Law Commons^™

Front Cover, Washington Journal Of Social & Environmental Justice

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

No abstract provided.

حقوق الإنسان في مناهج كليات الحقوق العراقية, وصفي الشرع

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

No abstract provided.

فلسفة حقوق الإنسان في الكليات الإسلامية في العراق: الإمكان والواقع, عبد الأمير قاسم زاهد

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

No abstract provided.

مفاهيم حقوق الإنسان في البرامج الدراسية الحوزة العلمية في النجف الأشرف, حسن بحر العلوم

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

No abstract provided.

الحق باللاعنف: تطوير المناهج القانونية لحقوق الإنسان: أعمال الندوة حول النموذج العراقي, شبلي ملاط

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

No abstract provided.

Avant-Propos, Ibrahim Najjar

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

No abstract provided.

Le Régime Juridique De La Filiation Illégitime Au Liban : Contribution À L'Étude Du Droit De La Famille, Adeline Sfeir

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

No abstract provided.

Intellectual Humility By Design: How Courts Earn Legitimacy And Improve Decisions, Steve Leben

Faculty Works

Courts decide disputes as one branch of our government. Their authority depends not only on getting the outcome right but also on public acceptance of their authority. In a time when confidence in institutions is under pressure, courts cannot assume that legitimacy will take care of itself. They must earn it—case by case—through both the substance of what they decide and the way they exercise authority in public view.

A large body of procedural-justice research explains one side of that equation. People are more willing to accept court decisions, even unfavorable ones, when the process communicates voice, neutrality, respect, and …

After Advisory Votes: Exploring Alternatives For Voter Engagement In Washington Tax Policy, Emma Morse

Washington Law Review

In 2023, the Washington State legislature repealed the state’s advisory vote system, which allowed taxpayers to express their opinions on enacted tax measures. This system was the first of its kind in the United States, a novel concept that no other state had implemented. Although the advisory votes were non-binding, they provided a platform for public input on tax policy decisions. The repeal of this system raises important questions about voter participation in tax policy, particularly in a state already known for its regressive tax structure. This presents an opportunity to consider whether Washington voters should have input on tax …

Real Promise For False Claims: A Whistleblower Litigation Strategy To Reward Investigative Journalism, Frank D. Lomonte

Washington Law Review

Every year, investigative reporters uncover stories of waste, fraud, and corruption, alerting the government to taxpayer ripoffs that had previously gone undiscovered or ignored. For decades, non-journalists have been reaping windfall rewards—sometimes in the millions—by using false-claims statutes to bring whistleblower actions on the government’s behalf. With news organizations struggling for their economic survival, and efforts to secure alternative financial support through government bailouts faltering, is it time for journalists to seek a share of the money they recoup for taxpayers by becoming plaintiffs?

This Article explores the possibilities, and downside risks, of using the federal False Claims Act, and …

Stafford Act's Requirement To Consider Climate Change In State Hazard Mitigation Plans, Olivia N. Guarna

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Climate change is fueling an unprecedented number of extreme weather and climate disasters with dire costs on human life and property. States and local governments now face a responsibility to adapt to these increasing disaster risks to improve community resilience and avoid an ever-growing magnitude of loss. Congress passed the Stafford Act in 1988 to provide a means for sustained and coordinated federal aid in response to disasters. The Stafford Act includes a comprehensive non-emergency hazard mitigation program. Hazard mitigation assistance empowers states, tribes, and local governments to engage in planning and mitigation activities that improve disaster outcomes and minimize …

Table Of Contents

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

Volume 49 Masthead

Seattle University Law Review

Volume 49 Masthead

Reimagining Legal Education: The Transformative Power Of Small-Group Instruction, Michael I. Meyerson

Seattle University Law Review

Legal education is failing its students. Those entering their first year of law school have greater anxiety and less developed reading and writing skills than ever before. The traditional large Socratic class, which was never the most effective teaching method, has become increasingly counterproductive.

This Article contends that small-group instruction provides the opportunity for superior teaching, especially for first-year law students. Recent scholarship in active learning, educational psychology, and students’ mental health demonstrates the limitations of the traditional large Socratic class experience. Building on that theoretical foundation and informed by sustained classroom experience, this Article argues that small-group pedagogy more …

Land Without Legacy: The Case For Market-Based Appraisals On Hawaiian Home Lands, Alexis C. Owens

Seattle University Law Review

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 (HHCA) was enacted to restore Native Hawaiians to ancestral lands and promote long term economic self-sufficiency. More than a century later, that promise remains unfulfilled. This Note argues that a central but overlooked barrier lies in the HHCA’s mandated use of the replacement cost appraisal method, which systematically undervalues homestead properties by excluding market forces. In one of the most expensive housing markets in the United States, this approach suppresses home equity, the primary means of intergenerational wealth building, and restricts beneficiaries’ access to credit and financial stability. By severing the connection between …

International Law’S Forgotten Refugees—Palestinian Refugees In Egypt

Seattle University Law Review

This Article examines the legal and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian refugees who have fled to Egypt amidst the ongoing violence in Gaza. While escaping active conflict, these refugees face systemic barriers to employment and education, rendering their living conditions precarious and unsustainable. The unique legal status of Palestinian refugees stems from the fact that they have been excluded from the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, leaving them without any meaningful international protection. This exclusion is rooted in the political complexities of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and reflects a fragmented legal framework that prioritizes limited humanitarian aid over …

How Deals Die, Da Lin, Morgan Ricks

University of Chicago Law Review

The risk of deal breakage is central to merger and acquisition (M&A) dealmaking. Yet neither the finance nor corporate law literatures have systematically explored how and why deals fall apart. We rectify this deficiency, making three principal contributions.

First, we develop a comprehensive typology of eight M&A outcomes:
completed-as-announced deals and seven types of deal breakage. This precise mapping provides both positive and normative payoffs. Apart from revealing the multifaceted ways in which announced deals can be disrupted, we detail the starkly differing implications for the merging parties associated with each outcome type and thus illuminate why incorporating outcome heterogeneity …

The Specter Of Future Blight: State Approaches To Speculative Takings, Julianna G. Bass

University of Chicago Law Review

This Comment creates the first comprehensive taxonomy of state eminent domain regimes’ treatment of private-to-private takings for the purpose of preventing future blight. Following the Supreme Court’s expansion of the Public Use Clause in Kelo v. City of New London, many states moved to limit takings justified solely by economic development yet maintained broad blight statutes that continued to authorize the condemnation of property to eliminate or prevent blight. This Comment exposes the indeterminate contours of the future-blight takings landscape and ultimately urges state legislatures and courts seeking to cabin sweeping public use determinations to find the prevention of future …

Addressing The Stale Line Of Sports-Betting Behavior: Examining The Economic Shortfalls And Tax Solutions In Legalizing Sports Betting, Peyton Rameas

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Sports betting is a form of gambling that does not suffer from the same negative social stigma as casino gambling despite its equally addictive properties and damaging impact on household consumption. While sports betting was previously banned in most of the United States, following the Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association decision, which empowered states to regulate sports betting within their borders, a wave of states that previously banned all forms of sports betting legalized the practice. Unsurprisingly, this rapid legalization of sports betting was accompanied by a flurry of statewide regulations, leading to disparate consumer protection across the states. …

Turning The Tide: Reforming Western Water Law In The Age Of Ai Infrastructure, Rhyma Asim

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has fueled a global race to construct increasingly powerful supercomputers and data centers. Yet, the legal infrastructure meant to regulate these water-intensive projects remains dangerously underdeveloped. Current water law principles in prior appropriation states only further exacerbate this concern. This Note suggests that reform of water law principles can provide a framework for regulating AI data centers’ water consumption in order to protect societal interests during the global AI race. While data centers present beneficial technological advancements, their lack of transparency regarding water consumption presents concerns for local communities suffering from the numerous …

How The Dod Discourages Military Families From Seeking Mental Health Counseling, Christina Welch

Seattle University Law Review

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) administration of the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) presents significant barriers to mental health care access for military spouses and children. This paper explores how the EFMP, though designed to support military families with special needs, inadvertently creates barriers to mental health treatment. Military family members often do not seek mental health treatment to avoid the program's mandatory enrollment requirements. Military family members often view enrollment in the program undesirable because enrollment can restrict the pool of potential future duty assignment locations that are available to service members.

The lack of comprehensive data collection by …

2025, Richard Delgado

Seattle University Law Review

"In a cutting and provocative social critique in one of the more extended Rodrigo Chronicles, Richard Delgado in 2025 employs skillful narrative—one of CRT’s many contributions to legal scholarship —to tell a gripping story of just how far the nation has descended into darkness with President Trump’s re-election. In Delgado’s vision, law professors—along with other political opponents of the President: immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, the underserved—have targets on their backs."

-excerpt from Kevin Johnson's review of 2025

The Preventative Care Gap: Completing The Aca’S Vision For Health, Abby Nagaich

Seattle University Law Review

This Note examines the preventive care mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the legal, political, and practical challenges that threaten its effectiveness. While the ACA significantly expanded access to no-cost preventive services, gaps remain—particularly in behavioral health, obesity management, and equitable service delivery. Ongoing litigation, potential administrative rollbacks, and shifting political leadership further destabilize this critical component of public health policy.

This Note argues that for the ACA to fulfill its original promise—and for any health framework to succeed—preventive care must be redefined as a comprehensive, early intervention approach grounded in both systemic access and patient education. It …

Patent Law's Trade Remedy, Michael L. Doane

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Although a trade remedy, not an intellectual property rights statute, Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 plays an important and controversial role in the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the United States. As a trade remedy, Section 337 is designed and intended to promote innovation and investment in the United States through support of statutorily defined domestic industries against unfair competition from infringing imported products. This Article analyzes Section 337 as a trade remedy from the perspective of intellectual property rights owners and innovators such as start-up companies, universities, individual inventors, and other research and development-focused entities. …

Accessibility In The Edtech Era: The Growth In Implementation Oflearning Technologies And Thestudents Who Are Left Behind, Madeleine Braksick

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Educational Technology (EdTech) has gained popularity in recent years, enabling distance learning and connectedness across school districts, and among students, teachers, and families alike. However, vague or nonexistent standards for regulating these technologies have led to students with rights to special education services not having those services upheld to the same standard as traditional educational mechanisms. While the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been modified over time to form heightened standards for making education appropriate for all students, it has consistently fallen short in its regulation of both assistive and educational technologies. This Note explores the consequences of …

Anti-Allyship And The Indirect Subordination Of Queer People, Richard Luedeman

Washington Law Review

This Article theorizes and interrogates anti-allyship as a central mechanism of modern subordination of queer people. While not new, anti-allyship is expanding rapidly under the second Trump administration. Defined as the deliberate imposition of legal, financial, and reputational costs on those who support queer individuals or institutions, anti-allyship is a strategy of indirect oppression. It targets not queer people directly, but the infrastructure of support on which queer communities rely: clinicians, educators, family members, researchers, and organizations. In doing so, it often evades the formal protections of civil rights law, which remain tethered to anticlassification models and status-based protections that …

Disability And Constitutional Legitimacy, Katherine A. Macfarlane

Washington Law Review

Disability classifications can take one of two forms. The more familiar form targets people with disabilities on account of their disability and harms them. This type of government classification receives deferential rational basis review and is therefore difficult to challenge. But government action that benefits people with disabilities also classifies on the basis of disability and receives rational basis review. This Article focuses on classifications that provide preferential treatment to disabled people precisely because of their disability—through disability affirmative action programs—and argues that their legitimacy is bolstered, not weakened, by the rational basis standard. It does so by distinguishing the …

Cross-Enforcing The Plain Smell Doctrine, Alexa Perez

Washington Law Review

In a state that has legalized marijuana, does a state officer have probable cause to conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle based on the smell of marijuana alone, because marijuana is still prohibited under federal law? This Article is the first to consider that unsettled question. Over the last ten years, almost every state has altered the legality of marijuana in some way, either through decriminalization or legalization. Yet the possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana continue to be illegal at the federal level. Prior to these reforms, state courts generally upheld warrantless searches of vehicles based on nothing …

Presidential Noncompliance And Judicial Response: A Two-Branch Dialectic, Seth Waxman

Washington Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Canons Fell Silent: An Analysis Of The Supreme Court's Failure To Use Statutory Interpretation Tools In Sackett V. Epa, Lauren Carlsen

Washington Law Review

In 2023, the United States Supreme Court denied decades of precedent, agency action, and the proper use of canons of interpretation in its decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (Sackett). This case adopted the “continuous surface connection” test, which requires an indistinguishable surface water connection between a wetland and a navigable water to assert Clean Water Act jurisdiction over the wetland. This limitation on agency authority under the Clean Water Act was created through a statutory analysis that failed to apply the “Plain Meaning” and “Whole Act” canons of statutory interpretation. The Court narrowly applied the meaning of …