Law Commons^™

Greenwashing “Brown Gold”: A Critical Analysis Of Anaerobic Digesters And California’S Neoliberal Environmental Programs In Wisconsin’S Dairyland, Sarah Emily D'Onofrio

Doctoral Dissertations

Large dairy farms, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), have turned to anaerobic digesters as the industry is increasingly pressured to find ways to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. Digesters are machines that turn animal waste from CAFOs into electricity and fuel which are then sold as “credits” in California’s market based climate change mitigation programs such as cap and trade and the low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program. However, this dissertation not only challenges the assertion that digesters are “green,” but also that these programs are doing what they claim to do in a deregulated and re-regulated …

Reconciling Self-Censorship: A Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of University Staff And Administrators, Leigh C. Morales

Doctoral Dissertations

In addition to a global pandemic, the past three years have been marked by racial, social, and political unrest. These circumstances add meaningful context to examine and better understand factors that undermine free expression and contribute to self-censorship among university staff and administrators. To date, few studies have holistically explored the unique experiences of university staff and administrators with self-censorship and how this phenomenon affects their experience on college and university campuses. Understanding why staff and administrators choose to self-censor may allow for a deeper discussion about speech climate and the degree to which colleges and universities implement and uphold …

The Use Of Amicus Briefs To Influence A Supreme Court Decision: Framing Espinoza V. Montana (2020), Anita F. Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to examine how amici curiae frame policy preferences in amicus briefs submitted before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case, Espinoza v. Montana (2020). The questions addressed in this study were what dominant policy frames do interest groups use to frame policy preference in Espinoza v. Montana (2020), and which (if any) policy frames found in the amicus briefs emerged in the written opinions of the United States Supreme Court?

Five a priori codes based on Semetko and Valkenburg’s (2000) generic frames were used to analyze 18 out of 45 …

Beyond Compliance: Critical Perspectives In Supporting Institutionally Underserved Survivors Of Sexual Violence, William A. Martinez

Masters Theses

Interpersonal and sexual violence on college campuses is rampant. While federal legislation exists to support survivors of interpersonal violence in higher education via the Violence Against Women Act, Title IX, and Clery Act, support specifically for institutionally underserved survivors of interpersonal violence (IUS) tends to be limited in nature. Because of this deficit, institutionally underserved students and survivors of interpersonal violence are often left unsupported by interpersonal violence prevention staff members (IVPSM). Through semi-structured interviews, this critical multisite case study collected information on the perceptions of IVPSM on IUS support and resources, identified gaps in education on how to respond …

The Conflict Of Rights In The Moral Community, Rebecca Spicer-Keller

Masters Theses

This thesis will delve into the moral arguments regarding abortion. I will argue that abortion is morally permissible until the fetus reaches consciousness. Once the fetus has gained consciousness, it has the capacity to develop and become an autonomous person and therefore joins the moral community and has rights.

Autonomy is important, and the respect for autonomy must be extended to conscious fetuses. Individual autonomy is a person's capacity to make decisions for themselves and about live their life according to reasons and motives that are free from external forces (Christman, 2020). Autonomous agency is necessary for equal political standing …

Constitutional Interpretation: Have The Methods Used By The Supreme Court Changed Over Time?, Morgan A. Matney

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

National Sex Offender Registration Policies And The Unintended Consequences, Sydney J. Selman

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Duality Of Fashion: How Industry Norms Impact Market Returns In The Fashion Industry, Zoe Carter

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The History Of The Plain Language Movement And Legal Language And An Analysis Of Us Nuclear Treaty Language, Hannah Bradford Clauss

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Big Data: Evaluating The Effects Of The European Union’S General Data Protection Regulation, Kara Rebecca White

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Inquiry Into The Regulation Of Social Media Disclosure Policy And Its Impacts On Retail Investor Trading Activity, Sebastian Georg Soldner

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

What Do Voting Results Of The 2016 State Elections Tell Us About Bias Response Teams?, Reid Parker

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Stability In Government, Emerging Technology, And Decentralized Economies: An Analysis Of Alternative Uses Of Cryptocurrencies, Mickayla Stogsdill

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Concussion Protocols For Youth Sport In Tennessee, Corinne C. Oliphant

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Pricing Impact Of Decreasing Competitiveness Of The Health Insurance Market, Lauren N. Patterson

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

"Only The Intervenor Cared": A Critical Juncture In The Rise Of Dairy Cafos And Neoliberal Environmental Policy In Wisconsin, Sarah Emily D'Onofrio

Masters Theses

Building on scholarship regarding the rise of neoliberalism since the late 1970s and using a comparative-historical methodology, this thesis examines a case study regarding how state governments in the United States have succumbed to neoliberal pressures over time. Specifically, this thesis examines the rapid expansion of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Wisconsin since 1995. As these large CAFOs have grown in size, so have the social and environmental problems related to their use, including pollution of drinking water sources for rural communities. Based on analysis of hundreds of newspaper articles, this thesis finds that that a critical juncture occurred …

Legal Analysis Of Ncaa Student-Athletes Worker's Compensation Status, James M. Long

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Critical Perspective On Scalian-Originalism’S Interpretation Of The First Amendment’S Freedom Of Speech Clause, Shiela M. Hawkins

Masters Theses

Justice Antonin Scalia proudly proclaimed that he was an Originalist, which is the theory that the Constitution should be interpreted in the same manner as those who ratified and drafted the document would have interpreted it. Scalian-Originalism faced several liberal legal critiques that challenged the legitimacy of the method and theory. This manuscript seeks to further the debate regarding Scalian-Originalism’s interpretation of the First Amendment by applying a Critical Legal perspective. The analysis is done in the form of an immanent critique, and examines the legitimacy of Scalian-Originalism’s First Amendment interpretation by the theory’s ability to further equality and democratic …

Reforming Oil And Natural Gas Severance Taxation As A Means Of Strengthening Rural Tennessee, Erica Davis

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Greenhouse Effect: Decomposition Rates In Human Remains Wrapped In Plastic, Barbara R. Forman

Masters Theses

Determining an accurate estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) of human remains is important for several reasons. First, it is used to determine whether the individual is recently deceased, and therefore of medicolegal concern. If so, the estimated PMI is used in narrowing the possible identities of the deceased. PMI can also be used in excluding, or convicting, a murder suspect.

Though deviations may occur, it has been found that PMI can be calculated from the decomposition stages with reasonable accuracy (Galloway 1989, Megyesi 2001, Megyesi et al. 2005, Schiel 2008, Simmons et al. 2010). Some factors, such as low …

Common Core State Standards: Analysis And Policy Proposal, Savannah Rae Dabney

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Volkswagen Chattanooga And Its Battle For Workers' Representation, Bianca C. Fankhauser

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Judicial Influence And The United States Federal District Courts: A Case Study, Justin R. Hickerson

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Interpretation: How The Language Of The Constitution Allows For Differing Opinions, Christina J. Banfield

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Grave Disparities In Modern Education, Segregation, And School Budgeting: A Comparison Between Brown V. Board Of Education And San Antonio Independent School District V. Rodriguez, Kristin Anne Ballenger

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Strengthening The Us Saudi Relationship: Senator Howard Baker Jr. And The Awacs, Ediobong Aniekan Ebiefung

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

African American Oral Histories Of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Public Schools During The Early Days Of Desegregation, 1955 – 1967, Lorena B. Whipple

Doctoral Dissertations

Many traditional historical texts of the United States are missing the voiced presence of African Americans. Existing historical texts concerning desegregation in the South, and particularly in Tennessee, are missing African Americans’ experienced perspectives during racial desegregation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The intention of this dissertation is to use oral history as a methodology to document the memories of seven African Americans who participated in the racial desegregation of Oak Ridge, Tennessee public schools. Critical race theory is the interpretive lens used to analyze the interviews. The oral historical accounts contained in this study suggest African Americans have a unique …

Unpacking Ppaca: Understanding The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, Rachel L. Dix

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Flannery O'Connor And The Mystery Of Justice, Matthew Holland Bryant Cheney

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study will be to begin to answer the question, “What is ‘justice’ in the work of Flannery O’Connor?” by approaching three stories—“The Comforts of Home,” “The Partridge Festival,” and finally “Everything that Rises Must Converge.” Each of these stories applies pressure to both individual and social conceptions of justice while fixating primarily on individuals’ just or unjust convictions and principles, usually in tension with those of their family or community. Flannery O’Connor’s work, while it seriously questions the possibility of “perfect” justice among a fallen humanity, exemplifies the paradoxes that arise from the contingency of our …

Tightrope: Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. During The Watergate Public Hearings, Christopher A. Borns

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.