By Amy Kerlin, Staff Writer A Maryland man was recently arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The weapon in question? The combination of a Tweet, “Electronic Device and Hands,” and a GIF or “Graphics Interchange Format.” John Rayne Rivello was accused of causing Newsweek journalist Kurt […]
Posts
Alaskan Integrity: ISPs’ Refusal to Sell Your Information
By Matt DeSantis, Staff Writer In the decades since its inception, the internet has become ubiquitous. Its use is so widespread that there are certain groups, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), calling for its classification as a utility in the United States.[1] Internationally, certain countries have even declared […]
‘Telltale Heart’: Evidence found in Defendant’s Cardiac Pacemaker Contains Incriminating Evidence of Arson
By Kristin Hoffman, Staff Writer A fire that occurred in September 2016 led to an interesting legal question: Can a person’s medical device, like a pacemaker, be used as incriminating evidence for a crime? This question arises due to the Fifth Amendment protection against a person being forced to […]
Supreme Court Heightens Expectations for Special Education, Hints About Neil Gorsuch
By Susan Pickup, Staff Writer In the 8-0 decision Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the U.S. Supreme Court held in favor of a student with autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD), a small victory for students with disabilities everywhere.[1] The issue dealt with the federal Individual with […]
Can Obama Sue Trump for His Wiretapping Claims?
By Maura Perri, Staff Writer On March 4, 2017, President Donald Trump turned to Twitter to tell his nearly 27 million followers: “Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found…” and “How low as President Obama gone to tapp […]
Nadia’s Initiative: Clooney’s Quest for Bringing ISIS to Justice
By Alyssa Lazar, Staff Writer At the 2015 Golden Globes, Tina Fey joked, “George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an adviser to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected to a three-person U.N. commission investigating rules […]
The Condition of a Law Student
By Anthony Hassey, Contributor Amazingly, over 100 years and across international borders, it is easier to recognize Vasilyev, the protagonist in Anton Chekhov’s 1889 “Attack of Nerves” than it is some of the people with whom I grew up. I have never considered the “condition” of a law student […]
Breaking the Krug-Lewis Agreement: Retired Coal Miners Fear Loss of Promised Benefits
By Natalia Holliday, Staff Writer For many Pennsylvanians, coal mines are a source of both great pride and serious tension and uncertainty. Miners have powered America through the 20th century and implemented one of the most impactful and hard-earned, pro-worker unions in the United States. They have believed in […]
The Batson Rule: Continuing the Fight Against Racial Discrimination in the Courts
By David Zvirman, Staff Writer The proposition that when a person is tried before a court that the jury should not be tainted with racial discrimination is not a new or novel idea. Unfortunately, there have been times throughout our country’s history where this idea has been tested. This […]
Bleak Future for Public Education in the United States?
By Kaitlyn Burns, Staff Writer Amid highly publicized political and legal controversies that have swept the nation since Donald Trump assumed Presidential office on January 20, 2017,[1] there is one issue that has only garnered mild media attention until recently: reform of the American public education system. Coverage of […]
2016 Best Legal Blog Nominee
