Public Interest Commons^™

Self-Determination Through Children's Rights: Resisting The Paradoxical Pretext Of Parents' Rights Legislation, Jeremiah Chin

Washington Law Review

Washington state law balances the interests of parents and the state in education, healthcare, and the general wellbeing of children. Despite the fact that children are at the center of emerging controversies, children’s rights are rarely discussed in state legislation debating the obligations and relationships between the state of Washington and parents. In education, for example, RCW 28A.605.005 finds “[p]arents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s upbringing.” While this may be true relative to the state, it overlooks the fact that children are the primary actors, agents, and rights bearers in their own personhood. This Article therefore considers ongoing …

Per Se Non-Takings, Nestor M. Davisdson, Timothy M. Mulvaney

Faculty Scholarship

In the discourse on the Takings Clause, disputes over methodology have long formed a kind of proxy war, with per se rules ordinarily underwriting strong constitutional protection for property rights and ad hoc standards more often vindicating public interests. At a moment when the Supreme Court is increasingly embracing the rules end of this rules-standards spectrum, this Article offers a novel perspective to challenge the conventional link between categorical reasoning and classical liberal conceptions of constitutional property.

To do so, the Article excavates a vast body of law denying takings liability through rule-like reasoning, an approach the Article calls per …

Not So Firmly Settled: How The Inconsistent Jurisprudence Of The Firm Resettlement Bar Serves As A Tool For Asylum Seeker Exclusion, Caroline V. Garrido

Fordham Law Review

The firm resettlement bar to asylum, designed to limit protections to those without refuge elsewhere, has become a source of inconsistency, confusion, and exclusion in U.S. asylum law. Circuit courts have adopted two different approaches for determining whether an asylum seeker has firmly resettled in a third country. Despite the Board of Immigration Appeals’ attempt to unify these approaches through the introduction of a burden-shifting framework, courts remain divided, and there is no clear guidance on what constitutes firm resettlement. This Note argues that this lack of guidance has led to inconsistent court holdings and interpretations that conflict with the …

Red, White-, And Blue-Collar Crime: Federal Sentencing Practices Among White-Collar And Blue-Collar Offenders, Henna Judge

Fordham Law Review

Under the current federal sentencing regime, district courts exercise immense amounts of discretion when sentencing. Though strict adherence to the U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines (the “Guidelines”) was once mandatory, courts must now use these Guidelines as an advisory starting point and make a series of fact-specific determinations when sentencing a defendant. Though judicial discretion in this realm aids in preventing undue reliance on Guidelines-range recommendations that can lack nuance, it also invites bias.

In recent years, scholars and courts alike have called attention to a potential disparity in the way blue-collar and white-collar offenders are sentenced. This Note examines relevant …

Freedom Clinic Faculty And Students Win Clemency Case Through New Jersey Second Chance Initiative, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Archive

The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law secured clemency for LaShawn Fitch through New Jersey's Second Chance Initiative. Cardozo Freedom Clinic faculty and students helped prepare Mr. Fitch's clemency petition, highlighting issues surrounding felony-murder sentencing, the trial penalty, and juvenile justice.

Outline & Unwind, Cardozo Public Interest Law Student Association

2025–2026 Flyers

A chill night with PILSA

Come hang out, recharge, ask questions and get your brain (and markers) flowing !

President Trump And Control Of Administrative Agencies: The Firing Of Nlrb Commissioner Gwynne Wilcox, Gwynne Wilcox, Daniel Silverman, David Rudenstine, Floersheimer Center For Constitutional Democracy, Public Interest Law Student Association (Pilsa), American Constitution Society (Acs), Cardozo Chapter, National Lawyers Guild, Cardozo Chapter, Cardozo Federalist Society

2025 Event Invitations

On November 18, Gwynne Wilcox will join Dan Silverman at Cardozo to discuss her lawsuit against Trump and his administration for firing her as an NLRB commissioner. This conversation will be moderated by Professor David Rudenstine.

On January 27, 2025, President Trump removed Wilcox from the Board prior to her term’s expiration in 2028. Wilcox was the first Board Member to have been removed in 90 years of the Board's inception in 1935. Wilcox filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Washington, DC, against President Trump challenging her unprecedented and unlawful termination based upon current statutory law and well-established Supreme …

Honoring Our 2025 Pro Bono Award Recipients, Maurer School Of Law - Indiana University

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

The Indiana University Maurer School of Law celebrated its 2025 Pro Bono Award winners this week, honoring students, faculty, and community members who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to serving others through legal advocacy and volunteer work.

The student awards recognized the individuals in each class who logged the highest number of pro bono hours during the past academic year. This year’s honorees were:

• Laura Stancato ’26, of Fishers, Indiana, who was honored for her leadership with the Protective Order Project and the Civil Protective Order Clinic. “This work uncovered a passion for helping others, particularly survivors of sexual and domestic …

Truth Comes Before Reconciliation: An Exercise In American Truth-Telling, Hannah Fidler

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Roots In South Omaha: Navigating Identity, Culture, And Justice, Natalia Lopez

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Nicholas L. Marti

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

2025-26 Masthead (Volume 2, Issue 1), Njaj Editorial Board

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Law Review Symposium: Prisoners' Rights: Protecting Civil Liberties Behind Bars & Beyond 11-7-2025, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

How Trust In The Federal Government Determines Views On Gun Restrictions, Darren L. Mueller

Scholars Week

In this Paper, I will discuss how trust in our federal government influences a person's perspective on gun ownership restrictions. My research question for this topic is: How does Trust in government and political ideology affect views on gun control? It is an important question as gun policy is a heavily debated topic within our news and political circles. The data that I will be using for this comes from the American National Election Survey (ANES). The dataset that I will be using will be from the ANES (2020) dataset. What I expect to find for this research is that …

Opening Remarks, Gideon Taylor

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Progression Of Deinstitutionalization And Its Effects On The American South: A Judicial Analysis Of 20th-Century United States Supreme Court Decisions, Eva-Marie V. Jones

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores the effects of four landmark Supreme Court cases on the deinstitutionalization movement in the American south. Previous literature frequently discusses the legislative implications of this era; however, no law is applicable without the interpretation and application of the judiciary, which so often contextualizes the greater public perspective. Rarely has an analysis of judicial decisions involving psychiatric care merged with regional focus, and certainly not in a format accessible to the average individual.

From unmarked graves to abandoned infrastructure, the legacy of historic psychiatric care in the United States has been largely obscured – yet its consequences continue …

“Justice Of Our Own”: Defining Success At The Red Hook Community Justice Center, Hadar Dancig-Rosenberg, Peter Dixon

Vanderbilt Law Review

This study examines how success is defined at the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, NYC, through a participatory, community centered lens. Moving beyond standard metrics, it articulates a locally grounded vision of success centered on empowerment, support, systemic accountability, and community trust. Drawing on the Everyday Peace Indicators approach, we convened nine focus groups and two public voting sessions with neighborhood residents, justice professionals, youth, former defendants, and family members. Participants generated and ranked 72 indicators, which we thematically clustered into six key categories reflecting the diverse contexts in which participants perceived the Center's impact: (1) rehabilitation and …

When The Taxpayers Are Not Innocent: The Need For Punitive Damages Against Municipalities Under The Fair Housing Act, Charlotte Saltzman

Fordham Law Review

Combatting housing discrimination by municipalities is a core function of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Courts disagree, however, as to whether punitive damages can be awarded against municipal defendants. The purpose of this Note is twofold. First, it compares the Second Circuit’s recent decision in Gilead Community Services, Inc. v. Town of Cromwell, which held that punitive damages were appropriate against the Town of Cromwell, with the reasoning of district courts that came to the opposite conclusion in reliance on § 1983 precedent. Second, notwithstanding the sufficiency of the statutory analysis, it evaluates the public policy concerns of awarding …

The Perlmutter Center For Legal Justice At Cardozo Law Secures Release Of Ernest Taylor After Serving 22 Years In Prison For A Minor Theft, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Archive

Announcement of the Perlmutter Center securing Ernest Taylor's release after resentencing.

Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Commit $6 Million To Name Clinical Education Program At Cardozo School Of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Archive

Cardozo School of Law announced a $6 million gift from alumna Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano to renovate and expand its clinical education facilities. The gift will establish the Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano Program for Clinical Education, supporting experiential legal education and increasing access to justice through Cardozo's nationally recognized clinical programs.

Peculiarities Of Europeanisation Of State Aid Control In Ukraine During Martial Law, Bohdan Veselovskyi, Kseniia Smyrnova

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

Ukraine's European integration necessitates the alignment of its state aid control framework with EU competition law. The full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022 significantly disrupted this alignment, prompting Ukraine to temporarily suspend standard state aid oversight procedures under martial law. In response, Ukraine has undertaken comprehensive legislative reforms, including the adoption of sector-specific state aid criteria, enhanced administrative accountability measures, and systematic inventorying of existing aid schemes. This article analyses these developments, demonstrating Ukraine's ongoing commitment to restore regulatory certainty, transparency, and competitive neutrality, despite wartime constraints. Judicial practices incorporating EU-derived standards, particularly the Altmark criteria, highlight Ukraine's substantial progress …

Fixing The Fix: The Case For Unifying The Remedial Framework Of Apa Rulemaking Challenges, Dea Devlin

Fordham Law Review

Vacatur is the default remedy for successful administrative rulemaking challenges brought under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Yet its broad and sweeping effects raise critical questions regarding its appropriateness as a one-size-fits-all remedy. Unlike injunctive relief, which is subject to a rigorous heightened standard, and remand without vacatur, which has a comparable standard of its own, vacatur is routinely awarded without similar scrutiny, leading to inconsistencies in the judicial application of remedies in APA challenges.

Although vacatur can provide a plaintiff with relief, its award conflicts with underlying principles of equity and proportionality. In rulemaking challenges, vacatur can create regulatory …

Texas S.B. 8 V. Rights: Restoring Judicial Power With The State Action Remedy, Kobi J. Grossman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

While the constitutional right to an abortion was the law of the land in the U.S., Texas sought to restrict that right in line with their political agenda by passing S.B. 8 (2021), referred to as the “Texas Heartbeat Act”. This statute made access to abortions illegal past six weeks, or once a heartbeat is detected. The enforcement structure created in the law did not look to the state to exercise its role as the executor of the public good, but rather, to private citizens in creating a right of action for individuals to sue anyone who “aids or abets” …

A State Constitutional Challenge To Washington’S Denial Of Minimum Wage To Incarcerated Workers, Cailin Dahlin

Washington Law Review

This Comment challenges as unconstitutional Washington’s exemption of incarcerated individuals from the state Minimum Wage Act. Incarcerated people in Washington, unprotected by minimum wage guarantees, earn low wages in state-run inmate work programs. This statutory carveout is contrary to the rehabilitative purpose of Washington’s prisons because it impedes incarcerated people’s ability to afford necessities, participate in rehabilitative programs, and reintegrate into society. This exemption is unconstitutional under the state’s cruel punishment clause, because it is disproportionately cruel punishment and an excessive fine that incarcerated workers cannot afford. The exemption is also unconstitutional under the state’s privileges and immunities clause, because …

Another Broken Promise: The Mmiwg2s Crisis And The Violation Of The Federal Indian Trust Obligation, Marley Forest

Washington Law Review

Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people go missing and are murdered at rates nearly ten times the national average in the United States. This disproportionate epidemic of violence has been labeled the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) crisis. Several factors exacerbate this crisis. First, European colonizers used violence against Native people, especially women and Two-Spirit people, as a tactic of control and domination since first contact in the 1600s. Second, nearly two hundred years of legislative actions and case law have effectively stripped Native Nations of all criminal jurisdictional power over crimes committed on their land …

Calling All Students Leaders & Community Organizers, Center For Public Service Law, Public Interest Law Student Association (Pilsa)

2025–2026 Flyers

Join Public Interest Law Advocacy (P*LAW) Week: A student-ed movement sparking dialogue, building community, and empowering future advocates.

Law School News: The Surprising Impact Of Pro Bono Opportunities 9-2-2025, Suzi Morales

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Changemakers: Nate Reid : L'26 : The Surprising Impact Of Pro Bono Opportunities 09-02-2025, Suzi Morales

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Scripted For Surveillance: Parole Revocation Hearings And The Performance Of Procedure In New York, Kelsey G. Greeff

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines parole revocation hearings in New York as complex performances that extend carceral control beyond prison walls. Drawing on a composite vignette from the Bronx parole court, it analyzes the interplay between procedural reform, constitutional due process, and neoliberal governance. Using a dramaturgical framework informed by Michel Foucault’s discourse analysis and Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, the study identifies four interrelated processes: the judge as director, who orchestrates hearings according to institutional priorities; normalization, where repetition embeds structural inequality as routine; type-marking, the classification of parolees into predefined roles through accumulated records and cues; and the extension of …