Digital Commons Network^™

Housing Justice Pipeline: Harnessing Housing Clinics To Transform The Right To Counsel Movement, Erica Braudy, Thomas Honan, Tuhfa Begum

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Part 4: Is It Better To Give Than Receive? Exploring The Distributional Dimension Of Virginia's Budget, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This chapter focuses on the distribution of intergovernmental finances in Virginia. Specifically, it analyzes the distribution of state-level public resources in the Commonwealth of Virginia that takes place as a result of state-to-local intergovernmental transfers. The analysis suggests that, as a result of the manner in which state revenues are collected and allocated back to localities, some Virginians contribute significantly more to the Commonwealth budget in taxes than they receive back in local benefits, while other state residents receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes.

2024 Annual Report Town Of Springfield, New Hampshire, Springfield Town Representatives

Springfield, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report For The Town Of Bedford, New Hampshire For The Year Two Thousand Twenty Four, Bedford Town Representatives

Bedford, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Teaching Client Counseling In The Shadow Of Homelessness, Gregory M. Zlotnick

Saint Louis University Law Journal

Working with clients at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness teaches personal and professional humility like few other experiences in law school or the practice of law. Yet such sensitive work also provides an opportunity for law students to develop both a keener understanding of their own professional identity—with its capacities and limitations—and critical counseling skills.

This essay draws upon experiences gained in three distinct law school projects that work with clients at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. After providing a brief overview of each project, the essay will explore methods used for training and supervising students during their counseling sessions, …

Bail-Ing Out Of Cash Bail: Navigating The Pretrial Fairness Act And Illinois’ Cashless Frontier, Sara Worrell

Saint Louis University Law Journal

Cash bail, once a tool intended to ensure appearances in court, has evolved into a system that disproportionately incarcerates marginalized and economically disadvantaged communities. This national reckoning with the failures of the cash bail system necessiates a critical reevaluation of pretrial justice in the United States. Calls for bail reform have been ringing across the nation and Illinois has answered.

This note critically examines the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA), a landmark reform in the Illinois SAFE-T Act which abolishes cash bail and restores the presumption of innocence to pretrial detention decisions in Illinois. In response to the systemic inequities of …

Annual Report Of The Town Of Albany, New Hampshire For The Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2024, Albany Town Representatives

Albany, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Goffstown, New Hampshire Annual Town Report 2024 For The Year Ended December 31, 2024, Goffstown Town Representatives

Goffstown, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Grafton, New Hampshire 2024 Annual Report, Report Of The Officers For The Year Ending December 31, 2024, Grafton Town Representatives

Grafton, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Narrative Report Of The Town Officers Of Amherst, New Hampshire For The Year Ending December 31, 2024, And Financial Records For Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2024, Amherst Town Representatives

Amherst, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

2024 Annual Report, Town Of Brentwood And Brentwood School District, Brentwood Town Representatives

Brentwood, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

2024 Annual Report Of The Officers Of The Town Of Plymouth, N.H. Year Ending December 31, 2024, Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2024, Plymouth Town Representatives

Plymouth, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Essays On The Effectiveness Of Diversion Programs In The United States Criminal Justice System, Tairy Ayon

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The United States criminal justice system is at a transformative time, with growing public support for reforms that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. In response to this shift, prosecutor-led diversion programs are being introduced in areas where they were previously absent and expanded with increased resources in regions already established across the United States. This dissertation measures the effectiveness of these programs in three ways and uses data from six diverse U.S. jurisdictions. In the first chapter, I focus on how age-based eligibility criteria shape participation in diversion programs and its effectiveness in reducing recidivism. To do this, I examine data …

The Expressive Power Of Protecting Intimate Privacy: A Comparative Study Of Legal And Platform Measures, Danielle Keats Citron, Jonathon W. Penney, Alexis Shore Ingber

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

State Recalcitrance Strategies For Resisting The Federal Government, Travis L. Letellier

South Dakota Law Review

States resist federal encroachments on their sovereignty. This recalcitrance has been buoyed by the renewed federalism jurisprudence of the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts. Research into state sovereignty typically arranges recalcitrance actions by the policy issue under discussion. This article takes a novel approach and instead evaluates state recalcitrance according to common strategies employed by political actors across the political spectrum. State recalcitrance strategies are categorized into four menu options: (1) Ignore It Exists, (2) Sanctuary Jurisdictions, (3) Pick a Fight, and (4) Political Posturing. The article recognizes these strategies are not mutually exclusive and concludes that the proposed menu of …

Why Community: The Potentials And Limitations Of Community Engagement In Restorative Justice, Emily P. Chauhan

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of community in restorative justice through both the criminologist and practitioner perspectives. Through investigating the limitations of the U.S. penal system, which ranks highest globally in incarceration rates yet fails to ensure public safety, the research investigates restorative justice as a victim-cantered, harm-driven alternative. It emphasizes how restorative justice redefines crime by focusing on healing and accountability rather than punishment of the criminals/harm-doers. This thesis examines how communities are essential to restorative processes and how restorative justice, in turn, helps to build communities. Drawing from case studies, models, and interviews this thesis questions the assumptions …

Are Cities Still Liberal? An Analysis Of Post-Pandemic Political Change In American Cities, Olivia Mundy

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates whether American cities are experiencing a political shift to the right in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as suggested by recent media narratives. Drawing on an original national survey of 2,385 respondents conducted in early 2025, the study examines attitudinal and demographic changes among urban residents, with a particular focus on ideology, trust in local government, economic perceptions, and views on race and immigration. Despite anecdotal evidence of conservative gains in urban elections, the findings show no significant trend toward conservatism among urban residents overall. In fact, urban respondents were slightly more likely than their non-urban …

Police Gatekeeping, Emily M. Poor

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

The role of policing in American society is more pervasive (and less visible) than many acknowledge. Police do not just patrol, arrest, and keep peace – they also gatekeep. Many and varied ostensibly non-criminal processes rely on police fact-finding to adjudicate claims, establish eligibility for resources, and take adverse action against individuals. This Article examines the phenomenon of police gatekeeping, both as a practical barrier to resources and remedies and as a hegemonic mechanism to construct the social conception of truth.

Recognizing the ways in which civil society relies upon police as gatekeepers of both practical resources and the social …

Developing New Methods For Quantifying Karenia Brevis In Florida Waters, Antonia N. Ferguson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), known as red tides, have long impacted Florida’s coastal ecosystems. Caused by the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, these blooms are named based on the characteristic red discoloration of coastal waters. Negative impacts of K. brevis range from fish kills, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and respiratory irritation in humans. Traditionally, K. brevis monitoring has been conducted weekly by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI) using light microscopy for cell identification and enumeration of collected water samples. However, this method is time-consuming, costly, and relies on deep taxonomic expertise for proper cell …

Crisis, Controversy, And Credibility: Rhetorical Appeals In Governor Desantis’ State Of The State Addresses, Victoria E. Laird

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper examines how Governor DeSantis has used rhetoric to advance his political identity and policy during the Florida legislative sessions from 2019 to 2025. Using rhetorical analysis, the study identifies linguistic techniques and persuasive devices that help shape DeSantis’s policy agenda and drive legislation. This study is important as it explores the ability of political figures to ground themselves in language and push political ideologies. The findings reveal a consistent emphasis on ethos while simultaneously appealing to unity, strengthen, and moral clarity. Over time, DeSantis’s rhetoric evolves from defensive to assertive leadership framed by appeals to national policy and …

Chicago Police Torture And The Limits Of Human Rights Enforcement In Liberal Democracies, Mark S. Berlin

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

From 1972 to 1991, a network of Chicago Police detectives used torture to force confessions from over 100 criminal suspects. Almost all were Black men, and many were wrongly convicted, some for capital offenses. I synthesize insights from comparative research on human rights, state abuse, and police violence in democracies to explain why, for nearly two decades, liberal institutions in Chicago failed to stop the torture. I argue that the nature of state violence in this case—targeting marginalized individuals uninvolved in political activity—intensified the practical, affective, and informational obstacles that are inherent to activating liberal institutions—courts, elected officials, media, and …

Local Governments, Pandemic Aid, And Community Violence Intervention, Amanda Kass, Philip Rocco

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Expenditures on police departments account for significant portions of local government budgets in the United States. Yet activism on police reform and changing views on the causes of violence have called into question law enforcement’s role in public safety. While intergovernmental transfers have historically supported traditional policing, the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSLFRF) affords cities the opportunity to disrupt the status quo by providing them with the federal funds and flexibility to reshape their public safety policies around Community Violence Interventions (CVIs). This article examines how 13 cities that participated in a White …

Women Spinning On The Edge: Finding And Redefining The “Spinster” In The Witches Of Discworld, Kathryn Ann Fitzmaurice

Masters Theses

The word “spinster” has undergone a series of evolutions over the past seven hundred years, first coined to describe the occupation of women engaged in the spinning of plant and animal fibers into thread and yarn in the Middle Ages and later a legal marital status designation used until the 21^st century. The connotation associated in social contexts became pejorative. This project’s tracing of the word spinster is used to set up the broader scope looking at how the spinster can be viewed as an archetype, what we can learn through the lenses of gender and feminist theory, and …

“You’Re Only As Good As Your Resources”: Exploring Virginia Police Chiefs’ And Sheriffs’ Decisions As Public Administrators To Engage In Community Collaborations With Domestic And Sexual Violence Agencies, Christine E. Wengloski

Theses and Dissertations

The collaborations between domestic and sexual violence victim-serving agencies (DSVAs) and law enforcement agencies help connect victims of crime to needed services. To maximize the benefits of these victim-serving initiatives in Virginia, it is imperative that victim-serving agencies understand the perceptions and factors that influence the decision-making of law enforcement administrators. In this study, I first present a theoretical framework of Herbert Simon’s Decision-Making Theory as a guide to understanding police chiefs and sheriffs as public administrators. A review of the literature demonstrates gaps in existing scholarship around chiefs’ and sheriffs’ decision-making about domestic and sexual violence victim-serving initiatives. Next, …

Into Thick Air: Adapting Cultural Practices Into Solutions For Modern Wicked Problems, Syed Muhammad Erzum Naqvi

Theses and Dissertations

Into Thick Air argues that cultural practices can inspire solutions

to challenging modern problems. This project employs the Basant

festival as a case study to critically reimagine kite flying as a

collective practice with the potential to contribute to the reduction

of air pollution in Lahore, a city consistently ranked among those

with the poorest air quality globally. By building kites from fabric

treated with nanoparticle coatings, Into Thick Air transforms a

traditional community activity into an accessible, citizen-driven

method for removing pollutants from the air. The treated kites

empower Lahoris to take charge of their environment while

encouraging collective …

Resistance: The Mura Struggle Against Canadian Potash Mining In Brazil’S Amazon, Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr), Federal University Of Rio Grande Do Sul, Graduate Program In Law (Ppgd/Ufrgs), International Human Rights Program (Ihrp), University Of Toronto Jackman Law, Observatory Of Socio-Environmental Law And Human Rights In The Amazon (Odsdh/Ufam)

CLIHHR Reports & Policy Submissions

A comprehensive human rights and environmental report documenting the Mura Indigenous people’s resistance to Brazil Potash’s Autazes Potash Project in the Brazilian Amazon. The report details environmental risks, human rights violations, failures in consultation processes, litigation history, corporate accountability, and the ongoing struggle for land demarcation.

Generative Ai Meets Section 230: The Future Of Liability And Its Implications For Startup Innovation, Megan E. Cistulli

The University of Chicago Business Law Review

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is testing the limits of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a statute that has long shielded online platforms from liability for user-generated content. This liability shield helped shape the modern internet, but AI’s ability to create its own content blurs the traditional distinction between platforms acting as passive hosts and those functioning as active publishers. As a result, courts and lawmakers are reexamining the scope and future of Section 230. This Comment examines how proposed reforms to Section 230 could impact startups and emerging tech companies that use generative AI …

2025 University Of Minnesota Morris Annual Security And Fire Safety Report, University Of Minnesota - Morris

Safety and Security Report

No abstract provided.

Wisconsin, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

In 2011, Wisconsin enacted a law known as Act 10, which dramatically narrowed the scope of public sector collective bargaining for all employees, except public safety employees. After the enactment of that decision, there were virtually no cases addressing mandatory subjects of bargaining for “general” governmental employees, i.e., non-police. Thus, this fact sheet will focus on statutory changes, with only a small number of cases.

Ohio, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

There were only four police cases that were in the categories that we analyzed. In those four cases, there was no deviation from the analysis in the non-police cases. The Ohio State Employment Relations Board (Board or SERB) has a “shadow docket,” where it decides most unfair labor practice cases in preliminary, unpublished decisions issued without hearing. This shadow docket accounts for the limited number of published decisions. Moreover, given the SERB’s widespread use of its shadow docket, it is difficult to determine how police and non-police collective bargaining differs. That said, one can still glean trends from the admittedly …