My dissertation will seek to explain the voting behavior of judges in state courts of last resort in death penalty appeals cases. To do this, I have constructed a dataset that encompasses all death penalty appeals cases in 30 states during the period 2000-2006. The dependent variable in my quantitative analyses is the vote rendered by each judge in each case, and can take on two values: a vote to uphold the sentence of death, or a vote to reverse or vacate the sentence of death. Drawing from the judicial literature, my independent variables will include personal factors, institutional factors, and environmental factors. Personal factors include the gender and race of the judge, which the literature suggests are related to differences in judicial behavior. I will also use ideology scores developed by Brace et al. (2000), but only for a subset of cases for which those scores are available. Institutional factors include the party identification of the governor at the time the judge was appointed or elected, the party identification of the governor at the time the case was decided, and the party composition of the state House and Senate at the time the case was decided. Environmental factors include the state murder rate, the number of executions since 1976, and the number of inmates on death row at the time of the decision. The theoretical underpinning of this research is derived from the new institutionalism, which posits that judges’ decisions are shaped not only by judicial attitudes and strategic considerations, but by a variety of institutional and environmental factors. I hypothesize that the institutional and environmental factors previously enumerated will have a significant impact on the voting behavior of state high court judges in death penalty appeals. To test my hypotheses, I will use logistic regression to construct models incorporating all of the previously mentioned variables.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 70 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 70).

After a full first term without any Supreme Court nominations, and almost no cooperation from the Court in regards to the New Deal, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to introduce a Court-packing plan into the Legislature that would allow him to add six new justices to the Court if necessary. The Bill failed in both the House and Senate but time allowed Roosevelt to have his chance to “pack” the court. Roosevelt nominated some of the best justices the Court has seen, and with their service the Supreme Court was forever changed.

This thesis employs a social constructionist perspective to analyze constructions of the International Criminal Court (ICC), specifically (1) the notion of impunity; (2) the presence of a critical analysis; and (3) the connection between state support/opposition and favourable/negative portrayals of the Court. The theory chapter focuses on the propaganda model’s main premise that “media serve the interests of that state … framing their reporting and analysis in a manner supportive of established privilege and limiting debate accordingly” (Herman & Chomsky, 1998, p.32). A thematic qualitative content analysis and several tools of grounded theory deconstructed 1,982 articles collected from The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Overall, the newspapers contained a high level of support for the propaganda model’s main assertions. Some of these conversations were quite limited and/or biased; specifically, American newspapers manipulated debates to justify American opposition to the Court.

This thesis examines the recently decided Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The case regards campaign finance reform, and has raised significant controversy recently. This thesis will evaluate the arguments from both the dissent and the majority opinions, contextualize these arguments with respect to the history of campaign finance reform and the history of the legislation with regard to corporations, and will ultimately pass judgment on whether the Court was correct in its decision. Implications for the post-Citizens world will also be considered.

La première partie de ce mémoire de maîtrise est un recueil de onze nouvelles. Réunies sous le titre « La Chute des anges », chacune propose, à sa façon, une rencontre. Le lecteur, qui traversera un recueil en apparence hétéroclite, fera ainsi successivement connaissance d'un vieil homme, d'un Indien quechua révolté, d'une vieille dame blessée, d'une future mariée ou d'une épouse déçue, etc. Il y visitera du même souffle le Pérou, une île de l'Atlantique ou le casino d'une grande ville. Chaque personnage y fait aussi en quelque sorte l'apprentissage de ses limites, qui sont celles d'un être humain devant un autre être humain, avec ce que cela implique de mystère et d'interrogation. En ce sens, ce recueil sera peut-être le récit d'une impuissance. Mais il peut aussi, du même souffle, devenir un hommage à la vie, dans son imperfection, et à l'ingéniosité humaine. La deuxième partie du mémoire est pour sa part consacrée à une réflexion sur l'apport documentaire en fiction et sur la forme brève privilégiée par l'auteur. Dans un premier temps, on y explore les liens étroits qui ont uni le journalisme et la fiction au cours des derniers siècles. On y retrouve plus particulièrement la pensée de Tom Wolfe, l'un des défenseurs de ce qu'on a appelé dans les années 1960 le nouveau journalisme, qui prétendait inventer une forme de journalisme se rapprochant de la fiction. L'auteur démontrera aussi comment le journalisme a servi de point de départ à son travail. Dans un deuxième temps, la réflexion portera sur le choix du genre bref, de la nouvelle en particulier, pour dire le monde moderne. Modelée par l'urgence, par le symbole, par les ellipses, mais aussi porte ouverte sur le temps, la nouvelle sait dire la face angoissante d'un monde fragmenté, où l'auteur part parfois à la recherche de lui-même. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Formes brèves, Nouvelles, Journalisme, Réalisme.

L'objectif de ce mémoire est d'analyser comment Félix Leclerc, calepiniste, conçoit la pratique de l'écriture littéraire et comment il envisage sa position dans le champ littéraire. Notre corpus principal est formé des cinq calepins qu'il publie entre 1961 et 1988, soit le Calepin d'un flâneur, Chansons pour tes yeux, le Petit livre bleu de Félix ou Nouveau calepin du même flâneur, Rêves à vendre ou Troisième calepin du même flâneur et le Dernier calepin. Ces livres, par leur facture hétérogène, laissent une place de choix à l'inscription d'une parole dégagée des contraintes des genres que l'auteur pratique depuis le début de sa carrière, comme le conte, le roman et le théâtre. Les calepins favorisent, plus que toute autre œuvre de l'auteur, la coexistence de plusieurs registres de discours - aphoristique, narratif, poétique, polémiste - relayés par la figure du flâneur et ses multiples avatars - le moraliste, le badaud, le troubadour, le fou, etc. En outre, les calepins se caractérisent par la diversité et la brièveté des écrits qu'ils renferment, de la maxime au conte, de l'anecdote à la chanson et du proverbe à la fable. Le discours du calepiniste évolue au fil des décennies, passant de l'énonciation des défauts moraux de ses compatriotes à la dénonciation des dérives identitaires et politiques de ses concitoyens. L'analyse de la pratique littéraire du calepiniste, des différentes postures énonciatives qu'il emploie dans les calepins ainsi que des références culturelles et temporelles que ses écrits renferment - rapports entre populaire et savant, passé et présent, ville et campagne - révèlent la position que l'écrivain compte occuper dans le champ littéraire, une position de l'entre-deux, voire liminaire, qui cherche à réconcilier l'homme commun à la fois avec la culture et la nature. Notre travail mène à une meilleure compréhension de la production littéraire de Leclerc dans son ensemble, production occultée par les succès du chansonnier, et éclaire tout un pan de son œuvre qui n'avait jamais fait l'objet d'une étude aussi complète jusqu'à ce jour. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Félix Leclerc, calepin, flâneur, littérature québécoise, formes brèves, liminarité, champ littéraire

In recent months, presidential appointments to the Supreme Court have become an increasingly salient issue with both the public and the press. The relevance of the topic makes it an inviting subject for political science research. When looking at the question of judicial quality, the problem that researchers have faced in the past is one of quantifying quality. This work seeks to expand on previous survey research done on the quality of individual justices. By using quality scores (Comiskey 2004) as a dependent variable, it is possible to analyze influences on the President’s nomination choice and their relative impacts on the quality of justices. By using a more rigorous approach, this study can more confidently make assertions about the nature of the nomination and confirmation process and the quality of Supreme Court justices.

Abstract This report describes an action research project that was designed to determine the effect of using the moot court of class and relative teaching activities in the elementary school, especially on students¡¦ law-related knowledge and other relevant influences. By founding the moot court of class, the purpose of the research was to give students law-related knowledge and establish classroom rules through the arbitration and public justice of the third-party advisor. In the process of participating public affairs, students learned to know the difference between right and wrong, developed the moral qualities full of respect and forgiveness, and then promoted students¡¦ ability on critical thinking and self-reflection at the same time. The model increased the function of self-governing activities in the class, reduced the amount of time and frequencies for the teacher to deal with students¡¦ arguments, and finally achieved the aim to help students follow rules, promote students¡¦ learning results and the teacher¡¦s teaching effect. Through the strategies used to help students correct their own interpersonal interaction styles, students could be accepted by the whole group and became one important group member. The model fulfilled the three education goals¡Xteaching, integrating into lives, advising and correction. According to data analysis and observation, the major findings of this research were as follows. 1. The events and causes of students¡¦ arguments did not change a lot with time and places. 2. Students liked to participate activities in the moot court of class. The atmosphere was serious but warm. 3. Procrastination changed the way how students faced conflicts and reduced the interruption on the teacher¡¦s teaching process. 4. The function of the moot court of class was to solve conflicts, and then counseling strategies were use to lead the thought and improve behavior. 5. The model had positive effect on students¡¦ self-reflection and critical thinking. 6. Under the suitable model, classroom rules didn¡¦t have to be made right after the school year began. 7. The third-party advisor was helpful to complete communication, and made the arbitration to good effect. 8. The arbitration in a group had positive influence on students¡¦ self- discipline. According to the research results, the suggestions for educators were as follows. 1. Give students opportunities of expressing themselves in writings to balance the function of oral communication. 2. Use Homeroom Teacher¡¦s Time well to put law education into practice in daily life. 3. Make the disciplinary policy in cooperation between the teacher and students. Notice the power of the teacher to avoid indulgence. 4. Keep teaching records, and adjust according to students¡¦ needs. 5. Make reference to law-related websites to combine life with learning. 6. Use counseling strategies properly to help students perceive knowledge and carry it out in daily life. 7. Communicate the ideas of class management with students¡¦ parents to avoid any misunderstandings.

For all business process reengineering (BPR) projects, the failure rate is up to 70%. Checking over the reasons that cause the projects to fail, the major unsuccessful factor of BPR resulting from that process-oriented aspect is concerning too much about efficiency and technology, ignoring the related subjects of organizational structures and agents. Most of all, it lacks an integrated solution for both structures and behaviors in an organization. That is, so far there is no research to study the coherent affection caused by business reengineering for both organizational structures and organizational behaviors. This thesis aims to develop an Architecture-Oriented model for the court affairs management. In this model, structure elements, services, and interaction flow for court affairs management are well defined. Adopting this model, officers can understand the entire picture of the court more easily and collect the essential information for organizational structures and organizational behaviors more effortlessly. Architecture-Oriented Court Affairs Management Model, abbreviated as AOCAMM, extremely depends on the theory and method of enterprise architecture. Using the structure behavior coalescence approach embedded in AOCAMM, we are able to describe working situations of organization, business processes, and information systems clearly enough to reduce business reengineering risks. The major achievement of this research is to advise a contemporary methodology for better planning and managing government reengineering projects.