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2026 May, University Of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School Of Law Commencement

Commencements

Program for the Spring convocation of the 114th commencement of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at Memphis, Tennessee, held at The Orpheum on May 17, 2026.

Climate Lies And Unjust Profits, Vanessa Casado-Pérez, Yotam Kaplan, Yael Lifshitz, Niv Meyerson

Emory Law Journal

The climate crisis has reached a dangerous tipping point. Our dependence on fossil fuels continues largely unchecked, reinforced by corporations that use their influence to block reform and protect their profits. At the same time, the federal government has dismantled critical environmental safeguards, including by rescinding the greenhouse gas endangerment finding and rolling back vehicle emission standards. Together, these actions threaten to strip away some of the last protections standing between us and escalating climate catastrophe.

In this grim landscape, communities across the nation are turning to the courts with renewed urgency, seeking justice and reform through climate litigation. Yet, …

Driving Employee Engagement Across Sectors: Current Evidence And An Agenda For Future Research, Taha Hameduddin, Kerstin Alfes, Adrian Ritz

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications

Employee engagement has emerged as a critical employee attitude linked to employee motivation and organisational performance and has successfully embedded itself in governments around the world. Apart from a few exceptions, however, much of what we know about engagement does not attend to the institutional context of public institutions and whether private-sector theories and approaches to driving employee engagement work well in public sector organisations. To address this gap, we systematically review the evidence on antecedents of employee engagement, and determine whether and how sectoral differences may matter. We then discuss the findings and contextualise the debate surrounding the employee …

The Prevalence And Predictors Of Experiences Of Beauty In 22 Countries: An International Assessment Of Aesthetic Appreciation In The Global Flourishing Study, Young Il Kim

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

Experiences of beauty (EoB) are an important aspect of wellbeing for many people. However, there is relatively little understanding of factors associated with EoB, especially cross-nationally. We thus present the most comprehensive international study to date on this topic, assessing an item in the Global Flourishing Study (GFS): “Do you regularly experience things that you consider beautiful? This may include physical beauty or abstract beauty like that found in music, art, or nature.” The GFS is a five-year (minimum) panel study investigating the predictors of flourishing across 22 countries, with this item featuring in the Wave 1 “mid-year” survey (N=131,487). …

Consumer Perceptions Of Farmers Market Performance: A Comparative Analysis Across States And Age Groups, Azita Varziri, Timothy A. Woods, Shuoli Zhao

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has invested in direct-to-consumer initiatives to expand local food consumption and enhance farmers market opportunities. To evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts, this study employs a sample-selected ordered probit model to analyze consumer perceptions of farmers market performance across four states in the Southeast United States. Specifically, we examine differences in awareness and performance of product quality, diversity, and market infrastructure. Awareness and perceptions vary significantly by age, other demographics, and state. These insights provide market organizers and policymakers with data-driven strategies to tailor marketing efforts and improve engagement across diverse consumer segments.

Mad Or Uncontrollable? Reading Female Madness In Three Gothic Texts, Amy Marie Bueno

Dissertations and Theses

My thesis employs comparative close reading framed by disability studies to analyze representations of female madness in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, and Isabel Allende’s “If You Touched My Heart.” Drawing on theories of socially constructed disability, it argues that Bertha, Antoinette, and Hortensia are framed as “mad women” not through inherent pathology, but through patriarchal violence, colonial domination, and institutional power. By integrating the social model of disability with feminist theory, this thesis examines how women are rendered disabled within societies influenced by Social Darwinism and eugenic ideologies.

This thesis further incorporates Gothic theory and …

An Analysis Of The Dpa And False Claims Act In The United States V. Colas Djibouti Case, Sophie Perret

Dissertations and Honors Papers

This thesis examines the February 2021 dual enforcement action against Colas Djibouti SARL - a Deferred Prosecution Agreement resolving criminal wire fraud charges and a parallel civil settlement under the False Claims Act - arising from the supply of substandard concrete and falsified laboratory results on United States Navy construction contracts at Camp Lemonnier, Republic of Djibouti. It argues that the resolution is at once a doctrinal success and a structural failure. Doctrinally, the case illustrates the expanding reach of U.S. federal enforcement over foreign subsidiaries operating in high-risk jurisdictions: the wire fraud statutes supplied jurisdiction where territorial principles would …

T.H. V. The Czech Republic: A Step Forward Or Back For Lgbtq+ Rights And Discourse In Europe With The First Openly Non-Binary Applicant?, Katherine Olsson

Human Rights Brief

On December 9, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued a final judgment in the case of T.H. v. The Czech Republic.  The case concerned a non-binary individual, T.H., who was assigned male at birth and, since May 2012, had repeatedly petitioned to change their sex/gender marker and personal numerical code on their national identity card.  Because the Czech system does not provide for the option of a neutral gender marker, T.H. petitioned to have their registered gender changed to female.

Contested Authority: The Legal Framework For Ultra Vires Sovereign Debt And Its Implications For Public Debt Transparency, Sebastian Grund, Roshak Momtahen

Emory International Law Review

Despite the absence of a dedicated legal or institutional framework governing sovereign debt, the interests of government debtors and their creditors are balanced through a plethora of private and public ordering mechanisms. This Article examines “ultra vires” debt, or debt issued beyond the powers of the issuer, as a crucial element of the debtor-creditor relationship, and a potential source of tension. It describes a situation whereby a sovereign issues a financial obligation in violation of its own domestic laws. As recent high-profile lawsuits involving Venezuela and Ukraine have shown, the legal consequences of ultra vires sovereign debt issuance are …

Consensus Decision-Making: Decision-Making Model Of Chinese Constitutional Review, Songfeng Li

Emory International Law Review

The judgment model of constitutional review in China adopts a consensus-based judgment model involving multiple stakeholders, including review authorities, drafting authorities, relevant interest parties, and the general public. Through multi-level, multi-stage, and multi-round interactive communication and negotiation, consensus is reached on constitutional judgments. This judgment model aligns with the power division political system under the NPC system, reflecting the institutional concept of people’s sovereignty and the cultural foundation of valuing harmony. It is also a result of the decentralization of constitutional review authority leading to insufficient power for actual reviewers, the parallel nature of factual and normative judgments in constitutional …

Corporate Culpability And The Tragedy Of The Commons: Extraction And Enforcement Schemes In Brazil And Nigeria, Jane Ijeoma Onuoha

Emory International Law Review

Natural resources that were abundant decades ago are now at an all-time low. Meanwhile, corporations continue to benefit from using the Earth and its resources for their profit. Rather than enforcing established legal frameworks designed to protect the environment and human rights, governments often allow corruption, control, and competition to create opportunities for gain through complicity. In countries like the Federative Republic of Brazil and in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the effects of inaction are taking a toll on the natural resources that each country relies on. Multinational corporations are not held accountable for their corrupt and illegal extractive …

From Russia Without Love: A Unique Path Forward For Western Asset Holders Looking To Recover Expropriated Property In Russia, Anthony Liberatori

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Chelsea Football Club, Sean Baker’s Academy Award-winning film “Anora,” and billionaire parties in St. Barth’s: the rapid rise of Russian capital since the collapse of the Soviet Union has permeated international popular culture and underscores the modern global economy. However, Vladimir Putin’s invasions into Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 have caused the international community — particularly the West — to sanction Russia, challenging its place in an increasingly globalized supply chain, and harkening anti-Russian sentiment not seen since the Cold War. In response to sanctions, Russia has begun nationalizing Western assets left behind within its borders, leaving company owners scrambling …

Taxation And The Fair And Equitable Treatment Standard In International Investment Arbitration, Jiangfeng Li

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The recent decade has witnessed an increase of cases in which foreign investors have challenged host states’ taxation measures in international investment arbitrations, arguing that they violated investment treaty protection standards including fair and equitable treatment (“FET”). After conducting a close examination of cases involving taxation-related claims in international investment arbitration, this article reveals that in the cases involving the host states’ taxation measures, the ability of investors to invoke FET claims is very limited, and the chances of foreign investors succeeding in protecting their investment interests through FET claims are much lower compared to other types of non-taxation-related claims. …

Presidential Power And Global Finance: The Rise And Limits Of Financial Warfare, Michael Glanzel

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The president’s power over global financial transactions has become one of the most potent tools in America’s foreign policy arsenal. Since the outbreak of World War I, presidents have frequently employed financial instruments to coerce or punish foreign actors. But it was President Biden’s employment of financial weaponry in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that represented the most complex and far-reaching exercise of presidential power in global finance. From weakening the Russian central bank’s access to the dollar market, to cutting off key Russian financial institutions from American lenders, to deplatforming Russian entities from the Society for Worldwide …

Family Law—When Equity Isn’T Enough: The Case For Clearer Standards In Family Law—Cavanagh V. Cavanagh, 267 N.E.3d 574 (Mass. App. Ct. 2025), Brianna Conlon

Suffolk Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Factors Influencing Electric Vehicle Adoption In Indonesia: Ev Owners’ Perspectives, Desrina Yusi Irawatia, Nur Aini Masruroh, Nur Mayke Eka Normasari

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Indonesia remains markedly below policy benchmarks. This study applies the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology version 3 (UTAUT3), an extension of UTAUT2 that incorporates personal innovativeness as an additional construct to examine its impact on both behavioral intention and actual EV adoption within the Indonesian context. Unlike studies that typically survey the general public, this study focuses on actual EV users and owners, providing more representative and responsive insights into real-world EV usage. A total of 208 respondents participated, with 135 from the Jabodetabek area and 73 from Surabaya. The UTAUT3 framework …

State Complicity And The Threshold Of Knowledge: From Fragmentary Evidence To Evidentiary Saturation, Christina Bradic

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2007 judgment in Bosnia v. Serbia turned on evidentiary gaps. Although the ICJ recognized that genocide had been committed at Srebrenica, it declined to hold Serbia complicit, reasoning that the record did not prove awareness of genocidal purpose. Intelligence was piecemeal, contemporaneous witnesses were scarce, and the ICJ refused to infer knowledge absent direct proof.

Two decades later, the evidentiary environment looks radically different. In October 2024, ninety-nine American healthcare professionals who had volunteered in Gaza sent an open letter to the White House reporting that children with gunshot wounds to the head or …

Institutional Authority Without Ratification: Rethinking International Organizations’ Governance In The Post-Treaty Era, Izadora Coutinho

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This Article examines the growing normative authority exercised by international organizations through informal governance mechanisms that operate without treaty ratification or formal consent. It argues that international law is undergoing structural transformation: global standards increasingly emerge from flexible, network-based arrangements rather than negotiated treaties. Using the OECD/G20 Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) Rules as a case study, this Article illustrates how nonbinding instruments can generate de facto binding effects. Their adoption by numerous jurisdictions reflects systemic incentives, reputational pressures, and tax base erosion threats. While such mechanisms enhance flexibility and responsiveness, they also raise significant concerns about legitimacy, sovereignty, and accountability. …

Opening Address For The American Society Of International Law 2025 Midyear Meeting: "No Liberty Without An Independent Jury", Hon. Leo M. Gordon

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Child Welfare And Global Governance: A New Framework For Cross-Border Accountability, Megan Ryan, Bailee Gibbs

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child has long failed to adequately protect all children, such as those separated from their families due to detention, deportation, exile, imprisonment, or death. Although Article 9(4) of the UNCRC imposes obligations on States when separations occur due to the actions of State Parties, a clear gap exists between these obligations and their implementation. Specifically, Article 9(4)’s effectiveness is often undermined by obstacles such as tensions between State sovereignty and international law, insufficient domestic measures, and weak enforcement mechanisms for holding States accountable. This Article discusses these obstacles, presents two case studies …

Sharenting And Child Rights In The Age Of Platform Capitalism, Christiana Essie Sagay, Unyime Abasi Odong

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

The boundaries between private life, work, and visibility have become increasingly blurred in the digital age. Nowhere is this more evident than in the phenomenon of sharenting, a portmanteau of “sharing” and “parenting,” where parents routinely post images, videos, and personal narratives of their children on social media platforms. While often framed as acts of familial affection or digital memory-keeping, sharenting implicates commercial content creation and positions children as de facto participants in global digital labor markets. In this context, childhood increasingly unfolds within algorithmic and economic contexts that transcend domestic boundaries and challenge conventional legal norms, protections, and understandings …

Mapping The Invisible: A Topology Of De Facto Amnesties And The Shifting Landscape Of Accountability, Francois Naaman

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This article introduces the concept of de facto amnesty as a distinct category within transitional justice. While international law has increasingly restricted de jure amnesties, it has paid less attention to informal or structural practices that foreclose accountability in fact. Such practices, whether extensions of statutory amnesties, tacit political bargains, or systemic enforcement failures, have often been tolerated, and at times legitimized, by international actors. Without a clear framework, they risk being conflated either with impunity or with legitimate reconciliatory measures. The paper proposes a working definition of de facto amnesty and a five-step diagnostic method for its identification. It …

The Role Of International, Regional, And Domestic Courts In Transitions Toward Peace And Security, Milena Sterio

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Over the past several years, we have witnessed tremendous violations of international law in situations of conflict and mass violence by both state and non-state actors. In Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have experienced severe persecution and have been forced to flee to the neighboring state of Bangladesh. In Sudan, military groups such as the Rapid Support Forces have been committing serious international crimes in the Darfur region and elsewhere. In Ukraine, Russian forces have targeted civilian objectives and have forcibly abducted children. And in Gaza, Israeli forces have been engaged in various violations of international law over the …

Challenging National Security List Designations In U.S. Courts, Ruowen Shi

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

National security list designations have emerged as a prominent feature of U.S. foreign policy, directly targeting individuals and entities through administrative channels. Programs such as the SDN List, the Entity List, and the 1260H List deliberately restrict access to financial resources and critical technologies, functioning in practice as de facto sanctions. These lists span a regulatory spectrum, differing in statutory bases, policy objectives, and severity of consequences, but all share the common feature of making delisting extremely difficult. A series of cases demonstrates that such barriers stem primarily from the limited applicability of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) in the …

Consumer Responses To Ethical And Privacy Concerns In Ai Chatbots: Evidence From Offensive Language, Gender Bias, And Digital Privacy, Jikhan Jeong

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the rapid innovation of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, AI chatbots have become increasingly influential computational social systems (CSS) in everyday life. However, the expansion of interactions between AI chatbots and consumers has raised significant ethical and privacy concerns. Using data from an online survey, this study empirically examines how consumer concerns about AI ethics and privacy influence their intention to use AI chatbots. These concerns are categorized into three types: 1) offensive language (generated by AI chatbots or users); 2) gender-biased language (from either source); and 3) digital privacy violations. The findings suggest that prior experience …

Gentry V. Thompson, E.D. La.

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Corporate Mergers And Acquisitions On Performance From The Perspective Of Growth Pressure, Jiandong Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Against the backdrop of economic volatility and intensified industry competition, firms generally face multidimensional growth pressures, including historical growth pressure, social growth pressure, and market competition pressure. Growth pressure is not only related to firms’ operational stability, but also profoundly influences their strategic choices, particularly merger and acquisition (M&A) behaviour.Grounded in performance feedback theory, this study constructs an integrated analytical framework encompassing growth pressure, M&A strategic decisions, and M&A performance, and systematically examines how different types of growth pressure affect firms’ M&A decisions, as well as how M&A performance varies across different firm characteristics and different types of M&A.

The …

Into The Fire: An Examination Of Violence In Reconstruction Texas, 1865-1868, John Gorman

The Griot - Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc.

This article examines the scale, patterns, and political implications of racial violence in Texas between 1865 and 1868, arguing that white terror functioned as a systematic effort to suppress Black freedom and restore antebellum racial hierarchies. Drawing on Congressional testimony, Freedmen’s Bureau records, and the 1868 Report of the Special Committee on Lawlessness and Violence in Texas, the study reveals that violence was not random but structured along social, labor, and political lines. Murders, whippings, intimidation, and organized attacks—such as the Millican riot—intensified when freedpeople asserted labor autonomy or political rights. Despite nearly 900 reported murders, convictions were exceedingly rare, …

Disrupting Power Dynamics In The Archives: The Digital Pv Panther Project, Gatekeeping, And The Texas Black Cooperative Extension & Home Demonstration Collection, T. Dewayne Moore, Evelyn Todd

The Griot - Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc.

This article examines the Texas Black Cooperative Extension & Home Demonstration Collection at Prairie View A&M University as both a major recovery of twentieth-century Black rural history and a contemporary intervention into archival power. Funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, the Digital PV Panther Project employed undergraduate and graduate students to process sixty-three county-level finding aids, 163 archival boxes, and more than 3,200 folders documenting segregated Black Extension work from 1923 to 1963. Beyond preservation, the project challenges long-standing regimes of archival gatekeeping. Drawing on critical archival studies and Black Digital Humanities scholarship, the authors argue that …

The Role Of Socioeconomic Development In Preventing Violent Extremism, Caelan Stewart

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.