Law Commons^™

Beyond Medical Tourism: Pressured Exits And Global Health Justice, Medha D. Makhlouf

Faculty Scholarly Works

Too often, people living in the United States are compelled to take extreme measures to get the medical care they need. Most often, due to the cost, they delay or go without care. They also decline to fill prescriptions or take less medication than prescribed. Many rack up enormous debts to health care providers and other lenders. Others stand in long lines for free clinics, or they spend hours filling out applications for hospital financial assistance programs and gathering copious documentation to support them. Some people seek care from alternative providers or traditional healers because of cost concerns, while others …

Can Medical-Legal Partnerships Do More To Advance Reproductive Justice After Dobbs?, Medha D. Makhlouf, Natasha Rappazzo

Faculty Scholarly Works

The medical-legal partnership (MLP) and reproductive justice (RJ) movements both seek to solve complex problems, serve diverse populations with intersectional challenges, and resolve community conditions that impact people’s ability to reach their highest health potential. Yet MLPs have been overlooked as a strategy to advance reproductive health and justice. MLP has distinct advantages for advancing RJ, and many MLPs might already be doing RJ work without referring to it by name. By intentionally adopting an RJ strategy and explicitly addressing the unmet social and legal needs that limit people’s ability to plan their reproductive futures, MLPs can better serve their …

Benefits Transparency, Samantha Prince

Faculty Scholarly Works

Recently, several states and cities have enacted equal pay laws in a push for pay transparency in job postings to inform and help reduce wage gaps. Some of these laws also require a description of the employee benefits that the company offers. However, none of these laws require a detailed description of said benefits, even though employee benefits on average make up 24% of an employee’s compensation.

Businesses can choose how much to disclose with respect to their benefits and they may even engage in what this author calls “benefits washing”—a practice where companies provide vague or misleading information about …

Forbidden Purposes: A New Path For Limiting Criminalization, Raff Donelson

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

Activists and scholars have often complained that the American criminal justice system makes choices about criminalization and sentences based on nefarious reasons. For instance, critics have claimed that criminalization and sentencing decisions are made to provide cheap prison labor to the government or private industry, to boost the private prison industry, to offer employment in rural communities in the form of jobs managing correctional facilities, or to empower police to harass undesirables and remove them from public spaces. These accusations are very alarming, and the evidence may not confirm activists’ worst suspicions. But, supposing the extraordinary evidence could be adduced, …

Police Diversity Theory, Trevor George Gardner

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

In light of both the tragic death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis at the hands of Black police officers and the mixed results of studies of Black same-race policing, this Article proposes a conceptual framework by which to better understand the utility of police diversity. The framework maps the relational possibilities among three factors: (i) the Black officer’s approach to same-race policing; (ii) the Black officer’s performance in the context of same-race policing; and (iii) the policing priorities of the Black communities the Black officer is taken to represent.

Responsive to the conceptual framework for police diversity theory, the Article …

Balancing Interests: Ai, Business & Human Rights, And The Legal Landscape In An Era Of Disruption, Jena Martin, Ritu Narula

Faculty Articles

On October 30, 2023, the Biden Administration issued a sweeping executive order espousing a policy to advance the development and use of artificial intelligence ("Al") while also establishing safeguards across the federal government. The Executive Order marked the U.S. government's largest move forward related to the regulation of Al. The Order also represents the government's latest effort to advance equity, privacy, and national security in the use of AI systems. Moreover, the Order comes at a time when governments around the world are wrestling with the impact of AI and its disruptive effect, not just on markets, but on society …

Library Crime, Michael L. Smith

Faculty Articles

Libraries are often idealized as one of the few remaining safe, public spaces. Beyond providing books and internet access, they are a source of shelter, warmth, restrooms, and a place to stay without a reason for society's most vulnerable. But libraries are also at the core of a network of criminal laws that punish a wide array of library-related conduct. Steal a book? Write in or otherwise damage materials? Fail to return an item? Hide a book in a manner that looks like you are about to steal it? Many states criminalize these activities, often punishing them with potential jail …

Fire And Federal Power: Defining The “Furthest Reaches” Of The Property Clause, Brett Lingle

Emory Law Journal

Wildfires pose an immense and escalating threat to national forests. In addition to rising temperatures and accumulating fuels, rapid development of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has exacerbated wildfire risk by putting more people and property in harm’s way and increasing the likelihood of human-caused fires. While restrictions on WUI development would reduce wildfire risk, varying political and economic pressures have caused substantial variation in how local governments regulate the WUI. Some governments have implemented stringent regulations, while others have permitted unbridled expansion. Such disjointed regulation acutely impacts national forests because WUI homes and communities are often clustered around them. Thus, …

Clearing Up The Confusion: A Three-Part Framework For Applying The Copyright Preemption Clause To Right Of Publicity Claims, Annie Seay

Emory Law Journal

To prevent conflicting state-law interests and federal copyright interests in a single claim, Congress enacted Section 301 of the Copyright Act of 1976—providing a two-prong test to determine when a state-law claim is preempted by federal copyright law. Though Section 301 appears to be a clear and simple test, it has proven to be anything but. Between 1986 and 2023, six of the thirteen circuit courts decided whether state-law right of publicity claims are preempted by federal copyright law using the Section 301 two-prong test, but each court’s analysis was vastly different from the other. Specifically, the Second, Third, Fifth, …

The New Yellow Dog Contract: Mandatory Arbitration Agreements And Collective Action Waivers In The Aftermath Of Epic Systems, Eric Lundy

Nevada Law Journal Forum

Since the 1980s, the Supreme Court has consistently found arbitration agreements in employment contracts to be enforceable, citing a strong national policy favoring arbitration. This line of cases came to its apogee in 2018 with Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis. The Court held that the statutory right to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of mutual aid or protection did not confer upon employees the right to bring class actions against their employer when they had signed an arbitration agreement with a collective action waiver. While the Court’s decision was widely criticized in the academic community, it sent a …

We Got Next: Las Vegas' Transformation Into The Sports Capital Of The World, D'Ahna Scott, Giacomo Silvestri

Nevada Law Journal Forum

Las Vegas, known for its vibrant entertainment scene and bustling casinos, is ready to step off the bench and onto the court to play in the big league, as the city gears up to become the ultimate sports capitol of the world. This White Paper explores the emergence of professional sports franchises and the exciting evolution of Las Vegas into a premier sports destination. Part I of this White Paper traces the development of sport franchises, ownership dynamics, and the creation of iconic sports venues. Part II explores the legal and economic aspects related to the sports market in Las …

Police Mistakes Of Law, Heien V. North Carolina And Significant Fourth Amendment Interpretive Cases: An Empirical Examination Of Officer Perception, Knowledge And Performance, Christopher D. Totten, Gang Lee, Michael De Leo

Missouri Law Review

This empirical study examines legal aspects of policing in relation to the landmark Fourth Amendment United States Supreme Court case of Heien v. North Carolina. In Heien, the Court found that objectively reasonable mistakes of law by police can support traffic stops. By doing so, Heien extends the permissible margin of error for these stops by law enforcement officers. Due to the potential far-reaching implications of Heien for law enforcement conduct and Fourth Amendment privacy protections, this study aims to empirically examine officer perception and knowledge regarding Heien, including officers’ decision-making behavior with respect to Heien and its core concept …

พัฒนาการทางกฎหมายอาญาเพื่อคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชนในประเทศไทย, ภูวิศ พุพันธ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ศึกษาพัฒนาการของความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างศาสนา รัฐ และกฎหมายของประเทศไทยและต่างประเทศ เพื่อวิเคราะห์ถึงการเปลี่ยนแปลงของกฎหมายอาญาในการคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชนที่ได้รับผลจากความเปลี่ยนแปลงของความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างศาสนา รัฐ และกฎหมายของประเทศไทยและอิทธิพลจากต่างประเทศและเพื่อให้ได้มาซึ่งข้อเสนอแนะแนวทางที่เหมาะสมในการกำหนดความผิดอาญาในการคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชนของประเทศไทยในอนาคตต่อไป ความสัมพันธ์ของศาสนา รัฐและกฎหมายของต่างประเทศสามารถพิจารณาในเชิงของการกำหนดกฎหมายเพื่อคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชนได้ 2 ลักษณะคือพัฒนาการในรัฐโลกวิสัยและพัฒนาการในรัฐศาสนา โดยในรัฐโลกวิสัยจะพบการกำหนดความผิดอาญาโดยมีวัตถุประสงค์ในการคุ้มครองสังคม และผู้มีอำนาจมานับแต่ยุคโบราณ และพัฒนามาตามลำดับทางประวัติศาสตร์จนกลายเป็นการกำหนดความผิดอาญาเพื่อคุ้มครองสิทธิและเสรีภาพของประชาชนเป็นหลัก แต่ในทางกลับกันในประเทศที่เป็นรัฐศาสนาในที่นี้พิจารณารัฐอิสลามมีการกำหนดความผิดอาญาที่อ้างอิงจากอัลกุรอาน พัฒนาการของการกำหนดความผิดไม่ได้มีมากนักดังนั้นความผิดอาญาจึงมีวัตถุประสงค์การคุ้มครองผู้มีอำนาจโดยเฉพาะมิติทางศาสนาและวัตถุประสงค์ในการคุ้มครองสังคมมุสลิมมากกว่าที่พบในรัฐโลกวิสัย ซึ่งเมื่อพิจารณาพัฒนาการของประเทศไทยแล้วพบว่ามีความโน้มเอียงไปทางรัฐศาสนามากกว่ารัฐโลกวิสัยเนื่องจากความสัมพันธ์ของรัฐ ศาสนาและกฎหมายที่มีต่อกันอย่างใกล้ชิดและการกำหนดความรับผิดบางฐานที่ยังมุ่งคุ้มครองผู้มีอำนาจโดยอาศัยพระพุทธศาสนาเป็นหลักอยู่เช่นกัน อย่างไรก็ดีในประเทศไทยยังมีการกำหนดความผิดอาญาที่คุ้มครองสิทธิและเสรีภาพของประชาชนเป็นหลักในการคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชนเพิ่มมากขึ้นแล้วในปัจจุบัน ปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อความเปลี่ยนแปลงของความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างศาสนา รัฐและกฎหมายพบว่ามี 3 ปัจจัย คือ ความเชื่อของคนในสังคม, คติในการปกครองของรัฏฐาธิปัตย์ และการเข้ามาของอิทธิพลจากต่างประเทศ และเมื่อพิจารณาการคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชนโดยกฎหมายอาญาสามารถพิจารณาได้เป็น 10 องค์ประกอบคือ การคุ้มครองสถาบันทางศาสนา, ความเชื่อในเรื่องสิ่งศักดิ์สิทธิ์, คำสอน, ประมุขทางศาสนา, นักบวช, ศาสนสถาน, สัญลักษณ์, เสรีภาพในการนับถือศาสนา, เสรีภาพการเผยแผ่ศาสนา และเสรีภาพการปฏิบัติตามความเชื่อในทางศาสนา ดังนั้น การกำหนดความผิดอาญาในการคุ้มครองศาสนาและศาสนิกชน ควรที่จะพิจารณาปัจจัยทางด้านความเชื่อของคนในสังคม คติที่รัฏฐาธิปัตย์ที่ใช้ในการปกครอง และการเข้ามาของอิทธิพลจากต่างประเทศ ประกอบกันเพราะในแต่ละปัจจัยไม่สามารถที่จะกำหนดถึงการบัญญัติ การปรับปรุง การแก้ไข หรือเพิ่มเติม เป็นความผิดในกฎหมายอาญาฉบับปัจจุบันหรือในกฎหมายฉบับอื่นได้เพียงปัจจัยใดปัจจัยหนึ่งอย่างเป็นเอกเทศ หากแต่เป็นปัจจัยที่จะต้องพิจารณาร่วมกัน เพราะระดับของความคุ้มครององค์ประกอบของศาสนาและศาสนิกชนอาจมีระดับความคุ้มครองที่หนักเบาไม่เท่ากัน

Why Tennessee’S Elvis Act Is The King Of Artificial Intelligence Protections, Sarah L. Fowler Senior Deputy General Counsel, John D. Fowler Founding Partner

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving and advancing quickly. As AI advances, it presents novel legal issues for individuals and industries alike. For example, AI can now mimic the voices of famous musicians so well that it can be almost impossible for listeners to discern whether the vocals are from those musicians or generated with AI. Yet under the current legal framework, new works that mimic a famous artist’s voice can be created and distributed by anyone without the consent of the musician and without any legal repercussions.

Fortunately, lawmakers are proposing legislation to protect against the unauthorized use of another’s …

Real Property, J. Richard White, Amanda Grainger

SMU Annual Texas Survey

No abstract provided.

Beyond Nil, William W. Berry, Iii

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The name, image, and likeness (NIL) changes and shifting landscape obscure more existential threats to the student-athlete model on the horizon. The television money that Power Five conference teams receive still comprises much of the budget of athletic departments. The football and basketball players—-the revenue sport athletes-—may have a claim to a greater share of this revenue.

Some athletes argue that they are employees of their universities, which would entitle them not only to additional benefits but also to other tools, such as collective bargaining. All of these advantages could make universities responsible for increasing the amount of remuneration available …

Tackling Bias In Sport: Recognizing The Impact Of Identities, Meg Hancock --Assoc. Prof.

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Studies suggest participation in organized sports--from childhood to adulthood--promotes positive physical, social, emotional, and intellectual benefits that impact individuals and their communities over a lifetime. Sports participation in early childhood and adolescence also leads to higher self-esteem, greater wage-earning potential, lower health costs, reduced chronic disease, and lower levels of depression. In adulthood, participating in sports provides social connection, personal enjoyment, and improved health. In US society, sports are often viewed as a popular, viable, and sustainable avenue for social mobility. While the benefits of sports participation are unequivocal, the visibility and influence of star athletes, along with the way …

The Constitutional Money Problem, Aziz Z. Huq, Brian D. Galle

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

We consider three aspects of the constitutional status of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Under the Supreme Court’s contemporary approach to constitutional meaning, there is a surprising degree of doubt about whether key aspects of the Federal Reserve (“Fed”)—its independence from Congress and the President, and even its power to create money— are constitutional. We suggest this is reason to believe the Court’s dominant interpretive approaches generate implausible results, but identify a previously overlooked source of constitutional grounding for the Fed that better supports its authority and structure. We further sketch the potential limits, costs, and benefits of our suggestion.

In …

Indigenous Knowledge As Federal Policy, Sara C. Bronin

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

In 2024, the federal historic preservation agency unanimously voted to adopt a policy supporting the full recognition and integration of Indigenous Knowledge in the preservation field. Indigenous Knowledge can be described roughly as the body of observations, knowledge, practices, and beliefs developed by Indigenous Peoples through their interaction and experience with the environment. The policy acknowledges that Indigenous Knowledge is valid, sound, and self-supporting, and that designated representatives of Indian Tribes, Alaska Native villages, and Native Hawaiian organizations should be recognized as subject-matter experts with regard to properties of religious and cultural significance to them. Indigenous Knowledge has not been …

Report And Recommendations On The Application And Interpretation Of Federal Historic Preservation Standards, Sara C. Bronin

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Federal historic preservation standards developed by the Department of the Interior have become central to preservation practice. This report examines their application and interpretation and makes recommendations for improvement. As Part I details, these standards were created in the 1970s pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and have been evolving ever since. Although originally written for programs administered by the Department, these standards have taken on a life of their own. As Part II outlines, they are embedded in key federal, state, and local regulatory processes, and they have thus been applied and interpreted in various contexts …

Masthead

Missouri Law Review

No abstract provided.

Copyright

Missouri Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reality Check: The Aim Of Affirmative Action May Often Miss The Mark Of Equal Protection, Kate Frerking

Missouri Law Review

The American justice system is built around basic guarantees of procedural due process. The Constitution assures certain procedural rights such as notice, an opportunity to be heard, and an impartial jury, not because these rights always ensure successful outcomes, but because they reflect notions of fairness, protection, and equality the nation views as fundamental. While the ultimate goal is that “justice” is served, the Constitution protects “process,” not outcome. If the desire is results-driven, why did the Framers prioritize protecting process over outcome?

Mallory V. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., Due Process And Strange Bedfellows, Michael Vitiello, Daniel Croxall

Missouri Law Review

[As the 2022 Supreme Court term waned, the press and public waited with trepidation or excitement for noteworthy cases that addressed important policy questions, including affirmative action, student loan forgiveness, and conflicts between religious freedom and gay rights. Fewer people shared the concerns of Civil Procedure scholars who anxiously awaited the Court’s decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co. For over a decade, the Court found that states violated due process in asserting personal jurisdiction over various defendants despite the lack of any meaningful burden on the defendant’s ability to defend against claims in the plaintiff’s choice of forum. …

Cancel Carte Blanche For The Information Industries: Federalizing U.C.C. Article 2., Michael L. Rustad

Missouri Law Review

Warranty disclaimers, caps on damages, predispute mandatory arbitration, and anti-class action waivers constitute what I call, “no responsibility” or “rights foreclosure clauses” in computer contracts. This is the first empirical study of how the information industries, which include the 100 largest software companies and the 100 largest digital companies, deploy one-sided warranty disclaimers, caps on damages, and predispute mandatory arbitration clauses coupled with class action waivers to shift responsibility for defective software to the user communities. This gives the information industries carte blanche to release dangerously defective software without consequences. In their standard form contracts, the industries do whatever they …

A Tragedy In Three Acts: Discrimination, Retaliation, And Ferpa, Jackson L. Ferguson

Missouri Law Review

As humanity has entered the digital age, we have come to possess incomprehensible amounts of recorded information—by some estimates, 295,000,000,000 gigabytes. With such an abundance of information at our fingertips, careful data management is not just a problem for IT specialists, but an occupational hazard for every American worker with a computer. In Ferry v. Board of Education. of Jefferson City Public School District, a teacher—Tammy Ferry—lost her job because she and her attorney failed to understand the hyper-technicalities involved in data privacy. This Note will argue that Ferry’s school district, the state of Missouri, and the U.S. Congress unintentionally …

Wanted!: Fourth Amendment Protection For St. Louis Residents From The Unconstitutional Wanteds System, Brooke Buerck

Missouri Law Review

Back in the days of Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and Butch Cassidy, wanted posters were plastered all around town: “Wanted! $5,000 Reward!” Law enforcement agencies still utilize wanted posters today, but they appear more commonly on the internet or in the media rather than in classic paper form with bold lettering and a black-and-white portrait of the suspect that is associated with Western films. The purpose of such wanted “posters” or other similar investigatory tools is to facilitate capture by involving the public and communicate the agency’s priorities by showing the public which individuals and crimes are a top …

Highspeed Pursuit Of A Claim For Negligence: Analyzing Police Liability In A Vehicular Accident Involving Bystanders, Harry Bell Iii

Missouri Law Review

Between 1994 and 2002, 3,146 people died as a result of highspeed police pursuits. Many of these decedents were pedestrians, bicyclists, or occupants of an uninvolved vehicle. In fact, statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) indicate that bystander fatalities make up approximately 42% of total fatalities resulting from highspeed pursuits by law enforcement. Deaths related to these pursuits may be even greater than the statistics suggest due to underreporting on the matter. How is fault attributed when a highspeed police pursuit harms an innocent bystander? Can a court attribute liability to law enforcement? Are there legal remedies available …

Reading The Court’S Palm: The Unclear Present And Future For Cost-Shifting Under Rule 54(D)(1), Anthony M. Whalen

Missouri Law Review

A tie is like kissing your sister1 This unique turn of phrase captures the American attitude towards ties—there are, or should be, winners and losers. But this notion of dedicated victories and defeats is not as strong as it once was. Whether it is the increased frequency of ties in the National Football League (“NFL”) over the past few years, the growth of soccer in the United States, or the split nature of our bicameral legislature, ties are a familiar part of the average American’s experience. Even our judicial system cannot avoid questions of “ties.” The idea that every court …

Food Procurement: An Essential Ingredient To Mitigating Climate Change And Enhancing Public Health, Chloë Waterman, Rachel Clark, Steven L. Schooner

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This short article addresses a critical, but often underappreciated, aspect of the evolving suite of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: food and agriculture systems, which account for at least a quarter of GHG emissions and more methane emissions than any other sector. The article invites government leadership to become more intentional in focusing on sustainable food procurement as a key strategy to mitigate climate change. The authors argue that public food procurement can – and should – be leveraged to generate a wide range of cascading social benefits beyond mitigating climate change and improving public health, including worker …