Articles by Jacqui Merrill, Former Features Editor

About Jacqui Merrill, Former Features Editor (8 Articles)

Jacquelyn Merrill served as the Features Editor for the Campbell Law Observer during the 2013-2014 academic year. She was born and raised in Asheville, NC, and graduated in 2011 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied Journalism and English. During law school, she interned at the National Center for Victims of Crime in Washington, D.C.; the Wake County Public Defender's Office in Raleigh; the Supreme Court of North Carolina for the Honorable Robert H. Edmunds; the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel in Tacoma, WA; Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions in Research Triangle Park; and the Durham County District Attorney's Office in the juvenile court. Jacqui also had the unique opportunity to facilitate mediations through Campbell Law School's Juvenile Justice Project beginning her second year and continuing through her third. She is interested in pursuing a career rooted in social justice after her graduation from Campbell Law School in May 2014.

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Good Cause, Bad Lawyering: Chevron fights Ecuadorian judgment in the U.S. through genuine claims of fraud

December 11, 2013

Ecuadorian plaintiffs alleging environmental harms and private injuries against Chevron may have lost their only remedy through their lawyer’s fraudulent actions in Ecuador. [...]

Rules of the road: Getting the green light for autonomous vehicles

July 25, 2013

While several states have enacted legislation authorizing the use of autonomous vehicles, legal scholars suggest that new laws might not be necessary and the federal government warns that such laws might be rushed. [...]

Using Urban Dictionary to define slang in the courtroom? YOLO.

June 27, 2013

The popular website may provide the court with an efficient source for words undefined elsewhere, but critics debate whether the perks are worth the risks of misinterpretation and unreliability. [...]

Thwarting Equality and Justice for All [Updated]

May 22, 2013

Updated June 7, 2013: The North Carolina General Assembly House voted on Wednesday, June 5 to repeal the Racial Justice Act on a 77 to 39 vote. The vote was split strictly along party lines, with no Democrats supporting repeal and only one Republican representative opposing repeal. The Senate passed an almost-identical bill in April 2013 but must now approve minor changes made by the House. Republican Governor Pat McCrory is widely expected to sign the bill, as well. Although the [...]

An Ethical Guide for Lawyers in the Realm of (New) Technology

April 4, 2013

Note from the Editors: Recently, the Campbell Law Observer hosted a write-on competition to recruit new staff writers. Each student was to discuss the role of changing technology in the legal profession. Below, you will find the article that received the second-highest score from the editorial board. For better or for worse, technology continues to change the legal landscape on an immense scale. Technology has transformed the practice of law into something that would be unrecognizable [...]

Walking A Fine, Straight Line: DWI License Revocation and Double Jeopardy

March 13, 2013

It is commonly known—whether from legal training or from the 1999 thriller “Double Jeopardy”—that individuals cannot face multiple criminal punishments for the same offense. The line between civil penalty and criminal punishment can apparently be a fine one. Courts have realized that certain civil penalties, while not formally characterized as punitive, can amount to criminal punishment and thus violate the double jeopardy clause of the Constitution. In January 2013, the North [...]

Third and Long: The Former Players’ Lawsuit Against the NFL Illuminates Major Issues but has Serious Legal Flaws

October 23, 2012

In August 2011, seven former professional football players brought a lawsuit against the National Football League, claiming the League had “willfully and intentionally” concealed the long-term health risks linked with multiple concussions. As of October 2012, the number of lawsuits—alleging the same wrongdoing—had increased to 164, comprising approximately 3,700 former players. The players’ requested relief includes personal damages as well as an injunction creating a [...]

Giving Juveniles Another Chance: The Present and Potential Retroactive Impact of Miller v. Alabama

September 18, 2012

In June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles convicted of murder are unconstitutional. Writing for the majority in a 5-4 decision, Justice Kagan explained that imposing such mandatory sentences on adolescents, who tend to have “diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform,”1 constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling struck down compulsory sentencing statutes in 29 states. More [...]