Category: Feature
Is This Really Legal? Warrantless Entry, Arrest, and Excessive Force in Alabama
A recent post-game celebration in Tuscaloosa, Alabama received national attention after local news reported an altercation between University of Alabama students and local police. Videos of the incident, captured by bystanders, paint a violent picture as police tasered students multiple times, threw them to the ground, struck them with batons and dragged them outside of…
Jan 2016
Plea Bargains — The Plea Bargainer’s Dilemma
Suppose two of your friends drive over to your house in New Jersey and pick you up for, what you believe, is a night on the town. As their car is pulling out of your driveway, two police cars pull up, sirens blaring, and the officers jump out, weapons drawn. You are arrested and charged…
Jan 2016
Is Daily Fantasy Sports Gambling?
In August of 2015, Forbes published an article highlighting the fast-growing daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry. The rise of fantasy sports and most specifically fantasy football has been truly remarkable. In recent years, fantasy football has absolutely exploded with over 30 million Americans playing fantasy football annually. Fueled by over one billion dollars in venture…
Jan 2016
It’s Time to Act (FAST) on Student Loans
Maybe it’s just because I’m a student, but it seems like every day there are new articles online about the decline of the American education system. Whether it’s test scores or school funding, we are constantly competing with other countries on several metrics. We know highly skilled workers drive our economy, so what are we…
Jan 2016
Federal Gun Control: What’s Next After the Brady Act?
Over twenty years have passed since President Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (known as the “Brady Act”). With the publicity surrounding recent school shootings and other mass shooters, people are outraged over gun control policy. Within the past year, there have been forty-seven school shootings. Twenty-six of the school shootings resulted in…
Jan 2016
Do Not Pass Go: Refugee Admission Process
In the wake of the Paris attacks, much of the debate concerning refugees has resurfaced. There have been many talks centered on governors and other state officials trying to block Syrian refugees from entering their respective states. A majority of polled Americans want to block these refugees from coming to America. One interesting thing to…
Dec 2015
In a Haze: The Uncertain State of Marijuana on Tribal Lands
With the dawning of the 2016 Presidential election, questions about future of marijuana are beginning to emerge, and the candidates have not been shy about vocalizing their stances. Recently, a Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, spoke out about marijuana’s current classification as a Schedule I drug. Clinton believes marijuana should be considered a Schedule II drug,…
Dec 2015
Who Lives and Who Dies? Just Let Your Car Decide
In fact, autonomous vehicles are supposed to be very safe. Widespread adoption of AVs promises to drastically reduce car accidents resulting from human error, which comprise over 90 percent of car accidents and cost over $400 billion every year. More importantly, AVs could reduce car accident fatalities by 95 percent.
But some accidents cannot be avoided. What happens in situations of unavoidable harm, where the AV becomes required to choose between two evils?
Nov 2015
Decision Creates Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Circuit Split
The Dodd-Frank Act protects whistleblowers from retaliation by their employer. However, to get that protection as a whistleblower, to whom must a concerned citizen disclose their information? That is a complicated question. Subdivision (iii) of subsection 21F(h)(1)(A) of the Dodd-Frank Act provides protection against retaliatory discharges, discrimination, and demotions for whistleblowing employees who make disclosures…
Nov 2015
Penn Central’s Revenge
What happens when New York City throws a landmark Supreme Court decision out the window? A $1.1 billion lawsuit. On September 28, 2015, the owner of Grand Central filed suit against New York City for allegedly taking $475 million in property rights preserved from Penn Central v. New York City and giving them away for…
Nov 2015