Category: General
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A New Hydraulic Fracturing Proposal Fuels Questions About the Environment and Public Health in California
Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is a method used to extract natural gas or oil from underground. A drill is used to inject a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into shale, causing it to crack and release gas and oil. Environmentalists have raised concerns that the chemicals involved in fracking contaminate drinking water and that fracking…
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Like Apples & Oranges: What In re Vetements Group AG Gets Right, and Executive Order 14224 Gets Wrong, About the Importance of Extending Trademark Protections to Non-English Languages
On January 12, 2026, the Supreme Court declined to review a Federal Circuit decision upholding the doctrine of foreign equivalents, which determines a non-English word’s trademark registrability based on its English translation.[1] The case, In re Vetements Group AG, has drawn widespread attention due to its potential ramifications on what words can be registered as…
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Regulatory Barriers to an Expanding Private Market: Rethinking the Accredited Investor Definition
The rise of private markets, combined with the outdated Accredited Investor definition under Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, will contribute to and exacerbate existing economic inequality in America if not addressed. Under the Securities Act of 1933, when a company goes public, there are vast disclosure requirements.[1] These disclosure requirements help ensure…
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NIL In College Sports: The SCORE and SAFE Acts Go Head-To-Head
In the summer of 2021, the world of college sports shifted dramatically when the United States Supreme Court held in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston that the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (“NCAA”) limits on student-athlete compensation violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act.[1] In response to the decision, the NCAA initiated an interim policy…
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Can Activism Survive SLAPPs in the United States? Greenpeace’s Use of the European Union’s Anti-SLAPP Directive Against Energy Transfer Lawsuit
In the 1980s, scholars George W. Ping and Penelope Canan began researching a troubling new trend taking root in the United States’ legal system. They warned that this phenomenon, known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), posed a substantial risk to the future of democratic participation.[1] SLAPPs are used to dissuade citizens from engaging…
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Vacations & Verdicts: Supreme Court Highlights from Summer 2025
Bondi v. VanDerStok Opinion March 26, 2025 – Ruling 7-2 In Bondi v. VanDerStok, the Court upheld a 2022 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (“ATF”) regulation treating ghost guns and unfinished frames or receivers as “firearms” under the Gun Control Act of 1968.[1] The plaintiffs brought a facial challenge arguing that the kits…
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Duke Drama: Defamation & Defense of Institution Identity within The White Lotus
This article contains information about suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out for help. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or visit their website at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. The wardrobe stylist for Timothy Ratliff, a main character in season three of HBO’s The White…
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Behind the Bans: Navigating the Legal Landscape for Transgender Youth Rights in a Post-Dobbs Era
In 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union joined forces with two families to challenge an Idaho law criminalizing gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.[1] The two transgender teenagers in the lawsuit, identified as Pam Poe and Jane Doe because of their minor status, are both Idaho natives currently receiving the gender-affirming medical care which Idaho…
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Sun, Sand, SCOTUS: Summer 2024 Supreme Court Decisions Review
Trump v. Anderson Opinion March 4, 2024 – Ruling 9-0 In this case, the Court rejected Colorado’s attempt to bar former President Donald Trump from running for another term under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits insurrectionists from holding office and ruled that the states may not bar the former president from running…
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Free Speech Argument Offers New Life to Death Care Providers
Over the last century, occupational licensing has been an unstoppable frate that has shown no signs of slowing. In the 1950s, only 5% of the American workforce was required to obtain a license before selling goods or performing services in their selected profession.[1] As of 2023, this number has risen to an astonishing 25%.[2] Such…