Law Commons^™

Interlocal Power Roulette, Daniel B. Rosenbaum

Indiana Law Journal

Local governments inhabit a crowded ecosystem. Cities, counties, and school districts—and many more—share overlapping territorial jurisdictions. Overlapping jurisdiction goes hand-in-hand with redundant local power, defined as a scenario where multiple governments hold independent authority to take the exact same action in the exact same territorial space. In Maine, for example, state law empowers three local bodies to operate the same sewer infrastructure. In Detroit, two separate entities are equally tasked with managing the city’s streetlights. And in communities across the country, local governments are broadly authorized to own the same parcels of public land, including in Oakland, California, where public …

Patent Term Tailoring, Sarah Rajec

Indiana Law Journal

Patent rights are designed to encourage innovation with both the promise of a patent and with its expiration. Currently, patent term lasts from issuance until twenty years from the application date, with minor exceptions. The patent term is limited so that rewards for past invention do not overly hinder future progress. Although the goal is laudable, a uniform patent term is a blunt instrument to achieve such a nuanced balance. Historically, the patent system was not averse to tailoring terms through, for example, individually granted extensions to undercompensated inventors or term curtailment when a foreign patent holder failed to “work” …

Coping With Coppa: Exploring Alternatives To The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, Andrew Parra

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) stands as one of the greatest protectors of children’s privacy for nearly twenty-five years. However, COPPA has struggled to keep pace with technological changes during this time, and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the shortcomings of COPPA regulations as children were forced to spend increased amounts of time in digital spaces. As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is set to make changes to COPPA, it is necessary to consider what changes would be most beneficial to protect children. This paper will explore the current regulatory framework, its strengths and weaknesses, and then …

Banned Books & Banned Identities: Maintaining Secularism And The Ability To Read In Public Education For The Well-Being Of America's Youth, Megan M. Tylenda

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

Books containing LGBTQ+ themes and characters are being removed from public school libraries at a rapid rate across the United States. While a book challenge has made it to the Supreme Court once before, the resulting singular plurality opinion left courts without a clear test to apply, ultimately leaving students’ First Amendment rights in the air. Additionally, the increasingly relaxed view of courts towards religious influence in public schools indicates that if a modern case were to reach the Supreme Court, religious challenges may be accepted, which would leave LGBTQ+ students who seek to see themselves represented in literature without …

The Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: Statutory Requirements, Regulations, And Need (Especially In Post-Dobbs America), Deborah Widiss

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, enacted in December 2022, is landmark legislation that will help ensure workers can stay healthy through a pregnancy. It responds to the reality that pregnant workers may need small changes at work, such as permission to sit periodically, carry a water bottle, relief from heavy lifting, or reduced exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. Workers may also need schedule modifications or leave for prenatal appointments, childbirth, or post-partum recovery, or accommodations to address medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth.

Previously, federal sex discrimination law and federal disability law sometimes required employers to provide such …