Category: Articles

Mississippi Man First to be Prosecuted and Sentenced Under Federal Hate-Crime Statute

Written by: Brianne Szopinski On Monday, May 15, 2017, Joshua Vallum became the first individual to be prosecuted and sentenced for a federal hate crime after the murder of his… Read more »

Article: Why We Can’t Be Friends: Preserving Public Confidence in the Judiciary Through Limited Use of Social Networking

Judges occupy a special place in American society.  Their actions, both inside and outside the courthouse, play an integral role in the public’s respect for, and confidence in, the legal… Read more »

Article: Humanitarian Aid is Never a Crime? The Politics of Immigration Enforcement and the Provision of Sanctuary

In September 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the federal criminal conviction of humanitarian Daniel Millis for placing water for migrants crossing the United… Read more »

Article: Congressional Oversight of the “Marketplace of Ideas”: Defectors as Sources of War Rhetoric

Congressional oversight is “one of the most important responsibilities of the United States Congress,” particularly when oversight can enhance the likelihood that executive policies will reflect the public interest, augment… Read more »

Article: State and Local Government Funding of Health and Retirement Benefits for Employees: Current Problems and Possible Solutions with California Health Benefts as an Example

Government employee health and retirement benefits have come under a likely unprecedented critique, some may say attack, during the difficult economic times, particularly for state and local governments, during the… Read more »

Article: Ebbing the Tide of Local Bank Concentration: Granting Sole Authority to the Department of Justice to Review the Competitive Effects of Bank Mergers

Take a trip back: the year is 1991, and First Hawaiian, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (“Applicant”) has applied for Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”) approval to acquire First Interstate of Hawaii, Inc.,… Read more »

Article: Sacrificing Functionality for Transparency? The Regulation of Swap Agreements in the Wake of the Financial Crisis

Once the sole province of chief executive officers and hedge fund managers, swap agreements (or “swaps”), most notably credit default swaps,[1] came to the forefront of politicians’ and regulators’ minds… Read more »

Article: Financing Innovation: Branding, Monitoring, and Uncertainty

A recent breakthrough in contract theory identified the practice of braiding, in which parties weave informal and formal elements of contract together to overcome uncertainty.  These contracts are especially prevalent… Read more »