Digital Commons Network^™

Judging Requires Judgment, Justin Driver

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Originalism's Unbalanced Ledger, David Zaring

Duke Law Journal

This Essay examines the fundamental tension between originalism and cost-benefit analysis—the two dominant methodologies shaping modern, public law decision-making. Originalism, currently triumphant, prioritizes historical meaning and textual fidelity. It operates in stark contrast to cost-benefit analysis, the byword of the administrative state since 1982, which focuses on the future and efficiency. Descriptively, the two methodologies are irreconcilable. Nor is it possible to pair them by claiming they serve different purposes; originalism and cost-benefit analysis conflict when assessing agency design, constitutional rights, and judicial review of administrative action. As regulatory policymaking continues to rely on empirical and economic assessments, originalism's influence …

Legalistic Noncompliance, Daniel T. Deacon, Leah M. Litman

Duke Law Journal

Will the executive branch comply with court orders? That question has garnered a considerable amount of attention over the first few months of the second Trump administration. But what does it mean to comply? And what if a form of noncompliance is already occurring?

This Article documents an emerging practice that has dominated the second Trump administration's approach to unfavorable court rulings, a practice this Article calls legalistic noncompliance. Legalistic noncompliance occurs when the administration uses the language of the law as cover to claim that it is complying with court orders when in fact it is not. Drawing …

Restoring Chevron Deference By Statute, Scott Dodson

Duke Law Journal

This Essay details a solution for legislatively restoring Chevron deference: amend the APA to direct lower federal courts to give deference to reasonable agency decisions but retain nondeferential judicial review by the U.S. Supreme Court. This solution restores most of the practical benefits of Chevron by giving agencies flexibility to implement congressional policy directives with the expertise they have acquired, by maintaining stability in administrative regulation, and by relieving lower federal courts of the burdens of nondeferential review. And retaining nondeferential judicial review in the Supreme Court will preserve the constitutional role of the judicial branch to say what the …

Presidential Administration After Arthrex, Noah A. Rosenblum, Roderick M. Hills Jr.

Duke Law Journal

The federal government employs over 2 million civilian workers, all but a few thousand of whom enjoy forms of tenure and insulation from presidential control. This bureaucracy, sometimes called "the administrative state," is organized in a many-layered structure defined by statutes and regulations. Pursuant to law and court decisions, the administrative state routinely makes findings of fact, policy determinations, and conclusions of law, sometimes independent of the president. The Supreme Court's recent decision in United States v. Arthrex risks unsettling this arrangement. It adopts a simplistic, hierarchical vision of bureaucratic organization, which is frankly incompatible with existing statutes and regulations. …

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 04.20.26, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• Notre Dame Law School hosted the annual Champions for Justice Public Interest Recognition Ceremony
• Notre Dame Law School hosted its second Affinity Alumni Weekend
• Notre Dame Law School’s Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of Associate Professor of Law Rev. Patrick Reidy, C.S.C. in St. Philip Neri Catholic Church v. Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.
• The Notre Dame Law School Program on Church, State & Society has awarded 2026 summer fellowships to Steph Luiz, Christian Baldari, Angela Rauch, and Paul Sheehan

Student News

• Matilda Koduh, 2L
• Grace Yeo, 2L
• Steven …

Prompt Engineering For Lawyers: Free Your Mind: Flipped Interactive Prompting And Perspective Switching, Cliff Mckinney

Arkansas Law Notes

The next prompt engineering method we are going to evaluate could be considered a form of the Socratic Method. The flipped interactive prompting method asks the artificial intelligence model to ask clarifying questions in response to a prompt, thereby refining and deepening the analytical quality of an answer. This method can be especially useful in litigation or when an issue is controversial or subject to multiple interpretations.

After exploring prompt engineering, we will then turn to perspective switching. Perspective switching allows the artificial intelligence model to switch between different viewpoints or roles. For instance, the model might start by acting …

Mediation Training, Stephen L. Sherwin Dr, Brynn Koehler, Hayden Forthman

Justice, Law, and Public Safety Studies Department Faculty Conferences

No abstract provided.

Prompt Engineering For Lawyers: We Will Add Your Distinctiveness To Our Own: Iterative Refinement And Prompt Chaining, Cliff Mckinney

Arkansas Law Notes

In the last edition, we explored two advanced prompt engineering techniques, chunking and few-shot prompting. In this edition, we will examine two more useful techniques: iterative prompt refinement and prompt chaining. Iterative prompt refinement involves repeatedly rephrasing and refining questions to lead to a better response. Prompt chaining involves guiding the artificial intelligence through related multi-step reasoning.

At first glance, iterative prompt refinement and prompt chaining may seem like the same concept, but the key difference lies in their approach. Refinement improves a single prompt through repeated adjustments, whereas chaining links a series of prompts together to tackle different stages …

Confidentiality Of Ai Conversations: Protecting Self-Represented Litigants Who Use Chatgpt For Legal Advice, Anoo D. Vyas

Duke Law & Technology Review

When a layperson uses ChatGPT to obtain feedback on a legal matter, attorney-client privilege may not apply, as ChatGPT is not a lawyer, much less a human. Further, while lawyers are entitled to protection for their opinion work-product, it is not clear whether self-represented litigants are entitled to the same protection. Additionally, the broader duty of confidentiality binds only attorneys, not AI systems like ChatGPT. The public increasingly uses AI tools such as ChatGPT. If a layperson employs ChatGPT for legal advice, particularly in a civil matter, such communications may be discoverable and potentially admissible. This presents an access to …

Humphrey's Eulogy: A Functionalist View Of Trump V. Slaughter And The Role Of The Ftc, Alex Zhang

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Trump v. Slaughter presents the Supreme Court with a foundational question about the administrative state: whether the for-cause removal protections afforded to Federal Trade Commission Commissioners under the FTC Act are consistent with Article II's vesting of executive power in the President, and, if not, whether Humphrey's Executor v. United States should be overruled.

In March 2025, President Trump removed two FTC Commissioners without satisfying the statutory standard of inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. The dismissed Commissioners sued, and the District Court for the District of Columbia granted summary judgment in their favor, holding that Humphrey's Executor …

Using Ai To Identify National Security Threats: A Holistic Examination Of The Legal Risks And Increased Need For Regulation, Skylar Mcvicar

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Artificial intelligence (AI) is integrating rapidly into daily practice, including in the national security sector. AI has the potential to improve bureaucratic efficiency, enhance military intelligence and threat assessment, and develop autonomous vehicles and weapons, making it a revolutionary tool in national security. Since AI implementation is a relatively recent phenomenon, there is currently limited governmental regulation in place to safeguard against potential violations of civil liberties and other legal risks. Given AI's capacity to infringe on certain civil liberties such as the Fourth Amendment right to privacy and the Fourteenth Amendment protection against discriminatory policies, establishing strong oversight measures …

Prompt Engineering For Lawyers: How Deep The Rabbit Hole Goes: The Chunking Technique And Few Shot Prompting, Cliff Mckinney

Arkansas Law Notes

There are many different strategies and techniques that can be applied to prompt engineering. However, there are six methods that are particularly useful for lawyers: Chunking, which involves dividing a large task into smaller, more manageable requests; Few-shot prompting, which involves giving artificial intelligence examples to guide a response; Iterative prompt refinement, which involves repeatedly rephrasing or refining questions to lead to a better response; Prompt chaining, which involves guiding the artificial intelligence through related multi-step reasoning; Flipped interaction prompting, which involves asking the artificial intelligence to ask the user questions to prompt new thoughts, like the Socratic method; and …

Causes, Effects, And Solutions Of Wrongful Convictions, Allison B. Gobuzzi

Honors Theses

This study examines the wrongful conviction of Anthony Hinton and other examples that illustrate the causes of wrongful convictions in the United States and the effects that wrongful convictions have on the wrongfully accused and their families. This study uses research from scholarly articles and legal cases to analyze the factors that contribute to wrongful convictions and the impact on the wrongfully accused and their families. The research concludes that wrongful convictions are frequently the result of both evidentiary and procedural issues within the criminal justice system.

Glossip’S Road Map To Nowhere, Vida Johnson

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in Glossip v. Oklahoma was heralded as a victory for the defense. This essay argues that the 2025 Glossip decision does little to fix the myriad problems that led to Mr. Glossip’s wrongful conviction. While ultimately the Supreme Court reached the correct outcome this time, the ordinary judicial process and its purported safeguards were not what saved Mr. Glossip’s life. Rather, it was random chance that came to Mr. Glossip’s aid.

Ten years earlier, the Supreme Court, with many of the same Justices on the bench now, paved the way for Mr. Glossip’s execution. The …

In The Shadow Of Justice: How The Mythos Of The Batman Balances Major Ethical Theories In His Pursuit Of Ideal Justice, Camille Bewley

Ex Sapientia Loqui

For more than eighty years, the Batman character has exhibited a unique synthesis of major theories of Justice, and through his experiences as a vigilante, exemplified the pursuit of the ideal virtue of Justice. Because virtue requires a lived example to be understood, Batman is one of the foundational stories fulfilling this need for one of collective society’s prominent pillars. Within the horror of Gotham City–a hyperbolic, fictional representation of urban corruption–Batman’s actions as a vigilante, walking a tightrope to maintain morality even above the law might not only be justified, but necessary. The Batman’s nature, balancing ethical theories and …

Alaska Dep’T Of Fish And Game V. Federal Subsistence Bd., Mj Fiedler

Public Land & Resources Law Review

A subsistence hunt in Kake, Alaska, during the COVID-19

pandemic sparked a lawsuit from the State of Alaska Department of Fish

and Game challenging the authority of the Federal Subsistence Board to

open the hunt. This lawsuit is a recent addition to a long history of the

State of Alaska’s resistance to federal enforcement of the Alaska National

Interest Lands Conservation Act provision establishing priority for rural

subsistence users. The Ninth Circuit ultimately affirmed the Federal

Subsistence Board’s authority to open the subsistence hunt.

I’M Going To Need To See Some Id: Free Speech Coalition V. Paxton And Online Age Verification, Kyle Korte

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

For You Or Forbidden: Tiktok V. Garland And The Tiktok “Ban,”, Kyra Wisneski

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Don’T Just Ask The Kids: Toward A More Deliberate Approach To Child Advocacy, Dale Margolin Cecka

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Labour Law, Technology, And The Attack On The Rules-Based-Order, Valerio De Stefano

Conference Papers

This paper argues that current debates on artificial intelligence and algorithmic management at work are also debates about private power, managerial prerogative, and democracy. It situates recent attacks by major technology companies and their political allies on the European Union and other rule-based international institutions within a broader struggle over who should regulate technology and govern society. It contends that the anti-democratic turn of parts of the tech world is closely connected to authoritarian ideas about work, hierarchy, and obedience. The workplace is one of the principal sites where authority is exercised, surveillance normalised, and habits of subordination formed, with …

Law School News: Rwu Names Richard "Dick" Sullivan '79 And Judge Lara E. Montecalvo As 2026 Honorary Degree Recipients 4-16-2026, Kelly Brinza

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Leaving Room For Rehabilitation In The Theory And Practice Of Criminal Restitution, Jessica C. Frisina

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rural Mass Incarceration And The Politics Of Punitiveness, Gregory Brazeal

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Intangible Nagpra, Trevor Reed

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Wastewater Monitoring And Informed Consent: Interrogating The Research/Surveillance Binary Under The Common Rule, Morgan Cole

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prompt Engineering For Lawyers: Blue Pill Or Red Pill: Hallucinations Risks And An Introduction To Prompt Engineering, Cliff Mckinney

Arkansas Law Notes

In The Matrix, Neo’s choice between the blue pill and the red pill is essentially a choice between a comfortable illusion and an unsettling reality. Lawyers now face a similar decision with artificial intelligence. They can take the blue pill: ignore artificial intelligence or treat it like just another search engine, continuing a comfortable illusion that the new technology may not transform the practice of law. Or lawyers can take the red pill: acknowledge that artificial intelligence will transform the practice of law and learn how to use it competently, ethically, and effectively.

This Article is for those who choose …

Who Wins? The Challenges And Potential Impacts Of State Courts’ Holdings In Fsu V. Acc, In Florida, And Acc V. Fsu, In North Carolina, Ethan Nickolaus Anagnos

University of Miami Business Law Review

Over the years, grant of rights (GOR) agreements have continually been the foundation for the transfer of exclusive rights between parties. In the ultra-competitive arena of the college football industry, these agreements have played an instrumental role in preserving and financing conferences and universities. Despite the prevalence of these GOR agreements, no university nor conference had ever attempted to challenge their validity before a court. That was until December 2023, when Florida State University (FSU) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) entered into a grueling and highly debated legal dispute regarding their GOR agreement, which is supposed to continue until …

Addictive By Design: Can States Regulate Social Media Algorithms In The Face Of Free Speech Challenges?, Niamh Kathleen Keane

University of Miami Business Law Review

The foe we did not know, the stranger that stole the show. Social media once presented itself as a friendly way to connect with loved ones through shared pictures and catchy captions. Yet, it has since shown its true colors; intentionally addicting its users—for its own financial benefit—and showing no remorse doing so.

Entranced, users set off on a digital journey, veering down paths they never imagined . . . Today, children as young as eight years old are exposed to extremely harmful content such as medically unsupported dieting techniques, substance abuse, and dangerous, life-threatening social media “trends,” all of …

Originalism Chokes: The 2024 Trump Cases, Lawrence Rosenthal

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

By 2024, a majority of the Justices of the Supreme Court had expressed the view that to be legitimate, constitutional adjudication must be based on the original meaning of the Constitution’s text. Anything else, these Justices have argued, is illegitimate judicial policymaking. Yet, in what were likely the two most critical and high-profile cases decided in 2024, the Court, including its avowedly originalist Members, made no use of originalism. In the first case, the Court faced the question whether a State could bar President Trump from running for President under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. In the second, the …