14TH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, DC. 20005-5650 1 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 2 --------- -------X 3 FRANCINE TAFFLIN, ET AL., : 4 Petitioners : 5 v. : No. 88-1650 6 JEFFREY A. LEVITT, ET AL. : 7 8 Washington, D.C. 9 Monday, November 27, 1989 10 The above-entitled matter came on for oral 11 argument before the Supreme Court of the United States at 12 2:01 p.m. 13 APPEARANCES: 14 M. NORMAN GOLDBERGER, ESQ., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; on 15 behalf of the Petitioners. 16 ANDREW H. MARKS, ESQ., Washington, D.C.; on behalf of the 17 Respondents. 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 ALDERSON REPORTING COMPANY, INC. 1111 FOURTEENTH STREET, N.W. SUITE 400 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005 (202)289-2260 „ (800) FOR DEPO 1 CONTENTS 2 ORAL ARGUMENT OF PAGE 3 M. NORMAN GOLDBERGER, ESQ. 4 On behalf of the Petitioners 3 5 ANDREW H. MARKS, ESQ. 6 On behalf of the Respondents 14 7 REBUTTAL ARGUMENT OF 8 M. NORMAN GOLDBERGER, ESQ. 9 On behalf of the Petitioners 24 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2 ALDERSON REPORTING COMPANY, INC. 1111 FOURTEENTH STREET, N.W. SUITE 400 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005 (202)289-2260 (800) FOR DEPO 1 PROCEEDINGS 2 (2:01 p.m.) 3 CHIEF JUSTICE REHNQUIST: We'll hear argument 4 next in No.
    [Show full text]
  • Reporter's Draft for the Working Group on Principles to Use When Considering the Federalization of Civil Law
    Reporter's Draft for the Working Group on Principles to Use When Considering the Federalization of Civil Law by ERWIN CHEMERINSKY* Introduction Although much more attention has focused on issues concerning the federalization of what previously had been state law crimes, there are important issues concerning the federalization of civil matters. There has been an enormous growth of civil cases in federal court and this has been, in part, a result of federal courts hearing types of mat­ ters that traditionally had been dealt with in state courts. Many of the issues concerning federalization are the same whether the focus is on criminal or civil cases. For example, develop­ ing federal law in areas that traditionally have been handled at the state level raises important federalism issues whether the law is civil or criminal. There are, however, unique issues that arise in the civil context. The creation of a federal crime necessarily entails federal court juris­ diction to hear the matter. In contrast, the creation of a federal cause of action has a more uncertain effect on the federal docket because state courts generally have concurrent jurisdiction over civil claims and sometimes are the only forum even for federal claims. Simply put, in the civil area, unlike the criminal area, there are two interre- * Professor of Law, University of Southern California Law Center; Working Group Reporter. Other Members of the Working Group: Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Supreme Court of Wisconsin; Professor Barry Friedman, Vanderbilt Law School; Senator
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 1 Sovereignty and Jurisdiction of the State
    1 SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF THE STATE, §1.4 CHAPTER 1 SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF THE STATE 1.1 State boundaries. 1.13 Existing trusts not affected. 1.2 Sovereignty. 1.14 Tribal ordinances or customs 1.3 Concurrent jurisdiction. enforced. 1.4 Acquisition of lands by United 1.15 Attorney appointed by state in States. civil actions. 1.5 Federal wildlife and fish refuge. 1.15A Criminal jurisdiction — Sac and 1.6 Approval required. Fox Indian settlement. 1.7 Legislative grant. 1.8 Applicability of statute. 1.16 Concurrent jurisdiction over 1.9 National forests. lands and waters dedicated to 1.10 Offenses. national park purposes. 1.11 Keokuk cemetery and Knoxville 1.17 Cession or retrocession of federal hospital — assumption of jurisdiction. jurisdiction. 1.18 Iowa English language 1.12 Jurisdiction of Indian settlement. reaffirmation. 1.1 State boundaries. The boundaries of the state are as defined in the preamble of the Constitution of the State of Iowa. [C51, §1; R60, §1; C73, §1; C97, §1; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §1; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §1.1] 2009 Acts, ch 41, §1 Referred to in §1.2 1.2 Sovereignty. The state possesses sovereignty coextensive with the boundaries referred to in section 1.1, subject to such rights as may at any time exist in the United States in relation to public lands, or to any establishment of the national government. [C51, §2; R60, §2; C73, §2; C97, §2; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §2; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §1.2] 1.3 Concurrent jurisdiction.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Power Over the Jurisdiction of Federal Courts: the Meaning of the Word “All” in Article Iii
    FLETCHER IN FINAL 2 1/5/2010 7:36:21 PM Lecture CONGRESSIONAL POWER OVER THE JURISDICTION OF FEDERAL COURTS: THE MEANING OF THE WORD “ALL” IN ARTICLE III BRAINERD CURRIE LECTURE DUKE LAW SCHOOL NOVEMBER 11, 2008 WILLIAM A. FLETCHER† INTRODUCTION Thank you, Dean Levi, for the invitation to deliver this year’s Brainerd Currie lecture. Professor Currie, a professor at Duke Law School near the beginning and then again at the end of his career, was an intellectual giant. He transformed the field of conflict of laws and made closely related contributions to other areas of the law, including subject matter jurisdiction, forum choice, and admiralty. I am honored to give a lecture that bears his name. Because my lecture touches on some of the themes of his work, I like to think that he would have found it of some interest. Samuel Adams, the Massachusetts patriot, was not enthusiastic about the newly proposed Constitution. He particularly did not like its introductory phrase, “We the People of the United States.” The phrase signaled a departure from the Articles of Confederation that Copyright © 2010 by William A. Fletcher. † Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Richard W. Jennings, Jr., Professor of Law, Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. I thank Professors Akhil Amar and James Pfander for their generous and insightful comments as I prepared this lecture for publication. I also thank my law clerks, Andrew Dawson, Helen Gilbert, Michael Gilbert, and Benjamin Kingsley, for their research and editing assistance. The published lecture that appears here is a somewhat expanded version of the lecture delivered orally.
    [Show full text]
  • Published United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit International Science & Technology Institute, Incorporated
    PUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE, INCORPORATED, Plaintiff-Appellant, No. 96-1142 v. INACOM COMMUNICATIONS, INCORPORATED, Defendant-Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Claude M. Hilton, District Judge. (CA-95-1229-A) Argued: October 29, 1996 Decided: February 11, 1997 Before NIEMEYER, WILLIAMS, and MOTZ, Circuit Judges. _________________________________________________________________ Affirmed by published opinion. Judge Niemeyer wrote the opinion, in which Judge Williams and Judge Motz joined. _________________________________________________________________ COUNSEL ARGUED: John Thomas Ward, WARD, KERSHAW & MINTON, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellant. John Patrick Passarelli, MCGRATH, NORTH, MULLIN & KRATZ, P.C., Omaha, Nebraska, for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Thomas J. Minton, WARD, KERSHAW & MINTON, Baltimore, Maryland; Mark Rollinson, Leesburg, Vir- ginia, for Appellant. Patrick E. Brookhouser, Jr., MCGRATH, NORTH, MULLIN & KRATZ, P.C., Omaha, Nebraska; Scott A. Fenske, THOMPSON, HINE & FLORY, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. _________________________________________________________________ OPINION NIEMEYER, Circuit Judge: We today reach the somewhat unusual conclusion that state courts have exclusive jurisdiction over a cause of action created by federal law. Holding that the states have been given, subject to their consent, exclusive subject matter jurisdiction over private actions authorized by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, 47 U.S.C. § 227, we affirm the district court's ruling dismissing this case. I In 1991, Congress amended the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., with the enactment of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 ("TCPA"), Pub. L. No. 102-243, 105 Stat. 2394 (1991) (codified at 47 U.S.C.
    [Show full text]