Constitutional Law

Viral Before Verdict: The Constitutional Cost of Staged Perp Walks

January 28, 2026

A defendant is shackled, handcuffed, and marched past cameras. Before prosecutors present any evidence, the public sees a defendant as already guilty. This practice undermines one of our legal system’s longstanding principles: the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial. [...]

Who Controls the Curriculum: Schools or the Parents?

December 23, 2025

As schools seek to address the ongoing debate surrounding LGBTQ+ curricula, they must be careful not to fall short on the recent precedent set by the courts. Meanwhile, parents can find refuge in the right to educate their children in accordance with their religious beliefs. [...]

A state split between North Carolina and South Carolina: Mitchell v. Wisconsin

April 23, 2025

When it comes to unconscious DUI suspects, the Supreme Court’s “almost always” rule in Mitchell v. Wisconsin has left states divided, defendants uncertain, and constitutional clarity hanging in the balance. [...]

Presidential Power vs. The First Amendment, Big Law, Law School Deans, and Bar Associations

April 16, 2025

President Trump has wielded his executive authority in a pointed and punitive manner against Big Law firms that have represented his political opponents and have provided legal services to clients with whom President Trump personally disagrees. With Presidential Memorandums and Executive Orders (E.O.), President Trump has terminated government contracts with the firms, revoked security clearances from lawyers, barred the firms’ lawyers from government property, and threatened third parties [...]

USAID: Domestic Battles with Foreign Aid

April 16, 2025

The attempted dismantling of USAID under executive authority has raised significant constitutional questions regarding the limits of presidential power, the role of Senate confirmation, and the judiciary's capacity to enforce compliance in the face of foreign aid suspension. [...]

President Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order is Teed Up for the Supreme Court

March 31, 2025

President Trump’s executive order challenging birthright citizenship is teed up for consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court, where the justices will likely determine whether it aligns with or contradicts the longstanding interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. [...]

North Carolina’s Looming Constitutional Crisis

April 17, 2024

Legislative change, especially on a state level, is often a result of active constituents who contact their legislators time and time again until either the funds or dedication sets bills in motion. Legislators will focus on pleasing their constituents to ensure favorable results in upcoming elections, so how will students who are unable to vote until they are 18 years old be able to influence the enactment of similar legislation protecting their rights? [...]

Legal Backlash to the #MeToo Movement: A Rise in Defamation Lawsuits Against Survivors

March 12, 2024

As evidenced by the cases mentioned above, defamation lawsuits wield a significant amount of power against victims. Although the First Amendment protects a wide variety of speech, including truthful statements from victims who choose to share their stories, these lawsuits are extremely effective. Facing a lawsuit, or even the mere threat of legal action can instill profound fear in victims. [...]

Florida Woman Files “Tester” Suit(s)

January 22, 2024

Laufer, a Florida woman who qualifies as a disabled person, holds herself out to be “an advocate of the rights of similarly situated disabled persons.” As such, this Floridian crusader, albeit un-caped, has filed over 600 lawsuits with the goal of enforcing Title III of the ADA. [...]

A Reality We Know All Too Well

November 20, 2023

"Although gun violence is not unique to the United States, the proportion in which gun related deaths occur in the United States in comparison to the rest of the world is much higher." [...]

Does The Twitter-verse Smell Musky… or Musty?

August 9, 2023

What do an electric car company, a space exploration company, and a blue bird social media company all have in common? If you guessed Elon Musk as their collective owner, then you guessed correctly. Twitter, very recently, joined the ranks of Tesla and SpaceX when Elon Musk purchased the company for $44 billion. He wanted to make Twitter “a platform for speech around the globe” after not being satisfied with its leadership board and believing they were not advancing that mission. [...]

Banning Books: School Board Attempts to Ban Certain Ideologies

January 14, 2023

“Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” -Stephen Chbosky For the past 25 years, Wilkes County Schools have participated in a program called “Battle of the Books.” Battle of the Books encourages reading among students in 3rd through 12th grade by creating and circulating a reading list to parents and students. After reading the books, students compete against one another in a quiz bowl style [...]

Public Policy vs. The Constitution: Confronting Minor Victims of Sexual Assault

January 14, 2023

Ratified in 1791, the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution sets forth rights related to criminal prosecutions. The amendment requires a speedy and public trial as well as an impartial jury; it also encompasses the confrontation clause. The Confrontation Clause provides that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” The purpose of this provision is to allow defendants to question their accusers in [...]

To Ban or Not To Ban: The Death Penalty in Limbo

September 14, 2021

The idea of capital punishment and its legality have enveloped the news and media for centuries. But where did the death penalty come from, how has it developed over time, and how much longer will it be around? [...]

Supreme Inaction: Words from the Bench and Implications of Texas’s S.B. 8

September 2, 2021

In the late hours on Wednesday, September 1, the Supreme Court of the United States denied an emergency request by abortion and women’s health providers for an injunction barring enforcement of Texas’s Senate Bill 8. S.B. 8 is a restrictive law that bans most abortions after as early as six weeks of pregnancy and allows private citizens to file civil lawsuits against abortion providers. The late-night decision arrived by way of the Supreme Court’s shadow docket (a topic that has been [...]

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