First Things RSS Feed - L. Martin Nussbaum

Window of Opportunism

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

So-called “window bills,” which eliminate statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse claims for periods of two or three years, have been enacted in more than seventeen states. Their primary justification—the thesis that victims of child sexual abuse are psychologically constrained from filing their claims until an average age of fifty-two—has no basis in fact. This thesis, and the legislation based on it, are promoted by a nonprofit organization whose key funders are among the largest plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. That fact should surprise no one, since the effect of window legislation is to extract payouts from deep-pocketed institutions—while leaving the vast problem of child sexual abuse almost totally unaddressed.

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A Response to “Marciworld”

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Marci A. Hamilton objects to the review of her new book , and L. Martin Nussbaum and Melissa Nussbaum reply .

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Scandal and the Constitution

Wed, 01 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0400

Let us stipulate from the beginning, as we lawyers say, that the Catholic scandal is fueled by a small minority of priests who, mostly from the mid-1960s through the early 1990s, egregiously violated their ordination promises; by the bishops who reappointed known perpetrators; and by partisans of the left and the right now seeking to advance their pre-existing agendas for Church reform. As a result of certain bishops’ failure to govern their dioceses responsibly, some state officials have stepped in to do so, and not without some cause. Yet this move by the state has grave implications for people of all faiths because it undercuts the long-established constitutional principle of Church Autonomy.

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