National Security Law from Youngstown
The case of Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952) is a major source of national security case law. The background of the case is the Korean War. Steel was an…
Texas Wills, Trusts & Estates Rules
To admit a will to probate, a trial court must find that it is valid. To be admitted to probate, a will must comply with the statutory provisions governing the formalities to be observed during…
Wills, Trusts & Estates Cases
What does it mean for a treaty to be self-executing?
Enforceable upon ratification. This Court has long recognized the distinction between treaties that automatically have effect as domestic law, and those that–while they constitute international law commitments–do not by themselves function as binding federal law….
The case of Alfred Dewayne Brown
At about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2003, three men attempted to rob the ACE America’s Cash Express check-cashing store located at 5700 South Loop E, Houston TX 77033. The robbery did not go…
The Fundamental Right to Marry
It has long been the case that courts view the right to marry as a fundamental liberty protected by the substantive due process components of the 5th and 14th Amendments. The freedom to marry has…
What is “Family”?
The traditional means of forming family ties is through marriage, blood, or adoption. The “nuclear family” consists of only “parents, children, and domestic servants.” See Rudy v. Southampton Civic Club, 271 S.W.2d 431, 435 (Tex.Civ.App.—Waco 1954, writ ref’d…
Rights and Duties of a Parent
Section 151.001 of the Texas Family Code lays out 11 rights and duties of parents. There are 3 duties: the duty of care, control, protection, and reasonable discipline of the child; the duty to support…
Holley Factors
In deciding whether termination of the parent-child relationship is in the child’s best interest, Texas courts look to a nonexhaustive list of factors laid out in the case of Holley v. Adams, 544 SW2d 367…
