Medical Jurisprudence Commons^™

Documenting Atrocity: Medicine, Law And Accountability In Conflict Zones, Public Interest Law Students Association (Pilsa), Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr)

2025–2026 Flyers

Join us for a discussion  on how doctors, NGOs, and lawyers collaborate to document human rights violations experienced by survivors in conflict zones, and how medical documentation is used for asylum proceedings, advocacy and accountability efforts.

A Masque Of Red Death: The Fda's "Individual Risk-Based" Blood Donor Final Guidance Report Is A Poorly Constructed Facade Covering Continued Animus Toward Queer Men, Gerald Dryden

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that the FDA's blood donation guidelines discriminatorily target queer men, perpetuating stigma and failing to align with contemporary science. These guidelines, while aiming to protect blood recipients, are unconstitutional and not tailored to avoid discrimination, thus requiring revision to reflect current scientific understanding and eliminate bias.

Buyer, Beware Of Addiction, Erin E. Meyers, Clayton J. Masterman

Cardozo Law Review

Addictive products kill more than 700,000 people in the United States every year. Despite the large-scale risks that addiction poses, the law requires manufacturers of addictive products to disclose little-to-no information about the risk of addiction—the single most consequential characteristic of a class of products contributing to mass death every year.

While consumers understand that addictive products are, in fact, addictive, they generally do not understand the magnitude of the addiction risks that they face. Metaphorically, consumers understand that they are playing a game of “Russian roulette” when they consume an addictive product—but they play without knowing how many bullets …

The End Of Fda Exceptionalism? Dissecting Deference To The Fda In Drug Disputes, Anjali Deshmukh

Cardozo Law Review

On April 7, 2023, a federal judge issued a nationwide stay on the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the abortifacient medication mifepristone. It was instantly a landmark case, decried as the first time in over one-hundred years that a federal court nullified an FDA drug approval. A few hours later, a second federal district court enjoined FDA restrictions on mifepristone. Two federal courts substantively evaluating FDA drug approval data in one day is unprecedented. It begs the question: will courts overturn FDA drug approvals again?

Conventional wisdom says no. Abortion exceptionalism, the trend of legislatures and …

Anyone You Are Related To Can Be Used Against You: Criminal Discovery Statutes And Investigative Genetic Genealogy, Caroline Levine

Cardozo Law Review

The use of investigative genetic genealogy (“IGG”) as a basis for arresting suspects in complex and dormant investigations is raising serious concerns about whether the due process rights of criminal defendants in these cases are being violated. This Note provides a comprehensive look at the role of this groundbreaking, yet little-understood technology in criminal prosecutions. Technological advances have historically necessitated that courts expand and reinterpret legal principles. As a novel derivative of traditional DNA testing, this Note argues IGG should similarly require that discovery statutes be amended or rewritten to adapt to this cutting-edge technique, which is so new that …

Toward A Biometric Privacy Act To Protect Individual Rights: What The United States Can Learn From The European Union And China, Sophia Hilsman

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note examines the regulatory frameworks governing biometric AI technologies, particularly facial recognition, in the United States, China, and the European Union. It argues that the U.S. currently lacks comprehensive federal legislation to protect individuals' privacy and civil liberties in the face of advancing biometric technologies. The analysis advocates for a balanced regulatory approach that mitigates the risks of mass surveillance and erosion of privacy while allowing for beneficial uses of biometric AI. The author proposes that Congress should adopt federal legislation modeled after the EU's GDPR to establish a baseline for biometric data protection, ensuring consistency and stronger safeguards …

We Don't Talk About Insurance (No, No, No!), Anthony J. Sebok

Articles

Kenneth S. Abraham and Catherine M. Sharkey's The Glaring Gap in Tort Theory has a dramatic title. The article, which is about the unheralded and unappreciated role that liability insurance plays in tort, promises to make good on two claims-first, that the major (or a major) "missing piece" in modern tort scholarship is liability insurance, and second, once this missing piece is identified, it is impossible to ever see tort law the same way again.

Emotionally Harmed? It Might Not Matter: An Analysis Of Cummings V. Premier Rehab Keller And Its Implications For Title Ii Of The Americans With Disabilities Act Of 1990, Sotir Zhupa

Cardozo Law Review

On April 28, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down an opinion that shocked the disability rights community. In Cummings v. Premier Rehab Keller, P.L.L.C., the Court ruled that compensatory damages for emotional distress may not be recovered by claimants who sue for disability discrimination under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504) and section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010..

Cummings involved a woman, Jane Cummings, who is both deaf and legally blind. Because of her disabilities, she communicates through American Sign Language (ASL)—her first and primary language—and cannot communicate …

Conceptual Schemes/Frameworks And Their Relation To Law: A New Argument For Separation Of Church And State, Vincent J. Samar

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

A central question that arises when interpreting the U.S. Constitution is which theory of interpretation is the best? In his recent book, "How to Interpret the Constitution," Cass Sunstein reviews various theories of constitutional interpretation currently in vogue and then offers what he believes would be the best approach going forward. In this Article, I want to take up a more basic question presupposed by the very idea of a theory of interpretation. That is, whether it is even possible to arrive at more than a provisional understanding of what would be the best interpretation in any given area of …

Use Of Collaborative Governance In Passing Effective Abortion Laws In Texas To Decrease Rates Of Injury, Criminal Penalties, And Civil Litigation, Nowshin Nawal

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

No abstract provided.

What Recent Scrutiny Surrounding New Jersey's Newborn Screening Program Is Missing: Comment On The Reproductive And Social Justice Issues The Program Illuminates, Dylan Blanchard

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The note critiques New Jersey's Newborn Screening Program, highlighting its constitutional and social justice implications. While the program is a vital public health measure, its retention of newborn blood samples without informed consent and subsequent use by law enforcement raises significant Fourth Amendment concerns. The analysis argues that the program disproportionately impacts minorities and perpetuates systemic racism in the criminal legal system, as biometric data from these samples can be used to bypass probable cause requirements.

The Abortion Rights Of Teens In The Post-Dobbs Era, J. Shoshanna Ehrlich

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the erosion of minors' abortion rights following the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It argues that the post-Dobbs legal landscape disproportionately harms vulnerable populations, particularly teens, by undermining judicial bypass options and intensifying restrictions on abortion access. The analysis critiques the inconsistent application of legal frameworks, such as the "mature minor" rule and emancipation doctrines, which fail to protect teens' autonomy. The article advocates for recognizing minors as constitutional persons with medical self-consent rights to counter these restrictions.

Growth Beyond Its Limits - How Much Growth Is Too Much For The Purpose Of The Local Government Antitrust Act Of 1984?, Katherine Stern

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Confidentiality Over Privacy, Stacey A. Tovino

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Pregnancy Advance Directives, Joan H. Krause

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Applying Family Mediation To The Creation Of Psychiatric Advance Directives, Olivia Kalsner Kershen

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

No abstract provided.

Why A New Deal Must Address The Readability Of U.S. Consumer Contracts, Michael L. Rustad

Cardozo Law Review

United States companies are increasingly drafting consumer contracts that are complex and unreadable, thus making it difficult for many Americans to comprehend terms of use that apply to goods and services. Many U.S. companies are creating terms of use that are, in effect, rights-foreclosure schemes. Many consumer agreements cap damages at a nominal amount, disclaim all warranties, limit remedies, and impose mandatory arbitration clauses and class action waivers. U.S. courts enforce these unfair mass-market contracts with few exceptions. My proposal for a New Deal for Consumer Contracts, as described in this Article, would impose a more exacting readability standard, enforcing …

Free Speech & Abortion: The First Amendment Case Against Compelled Motherhood, Raymond Shih Ray Ku

Cardozo Law Review

The most important lessons are taught by example. Children learn the fundamental values that guide them throughout their lives from the examples set by their parents, especially their mothers. Before and after they understand language, they learn by observing and imitating the actions of their parents. For almost fifty years, Roe v. Wade guaranteed pregnant women the freedom to determine whether to carry their pregnancy to term. The right to obtain a safe abortion prior to viability is the most significant and controversial aspect of this freedom. The Supreme Court is now poised to overturn what it previously described as …

Shadow Nursing Home Ownership: How A Failure In Government Oversight Of For-Profit Nursing Homes In New York Has Allowed Profits To Balloon And Standards Of Care To Plummet, Marissa Espinoza

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

Complex corporate nursing home structures have become commonplace in for-profit nursing home ownership. These structures, designed to shield owners from regulation and liability, allow owners to evade public scrutiny by obscuring the identify of true owners and allow the true owners to direct revenue to other companies they own or benefit from, such as staffing agencies, payroll businesses, and management companies. This has led to a deterioration in the standard of care for nursing home residents, society's most vulnerable population, while providing a boon in profits for the true owners. Money that should be spent on care is instead diverted …

Beyond Data Ownership, Ignacio Cofone

Cardozo Law Review

Proposals for data ownership are widely misunderstood, aim at the wrong goal, and would be self-defeating if implemented. This Article, first, shows that data ownership proposals do not argue for the bundle of ownership rights that exists over property at common law. Instead, these proposals focus on transferring rights over personal information solely through consent.

Second, this Article shows the flaws of a property approach to personal information. Such an approach magnifies well-known problems of consent in privacy law: asymmetric information, asymmetric bargaining power, and leaving out inferred data. It also creates a fatal problem: moral hazard where corporations lack …

"What Makes You Think You Can Do That?": How Venue Restrictions Prevent Access To Abortion For Minors In Arkansas, Bella Mancini Pori

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Abortion Delayed Is Abortion Denied: Why The Hyde Amendment's Rescission Of Federal Funding For Medically Necessary Abortions Harms Low-Income Women, Aliza Shatzman

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest, violates the constitutional rights established by Roe v. Wade. It contends that the amendment disproportionately harms low-income women by denying them access to medically necessary abortions, thereby undermining their health and autonomy. The author asserts that the Hyde Amendment conflicts with the "reliance interest" doctrine outlined in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where women have come to depend on the availability of abortion services.

If You Build It, Will They Come? An Empirical Study Of The Voluntary Use Of Mediation And Its Implications, Dwight Golann

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

A generation ago, American litigants did not often go to mediation voluntarily. Advocates of the process predicted, however, that as lawyers and parties became more familiar with mediation, they would opt to use it more often. But, is this true? Virtually no data exists about how often litigants voluntarily choose to mediate legal disputes, whether use varies in different kinds of cases, and what motivates litigants' decisions whether to mediate or not. This Article presents data about each of these issues and analyzes its meaning.

Social Rights And The Welfare State: A Necessary Relation, Mario Santiago Juarez

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The article argues that the welfare state is indispensable for fulfilling social rights, emphasizing that mere recognition of these rights is insufficient without robust state commitment to public policies and systems. It traces the historical development of social rights from the industrial revolution to modern times, highlighting the role of key reforms and international frameworks. The analysis critiques the limitations of judicial enforcement and advocates for structural policies, such as progressive taxation and full employment, to ensure equitable access to essential services like education, healthcare, and housing.

Courts Beyond Judging, Michael C. Pollack

Articles

Across all fifty states, a woefully understudied institution of government is responsible for a broad range of administrative, legislative, law enforcement, and judicial functions. That important institution is the state courts. While the literature has examined the federal courts and federal judges from innumerable angles, study of the state courts as institutions of state government — and not merely as sources of doctrine and resolvers of disputes — has languished. This Article remedies that oversight by drawing attention for the first time to the wide array of roles state courts serve, and by evaluating the suitability of both the allocation …

India's Aadhaar Card - A Violation Of Indian Citizen's Right To Privacy, Sonal Chhugani

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The article examines the implications of India's Aadhaar Card program, arguing that while it may comply with Indian law, it violates the right to privacy under Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Aadhaar Card, a mandatory biometric identification system, centralizes vast amounts of citizen data, posing significant risks to privacy and security. Despite the Indian Supreme Court's ruling that the program does not violate domestic privacy rights, the article contends that it fails to meet international privacy standards, necessitating reforms to align with global human rights obligations.

Applicability Of International Schemes Of Legal Safeguards In Physician Assisted Suicide To Future United States Policy, Annie M. Bonazzi

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note argues that the United States can draw from international models, particularly those in Switzerland, Colombia, and Australia, to develop a more cohesive and effective policy on physician-assisted suicide (PAS). By combining existing U.S. state safeguards with international approaches, such as Colombia's panel-based system and Switzerland's nonprofit mechanism, the U.S. could address ethical, legal, and practical challenges more comprehensively.

Patent Eligibility And Investment, David O. Taylor

Cardozo Law Review

Have the Supreme Court's recent patent eligibility cases changed the behavior of venture capital and private equity investment firms, and if so how? This Article provides empirical data about investors' answers to those important questions. Analyzing responses to a survey of475 investors at firms investing in various industries and at various stages of funding, this Article explores how the Court's recent cases have influenced these firms' decisions to invest in companies developing technology. The survey results reveal investors' overwhelming belief that patent eligibility is an important consideration in investment decision making, and that reduced patent eligibility makes it less likely …

Are We In Good Hands? A Comparative Analysis Of Compensation Schemes Concerning Catastrophes And Their Administrative Structure, Yi Ming Zeng

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note critiques the administrative structure of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), highlighting its limitations in providing equitable and transparent compensation. It proposes integrating elements from Germany's and Japan's administrative systems to address these shortcomings and improve future disaster compensation schemes in the U.S.

Healers Or Dealers: The Effect Of Doctors Committing Health Care Fraud On The Opioid Epidemic, Peri Novick

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note argues that doctors who commit healthcare fraud by improperly prescribing opioids for personal gain should be held criminally liable for patient deaths resulting from their actions. It emphasizes that these physicians, often operating as "pill mills," violate ethical and legal standards, contributing significantly to the opioid epidemic. The analysis advocates for stronger legal enforcement and accountability to address this issue effectively.