Digital Commons Network^™

I Have Some Reservations: Examining Whether Federal Rules Of Evidence 413 And 414 Serve Legitimate Purposes Of Punishment For Native American Defendants, Cameryn Gonnella

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This essay will analyze the legitimacy of Federal Rules 413 and 414 as applied to Native American defendants through the lens of the purposes of punishment: rehabilitation, deterrence, retribution, incapacitation, and restitution.

A New Look At Sex Offender Rehabilitation: Embracing Elective Chemical Castration, Alli Florence

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This essay analyzes the historical and modern use of castration efforts on sex offenders and advocates for federally supported, elective chemical castration as an effective means of rehabilitative treatment and relapse prevention post-incarceration.

Dykebreaking: The Homophobic Rape Of Lesbian Woman And The Next Frontier Of Hate Crime Laws, Mallory L. Harrington

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This article will explain the motivations behind homophobic rape by examining it as both a sex offense and a hate crime, before arguing that its unique status at the intersection of both categories of offenses places its victims in a particularly vulnerable position and situates those who offend in this way in a more serious category of offender than other sex offenders.

Brief Of Amici Curiae Fred T. Korematsu Center For Law And Equality, Service Employees International Union, American Federation Of Teachers, American Association Of University Professors, Center For Civil Rights And Critical Justice, Race And Law Centers, And Civil Rights And Advocacy Organizations In Support Of Plaintiff, Susan Godfrey Llp V. Executive Office Of The President, U.S. District Court For The District Of Columbia (Docket No. 1:25-Cv-01107-Lla), Charlotte Garden, Jeremiah Chin, Jessica Levin, Melissa Lee, Jim Davy, Robert S. Chang, Susan Mcmahon

Court Briefs

No abstract provided.

Alumni Updates - Spring 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Archive

The Spring 2025 alumni updates highlight notable achievements across the Cardozo community. Sixteen alumni were named to Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers list, while Rafael Castellanos ’86 and Seth Goodman Park ’91 received WESTY Awards. Chris Fenlon ’09 helped secure a record $34.5 million Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower settlement, and Adam Greenberg ’93 and Todd Hellman ’94 advanced to new law firms. Other updates include Eric Hochstadt ’03 being named Head of Antitrust Litigation at Orrick, Julie Levine ’14 joining Offit Kurman, and Mark Osherow ’88 publishing Florida Litigation Guide. These achievements reflect the broad impact of Cardozo alumni in law …

Diplomatic Asylum, Halil Rahman Basaran

Et Cetera

Diplomatic asylum is not part of general international law, although it has purportedly acquired a regional legal dimension in Latin America. Yet, even that regional legal dimension is inchoate. After the 2024 Ecuador-Mexico diplomatic asylum crisis, the International Court of Justice now has an opportunity to decide the fate of diplomatic asylum in the light of general international law. However, the International Court of Justice, as a conservative institution that focuses upon positive international law, is not expected to make any innovations in respect of the current state of diplomatic asylum within general international law. In the near future, diplomatic …

A Punishment That Harms Everyone And Benefits No One: An Analysis Of The Use Of Solitary Confinement Under Common Sociological Theories Of Punishment, Allison Lampert

Et Cetera

In the United States, experts estimate that nearly 100,000 incarcerated individuals are held in solitary confinement. While individuals can be held in solitary confinement for a variety of reasons, many are placed in lockdown because they have untreated mental illnesses, have committed some sort of minor disciplinary infraction, are need of protection, or for unpopular personal beliefs. In other words, solitary confinement is used as a broad catch-all to a wide range of low-level and nonviolent misbehaviors. This note argues that solitary confinement is an unjustifiable mode of punishment as analyzed under two commonly cited sociological theories of punishment: retributivism …

Supreme Court Case Study: The Variation In Rates Of Miscarriage Management Care And Post-Abortion Care Across The Us Before And After The Supreme Court Decision, Ted Sibrian Jr.

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The paper examines abortion care and the management of miscarriages following the Roe v. Wade decision in restrictive states that do not allow medical intervention due to the vague legal terms. This research evaluates the need to establish protocols for providers when faced with nonviable pregnancies requiring medical intervention. Additionally, the paper highlights the impact across the US on women’s health outcomes by emphasizing the care for miscarriage management. This multi-method paper reviews the current literature on miscarriage management and spontaneous abortion MarketScan® data from commercially insured individuals with an age range of 18-50 years old by regions across the …

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Csis), Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

April 24, 2025 presentation for Canada's GovInfo Day Spring 2025 hosted by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and Internet Archive Canada. Provides information about the publicly available information resources produced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) which is the Canadian Government's foremost national intelligence agency. Provides information about this agency's statutory organization, types of publicly available reports they produce, information about other Canadian government intelligence agencies, and parliamentary oversight of Canadian government intelligence operations. Lists additional resources for finding information about CSIS and explains the benefits of having access to these resources for users.

The Return Of Private Law, Anthony J. Sebok

Articles

Recent events offer a grim picture of the future of public law. In particular, President Trump’s assault on the administrative state seems destined to hamper the ability of agencies to protect the public in familiar areas such as drug safety, auto safety, environmental protection, and consumer protection.

The Jerome Project: Titus Kaphar’S Deconstruction Of Incarceration Aesthetics, Anna Edwards

Montserrat Student Scholarship

Titus Kaphar is a multi-media artist from Kalamazoo, MI whose major works include The Jerome Project, From a Tropical Space and Exhibiting Forgiveness. He is also the founder of NXTHVN art center. When searching for his father in prison databases in 2011, Kaphar found 97 other men with the same first and last name sparking this personal and activist multi-media project.

The Right To Gender-Affirming Care, Justin J. Soulas

Theses and Dissertations

As of recent, twenty-four states have enacted bans on gender-affirming care, restricting minors from accessing medically necessary treatment. Existing scholarship has begun to explore the profound impact of these bans on transgender youth, their parents or guardians, and the medical professionals who support them. However, the body of literature on this rapidly evolving issue remains limited. This thesis aims to fill that gap by offering a legal defense of gender-affirming care, grounded in judicial precedent. It argues that parental rights to make medical decisions for their children—recognized in constitutional jurisprudence—extend to decisions involving gender-affirming treatment. Additionally, it draws on anti-discrimination …

Brief Of Amici Curiae 775 Law Professors In Support Of Plaintiff's Motion For Summary Judgment And Declaratory And Permanent Injunctive Relief, Wilfred U. Codrington Iii, Haiyun Damon-Feng, Rebecca Ingber, Rachel Landy, Jacob Noti-Victor, Alexander A. Reinert, Anthony J. Sebok

Amicus Briefs

Amicus curiae brief submitted by 775 law professors in support of Susman Godfrey LLP's motion for summary judgment and request for declaratory and permanent injunctive relief in Susman Godfrey LLP v. Executive Office of the President. The brief argues that Executive Order 14263 unlawfully targets a law firm based on its clients, advocacy, and litigation activities, in violation of the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment, and Sixth Amendment. The amici contend that the order constitutes impermissible viewpoint discrimination, interferes with the right to counsel, and threatens the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law.

From Doing Business To B-Ready: World Bank’S New Rankings Represent A Rebrand, Not A Revamp, Fernanda G. Nicola, Dhaisy Paredes Guzman

Popular Media

In 2021, the World Bank shut down one of its flagship projects: the Doing Business index, a global ranking system that measured how easy it was to start and run a business in 190 countries. It followed an independent investigation that found World Bank officials had manipulated the rankings to favor powerful countries, including China and Saudi Arabia. The scandal raised serious concerns about the use of global benchmarks to shape development policy. Now, the Bank is trying again. In October 2024, it launched its newest flagship report, Business Ready. The 2025 spring meeting of the World Bank and its …

Pick Your Precedent: Bostock, Dobbs, And The Uncertain Reach Of Intermediate Scrutiny In United States V. Skrmetti, Molly Pines

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

The Supreme Court will yet again wade into highly politically charged waters this term when it decides United States v. Skrmetti, a case about gender-affirming healthcare for minors. More specifically, Skrmetti will decide whether SB1, a 2023 Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for individuals below age 18, violates the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The Tennessee Plaintiffs and the Biden administration, which intervened on their behalf, have argued that SB1 unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status. In response, Tennessee has argued that SB1 only uses age and medical purpose—not sex or transgender status—to delineate …

Married By Default, Erez Aloni

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This Article examines and critiques the global binary debate surrounding opt-in versus opt-out legal regimes for regulating unmarried cohabitants’ financial obligations upon separation. Using Canadian jurisdictions as a case study, it challenges the prevailing academic consensus that endorses opt-out systems as superior policy, based on assumptions that they are fairer, sufficiently preserve autonomy, enhance certainty, and particularly benefit women. Drawing on empirical research, the Article explores how couples engaged with British Columbia’s opt-out scheme. In-depth interviews suggest that default rules operate as quasi-mandatory, with opting out proving remarkably difficult. Moreover, the law often falls short of achieving the anticipated certainty …

If You Cannot Afford An Attorney, None Will Be Appointed For You: Exploring Rates Of Representation By Counsel In Texas Misdemeanor Courts, Andrew Davis, Shelby Sirivore, Victoria Smiegocki

Journal of Criminal Justice and Law

All misdemeanor defendants in the United States have the right to be represented by a lawyer if they are facing the possibility of incarceration. Yet implementation of that right is often left to local policymakers, and rates of non-representation (defendants proceeding without lawyers) vary enormously. Through an examination of data from Texas counties in 2019, we find non-representation rates were highest in the state’s poorest and most rural counties. But we also find signs that local policy choices matter. Counties with public defender offices, and those with less restrictive policies on financial eligibility for indigent defense services, appointed lawyers to …

Cultivating A Will To Serve: Applying Cultivation Theory To Understand The Effect Of Legal Dramas On Attitudes Toward Jury Service, Matthew J. Dolliver, Josie Leonhardt, Emily Pedigo

Journal of Criminal Justice and Law

Despite being a pillar of the American legal framework, response rates to jury summons remain low, particularly among minorities. Prior research has focused on structural factors contributing to these low rates. Yet, little research has examined citizens’ willingness to engage in the process. At the same time, research on Cultivation Theory suggests some types of consumption are associated with an increased desire to work in the Criminal Justice System. This study explores the impact of media, including news, social media, and legal dramas, on citizens’ disposition toward juries, including beliefs about the importance of juries and willingness to serve on …

The Legal Cybersecurity Crisis: Potential Resolutions And Artificial Intelligence Implications, Ava R. Warrick

Senior Honors Theses

As cybersecurity becomes more relevant in the digital age, law firms have overlooked protections from cyberattacks, and this neglect has led to irreversible client data breaches. This thesis sought to investigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities in law firms and to theorize potential solutions using a literature review methodology. The research questions for this project are: What are the most effective cybersecurity protections for United States law firms, and should those cybersecurity protections utilize AI-based systems? In response, this thesis posits three claims. First, the central factors that contribute to inadequate law firm cybersecurity are as follows: lack of governmental oversight over legal …

Let Them Eat Cake: Eroding Article Iii To Perpetuate The Student Loan Crisis In Biden V. Nebraska, Anthony R. Gonzalez

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

No abstract provided.

The First Of All Freedoms: Free Speech, Antisemitism, And Lessons For The Jewish Community From The Dreyfus Affair, Jacob Burns Center For Ethics In The Practice Of Law, Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr), Joel Swansin

2025 Event Invitations

Join us for a thought-provoking talk with Professor Joel Swanson of Sarah Lawrence College as he explores the intense debates over free speech and its boundaries within the French Jewish community during the Dreyfus Affair. At this pivotal time, French Jews debated extensively the question of whether there should be limits on speech in the name of protecting the Jewish community. By examining these historical debates and their outcomes, Professor Swanson will highlight parallels with the current discussions surrounding American Jews, pointing to historical precedents for lessons about how to approach current controversies. This event

Trump V. Casa, Inc.: Brief Of Scholars Of Constitutional Law And Immigration As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondents, Samuel Erman

Appellate Briefs

Amici are law professors whose research focuses on constitutional law and immigration. Amici have an interest in ensuring that the Fourteenth Amendment is interpreted in a manner consistent with its text and history, and accordingly have an interest in this case.

From 180 To 30: A Case For Shortening The Asylum Ead Clock, Faith Hegstad

Immigration Law Blog

This article explores the challenges posed by the mandatory 180-day wait for work authorization for asylum applicants in the United States, and evaluates the potential solutions offered by the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act and the ASPIRE Act. Although these proposed bills have expired, this article posits that Congress should pass future bills modeled after either the ASPIRE Act, the House version of the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, or both.

We Give Laws A Bad Name: An Empirical Examination Of How Misleading Law And Pac Names Pollute Legal Perception, Brian Sheppard, Andrew Moshirnia, Charles Sullivan, Brian C. Jones

Texas A&M Law Review

Journalists and commentators have dismissed acronym-titled laws like the SAFE Act (Secure Access to Firearms Enhancement Act) and slogan-based political action committee (“PAC”) names like Americans for America as window dressing concocted by uncreative political operatives. Beyond the fact that law titles and PAC names have become punching bags in the press, they share another quality: they both appear with frequency in political ads about ballot initiatives and sometimes appear on ballots themselves. Because of their salience in election and voting scenarios, law titles and PAC names have been used tactically in an apparent effort to increase the memorability or …

Lessons From Walker V. State: Institutional Reform Litigation And The Right To Dignity In Montana, Hannah Good

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Investiture Remarks, Anthony D. Johnstone

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Attitudes On Solitary Confinement, Emily Dewey

Undergraduate Theses

Solitary confinement is widespread and recognized as harmful in society. However, it is not as researched as other controversial issues, including immigration, gun control, abortion, etc. Due to this, it is hard to gauge how supportive the public is or isn't of related practices. In a general sense, public support has been established by legislators crafting policy, and by extension United States Supreme Court decision making. This is particularly crucial in discussions on interpretations of the 8th Amendment/ cruel and unusual punishment. Existing case law, such as Peoples V. Fischer, found that solitary confinement was arbitrary and needed reform, including …

Significant Montana Cases, Lauren Halverson, Lauryn Lamp, Collin Stetzner

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Changemakers: Susannah Johnson : L'25 : Charting A New Course : From Navy Officer To Legal Advocate, Jane Govednik

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Rodrigo's Extra Credit Assignment: Can Pleadings Be Both Plausible And Fair?, Richard Delgado

Texas A&M Law Review

Critical race theory has enabled followers to understand some of the twists and turns of racial history and the rise and fall of constitutional values such as equal protection. But does it have anything useful to say about blackletter subjects such as civil procedure?

In the following chronicle, Rodrigo and his straight man, “the Professor,” discuss whether legal storytelling and narrative analysis can counteract one source of unfairness in our procedural system.

Meeting by chance during a routine errand by the Professor, the two discuss Iqbal, Twombly, and the heightened plausibility requirement they impose for filing a complaint …