September 2024 Law Faculty Publications & News

Throughout the month of September, the Law Library received alerts for full-time TTU Law Faculty publications and news. Below is a compilation of those daily alerts for September 1st to September 30th, 2024.

Articles, Books, and More

  1. Gerry W. Beyer, Potpourri, 62-3 Real Est., Prob., & Tr. L. Rep., at 4 (2024).
  2. Gerry W. Beyer, Intestacy, Wills, Estate Administration, and Trusts Update, 62-3 Real Est., Prob., & Tr. L. Rep., at 5 (2024).
  3. Gerry W. Beyer, ed., Keeping Current—Probate, Prob. & Prop., Sept./Oct. 2024, at 29.
  4. Gerry W. Beyer, Recent Developments from the Texas Courts, Est. Plan. Dev. for Tex. Prof., Sept. 2024, at 1.
  5. Gerry W. Beyer, Beyer’s Texas Property Code Annotated (2024 ed).
  6. Gerry W. Beyer, “He’s Dead, Jim” or Not?, review of Alyssa A. DiRusso, Life and Death Matters in Conflict of Laws, 97 Tul. L. Rev. 703 (2023), JOTWELL (Sept. 11, 2024).
  7. John L. Watts, The Confrontation Clause & State Action, 77 SMU L. Rev. 399 (2024).
  8. Richard W. Murphy, 32 Fed. Prac. & Proc. Judicial Review, Federal Practice and Procedure (September 2024 Update).

Op-Eds

  1. Victoria Sutton, Online Learning in Law Schools – The Pandemic Experiment (September 27, 2024).

Quotations

  1. Prof. Corn is quoted in the following article: Choice facing N.Y. judge: Does Taliban leader get war-related immunity? (Sept. 1, 2024; 10:00am), The Washington Post.
  2. Prof. Beyer is quoted in the following work: §5:16 of the Ga. Guardianship and Conservatorship (September 2024 Update).

Citations

  1. Prof. Murphy’s article Punitive Damages, Explanatory Verdicts, and the Hard Look is cited in §12:3 and §12:4 of the Illinois Civil Jury Instructions Companion Handbook (September 2024 Update).
  2. Prof. Murphy’s article Abandon Chevron and Modernize Stare Decisis for the Administrative State is cited in the following article: Alyssa Greenstein, The EPA in the Age of Chevron Deference Ambiguity and Decline, 36 Geo. Envtl. L. Rev. 269 (2024).
  3. Prof. Murphy’s article Democracy, Chevron Deference, and Major Questions Anti-Deference is cited in the following report: Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Doctrine’s Presumption of Favor of Agency Interpretation of Ambiguous Statutes, 45 No. 9 Construction Litigation Reporter NL 15 (September 2024).
  4. Prof. Corn’s article Self-Defense Targeting: Blurring the Line Between the Just ad Bellum and the Jus in Bello is cited in the following article: Peter S. Konchak, The Forty-Seven Years’ War: Identifying the Cold War as an Armed Conflict as a Matter of International Law, 38 Emory Int’l L. Rev. 263 (2024).
  5. Prof. Rosen’s article Deterring Pre-Viability Abortions in Texas Through Private Lawsuits is cited in the following article: Bailey Harvey, Welcome to Texas: Home of the Most Extreme Abortion Ban in the United States, Generating Vast Child Welfare Disparities, 26 Scholar: St. Mary’s L. Rev. & Soc. Just. 365 (2024).
  6. Prof. James’ article Twenty-First Century Pirates of the Caribbean: How the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Robbed Fourteen CARICOM Countries of Their Tax and Economic Policy Sovereignty is cited in the following article: Allison Christians, Tarcisio Diniz Magalhaes, Why Data Giants Don’t Pay Enough Tax, 18 Harv. L. & Pol’y Rev. 119 (2024).
  7. Prof. Murphy’s article Judicial Deference, Agency Commitment, and Force of Law is cited in the following article: Jack M. Beermann, The Anti-Innovation Supreme Court: Major Questions, Delegation, Chevron, and More, 65 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 1265 (2024).
  8. Prof. Casto’s article Pacificus & Helvidius Reconsidered is cited in the following article: Shalev Gad Roisman, Balancing Interests in the Separation of Powers, 91 U. Chi. L. Rev. 1331 (2024).
  9. Prof. Murphy’s article Politicized Judicial Review in Administrative Law: Three Improbable Responses is cited in the following article: Sanne Knudsen, Sidestepping Substance: How Administrative Law Plays an Outsized Role in Shaping Environmental Policy and Why Recalibration is Necessary, 76 Admin. L. Rev. 519 (2024).

News

  1. On September 6, 2024, Prof. Beyer was featured luncheon speaker for the Tarrant County Probate Bar Association in Fort Worth. Prof. Beyer’s presentation entitled attendees to one hour of Texas MCLE credit and was entitled Probate Case Law Update.
  2. On September 13, 2024, Prof. Beyer was the guest speaker for the Southern Nevada Estate Planning Council in Las Vegas. His presentation and accompanying article were entitled Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Today’s Estate Planner.
  3. On September 14, 2024, Prof. Gonzalez presented Private Contractors, Security-Clearance Determinations, and Employment Discrimination Law at the 19th Annual Colloquium on Scholarship in Employment and Labor Law (COSELL) co-hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law and California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. 
  4. On September 7, 2024, Prof. Arrington presented Will the NextGen Bar Truly Test Legal Research? An Evaluation to the Central States Law Schools Association Annual Conference in Lubbock, TX, and later delivered the same presentation at Western Regional Legal Writing Conference in Seattle, WA.
  5. On September 27, 2024, Prof. Gerry W. Beyer was an invited speaker at the 50th Annual Notre Dame Tax & Estate Planning Institute in South Bend, Indiana. His presentation was entitled Artificial Intelligence in the Trusts & Estates Practice.
  6. On September 19-22, 2024, Prof. Gerry W. Beyer attended the Fall meeting of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel in Chicago. As the Chair of the Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, Prof. Beyer organized and/or lead discussions on ABA Formal Opinion 512, Pennsylvania Opinion 2024-200, Deepfakes, Perplexity, AI hotlines for whistleblower protection, and required MCLE on AI imposed by a growing number of states. As Co-Chair of the Legal Education Committee, he organized and/or led discussions on the NextGen bar exam, the failed revision to the Uniform Determination of Death Act, the gift tax treatment of loan guarantees, and the use of artificial intelligence in the teaching of Wills & Trusts.
  7. On September 18, 2024, Prof. Gerry W. Beyer was a virtual speaker for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Engage webinar. His topic was entitled Artificial Intelligence: What CPAs Need to Know.
  8. On Sept. 27, 2024, Prof. Sutton presented her paper on her study that examines the effect of online learning in law schools and scores on the multi-state bar examination (MBE) and bar passage rate at the annual Online Learning Conference at the Univ of Denver, Sturm College of Law.

September 2024 New Resources

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In September 2024, the Law Library added the following new resources to the collection to support the research and curricular needs of our faculty and students.

New Resources

Democracy in America – An interactive digital edition of Tocqueville’s 1831 classic title. Provides more than 1,000 annotations and references, as well as links to the works Tocqueville read while he traveled, researched, and wrote.

New Books

DOMESTIC RELATIONS

Heather Douglas, The Criminalization of Violence against Women: Comparative Perspectives, 2024.

HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

Patricia J. Williams, The Miracle of the Black Leg: Notes on Race, Human Bodies, and the Spirit of the Law, 2024.

HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

Szymon Mazurkiewica, Grounding Human Rights in Human Nature, 2023.

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Yueduan Wang, Experimentalist Constitutions: Subnational Policy Innovations in China, India, and the United States, 2024.

Giuditta Cordero-Moss, Independence and Impartiality of International Adjudicators, 2023.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Arvind Narayanan, AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference, 2024.

Alberto Quintavalla, Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, 2023.

Nigel Shadbolt, As If Human: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence, 2024.

Kate Crawford, Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence, 2021.

SEX CRIMES

Brian Bond, Conciliation of Construction Industry Disputes, 2024.

All resources are available from the Law Library.  If you would like to check out any of these titles, please contact the circulation desk at either 806-742-3957 or circulation.law@ttu.edu. 

All electronic databases are available through the Library’s webpage. 

Library staff will be able to assist in locating and checking out any of these items or helping you contact the Librarian on call for questions about electronic resources.

Lexis Digital Library Now Available

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The Law Library is proud to announce the availability of a new eBook platform, Lexis Digital Library, to facilitate student learning. Lexis Digital Library is a premium eBook platform that hosts study aids, casebooks, and leading legal treatises.

eBook Content

Study Aids

The LexisNexis Digital Library includes a large selection of digital study aids from the following series:

  • Understanding Series
  • Questions & Answers Series
  • Mastering Series
  • Skills & Values Series
  • Audio Study Guides
  • Carolina Academic Press

Practice Manuals & Treatises

In addition to study aids, this library contains a large selection of legal treatises, practice guides, and monographs on many different areas of law, such Nimmer on Copyrights and Dorsaneo Texas Litigation Guide, etc.

Casebooks

The LexisNexis Digital Library also offers electronic casebooks for certain courses. As part of the Law Library’s casebook project, in addition to borrowing casebooks for each course from the Law Library Circulation Desk, students can also access Carolina Academic Press casebooks through the Lexis Digital Library.

Access Lexis Digital Library

To access Lexis Digital Library, you can find it in the Law Library Electronic Resources and log in with your TTU email.

Lexis Digital Library Application

Consider downloading the Digital Library App for easier reading, online or offline. You can download the Digital Library app for your apple or android device, enter your library code (ttulaw), then follow the prompts to sign in.

Features of Lexis Digital Library

  • Print the current section of the book
  • Highlight text and add notes
  • Utilize the Annotations icon to view notes and highlights
  • Export Annotations
  • Search within the book
  • Copy book text with citations
  • Navigate via the Table of Contents

Here is an introduction video for Lexis Digital Library.

If you have any questions, please contact the Electronic & Digital Services Librarian, Dajiang Nie, at Dajiang.nie@ttu.edu.

Borrowing Textbooks

The Law Library has 2 copies of each Required course textbook. For 1Ls, that’s CivPro, Con Law, Contracts, Crim Law, LP (I & II), Property, Torts, and Intro to the Study of Law. For 2Ls and above, that’s Business Entities, Commercial Law, Crim Pro, Evidence, Income Tax, Wills & Trusts, and Pro Res.

For all other elective courses, the Law Library has 1 copy for each course.

Each of these textbooks can be checked out for four hours. Visit the Circulation Desk and ask for the textbook using the class name and teaching professor’s name. As these are Law Library books, please do not highlight or mark up the text during use.

Prefer digital access? No problem! The Law Library also offer access to digital textbooks through West Academic Casebook Archive and Lexis Digital Library. These online platforms provide convenient and easy-to-use access to a variety of textbooks and legal materials. Though these might not have every single textbook you need, it’s a great place to begin looking when you need a textbook in a hurry. With Lexis Digital Library, you can annotate as you go and save your annotations to your account to refer to later, and on West Academic Casebook Archive, you have the option to download and print certain pages, or even bookmark your spot so you don’t forget. To access these databases, click on the hyperlinks above, or from the Law Library’s homepage, click into the Electronic Databases List and find them alphabetically.

The Law Library’s textbook program is available to make your life just a little easier. Whether you prefer physical books or the digital route, the Law Library has you covered with all the resources you need for your classes.

If you have any questions or need a hand, please visit the Circulation Desk. Happy studying, and we can’t wait to see you in the Law Library!

Study Aids for Law Students

Going through law school can be both exhilarating and intimidating. With the vast amount of material to cover and the rigorous demands of the curriculum, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But the right tools and resources can significantly enhance your learning and boost your chances of success. Both within the library stacks and online, we’ve gathered every kind of study aid for any kind of need, including concise explanations of the law, effective outlines, and even exam practice. Below are some essential study aids that can help you navigate the complexities of your classes with confidence.

Online Resources

Online resources offer unparalleled accessibility, making it easy to study at your own pace and on your own time. Fortunately, we have valuable online resources available to you through the West Academic Study Aid resource library, the Aspen Learning Library, and the Lexis Digital Library! You can access these resources by going to the Law Library’s homepage, clicking on the Electronic Resources tab, and finding them alphabetically.

The West Academic Study Aid collection is a comprehensive resource offering popular series like Exam Pro, Flash Cards, Black Letter Outlines, and Gilbert’s Outlines. With over 640 titles covering 1L, 2L/3L courses, academic and career success, you’ll find a study aid for almost any law school subject. Plus, these digital resources feature convenient features like note-taking, highlighting, searching, copying, and printing. Access these study aids from your laptop, tablet, or phone for maximum flexibility.

Similarly, the Aspen Learning Library collection offers over 200 ebooks, audio files, and explanatory videos on all kinds of law school subjects, even offering advice on which study aid to use and when, with features like law school favorites Examples & Explanations, Glannon’s Guides, Emanuel Outlines, and Emanuel CrunchTime. Even better, with the ability to access materials via iOS, Android, and desktop devices, you’ll be able to take your study aids with you wherever you go.

Lastly, the Lexis Digital Library collection contains almost 800 titles available in different forms, including ebooks and audio files. This collection includes tons of popular study aid series, like the Understanding Series, the Mastering Series, Q&As, and Skills and Values series. On top of all that, this collection also features a wide variety of practice guides, treatises, and code books on nearly every subject of law. If you forget your Federal Rules of Civil Procedure at home, you can now pull it up on your laptop, phone, or tablet, and begin your studying anytime, anywhere.

Learning Aids
Focused on providing a deeper grasp of the subject matter, these study aids offer detailed explanations of the law itself.

  • Examples and Explanations (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via Aspen Learning Library)
    E&E provides a plain language explanation of the subject organized into easy-to-understand, standalone chapters. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for the reader to contemplate. Frequently, the questions have a clear answer, but the beauty in this guide is that the explanations of the questions focus on what specific facts, when changed slightly, would change the outcome of the question, thus deepening the reader’s understanding of the legal concepts within.
  • Nutshells (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via West Academic Study Aids)
    Authored by multiple legal scholars, the “In A Nutshell” series is known for a concise and informative approach. These books offer a condensed overview of various legal subjects, providing students with essential information and key concepts in an easily digestible manner.
  • Emanuel CrunchTime (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via Aspen Learning Library)
    Like the Nutshell series, the Emanuel CrunchTime series is known for giving comprehensive summaries of key legal concepts and principles in a condensed format. With explanations and practice questions on a wide variety of legal topics, each book contains a considerable amount of meaningful feedback to help law students boost efficiency and make the most of their study time.
  • Understanding (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via Lexis Digital Library)
    These guides are known for their straightforward approach, helping students review and clarify core topics without getting bogged down in dense legal language or overly technical detail. Providing clear, concise explanations of complex legal concepts, each book in the series covers a specific area of law, such as contracts, torts, constitutional law, or criminal law, and breaks down the fundamental principles, rules, and cases in an easy to understand way.

Outlines
These study aids present outlines that summarize the key points of the class material. Though they’re no substitute for the outlines you make yourself, they’re a great resource to start with.

  • Gilbert Law Summaries (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via West Academic Study Aids)
    Filled with checklists, diagrams, and organized in a concise outline format, Gilbert Law Summaries are particularly useful for students who are looking for a quick and efficient way to review legal concepts, or those who need a reference guide to supplement their own class notes.
  • Emanuel Law Outlines (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via Aspen Learning Library)
    Just like the Emanuel CrunchTime series, Emanuel Law Outlines are focused on giving students a comprehensive but concise overview of the law. Developed by legendary study aid author Steve Emanuel, this series will allow students to more easily organize information, identify key concepts, and understand the relationships between legal concepts with a consistent outline format.
  • Black Letter Outlines (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via West Academic Study Aids)
    This series aims to place the law within the contexts of their broader subjects, comprehensively explaining the scope of the law with in-depth descriptions, detailed examples, and comprehensive summaries. Available in almost 40 subject areas, Black Letter Outlines is a great resource to use as general class review or when prepping for an exam.

Multiple Choice Exam Practice
These study aids prioritize practice, providing multiple-choice questions and, in some cases, detailed explanations.

  • Q&A (Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via Lexis Digital Library)
    These books offer concise outlines of each section, providing clear explanations of legal concepts and terms, along with exam tips, tricks, and study tools. Self-assessment questions help you apply your knowledge, and summaries of key cases highlight important facts, issues, and relevant laws. Practice exams with model answers and detailed explanations can help you prepare for tests.”
  • Siegel’s (Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk)
    Knowing the law is essential for success on law exams, but it’s not enough on its own. Siegel’s guide helps you both understand the law and apply it effectively. It includes multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge of legal principles and essays with model answers for self-assessment. This book is designed for review and doesn’t provide in-depth discussions, focusing solely on questions.
  • Glannon Guides (Series; Available in Print behind the Circulation Desk and Online via Aspen Learning Library)
    Unlike traditional outlines or textbooks, this series combines concise explanations of legal principles with multiple choice questions and analysis. This interactive format allows students to test their understanding and identify areas where they need further review. Glannon Guides are particularly effective for students who struggle with traditional study methods or who want to improve their exam-taking skills.

General Exam Guides
Designed for short and long answer questions, these study guides provide guidance on the techniques for writing law school exams.

  • How to Write Law Exams: IRAC Perfected by S.I. Strong
    This book differs from other guides in that it not only goes into a detailed explanation of the IRAC method of writing exams, but it gives sample student responses with detailed critiques of where they excel or fall short. At just about 120 pages dedicated to the writing exams. This guide is a quick read that can help prepare you to take exams.
  • Mastering the Law School Exam by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus
    This book is designed to provide students with a knowledgeable, reasonable, and rational voice to navigate the intricacies of law school exams. This book is practical rather than theoretical where the emphasis is on providing the type of detailed examples necessary to show students precisely “how to do it” and “how to write it.”
  • Getting to Maybe, How to Excel on Law School Exams by Richard Michael Fischl and Jeremy Paul
    This book takes a slightly different approach to law exams. The book encourages exam takers to identify what type of question is being asked. While plenty of law school exams are traditional “issue spotters” (and Getting to Maybe covers that as well), other types of questions such as questions that ask the exam taker to determine a policy. It encourages test takers to spend the most time with analysis where the answers are less clear and to embrace the gray of legal issues. The book also includes general advice on how to prepare for exams and where to spend your valuable time.

This list is not exhaustive, please be sure to also check out our Study Aid Research Guide for more study aid options organized by each and every class!

Success in law school is about resilience, dedication, and effective time management. By utilizing these resources, staying organized, and tailoring your study strategies to your unique learning style, you’ll be well on your way to thriving!