An Incomplete Discussion of Arising Under Jurisdiction

My purpose in this brief Essay is to expand on this theme as it played out in Dan Meltzer’s role as collaborator, friendly critic, and keen analyst, and to do so by exploring a problem that in some ways lies at the heart of our elaborate system of judicial federalism, even though (perhaps because it does not arise that often) it has received somewhat less attention than it deserves. That problem addresses the nature of federal judicial authority—and especially the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court—when a federal issue is embedded in, or when its determination may affect the resolution of, a question of state law. The story as told here begins with, and radiates out from, a seventy-year-old decision of the Supreme Court, Standard Oil Co. of California v. Johnson. I want to focus on its consideration over the years by Dan and me, and on its effect on our thinking about related issues. This story, I think, tells something not only about the fascination of the field we both enjoyed so much, but also about both the delights of a long collaboration on a respected book and the joys of colleagueship and dialogue. While the narrative deals only with what ended up in print, beneath the surface lie many wonderful conversations about this and related problems. Telling the story requires some background and warrants a concluding effort to bring my own thinking up to date

Retrying Leopold and Loeb: A Neuropsychological Perspective

They called it the crime of the century; in 1924 in Chicago two brilliant, well-educated, and wealthy young men kidnapped and murdered a 14-year-old boy and killed him for the thrill of it . Expert testimony was presented by several well-known psychiatrists and psychologists, but even with all their clinical insights, none could reach a conclusion about the causal relation between their disturbed childhoods and a violent senseless crime. In fact, the well-known criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow made little mention of the extensive psychiatric and psychological workups, and the judge did not deal with it in his sentencing. A review of the findings does suggest a delusional disorder for one of the defendants and psychopathy for the other; the interaction of these two disordered personalities led to a perfect storm a confluence of factors that only in combination could result in the brutal crime. Recent developments in neuropsychology allow us to see how these two disordered personalities interacted; the neuropsychological basis of delusional disorder and of psychopathy will be explored in this presentation along with a re-imagined closing argument by their attorney

Why Have Americans Become More Obese?

Americans have become considerably more obese over the past 25 years. This increase is primarily the result of consuming more calories. The increase in food consumption is itself the result of technological innovations which made it possible for food to be mass prepared far from the point of consumption, and consumed with lower time costs of preparation and cleaning. Price changes are normally beneficial, but may not be if people have self-control problems. This applies to some, but not most, of the population.

Open Advanced Air Mobility Project Vertiport and Route Decision Support Tool

The expected rise of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) presents local and regional planners with unique challenges. Aviation-based urban transportation requires analysis of new planning factors in addition to traditional factors. For example, the planner must be able to analyze community impacts (e.g. aircraft noise) and restrictions (e.g. airspace restrictions, terrain avoidance). This presentation presents a software modeling tool to address these planning challenges