Digital Commons Network^™

Litigating For The Planet: How International Courts And Tribunals Converge And Diverge On Climate Change, Paul R. Williams, Greta Ramelli, Ryan Jane Westlake

Denver Journal of International Law & Policy

As the global community faces mounting repercussions of climate change and a narrowing timeline to avert irreversible environmental harm, the role of international law in climate change litigation has become increasingly critical. In recent years, hundreds of climate change cases have been filed against governments and corporations before domestic courts. The year 2023 marked an unprecedented rise in the engagement of international and regional courts with climate issues. Notably, the European Court of Human Rights and the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea recently expressed their views on the scope of state obligations concerning climate change under the …

Facial Recognition Technology And The First Amendment, Joseph A. Tomain

Michigan Technology Law Review

The growing ubiquity of facial recognition technology (FRT) is a problem. While much has been written on harmful government use of FRT, little has been written about harmful use by private actors. This Article helps fill that gap in the literature by providing a detailed analysis of the First Amendment interests at stake when private actors use FRT. Specifically, this Article analyzes whether laws that limit the use of publicly available photographs to create “faceprints” for inclusion in FRT databases violate the First Amendment rights of the private actors creating these databases.

In May 2025, a multidistrict litigation against Clearview …

Data-Driven Modeling Of Levee Failure: A State-Of-The-Art Approach For Integrating Artificial Intelligence Techniques With Hydraulic Erosion And Geotechnical Characterization, Haitham O. Saleh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Flooding is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the United States, often resulting in catastrophic damage to communities and infrastructure. The primary flood-protection structures, earthen dams and levees, are critical for mitigating these impacts. In Mississippi alone, there are over 2,800 dams and 3,750 miles of levees along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Of this, nearly 2,200 miles are along the mainstem Mississippi River, with the remaining levees situated along backwaters, tributaries, and floodways. Understanding the erosion behavior of these structures during overtopping events is essential for accurate failure prediction and risk assessment. This study focuses on …

Human Masters/Robot Servants: Highly Automated Vehicle Design, Intoxicated Drivers & Vicarious Liability, William H. Widen, Marilyn Wolf

Journal of Law and Mobility

A traditional engineering role is to design a safe product. Safety engineering is an exercise in harm avoidance ex ante. In contrast, liability attribution is an exercise to compensate for loss post hoc—traditionally viewed as a legal matter. We observe that, when a natural person incurs liability for a loss that exceeds insurance coverage, economic ruin can follow. Neither engineering nor law focus on the loss suffered by defendants considering law as a “safety risk.” The highly automated vehicle (HAV) design space, however, provides an opportunity to prevent this kind of economic harm from occurring ex ante just as attention …

Public Attitudes Toward The Nigerian Police: An Examination Of Trust Indicators At Micro Levels, Bassey Kooffreh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three studies that collectively contribute to understanding public trust in the Nigerian police. The first study applies three major policing theories namely performance theory, procedural justice theory, and social capital theory to explain the factors that influence trust in the police. The second study offers a comparative analysis of the predictors of public trust in both the police and the courts. The third study examines how individual quality of life, neighborhood structural characteristics, and civic engagement affect public trust in the police. Using nationally representative data from Afrobarometer Round 9, the first study reveals that citizens who …

Washington’S Crime Free Rental Housing Programs: A Two-Tier Housing Regime, Eric Strain

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Chanticleer | January 2025, Jacksonville State University

Chanticleer

No abstract provided.

Prevention Of Substance Related Deaths Through Mental Health Counseling, Lindsey Tout, Camille Zonfa

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: Substance abuse, particularly alcohol and drug use, remains a critical public safety issue in Ohio. Those suffering with abuse disorders are likely to often have accompanying mental health disorders, however, there lies a significant gap in treatment.
Objective: This study examines trends in alcohol-related driving deaths, drug overdose deaths, excessive drinking, and mental health provider availability from 2016 to 2023 in rural and urban counties of Ohio.
Methods: Data collected from the public source, County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, was analyzed using statistical methods to assess changes between 2016 to 2023 for the 88 counties of Ohio. Urban versus …

Rhode Island Criminal Justice Professional Development Needs Assessment Plan Of Action Report October 1st – 31st, 2025, Robert J. Hehl

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

In April 2025, Captain Joseph Coffey, (Ret.),Warwick Police Department, on behalf of the Rhode Island Governor’s Criminal Justice Policy Board (GCJPB), requested Professor Robert J. Hehl and Criminal Justice and Criminology (CJC) students of Salve Regina University to assist in the creation of an online survey to fulfill the need for data collection and analysis which would identify beneficial cross-agency criminal justice topics best suited for the TrainThe-Trainer (TTT) model framework as funded by the Public Safety Grants Administration Office (PSGO). Mr. Coffey also gathered data from 24 interviews and two focus groups in tandem with the online survey and …

Vitriol For The Masses: How The U.S. Government Uses Language Within Propaganda To Influence Citizens’ Opinions On Immigrants, G Smith-Rasmussen

CEG 450 Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies Capstone

Politicians do not directly express vitriolic words and beliefs; instead, they test the boundaries of what is accepted and slowly push the line until the hate becomes increasingly normalized. The United States government has similar goals in mind when pushing anti-immigration propaganda. The aim is to normalize harmful stereotypes and ideas of what immigrants are, to sway people into supporting their policies. The current immigrant population that is being heavily targeted is Latin immigrants. This paper aims to analyze how harmful the 2024 presidential administrations' language surrounding Latin immigrants is through discourse analysis.

Shedding Light On Secret Settlements: An Empirical Study Of California’S Stand Act, David Freeman Engstrom, Nora Freeman Engstrom, Jonah B. Gelbach, Austin Peters, Garrett M. Wen

University of Chicago Law Review

Catalyzed by the #MeToo movement, states have adopted a spate of laws restricting secret settlements—controversial contracts that shield misconduct from public scrutiny. In 2018, California led the charge with the Stand Together Against Non-Disclosure (STAND) Act, which targets secrecy in the resolution of sex discrimination, harassment, and abuse cases. In the intervening years, more than a dozen states followed suit with restrictions of their own.

Reigniting a decades-old debate, transparency advocates hail these reforms as a major win for victims. They celebrate STAND and its legislative progeny as a way to promote accountability, facilitate accuracy in case adjudication, and publicize …

The United States Healthcare System: From Medicare To Post-Pandemic Health Policy, William M. Sage

Faculty Scholarship

My purpose in this essay is to comment on national health policy in the United States over the past sixty years.  My conclusions are less optimistic than what I had hoped when I began my teaching and research career in the 1990s to be able to say in 2025.  In particular, the successful expansion of publicly supported health coverage via the passage of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA” or “Obamacare”) in 2010 seems to have triggered -- though I hesitate to say that it caused – a backsliding from broader commitments to clinical performance, population health, and social solidarity that …

Criminal Background Checks: Implications For Discrimination And Crime, Murat C. Mungan

Faculty Scholarship

Criminal background checks have recently attracted the attention of academics and policy makers alike. Recent laws and policies, like “ban the box” and expungements, focus on the availability of criminal background information as well as the permissibility of using this type of information. Quite surprisingly, policies about the content of the information –whose permissibility and availability are questioned by recent work– is not scrutinized as much.

In this article, I investigate the informational quality of existing background checks. For this purpose, I review the history and evolution of traditional criminal background checks. These checks rely on ‘rap sheets’ –documents containing …

Discord And The Pentagon's Watchdog: Countering Extremism In The U.S. Military, Amy Gaudion

Faculty Scholarship

In his 2022 book, Ward Farnsworth crafts a metaphor from the lead-pipe theory for the fall of Rome to consider how rage and misinformation traveling through today’s technology-enabled pipes are poisoning our civic engagement and threatening our governmental structures: “We have built networks for the delivery of information––the internet, and especially social media. These networks too, are a marvel. But they also carry a kind of poison with them. The mind fed from those sources learns to subsist happily on quick reactions, easy certainties, one-liners, and rage.”1 This Article carries the metaphor into a new context and considers what should …

Predictive Policing In Practice: A Case Study Of Chicago's Strategic Subject List, Stella Cheng

CMC Senior Theses

Technological advancements in big data and algorithmic modeling have contributed to the rise of advanced predictive policing techniques. Law enforcement agencies utilize these tools to predict and prevent crime before it occurs. However, these techniques have been the subject of extensive ethical debates, particularly regarding their potential to reinforce racial biases. This thesis provides a historical overview and analysis of a prominent example of people-based predictive policing: the Chicago Police Department’s Strategic Subject List (SSL) program. The SSL program revolved around an algorithm designed to predict individuals' risk of involvement in a shooting, using indicators such as co-arrest networks, age, …

The Impact Of Technology And Social Media On The Expansion Of Mexican Cartels' Power, Salvador Leon

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how Mexican cartels, particularly the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel, use technology and social media to expand their operations and influence. As these cartels evolve into more sophisticated criminal organizations, they leverage tools like encrypted messaging, drones, and social media to enhance recruitment, surveillance, intimidation, and propaganda. Through an analysis of news articles, government reports, social media content, and academic studies, the research focuses on two key areas: digital media manipulation and military-grade technology. The findings show that social media has become a powerful tool for cartels to assert dominance and instill fear, …

Fractured Simulacra: How Media Echo Chambers Shape Divergent Realities In Public Opinion, Nolan D. Windham

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis empirically investigates the relationship between exposure to time-varying partisan news content and individual policy attitudes. Combining individual-level Cooperative Election Study data (2020–2023, N≈68,000 for seven policy outcomes) with daily Fox News and MSNBC transcripts, I analyze how fluctuations in media narratives associate with public opinion. Leveraging large language models, I classify all relevant news segments by topic and ideological stance (liberal/conservative), generating daily time series of content volume and slant for each channel and policy issue. These series construct respondent-specific exposure measures based on self-reported viewership and 7-day rolling aggregates of media content preceding the survey interview date. …

Crown Prosecutors And Government Lawyers: A Legal Ethics Analysis Of Under-Funding, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Crown prosecutors and government lawyers are reliant on governments for their funding but exert no meaningful influence or control over such funding decisions. Nonetheless, this article demonstrates that as a question of law, under-funded Crown prosecutors and government lawyers risk violating their professional duties. If so, they must promptly inform the government, refuse new matters and, if necessary, withdraw from existing matters. If the government purports to block such refusal or withdrawal and does not provide adequate funding, resignation will become necessary. While law societies will likely not prioritize disciplinary action against such lawyers, the policy reasons to forego such …

Legal Ethics For Crown Attorneys On Appeal, Elizabeth Matheson, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

While there is extensive legal literature and case law addressing the role and ethical responsibilities of Crown attorneys, questions about that role and those responsibilities at the appellate stage are largely absent from the literature and somewhat scattered across the case law. In this article, the authors seek to address this gap by answering four key questions. The first is whether the ethical obligations of the Crown, as expressed in R. v. Boucher, apply at the appellate stage. Against the backdrop of this first question, the authors discuss when an appellate Crown may bring an appeal from an acquittal or …

Sentencing Vulnerability: Conceptualizing The Incorporation Of Personal Characteristics And Experiences At Sentencing, Adelina Iftene

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Social inequalities that lead to criminal conduct are often not considered in sentencing; individuals subject to structural inequities receive the same formal sentence as those convicted of like crimes irrespective of the latter’s social advantage. Individual characteristics may also affect how a sentence will be experienced by an individual. While Characteristics and Experience-Sensitive Sentencing (CESS) already exists in various forms and to various degrees in sentencing theory and praxis, a more cohesive, comprehensive, and principled CESS remains wanting. Building on existing approaches, this article locates CESS as a necessary response to equality-based concerns arising from current mainstream sentencing practice. Thus, …

Deportations And Debt: How The Trump Administration’S Immigration Policies Affect The United States’ National Debt Situation, James D. Webster

Honors Theses and Capstones

The value of the United States’ national debt measured as a share of its economic output, otherwise known as its debt-to-GDP ratio, is projected to reach an all-time high and continue to climb over the span of the next 30 years. This can be attributed to a combination of tax and spending policies which generate annual budget deficits as well as a projected slowdown of economic growth. A major factor contributing to this situation is the slowing growth of the labor force in the United States. As time goes on, the growth of the U.S. population slows, and immigration becomes …

Undergraduate Bulletin, 2025-2026, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Undergraduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Graduate Bulletin, 2025-2026, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Hr Newsletter, Minnesota State University Moorhead

HR Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Legislatures And Localized Resentencing, Ronald F. Wright, Kay L. Levine

Faculty Articles

Recent legislation, exemplified in statutes from California and Washington, creates new methods for resentencing defendants in old cases. These laws place controlling authority for resentencing in the hands of local officials, especially local prosecutors, and invite variation at the county level.

While some new procedural channels for reducing the sentences of people convicted of past crimes are mandatory, in that they entitle certain defendants to resentencing if they were convicted of certain crimes or were subject to certain penalty enhancements that are no longer valid, other statutes create discretionary resentencing channels. In the discretionary channels, the chief local prosecutor has …

Moral Panic Or Public Health Crisis? Lessons From Drugs And Gambling For “Addictive” Design, Matthew B. Lawrence, Haomin (Kevin) Yan

Faculty Articles

In her important book, Unwired: Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies, Gaia Bernstein illustrates the value of a comparative approach, drawing lessons from fights around the regulation of tobacco and ultra-processed food for the regulation of social media. Building on Bernstein’s work, this symposium contribution aims to draw additional insight from experience with drug and gambling regulation for the regulation of social media, video games, AI, and other potentially-addictive technologies.

Specifically, after introducing Bernstein’s book and the foundation it lays, we draw six lessons from the study of psychoactive drugs and gambling. As we elaborate below: Lesson one is that …

Environmental Racism In America: Minority Communities As Dumping Grounds For Environmental Waste, Shelly Taylor Page, Patricia A. Broussard

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

This Article explores the systemic and disproportionate burden of environmental hazards placed on minority communities in the United States. It examines the historical and contemporary practices of environmental racism, where Communities of Color, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latino populations, are more likely to live in areas with high levels of pollution, hazardous waste sites, and industrial facilities. The Article highlights the intersection of race, class, and environmental policy, showing how socio-political and economic factors contribute to the marginalization of these communities. It underscores the urgent need for comprehensive policy changes that address the immediate health risks and the long-term environmental …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of The Korean Dramas On Image Building And The Promotion Of Thai Tourism : A Case Study Of King The Land, Episode 10, Sopittha Sintutepparat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research aims to study and analyze the impact of the Korean drama King the Land on Thailand’s national image and tourism in various dimensions. The researcher collected data from two main sources: primary data and secondary data. The primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews with five individuals directly involved in the filming of Episode 10 of King the Land in Thailand, including one government representative, two members of the Thai production team, and two local business owners at the filming locations. The secondary data consisted of the content analysis of the drama, academic articles, research papers, relevant policies, …

Comparative Study Of Environmental Impacts Of End-Of-Life Management Approaches For Air Conditioners Using Lca., Viveha Sriskandaraja

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The amount of e-waste generated worldwide has surpassed 62 million tons, which has created consequences related to the management and disposal of e-waste. The primary concern regarding air-conditioners is waste management, as these units consist of plastics, metals, hazardous materials, and refrigerants. Improper disposal or leakage of refrigerants poses a significant greenhouse gas threat that accelerates climate change. The end-of-life (EOL) stage is often overlooked in the management of discarded air-conditioners. Therefore, this study focuses on filling the knowledge gap regarding the comparison of EOL management methods and analysing the effectiveness of regulated management methods. This study aims to use …

ความรับผิดทางอาญาอันเกิดจากการใช้รถยนต์อัตโนมัติ, อังสุดา ตั้งใจ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์เล่มนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อเสนอแนวทางในการกำหนดความรับผิดทางอาญาแก่ผู้มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้องกับการใช้รถยนต์ขับเคลื่อนอัตโนมัติที่เหมาะสมกับบริบทของประเทศไทย ผู้วิจัยมุ่งศึกษาแนวคิด ทฤษฎี และหลักเกณฑ์ที่เกี่ยวข้อง โดยเปรียบเทียบแนวความเห็นของนักวิชาการของต่างประเทศ รวมถึงมาตรการทางกฎหมายในต่างประเทศ เพื่อนำมาวิเคราะห์และเสนอแนวทางในการกำหนดความรับผิดทางอาญาแก่ผู้มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้องกับการใช้รถยนต์ขับเคลื่อนอัตโนมัติที่เหมาะสมกับบริบทของประเทศไทย การนำเทคโนโลยีปัญญาประดิษฐ์ (Artificial Intelligence) มาใช้ในระบบการขับเคลื่อนรถยนต์อัตโนมัติเพื่อช่วยอำนวยความสะดวกในชีวิตประจำวันอาจมีปัญหาเรื่องความปลอดภัยในการใช้รถยนต์ประเภทดังกล่าว โดยยังคงมีข่าวเกี่ยวกับอุบัติเหตุอยู่บ่อยครั้งซึ่งก่อให้เกิดความเสียหายแก่บุคคลอื่น หากมีความเสียหายอันเกิดจากการใช้งานรถยนต์ขับเคลื่อนอัตโนมัติในประเทศไทยสามารถนำประมวลกฎหมายอาญามาปรับใช้ได้อยู่บ้าง แต่อาจยังไม่เพียงพอเนื่องจากการใช้รถยนต์ขับเคลื่อนอัตโนมัติมีเทคโนโลยีซับซ้อนกว่ารถยนต์ทั่วไป ดังนั้น วิทยานิพนธ์เล่มนี้จึงเสนอให้ผู้ขับขี่และผู้ประกอบการรถยนต์ขับเคลื่อนอัตโนมัติมีความรับผิดทางอาญาสำหรับกรณีดังกล่าวไว้เป็นการเฉพาะโดยกำหนดให้ผู้ขับขี่มีหน้าที่ดูแลรักษารถยนต์ก่อนนำมาใช้งานและหน้าที่ในการควบคุมหรือแทรกแซงรถยนต์ขณะใช้งาน ส่วนผู้ประกอบการมีหน้าที่ผลิตรถยนต์ให้เป็นไปตามมาตรฐานด้านความปลอดภัย โดยกำหนดไว้ในประมวลกฎหมายอาญา ลักษณะที่ 6/1 อันเป็นลักษณะความผิดเกี่ยวกับรถยนต์ขับเคลื่อนอัตโนมัติ เพื่อทำให้เกิดความชัดเจน แน่นอน และสามารถอำนวยความยุติธรรมให้กับสังคมได้เหมาะสมยิ่งขึ้น