Addressing The Root Of Housing Insecurity: Washington Should Divest From “Crime-Free” Housing Programs,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Addressing The Root Of Housing Insecurity: Washington Should Divest From “Crime-Free” Housing Programs, Sarah Cerdena
Seattle University Law Review
Crime-Free Rental Housing Properties (CFRHPs) have proven to be an ineffective and inequitable approach to public safety. Often, tenants in these properties are evicted—at times, extrajudicially—as a result of conduct that does not rise to violations of their lease provisions, much less criminal behavior. By placing extraordinary power in the hands of local law enforcement to carry out these ordinances, CFRHPs predictably pose significant harm to Black and Latinx communities, survivors of domestic violence, disabled tenants, and low-income tenants generally. Recently, the Washington State Supreme Court grappled with the tensions arising between CFRHPs and the enforcement of Washington landlord-tenant law. …
Volume 49 Masthead,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Esg Investing Breaches Erisa Fiduciary Duties? A Closer Look At Spence V. American Airlines, Inc.,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Esg Investing Breaches Erisa Fiduciary Duties? A Closer Look At Spence V. American Airlines, Inc., Eric Chin-Ru Chang
Seattle University Law Review
In Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas found that American Airlines breached its fiduciary duties due to BlackRock’s ESG investing practices. Contrary to some reports suggesting that the ruling prohibits ESG investing under ERISA, a closer look at the ruling shows that the court only targeted American Airlines’ failure to manage conflicts of interest appropriately, rather than the legality of ESG investing itself. In light of the intensifying ESG backlash in the United States, this Article cautions against further restrictive measures on ESG investing. Such measures would exacerbate the widening …
Formalism In Jewish Law,
2025
Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
Formalism In Jewish Law, Chaim Saiman
Faculty Publications
Scholars differ as to the degree to which Jewish law is formalistic. This chapter aims to make sense of the debate surrounding formalism in Jewish law by distinguishing between three types of legal formalism: classic formalism, modern formalism, and detail-following formalism. Viewed through the lens of modern formalism, Jewish law is likely less formalistic than commonly assumed as it is not primarily concerned with constraining decision makers. Nor is Jewish legal discourse typified by its unified conceptual schemas that proceed from abstract concepts to bottom-line decisions in the way that classical formalism proceeds. This chapter introduces an alternative framing termed …
From Ambiguity To Accountability: The Case For A Legal Definition Of Antisemitism In Academia,
2025
Pepperdine University
From Ambiguity To Accountability: The Case For A Legal Definition Of Antisemitism In Academia, Andrea J. Martin
Pepperdine Law Review
Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, U.S. college campuses experienced a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, driven by an antizionism movement aimed at demonizing and delegitimizing the Jewish state and its supporters. A congressional investigation found that antisemitism persisted at prominent universities because administrators repeatedly failed to denounce antizionist conduct that functions as a vehicle for harassment of Jewish students and neglected to enforce their own nondiscrimination policies. The congressional committee, as well as several university antisemitism task forces, identified antizionism as a primary driver of campus antisemitism and strongly recommended that university leaders recognize and address …
Ten Commandments In The Public Square And Public Schools,
2025
Regent University
Ten Commandments In The Public Square And Public Schools, Mark David Hall, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
The Ten Commandments are of paramount importance to the Jewish and Christian faiths, and they are viewed by many as a source of Western law. In America, they have been (and are) taught in churches and synagogues, and throughout much of this nation’s history they have been taught by parents, tutors, and teachers in private and public schools. They are regularly displayed in courthouses and statehouse grounds, and some states have desired to display them in public schools. Predictably, those who would scrub religion from the public square have argued that Ten Commandment displays on public property violate the First …
The Endorsement Test’S Early Years, 1983–1985: Notes From The O’Connor Files,
2025
Boston University School of Law
The Endorsement Test’S Early Years, 1983–1985: Notes From The O’Connor Files, Jay Wexler
William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
One of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s signature contributions to U.S. constitutional law was the endorsement test, a subtle but critically important reformulation of the Court’s then prevailing approach to applying the Establishment Clause that focused on the message sent by government action supporting religion and the potentially harmful effects of that message on religious minorities and the political community. Now that the current Court has discarded the endorsement test, leaving the government freer than ever to support religion in a variety of ways, we should expect to see the harms that Justice O’Connor cared about become increasingly widespread and prevalent. …
303 Creative For Everyone?,
2025
Wayne State University Law School
303 Creative For Everyone?, Mark Satta
West Virginia Law Review
Does the holding in 303 Creative v. Elenis give businesses open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to provide expressive services for interracial couples’ weddings, interfaith couples’ weddings, or for couples’ weddings in which one or both partners are disabled? As indicated by questions raised during oral arguments, this is one of the troubling new legal questions created by the Supreme Court’s 303 Creative decision where the Court held that a Colorado web design business had a First Amendment free speech right to refuse to provide wedding website services for same-sex couples’ weddings. Understandably, both the Court’s conservative …
The Shadow Of Legal Pluralism In Indonesian Islamic Courts: Child And Spousal Maintenance,
2025
Universitas Bina Nusantara
The Shadow Of Legal Pluralism In Indonesian Islamic Courts: Child And Spousal Maintenance, Stijn Cornelis Van Huis
The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies
This paper is inspired by Franz von Benda-Beckmann’s notion of “bargaining in the shadow of legal pluralism” and applies this notion to spousal and child maintenance negotiations that take place between judges, husbands and wives within divorce processes at Indonesian Islamic courts. I will argue that in the context of Muslim family law practice in Indonesia, the legal plural situation does not only influence out-of-court negotiations, but formal legal processes within the Islamic courts as well. It follows Keebet von Benda-Beckmann’s example in analyzing the legal plural dynamics of women’s claiming process comprehensively, by investigating the interconnectedness of the pre-trial, …
Louisiana's Ten Commandments Statute: With Litigation Updates From Arkansas And Texas,
2025
University of Missouri School of Law
Louisiana's Ten Commandments Statute: With Litigation Updates From Arkansas And Texas, Carl H. Esbeck
Faculty Publications
Legislators in conservative states are drawn to a belief that the Ten Commandments [“10/Cs”] underscore American’s moral, jurisprudential, and historical heritage. First the State of Louisiana, and thereafter Arkansas and Texas, enacted legislation requiring the posting of the 10/Cs in every public school and university classroom in the state. This quickly brought on legal challenges by students and their parents, along with a smattering of local clerics, together contending that these laws were unconstitutional, most prominently violations of the Establishment Clause. State attorney generals leaped to defend these statutes making the facial assertion that the 10/Cs are not so much …
Volume 48 Masthead,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Keynote Address: Community Over Constitution,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Keynote Address: Community Over Constitution, Riddhi Mukhopadhyay
Seattle University Law Review
In this keynote address, Riddhi Mukhopadhyay challenges the veneration of the U.S. Constitution by highlighting its origins in exclusion and its continued failure to protect marginalized communities. Drawing from her experience in civil legal aid and gender justice, she argues that the Constitution was drafted to consolidate power among white, wealthy men and continues to reflect that legacy through racial, gender, and class-based inequities. While acknowledging the significance of constitutional amendments and landmark cases, Mukhopadhyay emphasizes that meaningful change has always come from community-led action, not top-down reform. Additionally, Mukhopadhyay calls on lawyers and legal advocates to center community, practice …
The Lost Child: A Critique On Transracial Adoption Rhetoric,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
The Lost Child: A Critique On Transracial Adoption Rhetoric, Hallie Conyers-Tucker
Seattle University Law Review
Transracial adoption in the United States reflects a deeply rooted history of colonialism, cultural assimilation, and racial hierarchy, masked by rhetoric focused on the “best interest of the child.” The author critiques that rhetoric and traces how adoption practices and policies, both domestic and international, have evolved to reinforce systemic inequities. Through historical analysis of the forced adoption of Native American, Black, and Asian children, it reveals how the best interest standard has been wielded not to protect children but to uphold political and racial ideologies. The author argues that the prevailing adoption framework relies on child-saving and color-blind narratives …
A Global Reconstruction: Black Internationalism And The Human Rights Regime,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
A Global Reconstruction: Black Internationalism And The Human Rights Regime, Britta Redwood
Seattle University Law Review
Black American advocates for civil, political, and economic rights have long taken an internationalist approach and fostered connections with international organizations and transnational movements. This engagement has also been a generative force and played role in shaping international law. Beginning in the early years of the twentieth century, Black intellectuals and leaders, spearheaded by the NAACP and the UNIA, focused on human rights as a means for addressing and repairing the harms wrought by slavery, Jim Crow, and racism. From the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Genocide Convention, and the drafting of …
The Gap: Addressing The Missing Piece In HawaiʻI’S Anti-Discrimination Laws On Credit And Lending,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
The Gap: Addressing The Missing Piece In HawaiʻI’S Anti-Discrimination Laws On Credit And Lending, Wendy Mun
Seattle University Law Review
This author addresses the significant gap in Hawaiʻi’s anti-discrimination laws, specifically the lack of explicit protections for LGBTQ+ individuals against credit and lending discrimination. Although federal laws like the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and recent interpretations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) extend some protections, they remain vulnerable to shifting federal priorities and interpretations. The author explores how other states, particularly California and Washington, have enacted robust statutory protections that clearly prohibit credit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. They argue that Hawaiʻi, despite its large LGBTQ+ population, must amend its credit protection laws to reflect …
The U.S. Drug Policy Hamster Wheel: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Seattle’S New Drug Ordinance,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
The U.S. Drug Policy Hamster Wheel: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Seattle’S New Drug Ordinance, Hallie Conyers-Tucker
Seattle University Law Review
The author critically examines Seattle’s new drug ordinance using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to reveal how legislative language influences the policy's actual effect. Although the ordinance claims to prioritize diversion and community health, the use of permissive language such as “may” and “shall” grants broad discretionary power to law enforcement and undermines the stated intent. The author situates the ordinance within a broader historical context, highlighting how drug policy in the United States has consistently been shaped by racialized and stigmatizing narratives. Additionally, the author argues that meaningful reform requires reframing the discourse around substance use to support public health …
Something Concrete: How Labor Advocates Can Best Respond To The Ambiguity Of Glacier Northwest,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Something Concrete: How Labor Advocates Can Best Respond To The Ambiguity Of Glacier Northwest, Ateş Serifsoy
Seattle University Law Review
The Supreme Court’s much-anticipated decision in Glacier North-west, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local No. 174 (Glacier) marked a critical moment for workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the longstanding practice of Garmon preemption. Yet, initial fears of a significant rollback of workers’ rights, driven by sensational headlines, were met with an unexpectedly narrow Court opinion. This Comment examines Glacier’s implications for Gar-mon preemption and the right to strike. It offers the historical background of the doctrine of labor law preemption before Glacier; presents a detailed analysis of Glacier itself, including its …
Table Of Contents,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Can The Law Protect My Craft? How Gaps In Copyright Of Knitting Patterns Symbolize A Greater Struggle For Protecting Traditionally Feminine Forms Of Intellectual Property,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
Can The Law Protect My Craft? How Gaps In Copyright Of Knitting Patterns Symbolize A Greater Struggle For Protecting Traditionally Feminine Forms Of Intellectual Property, Kysa Walzer
Seattle University Law Review
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the application of intel-lectual property rights within the context of copyright protection of knit-ting patterns. The article will discuss the underutilization of copyright pro-tection for knitters and crafters and its larger impact upon craft and indus-try traditionally comprised of women. Part I introduces knitting patterns and a short history of copyright protections. Part II discusses the specific areas within knitting patterns and the knitting community which give rise to legal grey areas for copyright protection. Part III discusses the larger implications of copyright and intellectual property in spaces where women traditionally make …
A New Exclusionary Rule To Protect Bodily Integrity And Discourage Pretext Stops,
2025
Seattle University School of Law
A New Exclusionary Rule To Protect Bodily Integrity And Discourage Pretext Stops, Josephine Ross
Seattle University Law Review
The author proposes a novel state-level exclusionary rule to reduce racial profiling and protect bodily autonomy during police encounters. The current Fourth Amendment jurisprudence fails to deter pretextual stops and frisks because the exclusionary rule often turns on officer fault and "good faith," allowing racially motivated practices to go unchecked. As federal rollbacks on diversity and data collection hinder efforts to track racial bias, the author argues for a statutory evidentiary rule that automatically excludes drug evidence found during (1) traffic stops, (2) pat-downs for weapons, and (3) consent searches, regardless of an officer’s intent or the legality of the …
