Beyond the Scoreboard: Commentary on College Sports Betting Law
College sports no longer operate in the insulated, amateur world that the NCAA once claimed to protect. In recent years, student athletes have gained the right to earn money through NIL deals, and states have legalized sports betting in many parts of the country. At the same time, the NCAA still prohibits…
The Trade in Human Lives
Every environment has its own risks, some of which may be sexual violence risks, physical violence risks, and gender-based risks. Human trafficking has been a reality for centuries without adequate measures being put into place to secure the victims, as well as prevent the occurrence of these crimes in the first instance…
When the Law Protects the Wrong People: Reassessing Qualified Immunity
What happens when police officers violate someone’s rights but can’t be sued because of a legal loophole? Qualified immunity is a doctrine that shields officers from civil lawsuits, even when they clearly violate the Constitution. Recent events, like the death of Renee Good in Minnesota, show how this rule can leave victims and their families with almost no legal options. Qualified immunity …
The limits of free speech in schools: When can student speech be lawfully restricted?
Do schools have the power to veto the First Amendment? Public schools serve as spaces for civic development, yet they are also government institutions charged with maintaining order and ensuring student safety. This dual responsibility creates an inherent tension when students attempt to exercise their First Amendment rights within school settings. While the Constitution guaranteeso schools have the power to veto the First Amendment? Public schools serve as spaces for civic development, yet they are also government institutions charged with maintaining order and ensuring student safety. This dual responsibility creates an inherent tension when students attempt to exercise their First Amendment rights within school settings. While the Constitution guarantees…
The Rule of Lenity and Ghost Guns: A New Digital Frontier
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has faced legal challenges against its regulation regarding “ghost guns,” or unserialized firearms kits, in recent years. These challenges have all been grounded on one of the oldest principles present in the Anglo-American legal tradition, known as the “Rule of Lenity." In English common law, dating back to the 18th century, the Rule of Lenity states that if a criminal statute is enigmatic and can be interpreted in multiple ways…
Profiting Off Placenta: The Legal Implications of Extracting Placenta Post-Birth
At childbirth, the placenta is routinely removed, discarded, or taken away without discussion. For most patients, it appears to be little more than waste, a product of pregnancy that has no value after birth. Yet beyond the delivery room, placentas have become an important commodity. They are processed into regenerative medicine, incorporated into cosmetic products, and sold across a multibillion-dollar biotechnology market. Several name brands, including but not limited to Olay…
Waiting For The Ice To Melt
The United States was built on the premise that it would be a haven for people to practice their religion and spirituality freely. Slowly, it became a haven for those who desired an equal and fair government, instilling the democratic principles that the government relies on to this day. Yet the country that had promised freedom and peace attacks those who exercise their constitutional rights. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
Identity versus Biological Sex
While many American states argue “biological fairness” in defense against transgender inclusion, they fail to account for the historically prevalent “identity-protection” promised by the 14th Amendment and Title IX. This federal law, its full name being Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination and violence in any education or other activity that takes…
Equality in Principle, Not in Practice
The promise of protection under the law is meaningless if it disappears when it’s needed the most. For survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, the justice system is not a shield but a barrier that makes everything harder. Although federal and state laws formally recognize sexual and domestic violence as serious crimes, the reality for many women is that reporting abuse creates even worse problems that can lead to outright dismissal. This void in the legal system between legal recognition…
Federal ERPOs: A New Solution to Gun Violence?
What happens when an individual begins displaying increasingly alarming behavior, potentially dangerous, yet no criminal charge can be filed due to a lack of actual criminal activity, leaving authorities with no lawful means to intervene? This dilemma—where obvious warning signs fail to satisfy traditional legal requirements—captures a central challenge in gun violence prevention. Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), also known as Red Flag Laws, were developed to address this issue by allowing temporary firearm removal through a civil court process…
Disconnected Classrooms: Impact of New Jersey’s Cellphone Restrictions
Cellphone usage in schools has become a pressing legal and social question: to what extent can schools restrict student access to personal digital devices while upholding constitutional rights? In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy and the Department of Education have recently endorsed policies that ban or heavily limit cellphone use during operational hours, citing concerns about distraction, academic honesty, cyberbullying, and student mental health…
Federalism and Title IX
Should the constitution grow alongside society, or should it remain as its authors intended? This debate, as old as the American government itself, has been repeatedly cited to support the implementation of new amendments and laws that offer protection to state governments and individuals. However, supporters of a strong central government have often considered it unnecessary. Still, many essential amendments and laws have passed thanks to this debate, including term limits for presidents…
Consequences of Juvenile Sentencing
The way a society treats its children says a lot about its values. In the United States, the juvenile system was originally built on the belief that young people are capable of growth and change. Over time, however, that belief was replaced(due to excessive fear) with policies that treat children as if they were fully grown adults. New juvenile sentencing laws that impose adult-level punishments are now present. Looking at history, Supreme Court decisions, and science, one thing is clear: Sentencing children as adults is ineffective and unfair.
Phones: A Distraction or Resource?
Phones have always been a major part of the lives of teens all over the country. Phones help people communicate, share ideas, and perform many other productive uses. Yet, schools place strict policies on phones simply because some students cannot pay attention. Many students often get distracted and go on their phones during class, but is banning phones truly the solution? In January 2026, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a law that required all public school districts to initiate policies that significantly limit student use of cell phones and devices during the school day. These policies must be adopted in the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. Creating policies that restrict the actions of students, it only worsens the problem. Instead, schools must place rigid rules that punish students for using their phones during learning…