Out of sight, but not out of mind: The right to carry guns in public
The Ninth Circuit has established that citizens have the Second Amendment right to carry a firearm in public for personal protection. [...]
Public Interest Law
Focusing on local, state, and national topics in areas of public concern, including education, public policy, and constitutional matters.
SAT changes may translate into better opportunities for all students
The College Board’s overhaul of the SAT hopes to encourage high-achieving students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to apply to selective universities. [...]
Executions in the Modern Era: Women on death row and gender bias concerns
Since the Supreme Court of the United States allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976, only fourteen women have been executed, including Suzanne Basso last month. [...]
DOJ to become more compassionate in release program
The United States Department of Justice recently took steps to expand the use of compassionate release, withdrawing the guidelines put in place during President George W. Bush’s administration. [...]
No Immunity for You
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied qualified immunity to the Governor of South Carolina in a lawsuit filed by the protest group Occupy Columbia. [...]
The Fourth Amendment implications of living with a roommate [Updated]
The Supreme Court of the United States is currently revisiting the issue of co-tenant consent searches, deciding whether a carve-out to the general rule is warranted, or whether previous legal precedent should be abandoned. [...]
International Human Rights: An optical view of Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law
As the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia quickly descend upon aficionados of winter sports, it too has already found its place in Olympic controversies. [...]
Johnson & Johnson fined $2.2 Billion for off-label promotion of drugs and kickback allegations
Once upon a time, a pharmaceutical company gave free rein to its sales force to market a product in order to recoup money spent on research and discovery without any fear from governmental interference. Those times no longer end in happily ever after—or do they? With the rise of healthcare fraud, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have scrutinized the health and safety of patients starting from a manufacturer’s development of a drug through its [...]
Human rights violations in the international context
BY: Sarah Murray, Guest Contributor Editor’s Note: The Campbell Law Observer has partnered with Judge Paul C. Ridgeway, Resident Superior Court Judge of the 10th Judicial District, to provide students from his International Business Litigation and Arbitration seminar the opportunity to have their research papers published with the CLO. The following article is one of many guest contributions from Campbell Law students to be published over the next two weeks. A quick search of [...]
Kansas lawsuit aims to remove evolution from science standards
A new lawsuit filed by Citizens for Objective Public Education (COPE) aims to remove evolution from the curriculum in Kansas public schools. COPE’s self described objective is for children to “have the right to be objectively informed about controversial explanations that impact religious beliefs, rather than be indoctrinated to accept a particular explanation.” The lawsuit (pdf) specifically targets freedom of religion rights for both students and parents. COPE argues that [...]
The (negative) impact on boys in public education
Mounting evidence shows that boys, when compared to girls, are underachieving beginning at the early stages of education. [...]
The transition from inmate to productive member of society
While inmates face many obstacles after they are released from prison, correctional education programs offer them the skills necessary to find gainful employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending. [...]
Possibility of a new murder trial for Brad Cooper
A unanimous decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals ordered a new murder trial for Cooper last week, citing rulings made by Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Gessner that allowed certain computer evidence and excluded a defense witness. [...]
Fair chance for a fair review: FBI hair sample analyses possibly led to wrongful convictions
FBI will review thousands of convictions from between 1985 and 2000 that relied upon hair sample analyses. [...]
Spinning the “Wheel of Misfortune”: The desperate need for reform of structured sentencing
As the nation faces rising incarceration rates and dropping violent crime rates, government leaders, conservative and liberal alike, are calling for changes in sentencing guidelines. [...]