Digital Commons Network^™

Countering Negative Language Attitudes: Adopting A Critical Multidialectal Approach To Language Teaching, Farah Ali, Kristen Terry, Rebecca Pozzi, Chelsea Escalante, Tracy Quan, Xinye Zhang

Global Language Studies Faculty publications

Language attitudes have been recognized as an important area of study in sociolinguistic research (Evans & Preston, 2023; Preston, 2013), and the consequences of prescriptive ideologies and negative attitudes toward non-privileged varieties extend to language instruction. These ideologies regard certain uses of the language as unacceptable if they diverge from what is considered the “standard” variety, established through linguistic imperialism and a colonial heritage (Benaglia & Smith, 2022) and perpetuated by linguistic authorities. Adherence to a prescriptive perspective without questioning its ideological and discriminatory function leads to the reproduction of a “deficit perspective”, in which those who use alternative varieties …

Collins Aerospace Automated Pressure Switch Tester, Joseph C. La Barbera, Kevin Cordero, Brenda Sanchez, Molly Bramm

Honors Capstones

For aerospace companies like Collins, pressure switches are crucial for safety, precise control, and reliability. As such, thorough testing of these switches is an essential step in Collins’ manufacturing workflow. However, current testing regimes suffer from several critical drawbacks. Firstly, they require constant manual supervision, costing precious time and manpower. Existing systems are also only able to test one single switch at a time, which creates backlog and delays. Lastly, current testing equipment has poor integration with the Collins digital ecosystem, hindering the utility of these devices. To solve these design challenges, a new system is required that is self-operable, …

A Restoration By Mangroves: Marilao And Pasig River Plan For Restoration, Julian Luis Flores

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper discusses the restoration of the Pasig Rivers of the Philippines using the wondrous magic of mangrove trees to bring back various aquatic, flora, and bird species. The Pasig River was once the Philippines’ most beautiful river, spanning the entire Metro Manila, with different floral species blooming, teeming marine life, and being a significant transportation route. However, throughout the years, urbanization has caused the state of the river to decline drastically. Improper waste segregation, disposal, and improper river maintenance have given it the title “Manila’s toilet.” This is why it is essential to restore the river to its status …

Navigating The Tension Between The Rule Of Law And Judicial Discretion Without Robot Judges, Michael H. Simon

Mercer Law Review

The rule of law is a multifaceted concept about which there is no generally accepted understanding of what that phrase precisely means or all that it includes or excludes. It is, however, something that is widely praised and that almost all governments and officials claim to follow. One of the few areas in which there appears to be consensus is that the rule of law requires that like cases be treated alike. When a substantive legal rule directs only one correct answer, it is not difficult to treat like cases alike. There are many disputes, however, that come before trial …

Environmental Law, Travis M. Trimble

Mercer Law Review

In 2025, in a Clean Water Act (“CWA”) citizen-suit challenge to a landowner’s filling of a tract of land on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, under a nationwide dredge-and-fill permit issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that the landowner did not waive its right to challenge whether the tract was a wetland by virtue of submitting a form to the Corps in connection with its obtaining coverage under the permit that stated that the landowner accepted that the tract at issue was a jurisdictional water …

Federal Income Taxation, Andrew Todd

Mercer Law Review

In 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a handful of published opinions involving U.S. federal income tax issues. One of those cases, United States v. Schwarzbaum, presented an issue of first impression in the Eleventh Circuit: whether civil penalties for a U.S. citizen or resident’s willful failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (commonly known as the “FBAR”) are “fines” within the meaning of the Eighth Amendment and, therefore, are subject to the constitutional prohibition on excessive fines. This Article surveys that opinion.

Immigration Law Survey, Abolade Oyetunji

Mercer Law Review

This Article reviews a sample of cases from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from January 1, 2025, through December 1, 2025, in which immigration law was the central focus. Across the opinions included in this Article, the Eleventh Circuit addressed matters of first impression, reinforced Congress’s restraints on judicial review of certain decisions made by immigration agencies, and navigated a post-Loper Bright Enterprises. v. Raimondo landscape, asserting independent interpretive authority due to the Supreme Court of the United States’s repeal of Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. in 2024.

This Article begins …

Trial Practice And Procedure, John O'Shea Sullivan, Leesa M. M. Guarnotta

Mercer Law Review

The 2025 Survey period yielded a range of decisions impacting trial practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, from detailed analysis of the constitutional requirements for personal jurisdiction, expounding upon the limited opportunities for interlocutory appeal, and reinforcing pleading standards. This Article analyzes some of this Survey period’s notable opinions on issues of first impression in the Eleventh Circuit, but it is not intended to be an exhaustive discussion of the Eleventh Circuit’s important decisions during the Survey period.

Children, Clicks, And Constitutional Blind Spots: The First Amendment And The Regulation Of Social Media For Minors, Pepper Miller

Mercer Law Review

“A fundamental principle of the First Amendment is that all persons have access to places where they can speak and listen, and then, after reflection, speak and listen once more.” This oft-quoted maxim from Packingham v. North Carolina has become a touchstone for the wave of litigation challenging state laws that restrict minors’ access to social media platforms. But, in the rapidly advancing age of social media, should the principle still stand that all persons, specifically minors, are entitled to unfettered access to such novel spaces where they can speak and listen? Underpinning the discussion of this issue lies “a …

Eye In The Sky: The Eleventh Circuit Allows Warrantless Surveillance Of The Home Via Pole Cameras In United States V. Gregory, John T. Roberts

Mercer Law Review

What does “search” mean? Defining the word seems simple enough, yet, courts have struggled to provide a consistent answer under Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. This difficulty has only been exacerbated by rapidly advancing technological innovations in the field of surveillance. Specifically, courts across the country are split on whether long-term surveillance of an individual’s home via a pole camera is considered a search under the Fourth Amendment.

In United States v. Gregory, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit addressed this issue head on, holding that surveillance of this kind is not considered a search under the Fourth …

Table Of Contents

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Skylar E. Toto

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Real, Not Rhetorical: Children’S Rights As The Strongest Constitutional Defense Of Obergefell Against Religious-Liberty Challenges, Tanya Washington

Mercer Law Review

Justice Kennedy’s decision to center adults’ rights in the Obergefell majority opinion—despite his awareness of children’s legal vulnerabilities—created space for Justice Thomas, in his Davis statement, to ignore children altogether and to reframe the constitutional question as a clash between adults’ rights: the right to marry and to be free from discrimination versus the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs and to refuse to engage in conduct that abrogate those beliefs. This distorted constitutional framing eclipses entirely the rights of children in same-sex families and the concrete harms they will face if their parents are barred from marrying—harms that provide …

Trapped By Immunity: Women, Prisons, And The Need For Obvious Clarity, Alexandria E. Hatten

Mercer Law Review

For many Americans, the mere thought of the prison system evokes great fear and uncertainty. The fear is justified and reflected through rampant reports of sexual abuse, exploitation, and abuse of power by prison officials. Lack of privacy in prisons is largely supported and expected. The general population of prisons have unique safety concerns which require closer surveillance and diligent observation by correctional officers. Prison officers are tasked with ensuring that all contraband stays out of inmate possession—notwithstanding the constant changes of the general population. The security interests of a prison also extend to prison visitors. The known security concerns …

All Rights Reserved . . . For Disney: Corporate Mouse Traps, A Frozen Public Domain, And How A.I. May Usher In A Whole New World For Copyright, Matthew A. Shatto

Mercer Law Review

Copyright, as a body of law, is a recent development in the human consciousness, originating in 1710 with England’s Statute of Anne. Nevertheless, in the three hundred years that followed, more copyright laws were enacted than murder statutes throughout recorded history. With these successive statutes, corporations have effectuated the largest land grab ever seen. Modern copyright law is the elephant in the room in discussions of wealth inequality, perpetuating evil inside and between countries. Moreover, it has deprived humanity of cultural roots, locking ideas behind a paywall that funnels wealth to the few and stymies ingenuity through the sterilization of …

Finally, A Fair Shot: Supreme Court Shoots Down The Moment-Of-Threat Doctrine In Barnes V. Felix, Noah Ring

Mercer Law Review

The Framers designed America’s legal system with the belief that no one, not even the government, is above the law. The right to hold government officials accountable before a court reflects the Framers’ vision that justice resides in the people themselves. Unfortunately, countless citizens who suffer excessive force are barred from presenting their stories to the jury. Nowhere is the clash between liberty and authority more visible than in encounters between police and citizens. Every day, those who wear the badge are forced to make difficult judgment calls in volatile situations.

In 2024, 147 officers lost their lives in the …

What Attorneys “Ott” To Do: The Supreme Court Clarifies Judgmental Immunity In Georgia, Valeria Notte

Mercer Law Review

The Supreme Court of Georgia dealt a swift blow to the Court of Appeals of Georgia’s interpretation of judgmental immunity in a recent decision. For over three decades, the court of appeals recognized a subjective defense that shielded attorneys from liability for mistakes made while representing a client. Under this interpretation of judgmental immunity, attorneys prevailed on motions for summary judgment by demonstrating that they had exercised their honest professional judgment in making the challenged decision. Now, in Cox-Ott v. Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, a unanimous opinion by the supreme court held that attorneys are no longer entitled to the …

404 Error - Relevance Not Found: Georgia’S Shift To Stricter Scrutiny Of 404(B) Evidence In Wilson V. State, Savannah Walker

Mercer Law Review

For decades, Georgia courts have treated Georgia Rule of Evidence 404(b) (“Rule 404(b)”) as an “evidentiary rule of inclusion,” an approach centered on the idea that if a prior act appeared relevant, it belonged in front of the jury. This practice was grounded in the belief that relevant prior criminal acts, like other forms of evidence, “should not lightly be excluded when central to the prosecution’s case.” In Wilson v. State, the Supreme Court of Georgia narrowed the standard for the admissibility of other-acts evidence, signaling a continuing judicial shift toward stricter evidentiary control that aligns more closely with the …

From “Filed Under Seal” To “Frivolous On Appeal”: Potts V. Richardson And Georgia’S Movement Toward Enforceable Professionalism, H. Walker Purvis

Mercer Law Review

Potts v. Richardson marks a turning point in Georgia’s professionalism movement. On its face, the case involved an application of Georgia’s anti-SLAPP statute and the privilege afforded to communications made in connection with judicial proceedings. But the Court of Appeals of Georgia did more than resolve a defamation dispute. By imposing a $2,500 sanction under Rule 7(e) for what the court deemed a frivolous appeal, it in effect sanctioned a lawyer for conduct that violated the Georgia Lawyer’s Creed and Aspirational Statement on Professionalism.

Georgia has been a leader in the modern professionalism movement for decades. Central to that commitment …

Applied Accounting Perspectives: Case Studies In Theory, Regulation, And Practice, Zoe Justice

Honors Theses

This document includes two semesters of casework completed under the instruction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson in ACCY 420. These case studies were designed to expose accounting students to more applicable research to their field of study that will help them in their future careers. This document includes a total of eight case studies, spanning various topics in the accounting field. Most cases were completed in a group, with a few being completed individually. For each case, the topic was researched thoroughly using online resources and a solution was proposed or observations synthesized. During the second half of the course, my …

Beyond The Numbers: A Patterson School Of Accountancy Practicum, Olivia R. Mardis

Honors Theses

This practicum comprises six case studies that explore a range of accounting topics. While each case stands independently, the work collectively emphasizes the interpretation of financial information. Although financial statements may appear to some as a series of abstract figures, accountants are trained to understand and apply the “language of business,” transforming numerical data into meaningful insights that inform decision-making.

The first case provides an objective analysis of a company’s Form 10-K, focusing on interpreting financial statements and using that interpretation to evaluate performance and guide decisions. The second case examines the Corporate Transparency Act, analyzing its intended purpose, potential …

Ready: Piloting An Inclusive Higher Education Program For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities At The University Of Mississippi, Emily R. Davis

Honors Theses

The University of Mississippi is currently one of the few SEC schools that does not offer an inclusive higher education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs). An initiative to bring inclusive higher education to Ole Miss began as a passion project led by Honors College student Bailey Beaird and continued through 2024. Bailey worked diligently to research and design a model for implementing a four-year inclusive higher education program (IHEP). Ultimately, the decision was made by the administration to postpone advancement of a four-year program due to limited campus resources and concerns surrounding long-term sustainability. Instead, the …

Assessing College Tuition And Wage Prospects For Careers In Archaeology, Angelina H. Gutierrez

Honors Capstones

The pressures of rising college tuition are raising questions about whether a degree in higher education is worth the return on investment in today's society and economy. This study aims to acknowledge the issues of affording college and the opportunities granted in the face of college wealth premiums from the perspective of the field of archaeology. The college wealth premium is understood as additionalopportunities and increased salaries offered to those with a degree in higher education compared to those without. Using the Midwestern United States as a case study, I discuss the gender/race wage gap, college debt, loan inequity, and …

1988 Anthony Ave Llc V Alvarez

All Decisions

In this nonpayment proceeding, the court grants the tenant's motion to vacate the default judgment and dismisses the case. The tenant showed a reasonable excuse — she alleges she did not receive service and that neither she nor any household member matched the process server's description of the person served. The court then dismisses the proceeding outright because the landlord failed to serve a 30-day rent demand as required by the CARES Act, which applies because the unit is subject to a HUD Regulatory Agreement under the National Housing Act.

80 Varick St. Group, L.P. V Lutz

All Decisions

In this failure-to-renew holdover, the Appellate Term reverses the Civil Court and restores a 45-year rent-stabilized tenant to possession on conditions. The tenant was evicted on a default judgment entered within months of the proceeding commencing. The court finds the default was not willful — the tenant had temporarily relocated due to facade work and health issues — and that equity warrants restoration conditioned on signing the renewal lease and paying all arrears, noting the landlord had declined to accept a $150,000 certified check tendered by the tenant.

A Socio-Computational Framework For Understanding Information Campaigns Through A Collective Action Perspective, Sayantan Bhattacharya

Theses and Dissertations

In a time when social media significantly influences public dialogue, grasping the elements that contribute to the success of information campaigns has become vital for understanding modern social movements and political engagement. This dissertation explores the essential factors that affect the efficacy of information campaigns across digital platforms, addressing a notable gap in existing research that frequently neglects the systematic connection between information spread and outcomes of collective action. Instead of viewing these as distinct phenomena, this study constructs an integrated framework that highlights three crucial dimensions of successful information campaigns: the human factor, which emphasizes the role of influential …

The Impact Of The Science Of Reading Initiative On Reading Test Scores Among Rural Elementary Students In Arkansas, Julie A. Ferguson

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study examines changes in reading achievement among rural elementary students in Arkansas following the statewide implementation of the Science of Reading initiative. Beginning in 2019, Arkansas required educators in kindergarten through sixth grade to receive training in evidence‑based literacy practices emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Despite these efforts, rural districts continue to face challenges related to staffing, access to professional development, and instructional resources, raising questions about whether statewide reforms have produced measurable improvements in reading outcomes.

Using a quantitative, longitudinal, quasi‑experimental design, this study analyzes ACT Aspire reading assessment data collected from rural Arkansas schools …

A Critical Analysis Of The Influence Of Ideology On Education Governance In An Urban, Midwestern School District, Carl Bryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study examines how ideology operates within local education governance through a critical theoretical lens. As state and national education policies, accountability mandates, and partisan political discourse increasingly shape local school governance, this research investigates how power relations, ideological influences, and equity concerns are embedded in school board decision-making processes and public discourse. Addressing a gap in existing scholarship on ideology in education governance, the study employs a qualitative case study of an urban public school district in the Midwestern United States. Data sources include individual interviews with school board members, critical discourse analysis of school board meetings, and analysis …

Table Of Contents

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Jack Chenette

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.