Digital Commons Network^™

‘Mic Fright’: The Dire Reality Of Employment Classification In Unscripted Television, Jessica A. Payne

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

Reality television has grown over the last near-century into both a staple of popular culture and an overwhelmingly lucrative industry. While the genre had a relatively innocent beginning, what shows have become is an increasingly extreme set of formats seeking to illicit shock, jealousy, and, above all, loyal viewership from its audience. These aims are driven entirely upon the participants who vie for a place within the cast to compete for love, money, and fame. However, the participants whom audiences adore or love to critique face significant barriers in their pursuit in addition to life-altering post-production realities; in part based …

Dynamic Displacement: How Algorithmic Rent Pricing Threatens To Exacerbate Barriers To Housing Voucher Use And Mobility, James W. Matthews

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

Tenant-based rental vouchers have long played a central role in efforts to expand affordability and economic mobility. Despite growing demand amid a deepening housing crisis, funding for federal rental assistance is under attack. Meanwhile, longstanding barriers, such as rising rents, source of income discrimination, and program design limitations, continue to restrict access to housing, especially in high-opportunity neighborhoods. These challenges are now compounded by the growing influence of private equity firms and other institutional investors, whose rapid acquisition of rental properties is reshaping the market by prioritizing extractive profits over affordability and tenant stability. At the same time, consolidation among …

Lend Me Your Interest Rates: Rent-A-Bank, Fintech, And True Lenders, Reeves Singleton

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

The rise of fintech has bolstered so-called rent-a-bank lending, a scheme through which online lenders partner with national banks in order to take advantage of the banks’ ability to “export” high interest rates to states with strict usury laws. This framework allows lenders to more freely target financially vulnerable populations with high-cost loans. Courts currently tend to consider three often conflicting doctrines to assess the legality of such loans. This Note first reviews these three strands of analysis: (1) the valid-when-made doctrine, which is the least protective of consumers and upholds a loan’s initial legality regardless of transfer; (2) the …

Poor Esg: Regressive Effects Of Climate Stewardship, Zohar Goshen, Assaf Hamdani, Alex Raskolnikov

BYU Law Review

The rise of inequality and global warming are the two ultimate challenges of our time. After decades of congressional failure to address climate change, the private sector has stepped in and adopted a set of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies as a market-based solution to a public policy failure. ESG advocates hope that corporate executives would save our planet. Where Congress failed, ESG will succeed.

This Article argues that if ESG-driven climate stewardship ever achieves the scale necessary to have a real impact on global warming, it will hurt the poor. Legislative interventions to combat climate change are nearly …

Leveraging Technology, Copyright, And Libraries To Benefit The Public Interest, Michelle M. Wu

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

Regulating Beauty: Advertising Restrictions, The First Amendment, And The Rise Of Social Media Models, Annie Miner

BYU Law Review

Unrealistic beauty standards in advertising have long raised concerns about their effects on body image and eating disorders, particularly for young women. While traditional means of advertising often use extremely thin models and digitally altered images, the shift in the advertising landscape towards an increased use of social media presents new challenges. Influencers have largely replaced models in advertising, and they often present unrealistic beauty standards, altered images, or dangerous eating and exercise habits to their young, impressionable audiences. In response to these concerns, several countries, including France, Norway, and Israel, have adopted regulations banning the use of ultrathin models …

Purpose-Driven Compliance, Veronica Root Martinez

Texas A&M Law Review

Whether it is a small brokerage firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or a multinational conglomerate head-quartered in New York City, organizations understand that they are required to fulfill a range of compliance obligations. Compliance programs today tend to have two important characteristics in common. First, the notion that perfect compliance is an impossible goal is a key component of the understandings and expectations of many firms’ compliance programs. Second, organizations have almost uniformly adopted compliance programs in areas where enforcement activity has been significant—like in the areas of antibribery and anticorruption, anti-money laundering, antitrust, …

Operational Responsibility In Ai Governance: A User-Centric Liability Framework, Zhengyang Chen

Faculty Publications

Who bears responsibility when artificial intelligence systems cause harm? This question has become central to AI ethics and governance. Most existing approaches focus on developers, yet this faces serious practical and theoretical problems. Drawing on tort law, agency law, and philosophy of technology, this paper argues that AI should be understood as an instrument whose outputs remain the responsibility of human operators rather than developers. We call this 'user-centric governance.' Placing accountability with deployers promotes public trust by creating clear lines of responsibility, a concern that governance approaches have often overlooked. It preserves democratic accountability by keeping human actors answerable …

Digital Judgment: Towards A Bloackchain-Based Recognition System, Avaskhan Z. Asanaliyev

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Blockchain technology offers judicial systems a transformative opportunity to enhance the efficiency, security, and transparency of court judgments. This article explores how blockchain-based judgment records could streamline recognition and enforcement procedures. Current methods for authenticating and recognizing judgments depend on slow, manual certification processes and state-specific rules. These approaches create administrative delays, expose systems to fraud, and struggle to keep pace with a digital, global legal landscape. In contrast, a decentralized ledger secured by cryptographic verification would deliver near-instant, tamper- proof records. This could significantly expedite cross-jurisdictional enforcement while upholding due process and reliability. The article reviews recent advancements in …

Why Libraries Matter Now More Than Ever To Democracy: Legal And Policy Issues Affecting The Future Of Public Knowledge, Margaret Chon

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Library Of Congress: The Federal Library Ecosystem As Democratic Information Infrastructure, Nancy E. Weiss

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

The Library Of Congress At A Crossroads: Executive Overreach And The Future Of Public Knowledge, Leslie A. Street, Amanda Runyon

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

The Library Of Congress’S Essential Role In Digital Preservation: Reconceiving Mandatory Deposit After Valancourt, Dave Hansen

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

As the published record shifts to digital formats, the mechanisms that have ensured long-term preservation are breaking down. Most libraries acquire digital materials through licensing agreements that prohibit preservation copying, format migration, and interlibrary loan—contractually overriding the exceptions Congress enacted in the Copyright Act. The Library of Congress occupies a unique position: Through statutory deposit under 17 U.S.C. §§ 407 and 408, it collects copyrighted works pursuant to federal law rather than license agreements, and deposited copies become federal property under § 704, free from contractual restrictions. This Article examines how the Library’s deposit authority can be strengthened after the …

How Licensing Compromised The Library, Aaron Perzanowski

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Federal Rule Of Evidence 707: Reliability And Transparency In Ai-Generated Evidence, Sara Williams

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

As artificial intelligence continues to become an increasingly common tool in the modern legal profession, it is important for the United States to not fall behind in regulating it. Artificial intelligence is being relied upon more and more to support modern trials, but the current Federal Rules of Evidence do not address AI specific concerns, such as a lack of traceability, non-reproducibility, or algorithmic reliability. This regulatory gap leaves attorneys and fact finders uncertain about how such evidence should be evaluated. This Article analyzes the current status of evidentiary rules regarding human and machine-generated expert witnesses and argues that the …

The Consequences Of Dobbs V. Jackson Women’S Health Organization, Kimber Garcia

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization came into effect in 2022, and the right to get an abortion was withdrawn for many birthing people; abortion care was no longer protected federally, and states could make their own legislation. This work reviews abortion care procedures, abortion legislation history in the United States, how religion and sexism influence legislation, and the negative effects of antiabortion legislation. The research finds that antiabortion legislation that makes it difficult or illegal to get abortion care inflicts health risks upon birthing people as well as a fear of prosecution. This fear extends to medical professionals, burdening …

Pembangunan Bertahap Sistem Hukum Komunitas Asean, Melda Kamil Ariadno, Yusuf Ausiandra, Lila Pratiwi, Aditya Nuriya Sholkhah Nuriya Sholkhah

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Pelanggaran Internet Marketing Pada Kegiatan E-Commerce Dikaitkan Dengan Etika Bisnis, Imas Rosidawati, Edy Santoso

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Masyarakat Sipil Dan Mekanisme Asean Intergovernmental Commission On Humang Rights: Studi Kasus International Human Rights Treaty Bodies, Hadi Rahmat Purnama

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Dampak Peraturan Tentang Impor Beras Terhadap Kegagalan Ketahanan Pangan Dan Kemiskinan Petani Di Indonesia, Sulhani Hermawan

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Kebijakan Dan Strategi Pengaturan Usaha Perikanan Dan Pengelolaan Wilayah Pesisir Di Teluk Jakarta Yang Mengacu Pada Kearifan Lokal Masyarakat Nelayan Tradisional, Afdhol Afdhol, M. Sofyan Pulungan, Bono B. Priambodo

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Perdagangan Berjangka Komoditi Dan Kajian Hukum Kontrak Derivatif Forex Dan Indeks Saham Asing Dalam Industri Perdagangan Berjangka Di Indonesia, Allysthia M. Renti D.

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Urgensi Fatwa Dan Lembaga Fatwa Dalam Ekonomi Syariah, Yeni Salma Barlinti

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Pengelolaan Konflik Pemanfaatan Sumber Daya Hutan Dalam Mewujudkan Hak Masyarakat Lokal, Agus Surono

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Dispute Settlement Body - Wto Dalam Penyelesaian Sengketa Perdagangan Internasional, Ade Maman Suherman

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Director's Duty To Employees: At The Borders Of Corpora Te Law And Labour Law, Hesty D. Lestari

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Eksistensi Hukum Adat Dalam Konstltusi Negara Pasca Amandemen Uud 1945, Yanis Maladi

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Politik Dan Birokrasi Dl Negara Bagian Sabah Malaysia (Studi Kasus Intervensi Pejabat Politik Terhadap Pejabat Birokrasi), Azhari Azhari

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

The Continuum Of Contractual Commitment, David V. Snyder

Pepperdine Law Review

Contracts frequently call for one or more differentiated levels of contractual commitment. Although contractual liability in the common law is said to be strict liability, and a claim that a good attempt was made is said to be no defense, often a party promises only to try. Contract theory in the United States struggles with departures from the paradigm of strict liability, and it has failed to fully consider the continuum of contractual commitment. To encompass the range of assent-based commitment and its consequent liability, U.S. contract theory needs to distinguish more clearly between (1) promises to try, which do …

Liberty In Death? An Analysis Of The Ethics And Laws Regarding Physician-Assisted Suicide, Ross Leavitt

DePaul Journal of Health Care Law

I seek to analyze physician-assisted suicide with the following two goals in mind: (1) Evaluating how ethical and legal arguments surrounding suicide developed throughout history and how they inform our understanding today; (2) What a regulatory scheme governing physician-assisted suicide looks like and if it can adequately safeguard the interests of the individual and the collective.