Public Interest Law
Focusing on local, state, and national topics in areas of public concern, including education, public policy, and constitutional matters.
The Supreme Court’s controversial Fourth Amendment decision in Maryland v. King determined that a State’s interests in investigating crimes outweigh the privacy interests of those suspected of crimes.
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Teenagers that do not fully comprehend the legal ramifications of sending sexually explicit text messages are finding themselves labeled as convicted sex offenders for the rest of their lives.
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Two North Carolina bills aim to allow student organizations the option of restricting leadership based on ideology, but the bills carry the potential to face critical Constitutional issues.
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Interns working in unpaid positions may finally be getting the compensation they desire by filing lawsuits.
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The Michigan Court of Appeals considered First Amendment rights and ruled in favor of a former law student by issuing a protective order for anonymous speech.
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The flaws in the TSCA may finally be remedied through a breakthrough bipartisan bill initiated in the Senate.
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In 1935, desperate to find a way to fairly and efficiently resolve labor disputes, Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York introduced a bill in Congress. The bill, soon to become known as the Wagner Act, was signed into law in July of that year. The Wagner Act created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency that still exists today. One of the original purposes of the NLRB was to be an enforcement mechanism for protecting certain employee rights, such as the
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Four Loko is a fruit-flavored, alcoholic drink popular on college campuses because of its low cost and high alcohol content. The beverage was invented by three Ohio State University students in 2005 and has been nicknamed “blackout in a can.” In the past few years, the beverage has received extensive media attention following several alcohol-related incidents. In October 2010, nine college students in Washington State were hospitalized after drinking Four Loko. Officials initially
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Until recently, most free speech cases concerning students have been at the middle school level and above. While courts have made it clear that students do not shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate, courts have also made it clear that an elementary school student does not necessarily share the same rights as a middle school or high school student. Defining free speech rights of elementary students can prove daunting, but many courts favor the conclusion that viewpoint discrimination
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Believe it or not, we are still living in a time of war. While the White House has declared an end to the war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan is “winding down,” the truth is that we still have American soldiers deployed in hostile areas. Many of our service members return from deployment with experiences the rest of us at home will never see. To recognize these unusual experiences, the United States has a system of military honors to recognize those service members who conduct
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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
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When most people think about the Super Bowl, parties, finger foods, and funny commercials come to mind, but not human trafficking. Yet cities hosting major sporting events such as the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Super Bowl have been surrounded by increases in prostitution and human trafficking. Sporting events attract thousands of visitors to the host cities, and millions of dollars in revenue are infused into the city’s economy. The combination of money and potential customers
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On December 20, 2012, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) filed a civil rights lawsuit against Alamance County Sheriff Terry S. Johnson alleging he intentionally discriminated against Latinos. The DOJ filed the lawsuit in the Middle District of North Carolina almost three months after having released findings from an investigation after receiving complaints about Sheriff Terry Johnson. The Investigation The two-year investigation began in June 2010 and included interviews with more than 125
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Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Texas heard oral arguments in Strickland v. Medlen, a case that may redefine how damages are calculated when personal property damage or destruction is at issue. In June of 2009, Kathryn and Jeremy Medlen’s dog, Avery, escaped from their backyard without the Medlens knowing. Avery was later found and taken to a local animal shelter by animal control. Jeremy Medlen went to retrieve his dog from the shelter, but did not have the money to pay the
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Virtual charter schools have been hailed as an innovation that allows greater flexibility and access to quality education. But critics say this innovation comes at the high price of diverting taxpayer money from traditional “brick and mortar” public schools. The North Carolina State Board of Education has consistently refused to consider virtual charter applications, but a case currently on appeal may give at least one local board a workaround. Charter schools, virtual or otherwise, are
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