Digital Commons Network^™

The Uncertain Future Of Restorative Justice: Anti-Woke Legislation, Retrenchment And Politics Of The Right, Thalia González, Mara Schiff

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

As diverse forms of anti-democratic and anti-inclusionary politics escalate in the United States, public education is increasingly a site for retrenchment and contestation with targeted efforts to silence and erase civil rights victories for equity and access. Addressing a critical, yet unattended issue at the intersection of education law and policy and civil rights, this Article joins with the growing discourse interrogating the “parental rights” movement and racially regressive legislation. Employing a case study analysis of social movement activism and education policy legislation from 2018–2023 in Florida, it aims to provoke critical praxis emanating from essential inquiry— what is the …

Office Of Attorney General: Peter F. Neronha, Attorney General: Access To Public Records Act ; Open Meetings Act (Powerpoint Presentation), Office Of The Attorney General Of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

You Can Grow Your Own Way: Maine's Constitutional "Right To Food" Amendment, Kristin Hebert

Maine Law Review

Maine is the first state to constitutionalize a right to food. This is significant not only because no other states have enshrined such a right, but because this is Maine’s first foray into constitutionalizing any new individual rights. This raises a host of questions for courts to grapple with: What level of scrutiny should apply? What kinds of protections does this right afford? What are its limitations? This Comment offers a framework for courts to use when interpreting the right to food that is grounded in the legislative and voter intent. Given the amendment’s broad language, this comment argues that …

Assessing Smart Nation Singapore As An International Model For Ai Responsibility, Philip L. Frana

International Journal on Responsibility

While AI and other smart technologies greatly contribute to material aspects of well-being, there are concerns that they threaten quality of life in Singapore. Smart technologies and digital governance have freed up labor for activities where human empathy and understanding are unique and indispensable, but also threaten to undermine human dignity and accountability. This paper undertakes a comprehensive assessment of Singapore as an international model for AI responsibility from the perspective of the history and philosophy of technological governance. It examines the evolution of regulatory frameworks, ethical considerations, and key legal documents and social initiatives shaping the nation’s approach to …

The Dark Plea: One Of The Most Coercive Abuses Of Power Permitted In The Criminal Justice System, Michael P. Donnelly

Et Cetera

Most prosecutions in our criminal justice system are resolved by defendants entering ostensibly knowing and intelligent guilty pleas—often following negotiations with the state—before trial. But during my time as a trial judge, I encountered a different type of guilty plea, procured by the state when an already convicted offender sought to clear his or her name through an application for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. I believe the “Dark Pleas” secured in these circumstances are one of the greatest abuses of power permitted in the criminal justice process.

This article sets down in writing a speech I …

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: The Supreme Court Of Georgia Textualizes “Action” In The Georgia Constitution, Abigail C. Letts

Mercer Law Review

It comes as no surprise to those tuned into Georgia jurisprudence—textualism has taken root in the Supreme Court of Georgia. Since a series of holdings in the late twenty-tens including Olevik v. State, Georgia courts have produced a steady stream of decisions committed to pointing legal interpretation back to the intent of the framers. At first glance, the court’s proclamation in State v. SASS Group, LLC that “action” as it is used in Article I, Section II, Paragraph V(b) of the Georgia Constitution refers to an entire lawsuit appears simply to be another instance of the court’s staunch commitment …

The Georgian Case For Harmless Constitutional Error Reform, John Evan Laughter

Georgia State University Law Review

This Note examines Georgia’s application of harmless error review to constitutional errors and proposes a new standard to remedy deficiencies.

A De-Regulated Militia: The Diminished Training Requirements For Ohio Teachers To Carry Weapons In Schools, Richard Sharp

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Perennial Eclipse: Race, Immigration, And How Latinx Count In American Politics, Rachel F. Moran

Faculty Scholarship

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Evenwel v. Abbott, a case challenging the use of total population in state legislative apportionment as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. The plaintiffs sued Texas, alleging that the State impermissibly diluted their voting power because they lived in areas with a high proportion of voting-age citizens. When total population was used to draw district lines, the plaintiffs had to compete with more voters to get their desired electoral outcomes than was true for voters in districts with low proportions of voting-age citizens. The Court rejected the argument, finding that states enjoy …

Mass Incarceration, Violent Crimes, And Lengthy Sentences: Using The Race-Class Narrative As A Messaging Framework For Shortening Prison Sentences, Eric Petterson

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A New Federalist Approach To Reducing Gun Violence: Model State Policy For Medicaid-Funded, Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs, Racquel Bozzelli

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ohio’S Failure To Protect Motorcyclists' Heads: A Law Enforcement Perspective, B. Thomas

Et Cetera

As a former police officer, the aftereffects of helmetless motorcycle crashes will forever haunt me. This Article discusses the need for helmet laws for all motorcyclists.

Tribal Court Jurisdiction And The Exhausting Nature Of Federal Court Interference, Kekek Jason Stark

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Legislating Courts, Michael Pollack

UMKC Law Review

Judges are ordinarily thought of as deciders of a specific sort: people who apply the rule of law to resolve disagreements between the parties appearing before them. But in every state, judges do far more. They are charged by state statutory or constitutional law with a range of quasi-administrative, quasi-legislative, and quasi-executive law enforcement functions. These roles raise a number of theoretical and practical concerns. In many states, though, legislatures have gone even further. They have either wholly delegated significant policymaking power to state court judges or have sat idle while those judges have assumed the mantle of functions that …

Reducing Harm: The Legal Viability Of Supervised Consumption Sites In Georgia, Kathleen Kassa

Georgia State University Law Review

Every five minutes in the United States, someone dies from a drug overdose. This public health crisis, referred to as the opioid epidemic, caused the federal government and many states and localities to issue public health emergency declarations. Despite billions of dollars in funding and response at every level of government, overdoses continue to increase.

The complexity of addiction prevention and treatment, socioeconomic inequalities, and the stigmatization of drug use make the opioid crisis difficult to solve. The severity of the epidemic led many jurisdictions to adopt once-controversial harm reduction approaches aimed at reducing the stigma and negative impacts of …

Misrepresentations In Labor Trafficking: State Laws As An Alternative Theory Of Liability For Recruiters, Hannah Garvin

Georgia State University Law Review

When addressing labor trafficking of migrants, the focus is typically on prosecuting the traffickers directly involved in obtaining a victim’s labor, but traffickers cannot exploit labor without victims. Research has shown that recruiters, both those intending to provide labor traffickers with victims and those who have no knowledge of the subsequent exploitation perpetrated by the supposed employer, often misrepresent job opportunities to migrants. Both types of recruiters profit off of the exploitation of migrants and ultimately continue to propagate labor trafficking. To effectively deter trafficker-recruiters and ensure independent recruiters are acting ethically, an all-encompassing method of accountability needs to be …

Designing Sanctuary, Rick Su

Michigan Law Review

In recent decades, a growing number of cities in the United States have adopted “sanctuary policies” that limit local participation in federal immigration enforcement. Existing scholarship has focused on their legality and effect, especially with respect to our nation’s immigration laws. Largely overlooked, however, is the local process through which sanctuary policies are designed and the reasons why cities choose to adopt them through city ordinances, mayoral orders, or employee handbooks. This Article argues that municipal sanctuary policies are far from uniform, and their variation reflects the different local interests and institutional actors behind their adoption and implementation. More specifically, …

Cracking Down On Egg Law: Legal Discrepancies Impacting Sales Of Ungraded Eggs In Texas, Parker Benton

St. Mary's Law Journal

No abstract provided.

America’S “Kia Boys”: The Problem, Responses, And Recommendations, Drew Thornley

Seattle University Law Review Online

The landscape of automobile theft in the United States has undergone a dramatic transformation, marked by a notable surge in the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Once regarded as a routine occurrence, car thefts have taken on a novel dimension, propelled by a phenomenon driven by digital culture and social media virality. The thefts of these specific car brands have evolved into what is now widely recognized as the "Kia Challenge," a term echoing across popular platforms like TikTok. In this challenge, young teenage individuals, often referred to as the "Kia Boys" or variations thereof, orchestrate daring car heists, …

Cyber Security: A Lawyer’S Ethical Duty, Meagan Folmar

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

No abstract provided.

The Thinning Blue Line: Ptsd Benefits For Law Enforcement In Minnesota, Caleb Wootan

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Non-Judicial Recusals In Rhode Island: Empirical Evidence And Suggestions For Reform, Ross E. Cheit, Rose Lang-Maso

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Naloxone And Methadone Access In Tribal Communities, Philomena Kebec

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Does Minnesota’S Red Flag Bill Violate The Second Amendment?, Sherian Anikie

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Boiling Behind Bars: Exploring The Hidden Toll Of Extreme Heat On Mental Health In Texas Prisons, Sandra K. Miller

Social Work Theses

The State of Texas supports the largest prison system in the US and held 132,859 people in 100 units scattered across the state as of December 2023. Approximately 70% of Texas prison beds are not air conditioned, despite the state’s reputation for dangerously hot, humid summers. The State has officially recorded temperatures inside Texas prison facilities as high as 120 degrees with heat index values of over 150. Although there is a growing body of research on the negative physiological and psychological consequences of extreme heat among the general public, little is known about the physical and emotional toll of …

United States Of America, In The Forum Of Federations Handbook On Local Government In Federal Systems, Meryl Justin Chertoff

SALPAL Papers & Reports

Municipalities in the United States (US), particularly those in its largest metropolitan areas, drive economic growth and innovation and are home to the majority of the nation’s population, but their political status under the federal constitutional system of divided government is relatively weak. That does not mean US cities lack political power; it means that the federalist structure weakens, rather than enhances, city power. The US Constitution does not even mention cities, and the US federal structure has not evolved to reflect ‘city power’. There is a mismatch between the rise of cities on the global stage and their role …

American Star Chamber: Online Misinformation, Government Intervention, And The Intellectual Matrix Of The First Amendment, Emily E. Burton

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

Just as monarchs and clerical authorities struggled to respond to seditious and heretical writings enabled by the invention of the printing press, twenty-first century governments are experiencing a similar information revolution as a result of the digital age and a rising tide of what the United States has labeled online misinformation. Like the printing press, the Internet has enabled the spread of information at an exponentially lower cost and an exponentially higher speed as it extends the ability to publish thoughts and opinions to an increasingly diverse array of individuals. Although this was largely celebrated during the first two decades …

Barriers To Use Of Cross-Laminated Timber In Maine, Shane R. O'Neill

Forest Resources Faculty Scholarship

To increase understanding of both the adoption rate and in-state manufacturing of mass timber In Maine, the 131^st Legislature and Governor Mills passed LD 881, a resolve directing a study of the barriers facing cross-laminated timber In Maine and provide recommendations to promote their use in construction. This study was developed in response to the resolve. The study engaged 108 unique participants to define available training, education, and experiences across the stakeholders throughout the building lifecycle process in the state.

From this information, the following five recommendations are proposed:

1. Understand the policies and initiatives of other states to develop …

Zoning And Land Use Law, Newton M. Galloway, Steven J. Jones, Joshua Williams

Mercer Law Review

Each annual survey of Georgia zoning and land use law since 2017 has chronicled judicial decisions ostensibly intended to transform legislative zoning decisions into quasi-judicial actions. These include City of Cumming v. Flowers, in which the Supreme Court of Georgia held a local government variance decision, and any other zoning or entitlement decision tightly controlled by the local ordinance, is quasi-judicial and may only be appealed by writ of certiorari, regardless of the mechanism for appeal set out in the local government’s ordinance; York v. Athens College of Ministry, Inc., in which the Court of Appeals of Georgia …

Commissioners Shoot For The Moon, Citizens Land Among The Stars: The Supreme Court Of Georgia Affirms Citizen Referendum Power In Camden County V. Sweatt, J. Bailey Hotard

Mercer Law Review

Georgia citizens possess few direct democratic mechanisms to check the power of their local governments. One available tool is the referendum power proscribed by the Home Rule Provision of the Constitution of the State of Georgia. Under this provision, county and municipal citizens may petition their local governing authorities for referendum when a legislative decision is largely unpopular. Relying on originalism and textualism, the Supreme Court of Georgia interpreted the Home Rule Provision broadly in Camden County v. Sweatt, a decision than ran counter to a twenty-five-year precedent. This court’s recent interpretation of the Home Rule Provision allows citizens …