Legal Writing and Research Commons^™

Moral Panic Or Public Health Crisis? Lessons From Drugs And Gambling For “Addictive” Design, Matthew B. Lawrence, Haomin (Kevin) Yan

Seattle University Law Review

Alcohol, automobiles, guns, lottery, loot boxes, meat, music, opioid painkillers, processed foods, prop bets, slot machines, television, tobacco, violent video games. Over the last century each of these has been subject to concerns—some might even say “moral panics”—from parents and policymakers about avoidable harms to kids and adults. In some cases we look back with the benefit of hindsight and dismiss those concerns as naïve or moralistic. In others we look back at them as justified or as having come too late to check an expanding industry before it did unfathomable harm while growing so powerful that it became all …

Responding To Digital Addiction, Ned Snow

Seattle University Law Review

In Unwired: Gaining Control over Addictive Technologies, Professor Gaia Bernstein calls our attention to the growing problem of digital addiction. Digital addiction may sound like something out of a science-fiction novel or something that does not raise the same sort of real-life practical concerns as are present in a physical health crisis or an economic decline. But as Bernstein presents the evidence, we learn that the consequences of digital addiction can be just as harmful as a serious disease or a financial depression. Cognitive development disorders, anxiety, emotional depression, social isolation, and other mental health ills can be debilitating—as much …

The Ai Doppelgänger Dilemma: Cloned Voices In The Music Industry, Elizabeth Shields

Seattle University Law Review

With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), there has been an influx of “voice clones”—deep-learning algorithms that create synthetic speech to realistically mimic human voices. Celebrities and, in particular, music artists, have been subjected to the proliferation of AI voice clones on social media platforms like TikTok and streaming platforms such as Spotify. Despite music utilizing AI voice clones having amassed much popularity, this technology can be harmful and highly invasive to musicians whose livelihoods often depend on their distinct voices. While legal scholars have attempted to articulate various rights that could protect a person’s voice, individuals are largely …

Let The Sunshine In: Crafting Constitutional Transparency Regulations For Content Moderation, Caitlin Ring Carlson

Seattle University Law Review

In response to public concern about the impact of social media, legislators in some U.S. states have developed laws to regulate the process of content moderation. Many include mandatory transparency and disclosure requirements, some of which courts have already deemed an unconstitutional infringement on social media platforms’ right to free expression. This article explores the parameters for crafting constitutional social media transparency regulations using existing U.S. media policy and insights from recent legal challenges. The resulting analysis identifies content neutral transparency requirements that mandate the disclosure of purely factual, non-controversial information as those most likely to withstand judicial scrutiny. Specifically, …

This Is Not A Game: The Addictive Allure Of Digital Companions, Nizan Geslevich Packin, Karni Chagal-Feferkorn

Seattle University Law Review

Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents have become an inescapable part of modern childhood, reshaping education, leisure activities, entertainment, and social interaction. From AI-powered tutors that adapt to individual learning styles to emotionally responsive chatbots that simulate human companionship, these systems promise unprecedented personalization, cognitive stimulation, and social support. However, these benefits mask significant risks that remain unregulated and inadequately addressed.

Although adults are also susceptible to forming deep emotional bonds with AI companions—often trusting them as if they possessed genuine understanding and empathy—children are particularly vulnerable. Their misplaced trust can more severely distort social development, weaken critical thinking, and foster unhealthy …

Cardozo Law News Brief: March 14, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the March 14, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Professor Matthew Wansley spoke to The Washington Post about safety concerns with Zoox’s self-driving vehicles.

• Professor Haiyun Damon-Feng wrote in Slate on the Trump administration's immigration actions against children.

• Professor Michael Herz discussed constitutional spending powers in Fortune.

• Professor David Rudenstine published an op-ed in the New York Law Journal defending press freedoms.

• Professor Lindsay Nash was interviewed by The New Yorker and Zeteo on immigration and due process rights.

• Adjunct Professor Gary Galperin analyzed a pretrial motion in Business Insider.

• Faculty scholarship updates include:

  • Professor Emmanuel …

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Cardozo Law News Brief: March 7, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the March 7, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Scientist Zafra M. Lerman received the International Advocate for Peace Award at Cardozo and spoke on science education as a human right.

• Professor Jessica Roth was quoted in The New York Times on internal tensions at the Justice Department.

• Professor Matt Wansley spoke to The Washington Post about Tesla’s self-driving taxi plans.

• Professor Andrea Schneider commented in Business Insider on U.S.-Ukraine Oval Office negotiations.

• Professor Peter Markowitz discussed immigration enforcement in Newsweek and The Boston Globe.

• Faculty updates include:

  • Professor Barbara Kolsun’s book The Business and Law of …

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Mistaken About Mistakes: Error Analysis As An Untapped Tool For Law School Success, Elissa Jacob

Pace Law Review

Mistakes: everyone makes them, perhaps the new law student more than most. But why do our students continue to make the same errors despite our concerted efforts to prevent them? This article explores this question and provides ideas on how to utilize mistakes to fuel the learning process. Science has proven that the human brain is hardwired to benefit from errors. However, the psychological effects of failing, cultural systems, and the American educational system are frequent barriers to this biological process.

To overcome these obstacles and most effectively employ error analysis, I propose a three-step model. First, professors must lay …

Cardozo Law News Brief: February 21, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the February 21, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Professor Jessica Roth appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss DOJ resignations tied to the dismissal of a case involving NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

• Adjunct Professor Gary Galperin spoke to Gothamist about court procedures in the Luigi Mangione case.

• Derrick Hamilton, Deputy Director of the Perlmutter Center, published an op-ed in Times Union advocating for stronger discovery laws.

• Professor Peter Markowitz was quoted in Gothamist and Newsweek about ICE access to protected spaces under Mayor Adams.

• Professor Michael Pollack commented in Bloomberg on Denver’s new sidewalk repair fee.

• Professor …

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Cardozo Law News Brief: February 14, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the February 14, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Associate Judge Caitlin J. Halligan was announced as the keynote speaker for Cardozo’s 47th Commencement.

• Professor Jessica Roth appeared on CBS Mornings, The Washington Post, and PBS NewsHour discussing the Luigi Mangione case and corruption charges involving Mayor Eric Adams.

• Professor Lindsay Nash spoke to City Limits about the impact of the Laken Riley Act on immigrant communities.

• Faculty updates include:

  • Ellen Drucker-Albert edited the latest issue of Association of Jewish Libraries’ News and Reviews.

  • Professor Andrea Schneider co-authored International Conflict Resolution Processes with Carrie Menkel-Meadow.

Cardozo Law News Brief: February 7, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the February 7, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Cardozo's P*LAW 2025 featured a week of student-led public service programming, coordinated by the Center for Public Service Law.

• Professor Jessica Roth spoke to The New York Times and Politico about the possible dismissal of charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

• Professor Betsy Ginsberg was quoted in The Wall Street Journal on constitutional questions related to incarcerating Americans in El Salvador.

• Professor Andrea Schneider spoke to Business Insider about Costco’s pay increases for non-union workers and the implications for labor negotiations.

The Indispensability Of Human Paralegals In The Era Of Advancing Ai, Nicole L. Perry

The Guardianship Journal

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is causing ripples in all areas of life. The legal field is not immune, and concerns about AI replacing legal professionals abound. This manuscript explores the role of paralegals in the legal field from the inception of legal assistants to today and beyond. It examines research on the importance of the human paralegals’ expertise in navigating complex legal processes efficiently and accurately while providing emotional support for clients. This manuscript describes how human paralegals will remain indispensable thanks to their technological capabilities and emotional intelligence. Emphasizing the American Bar Association’s (ABA) mandate on …

Cardozo Law News Brief: January 31, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the January 31, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Students participated in the 42nd Annual ITAP, sharpening their trial skills in an intensive litigation training program.

• Cardozo’s Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution offered hands-on mediation and advocacy experience through intensive dispute resolution courses.

• Professor Peter Markowitz spoke to Fox 5 New York about the importance of NYC’s sanctuary city laws.

• Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat was quoted in The Guardian and Forbes on TikTok’s legal future under President Trump.

• Professor Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum appeared on ABC News to reflect on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the rise of global …

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Cardozo Law News Brief: January 24, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the January 24, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat spoke to The Guardian and ABC News about the Trump administration’s approach to delaying enforcement of the TikTok ban.

• Professor Peter Markowitz published an op-ed in the New York Daily News critiquing Mayor Adams' shifting stance on NYC sanctuary city laws.

• Adjunct Professor Gary Galperin was quoted in Gothamist discussing public perception and legal reasoning surrounding Daniel Penny’s acquittal.

Cardozo Law News Brief: January 17, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the January 17, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Professor Saurabh Vishnubhakat spoke to Law360, USA Today, The Verge, Politico, and ABC News about legal challenges surrounding the U.S. TikTok ban.

• Professor David Rudenstine published an op-ed in The Hill urging the Supreme Court to adopt a formal code of ethics.

• Professor Matthew Wansley was quoted in The Washington Post on privacy concerns related to Elon Musk's involvement in a Cybertruck explosion investigation.

• Assistant Professor Emmanuel Hiram Arnaud’s article “Colonizing by Contract” was published in the Columbia Law Review.

Cardozo Law News Brief: January 3, 2025, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2025

Highlights from the January 3, 2025 Cardozo Law News Brief include:

• Professor Jessica Roth spoke to The New York Times about the legal basis for Luigi Mangione facing both federal and state murder charges.

• Professor Betsy Ginsberg discussed jail conditions in Gothamist, emphasizing the need for systemic reform.

• Adjunct Professor Gary Galperin explained to Gothamist how legal strategy and timing are determined when dual prosecutions occur.

• Professor Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum appeared on The FoRB Podcast with Visiting Professor Dmytro Vovk to discuss global responses to the 2014 Yazidi genocide.

Through A Glass Darkly: How Securities Disclosures Give A Distorted View Of The Economy, Gerald F. Davis

Seattle University Law Review

Our understanding of the American economy often relies on stylized facts derived from mandatory disclosures by listed corporations. Data vendors like Standard & Poor’s vacuum up 10Ks and proxy statements into databases, and scholars distill these into tentative maps. This may have been adequate for a postwar economy centered on asset-heavy manufacturers, but it is increasingly out of step with an information-based economy. Companies listed on the stock market are fewer in number and less representative than they were, light in tangible assets and people, and heavy on IP. Basic facts such as what industry they are in are increasingly …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

Corporate Scenarios: Drawing Lessons From History, Madison Condon

Seattle University Law Review

As corporations are increasingly pressed to reveal information about their exposure to climate-related risks, they are often asked to undertake and disclose the outcome of “scenario analysis.” In this exercise, corporations, including financial institutions, examine how their business would fare under different pathways the future may take. One oft-used scenario, for example, is the International Energy Agency’s “Net-Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Energy Sector.” This Essay presents a history of the use of scenarios as a corporate planning tool, particularly in the oil industry, arguing that it is key for understanding our present moment and the role of …

Shareholder Expression In A Time Of Heightened Political Tension, Aaron A. Dhir

Seattle University Law Review

In this article, I provide context for my forthcoming research project on shareholder proposals and racial equity audits. Since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, progressive shareholder actors have increasingly used the proposal mechanism to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice-related goals. These proposals have frequently gone beyond requesting the usual corporate fare of diversity trainings, intersectionality workshops, affinity groups, etc. Instead, a more ambitious type of proposal asks corporate America to conduct racial equity audits, defined as “an independent, objective and holistic analysis of a company’s policies, practices, products, services and efforts to combat systemic racism …

Corporate Governance Speech, Sarah C. Haan

Seattle University Law Review

The State has always regulated the intra-firm communications that make corporate governance possible, most commonly by mandating disclosures of information by a corporation to its shareholders. Some such laws are labeled “securities regulation,” but securities regulation is a broad category that extends to speech by actors who are outside the corporate enterprise as well. Also, the conventional securities regulation category does not capture all such laws; other examples, including informationforcing mandates, can be found in state corporate law. This Article uses the term “corporate governance speech” to describe the communications among shareholders, directors, and officers through which corporate governance is …

Dark Accounting Matter, Colleen Honigsberg

Seattle University Law Review

Physicists calculate that approximately 85% of the matter in the universe is composed of “dark matter” that “does not absorb, reflect, or emit electromagnetic radiation and is therefore difficult to detect.” The S&P 500 currently trades at a price-to-book value of 4.2, suggesting that book value accounts for less than 20% of the S&P 500’s market value. The remaining 80% appears nowhere in these firms’ balance sheets—it is invisible to contemporary accounting techniques and constitutes “dark accounting matter.”

Some “dark accounting matter” is composed of factors commonly described as components of “ESG.” Human capital, for example, is an intangible asset …

The Employees’ Dilemma: Balancing Internal Reporting, Whistleblowing, And Insider Trading Risks, Geeyoung Min

Seattle University Law Review

The Essay examines how recent developments in insider trading regulations and whistleblower reward programs can lead to unintended and counterproductive results of discouraging employees from using internal reporting channels within corporate compliance programs. While the presence of a robust and well-functioning corporate compliance program is a critical factor both in mitigating the level of public enforcement actions against companies and in protecting corporate managers from liability in private litigation, these programs often provide little incentive for employees to report potential misconduct internally.

Corporate compliance programs are designed to promote the upward information flow within the company, which is essential for …

How The Antidiscrimination Law Of Commercial Transactions Really Works, Helen Norton

Seattle University Law Review

A variety of businesses now cite 303 Creative when seeking First Amendment protection for their refusal to serve certain customers based on those customers’ protected class status. How this litigation will play out remains to be seen. But future courts need not, and should not, repeat the 303 Creative Court’s misunderstanding of how the antidiscrimination law of commercial transactions actually works.

Part I of this Essay explains the Court’s longstanding understanding of the antidiscrimination law of commercial transactions, and then describes the Court’s failure to engage with this precedent in 303 Creative. Part II then identifies the 303 Creative decision’s …

Expertise, Ideology, And Dissent, Paul R. Gugliuzza, Jonathan R. Nash, Jason Rantanen

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Green Dividends: A Case Study In Green Dividends And The Conditions For Private Ordering Solutions, Anne M. Tucker

Seattle University Law Review

This Essay introduces a novel private ordering solution to facilitate corporate investments in pro-social and environmental initiatives: Green dividends. Green dividends are an optional increase in shareholder dividends that are returned to the company to be reinvested in environmental initiatives or kept by a shareholder.

Green dividends pose an alternative to the current gridlocked debate that corporations can’t, won’t, shouldn’t, and shouldn’t even try to act in pro-social or environmental ways. Turning the common refrains on their head converts each narrative into an element for a successful private ordering solution: authority, accountability, shareholder buy-in, and government- backed enforcement. With Green …

Does Climate Disclosure Work To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions? Emerging Evidence Suggests Cautious Optimism, Cynthia A. Williams

Seattle University Law Review

Significant regulatory resources have been spent developing global, voluntary climate and sustainability disclosure standards, such as the TCFD, TNRD, and ISSB’s Sustainability and Climate Disclosure standards, or domestically required disclosures, such as in the EU and in the U.S. Thus, it is important to evaluate whether this disclosure, particularly voluntary, qualitative disclosure, will have the power to shift the allocation of capital, will have a significant effect on the management of climate risk within firms, and ultimately will reduce climate change risk and biodiversity loss.

In this Article, several interrelated questions will be discussed. First, what does the empirical evidence …

Technology Competency Road Map In Rhode Island: Reforming Professional Rules And Continuing Legal Education With Modern Educational Frameworks And Instructional Design Principles To Protect Clients, Myrta L. Ventura

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dobbs V. Brown, Benjamin H. Barton

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization1is the most important and impactful Supreme Court decision since at least Roe v. Wade, and potentially since Brown v. Board of Education. Past survey data show that most Americans can only name two Supreme Court opinions: Roe and Brown. Dobbs will surely join that list. This Article compares the history, drafting, and opinions of Dobbs and Brown to show what a missed opportunity Dobbs represents. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the opinion, it should be clear that Dobbs was one of those unique times (like that of Brown) where the Court …

Integrating Academic Success, Krishnee Coley, Laura A. Webb

Law Faculty Publications

Over the past few years, Richmond Law has taken several intentional steps to address one of ASP’s perennial challenges: the students who most need help may not be the ones who find their way to optional ASP sessions. By integrating academic success into orientation programs and collaborating with doctrinal professors, we’ve succeeded in reaching all our 1L students despite the lack of a mandatory 1L ASP course.