Digital Commons Network^™

To Protect And To Serve? A Phenomenological Exploration Of Interactions Between Black Transgender Women And Law Enforcement In The Midwest, Anthony Banks, Kelli E. Canada, Erin L. Robinson, Mansoo Yu, Lynn Mie Itagaki

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Current research indicates transgender women of color are experiencing what is being referred to as an “epidemic of violence.” Law enforcement personnel are in a unique position to mitigate this violence among transgender women of color, however past research shows that law enforcement may in some instances perpetuate already existing violence with this population instead of preventing and intervening in these situations. This study aimed to add to the limited research by using an intersectional theoretical framework to better understand these interactions. Research questions were answered using a phenomenological research design. Data from 36 semi-structured interviews with Black transgender women …

"This Is Not A Scam!": Assessment Of An Awareness Raising Program Tackling Older Adults' Scam Victimization In A Multi-Method Study, Katalin Parti, Pamela Teaster, Susanna Rinehart, Charles Dye

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Interactive theatre has long been used to educate and empower communities and prevent crime across all age groups. Although older populations are disproportionately victimized through fraudulent online schemes, effective educational interventions, like interactive theatre, have not been utilized to increase crime awareness. This paper describes an explorational research project, analyzing the results of a theatre-based fraud awareness program aimed towards educating victims and their communities about scams targeting older people. The study employs a mixed-method research design to examine program impact. In applying multifaceted tools of data collection, such as survey, participant observation, and follow-up interviews, the research team identified …

Aging On Parole: A Thematic Analysis Of The Parole Officer’S Perspective, Angela Murolo

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"A growing proportion of people leaving prison are over 50 years old and will live at least temporarily under the supervision of a parole officer. While recidivism rates are lower for older people, there are physical, mental, and societal challenges that accompany advancing age that make successful reentry and reintegration a challenging experience compared to their younger counterparts. This presents novel challenges for parole officers who are tasked with supervising and counseling elderly people on parole. Surveys containing closed and open-ended questions were administered to N=25 parole officers to understand the differences in working with, counseling, and supervising older and …

The Multi-Hatted Court: Community Courts As Boundary Organizations, Peter Dixon, Hadar Dancig-Rosenberg

Northwestern University Law Review

As a variety of the problem-solving court model, community courts have received significant scrutiny and debate. Do they help individuals by addressing the underlying needs that contribute to criminal behavior? Do they extend an unjust criminal legal system by making help conditional upon judicial involvement? This Article moves beyond such debates to ask how community court professionals and the communities who engage with them manage these and other tensions that are inherent to the model itself. As the second in a series of articles drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with diverse stakeholders at the Red Hook Community Justice …

Unveiling The Patent Landscape Of Biologic Drugs, Michael D. Frakes, Melissa F. Wasserman

Northwestern University Law Review

It is undeniable that the escalating price of biopharmaceuticals is a critical issue, as high prices limit patients’ access to life-saving medications and strain our healthcare system. Biologics, or large-molecule drugs, which are revolutionizing modern healthcare, are significantly contributing to the escalating cost of prescription drugs. While biologic drugs represent only 2% of all U.S. prescriptions, they comprise close to 50% of net drug spending.

Policymakers have proposed a series of interventions to decrease drug prices that target the patent practices of pharmaceutical firms. Yet due to differences in law, we have a robust source of patenting information for small-molecule …

Does Textualism Constrain Supreme Court Justices?, James J. Brudney, Lawrence Baum

Northwestern University Law Review

A principal justification for textualism is the constraint hypothesis. Conservative Justices and leading textualist scholars contend that—in stark contrast to reliance on legislative history—focus on the ordinary meaning of enacted text leaves little room for the Justices to be policy-oriented or ideological in their interpretations. This Article represents the first systematic study probing the validity of the constraint hypothesis, one that employs both quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The Article examines the Justices’ reliance on interpretive resources in over 660 statutory decisions in the field of labor and employment, decided by the Burger Court, the Rehnquist Court, and the Roberts Court—during …

The Bankruptcy Revolving Door, Belisa Pang

Northwestern University Law Review

The American consumer bankruptcy system is a costly regime with profound societal implications. Between 2008 and 2023, consumers filed 13.8 million bankruptcy cases across the ninety-four federal bankruptcy districts in the United States, generating over $4 billion in court filing fees alone. When accounting for attorney fees, trustee expenses, creditor costs, and broader economic externalities—such as increased interest rates borne by other consumers—the total financial impact easily reaches tens of billions, if not hundreds of billions, of dollars.

Against that backdrop, this study uncovers a startling phenomenon: nearly 46% of the consumers who filed bankruptcy in 2023 were repeat filers, …

Negligent Hiring: Recidivism And Employment With A Criminal Record, Benjamin Pyle

Northwestern University Law Review

This Article tackles a difficult legal and policy challenge— reducing the impact of criminal records on job applicants’ chances in a manner that does not spur more discrimination—by looking at how another area of law, tort liability, impacts employers’ decision-making. It uses theoretical and empirical methods to study the most common reason employers report being reluctant to hire workers with a criminal record: legal liability generated by the tort of negligent hiring. While the purpose of the tort is ostensibly to protect and make whole those harmed when an employee misbehaves in a foreseeable manner, I show that, in practice, …

The Vanishing Enforcer: Consumer Protection In An Era Of Dual Retrenchment, Alisher Juzgenbayev

Northwestern University Law Review

Recent developments, including reductions in the federal workforce, effective suspension of certain enforcement activities, and attempted centralization of independent agency rulemaking in the White House, have significantly weakened administrative agencies. This administrative retrenchment is concerning as private enforcement of a number of consumer protection statutes has been simultaneously curtailed through the Supreme Court’s decisions in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins and TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, which dramatically narrowed plaintiffs’ standing. These decisions rely in part on a vision of strong executive authority, positing that broad private standing conflicts with an Article II framework where a politically accountable President faithfully implements laws …

Turning Point: Usa, 2020 Election Denialism And Its Consequences, Zack George

University Honors Theses

Current President of the United States, Donald Trump interrupted the peaceful transfer for power for the first time in 250 years. In the typical study of the events surrounding this interruption, much focus is made on the events of the January 6th Capitol Riot. Firstly, this thesis examines the 2 months in the leadup to the 2020 election and how the Trump administration acquired and attempted to execute their plans to commit a self-coup, keeping the administration in power in the face of the election victory and transition to the Presidency of election-winner, Joe Biden. Secondarily, it will contextualize and …

Litigating With No Receipts: How The Denial Of Access To Trial Transcripts Denies People The Opportunity To Access Justice, Madisen Zent

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Mark Of Confusion: Untangling The Circuit Split In Trademark Infringement Jurisprudence, Amilcar Torres

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Broadcasting Bigotry: A Proposal To Revive Group Defamation And Hold Modern Media Accountable For The Disparagement Of Asian Americans, Dominic Roschival

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Disparate Impact Of The California Wildfires On Minority Communities: Exposing Environmental Injustice & Zoning Flaws, Jasmyn Hardin

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Tuah Much To Handle": Why The Current Oversight On Cryptocurrency Is Insufficient, Adam Gross

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Virtual Hearings, Tangible Consequences: Rethinking Remote Hearing Rules Adopted Amidst Pandemic Chaos, Elissa Jacob

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

To Vacate Or Not To Vacate: Partial Remedies And Mootness In Federal Habeas Of State Convictions, Jeffrey Greenbaum

University of Cincinnati Law Review

This Article addresses two related issues in the federal habeas of state convictions. First, it analyzes a circuit split that recently emerged over whether a state’s appeal would be moot after a federal district court grants habeas and a state vacates its own judgment. One view is that the state vacatur would render the appeal moot because the prisoner is no longer in custody. A second view is that the appeal would not necessarily be moot because a partial remedy could be available. Second, this Article identifies some courts conflating the language of a state’s vacatur in habeas and evaluates …

True Threats And Protected Speech In Counterman V. Colorado, David Crump

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Civil Rights Microviolations, Alissa Cooley Yonesawa, Michael Kagan

University of Cincinnati Law Review

This essay is an attempt to name and define a certain kind of civil rights problem. Namely: Rights violations that are small enough that the rational thing for the victim to do might be to just cope with them, but when allowed to fester and repeat, do significant damage. We call these problems microviolations. To define them, we borrow from the idea of a microaggression, a concept that developed to understand an analogous challenge in workplace and school discrimination. We offer a diagnosis of why microviolations are both problematic and difficult to address, and arguments that they should be a …

A Giving Tree Approach: Balancing Transparency And The Deliberative Process In Judicial Review, Anteo W. Chevere

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Town Hall Feminist Mobilization To Ensure Gender Justice In The Crimes Against Humanity Convention, Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr), Susana Sacouto, Indai Sajor, Amrita Kapur, Caroline Laporte, Juliana Laguna-Trujillo, Vanesa Sulimani

2025–2026 Flyers

This town hall event features feminist experts, activists, and movements in the upcoming effort to ensure the crimes against humanity treaty is gender-sensitive, intersectional and survivor-centered.

Town Hall: Gender Justice In Crimes Against Humanity Convention, Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr)

2026 Event Invitations

This town hall event will feature feminist experts, activists, and movements in the upcoming effort to ensure the Crimes Against Humanity treaty is gender-sensitive, intersectional, and survivor-centered.

After brief presentations by expert panelists on the process and key considerations for the treaty, the event will include an interactive session where participants can share insights, develop strategies, and mobilize to promote broad, cross-regional feminist participation at local, regional, and international levels. Join us in exploring how we can collaborate to make sure international law serves justice for women.

Destabilization Or Clarification: The Potential Impact Of Chiles V. Salazar On Nifla And Other First Amendment Jurisprudence, Zhihan Xu

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed the Minor Conversion Therapy Law (MCTL), a statute which prohibits mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy for minors. Three years later, Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor and addiction counselor, filed a pre-enforcement challenge and sought a preliminary injunction, alleging that the MCTL improperly abridges her First Amendment right to free speech. Colorado challenged her claim, arguing that the MCTL merely regulates professional conduct and only incidentally (and permissibly) burdens speech. Chiles v. Salazar will decide whether the MCTL is a speech restriction or professional regulation, and, if it is a …

Reflections On Judging At The Intersection Of Constitutional Claims And Public Policy, Kimberly J. Mueller

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Trial courts play an essential role in our judicial system. At the trial level, lived realities meet legal theories, and generalist judges must resolve constitutional disputes, develop the factual record, and administer justice. However, institutions, especially courts, face increasing pressure. This Keynote Address draws on cases over which I have presided to illustrate how careful process in trial courts helps maintain public trust in our institutions. These experiences reveal three lessons that trial courts teach us. First, the people bringing claims matter; they are real individuals seeking relief by telling authentic stories. Second, pleadings matter because they frame and shape …

Rethinking Ubuntu Philosophy In Nigeria's Environmental Law: A Pathway To Sustainable Plastic Pollution Regulation, Ndubuisi Augustine Nwafor

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Sea Changes In Sue-And-Settle Policy: The Tides Of Transparency And Expediency, Evan B. Fitzgerald

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Boots On The Ground, Toxins In The Water: A Look Into The Present State Of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination, Kaitlyn N. Helt

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Checkmate Or Stalemate: The Epa, California, And The Future Of Waivers Under The Clean Air Act, William B. Gale

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Inheriting The Mess: How Cercla Successor Liability Shapes The Landscape For Asset Purchase Deals, Liam N. Hudson

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Cels Alum Mixer, Cardozo Entertainment Law Society, Cardozo Fame Center

2025–2026 Flyers

The Folly

92 W. Houston St

Thursday March 12, 7pm