Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding And Addressing The Common Roots Of Racial Health Disparities: The Case Of Cardiovascular Disease And Hiv/Aids In African Americans, Matha E. Lang, Chloe E. Bird

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Public Health Implications Of Religious Exemptions: A Balance Between Public Safety And Personal Choice, Or Religion Gonetoo Far?, Christopher Ogolla

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

No abstract provided.

"Don't Have A Cow, Man": Recognizing Herd Share Agreements For Raw Milk, Timothy J. Mayer

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

No abstract provided.

How Reconstructing Education Federalism Could Fulfill The Aims Of Rodriguez, Kimberly J. Robinson

Law Faculty Publications

In the Rodriguez decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the plaintiffs did not have a right under the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, which required the state of Texas to remedy disparities in funding for schools in high-wealth and low-wealth school districts. One of the principal reasons that the Court rejected the plaintiffs' claims was the need to maintain the current balance of power between the federal and state governments over education. Indeed, the Court acknowledged in Rodriguez that even though all equal protection claims implicate federalism, "it would be difficult to imagine a case having a greater potential impact …

Socioeconomic Integration And The Greater Richmond School District: The Feasibility Of Interdistrict Consolidation, Barry Gabay

Law Student Publications

This article seeks to offer a mitigating solution to the educational inequities plaguing Richmond Public Schools--socioeconomic integration and district consolidation. Under this race-neutral school assignment proposal, desegregation efforts are based not on an individual's ethnicity, but socioeconomic status. The proposal seeks to have no more than 50% of a student body receiving free or reduced-price lunch in any one school in the Richmond area. However, because of Richmond Public Schools' existing high poverty rate, no socioeconomic redistricting proposal would be effective without incorporating Richmond's adjacent suburbs- Chesterfield and Henrico counties.

Why Healthy Behavior Is The Hard Choice, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Our society is structured to encourage unhealthy diets and physically inactive lifestyles, which are key risk factors for chronic diseases including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancers. We are bombarded with advertisements for hyperprocessed foods laden with saturated fat, salt, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, “low-fat” foods often contain high amounts of sugar and salt, and parks and recreation spaces are often inaccessible or unsafe.

Four simple ideas - taxes on unhealthy products, product reformulation, improving the informational environment, and increasing healthy food accessibility - could make healthy behaviors the “default” choice for most consumers. First, taxes on unhealthy products, such as …

Constructing Autonomy, Bailey Kuklin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Congress Addresses Federally-Funded Animal Research Lab, Angela Sukurs

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Striking The Soda Ban: The Judicial Paralysis On The Department Of Health, Alana Sivin

Journal of Law and Health

Media coverage surrounding the New York City Department of Health’s recent portion-cap on sugary beverages sold in food service establishments tends to focus on public opinions regarding the role of government. Within this dialogue, there are two camps. On one hand lies the opposition; these individuals criticize the Department of Health as a “nanny state” involving itself with individual consumption choices. On the other side lay the supporters who recognize the gravity of the obesity epidemic and applaud government efforts to ameliorate its effects.

The Not So "Sweet Surprise": Lawsuits Blaming Big Sugar For Obesity-Related Health Conditions Face An Uphill Battle, Catherine Srithong Wicker

Journal of Law and Health

Because obesity and its associated health problems have been largely attributed to poor self-control, laziness, and various other personal failings, society has been unwilling to assign blame to food manufacturers for their role in contributing to this problem. But, as consumers are becoming more aware of the significantly harmful effect that poor diets can have on a person’s heath, the scales may be tipping in favor of bringing “Big Food” to court. Food manufacturers, however, are not exactly vulnerable. Armed with precedent disputing the causal link between consumption of fast food and adverse health effects, judicially-created barriers to admitting epidemiologic …

Decreasing Disproportionality Through Kinship Care., Aimee Corbin

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Expanding financial assistance to kinship placements can reduce disproportionality between racial minorities in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody. Statistics show that nationally, CPS removes a disproportionate number of minority children compared to non-minorities. CPS typically places a child in substitute care when that child is removed from their home, including kinship placement. Kinship placement is defined as the process by which children are placed in the care of relatives or close family friends. The government provides a significantly larger budget for foster care than for kinship placement. Kinship advocates, however, argue that foster placement—the placement in the care of a …

Developments In Synthetic Biology Are Altering The Ip Imperatives Of Biotechnology, Christopher M. Holman

Faculty Works

While the accomplishments of the biotechnology industry have been substantial, recent technological advances promise to dramatically increase the power and utility of the discipline over the coming years. The term “synthetic biology” has been coined to describe the application of these powerful new tools to the engineering of synthetic genetic sequences and organisms. In essence, synthetic biology represents the next iteration in the ongoing evolution of biotechnology, and hopes run high that in time, the fruits of synthetic biology will dwarf the past successes of conventional biotechnology. There is, however, some concern that the current patent-centric approach to Intellectual Property …

The National Imperative For Health Care System Transformation: Why Certain Mergers And Acquistions Are Appropriate Despite Section 7 Of The Clayton Act, Nathan D. Sargent

Cleveland State Law Review

Integration among health care providers offers a promising solution to the health care crisis. Unfortunately, some efforts to improve the American health care system through integration have been halted by antitrust concerns and the enforcement of section 7 of the Clayton Act. Health care costs could be contained and clinical quality improved by allowing a narrow statutory exemption to enforcement of section 7 for health care integrations that demonstrate cost efficiency and advance patient care. Under such limited circumstances, relaxed antitrust regulation is an appropriate response to health care’s current financial crisis that will ultimately benefit America’s consumers and economy …

Rethinking The Childhood-Adult Divide: Meeting The Mental Health Needs Of Emerging Adults, Barbara L. Atwell

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Part I of this article describes ADHD and explores the extent of ADHD medication abuse, especially among young adults. Part II discusses the characteristics of emerging adults, who may be more likely than their older counterparts to make unwise decisions about medications and other life choices.34 While we protect minors by requiring parental consent for their medical treatments, emerging adults are effectively able to obtain any drug on the market if they convince the doctor that they have the requisite diagnosis. Part III explores HIPAA, the medical malpractice standard of care and the challenges associated with a society that is …

Rethinking Immigration’S Mandatory Detention Regime: Politics, Profit, And The Meaning Of “Custody”, Philip L. Torrey

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Immigration detention in the United States is a crisis that needs immediate attention. U.S. immigration detention facilities hold a staggering number of persons. Widely believed to have the largest immigration detention population in the world, the United States detained approximately 478,000 foreign nationals in Fiscal Year 2012. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency responsible for immigration enforcement, boasts that the figure is “an all-time high.” In some ways, these numbers are unsurprising, considering that the United States incarcerates approximately one in every one hundred adults within its borders—a rate five to ten times higher than any other Westernized …

Recent Children's Policy And Legislative Developments In Virginia: A Brief History, A Bright Future, The Honorable Christopher K. Peace, Amy L. Woolard

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

In this piece, we will outline the structural and policy developments implemented in Virginia in recent years that set the stage for a sea change in children’s services in Virginia.

Chinese Foreign Direct Investment Into Africa In The Context Of Brics And Sino-African Bilateral Investment Treaties, Catherine Elkemann, Oliver C. Ruppel

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

China is now the second largest economy in the world after the United States of America and is deemed to be the most influential member of the group of leading emerging economies, the so called BRICS partnership consisting of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa. According to the latest World Investment Report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (“UNCTAD”), China is also the second largest recipient of inward foreign direct investment (“IFDI”) and the third in terms of outward foreign direct investment (“OFDI”). In this context, Africa is emerging as an important destination …

No Freedom In A Ship Of Fools: A Democratic Justification For The Common Core State Standards And Federal Involvement In K-12 Education, Neelam Takhar

UC Law SF Journal on Gender and Justice

One of the most important functions of the government is the provision of a free public education. While Brown v. Board of Education removed one obvious barrier to equal education opportunities—that of racially segregated education—it left in place another: the obstacle faced by poor school districts that wish to provide an education to their students on equal terms with the education offered by wealthier school districts. The disparities in the quality of education between districts and states are becoming more and more obvious as a growing obstacle to equity. The new Common Core State Standards, which are a single set …

"Can I Take The Normal One?" Unrelated Commerical Surrogacy And Child Abandonment, Brianne Richards

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

Community Lawyering: Introductory Thoughts On Theory And Practice, Michael R. Diamond

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

There are several fundamental questions that one might ask in seeking the meaning of the term "community lawyer." Albeit somewhat theoretical, the most basic questions involve delving into exactly what is meant by the term "community." For what, exactly, is the community-lawyer lawyering? Further, once a client has been identified, questions will arise about how the lawyer should relate to that client and about the role the lawyer ought to play in assisting the client to achieve its goals. There is a long and rich literature concerning the latter question but a fairly sparse body of legal writing on the …

Tmi? Why The Optimal Architecture Of Disclosure Remains Tbd, Ryan Bubb

Michigan Law Review

We are inundated with disclosures in our daily lives. In one of the more evocative passages in their stimulating new book, More Than You Wanted to Know, Omri Ben-Shahar and Carl E. Schneider imagine a day in the life of someone who actually reads all those disclosures (pp. 95–100). During a commercial on the morning news, the protagonist hits pause on the TiVo to catch the fine print that would otherwise fly by. Breakfast is a slog, requiring close reading of the toaster’s ominous label and the disheartening nutrition facts on the butter and jam. More of the same awaits …

Deregulation, Distrust, And Democracy, Lindsay Wiley

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Environmental, public health, alternative food, and food justice advocates are working together to achieve incremental agricultural subsidy and nutrition assistance reforms that increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables. When it comes to targeting food and beverage products for increased regulation and decreased consumption, however, the priorities of various food reform movements diverge. This article argues that foundational legal issues, including preemption of state and local authority to protect the public's health and welfare, increasing First Amendment protection for commercial speech, and eroding judicial deference to legislative policy judgments, present a more promising avenue for collaboration across movements than discrete …

The 2014 Farm Bill And Snap: Improving The Diets Of Low-Income Americans?, Mathew Swinburne

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

The Harm Principle At Play: How The Animal Welfare Act Fails To Protect Animals Adequately, Proshanti Banerjee

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Brookshire Brothers V. Aldridge: Making The Spoliation Instruction A Litigation Unicorn, Shawn A. Johnson

Texas A&M Law Review

In July 2014, the Texas Supreme Court issued a new framework for analyzing and remedying the destruction of evidence, holding that spoliation jury instructions are warranted only when a trial court finds that a party acted with the specific intent to conceal discoverable evidence or that a party’s negligent destruction wholly prevented another from presenting a claim or defense. The Court addressed whether the trial court abused its discretion in submitting a spoliation instruction in a slip-and-fall case in which the defendant premises owner retained only eight minutes of video of the plaintiff’s fall and allowed the remaining footage to …

Agricultural Biotechnology: Drawing On International Law To Promote Progress, J. Janewa Osei-Tutu

Articles

In Bowman v. Monsanto, the Supreme Court declined to apply the principle of exhaustion to limit the patentee's ability to control the reproduction of self-replicating inventions. This decision was justified from a patent law perspective on the basis that a patent holder has a right to prevent others from making the invention. But what happens when we take other perspectives into account? For instance, a farmer might have human rights or other rights that may need to be balanced against the patentee's right. Since globalized intellectual property standards were established through international agreements and much of the resistance to …

Longstanding Agency Interpretations, Anita S. Krishnakumar

Faculty Publications

How much deference — or what kind — should courts give to longstanding agency interpretations of statutes? Surprisingly, courts and scholars lack a coherent answer to this question. Legal scholars long have assumed that longstanding agency statutory interpretations are treated with heightened deference on judicial review, and federal courts sometimes have made statements suggesting that this is the case. But in practice, federal court review of longstanding agency interpretations — at both the Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court levels — turns out to be surprisingly erratic. Reviewing courts sometimes note the longevity of an agency’s statutory interpretation …

Saving Charitable Settlements, Christine P. Bartholomew

Journal Articles

This Article defies the conventional wisdom that all charitable distributions from a class action settlement fund are types of cy pres. Instead, it proposes a radical delineation between “cy pres remainders” (meaning settlement funds left over after individual monetary distributions) and “charitable settlements” (meaning money initially distributed to charities as part of class action settlements). While both have cy pres roots, these two settlement structures have been conflated, jeopardizing the potential utility of charitable settlements. After articulating more precise nomenclature for these distinct distribution methods, this Article justifies why we must preserve charitable settlements. This defense is particularly timely, as …

Mediator Misunderstanding Of Bargaining Basics: Heading In An Ugly Direction, Joseph B. Stulberg

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

A mediator facilitates bargaining conduct among negotiating parties. She conducts the session in a way that is designed to improve everyone's understanding of the situation, promote thoughtful problem solving, and develop settlement terms acceptable to all. When performing her tasks, a mediator must prefer or promote a particular bargaining approach by and among the parties. The only question is: which bargaining theory and approach should she privilege?

Disagreeable Privacy Policies: Mismatches Between Meaning And Users’ Understanding, Joel R. Reidenberg, Travis Breaux, Lorrie F. Cranor, Brian M. French, Amanda Grannis, James T. Graves, Fei Liu, Aleecia Mcdonald, Thomas B. Norton, Rohan Ramanath, N. Cameron Russell, Norman Sadeh, Florian Schaub

Faculty Scholarship

Privacy policies are verbose, difficult to understand, take too long to read, and may be the least-read items on most websites even as users express growing concerns about information collection practices. For all their faults, though, privacy policies remain the single most important source of information for users to attempt to learn how companies collect, use, and share data. Likewise, these policies form the basis for the self-regulatory notice and choice framework that is designed and promoted as a replacement for regulation. The underlying value and legitimacy of notice and choice depends, however, on the ability of users to understand …