Blog

Arwa Doctor

From its inception, the United States’ two-party political system has shifted ideologies and coalitions multiple times throughout history. Taking a historical lens on our political system can help us understand our political system today and into the future.

Ashton Abram

The past year has seen the rise of new progressive politicians touting platforms based on reducing financial burdens to American families. From New York City’s Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani to Minneapolis’ own Mayoral Candidate and State Senator Omar Fateh, a headline policy of this platform has been the municipal grocery store. With shiny promises of reduced prices and increased accessibility, voters are left to wonder if these government grocers will be all they are cracked up to be.

Leo Idiarte

The presidency was never meant to stand above the other branches. Yet in 2025, its reach touches nearly every corner of American life. The Founders would never recognize an executive branch of government with so much power.

Callista Williams

After receiving pressure from Donald Trump to redraw Texas’ congressional map, Governor Greg Abbott adopted a redistricting plan aimed at creating five additional Republican seats. Murky justifications dodging claims of racial and partisan gerrymandering have reignited LULAC v. Abbott, a lawsuit now alleging that the map unlawfully dilutes minority voting power.

Lily Phannavong

In recent years, PFAS usage in consumer products has been in review of legislation across various states in the nation due to its environmental and health risks. Amara’s Law was recently passed in Minnesota to enforce restrictions on non-essential use of PFAS. PFAS restrictions will impact various business aspects of the cosmetics industry. 

Lindsey Jones

The “protein craze” in the U.S. food marketing exposes a gap between consumer perception and the legal meaning of “protein” under FDA labeling rules - a gap that current food labeling law (under the FD&C Act and NLEA) does little to close. As a result, consumers interpret “high protein” as “healthy,” when in reality the label does little to give insight on the product’s true nutritional value.

Madeline Yingst

Almost 250 years since the Bill of Rights was ratified, the Second Amendment has been an increasingly controversial issue. Here is an overview of how different states, administrations, and political parties are approaching this debate. 

Mia Werden

From cars to iPhones, consumers are losing the ability to fix what they own. New Right to Repair laws, like Minnesota's Digital Fair Repair Act, aim to challenge manufacturers' control and restore independence to owners.

Sakiya Mohamed

The underlying principle of the right to privacy remains constant; individuals are entitled to control access to their personal information

Reese Magnuson

In a society fraught with climate anxiety, greenwashing is becoming an increasingly common practice of companies marketing to environmentally conscious consumers. The EPA and the FTC are at the forefront of the struggle against false advertising related to environmental conservation and were among the most powerful actors in the 2015 case against Volkswagen.

Derek Thao

Roblox is currently under fire for negligence to protect children. There have been numerous accusations and suits against Roblox Corporations failing to protect their amount of underaged users and plaintiffs commonly assert that Roblox owed a duty of care to its young users and/or parents to design, operate, moderate, and warn about the platform in a way that reasonably protects minors.

Josephine Black

The climate crisis is known widely as an invisible issue. That is why it is so hard to shed light on the change that needs to happen. But what if I told you climate issues are impacting your health and becoming a personal ethics issue right under your nose within major cities. 

Yasir Abdi

The chain reaction of occupation, retaliation, and intervention reshaped modern geopolitics, from the rise of Islamist movements to America’s unending War on Terror.

Sakiya Mohamed

The underlying principle of the right to privacy remains constant; individuals are entitled to control access to their personal information.

Kiran Sikka

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Barrett v. US in early October 2025. While the case has received limited media coverage, the decision could have various implications on the future of the 5th amendment’s Double Jeopardy clause. 

Sydney Kenney

Blended families often face unique legal challenges that traditional family structures do not. From determining custody arrangements and establishing parental rights to addressing monetary concerns, understanding the legal implications of blending households is essential. 

Samira Mohamed

The president sending soldiers to a city without legal authority will drive a conflict from a political to a constitutional moment. Today, as federal troops line up outside Chicago, the courtroom – not the streets – has become the true battleground. With President Trump’s attempt to invoke the Insurrection Act and Illinois officials fighting back, the case raises a grave constitutional question: when does preserving order cross into defying democracy? 

Logan Jakubowski

Jimmy Kimmel was recently suspended by ABC, with some claiming the reason was due to comments made by FCC Chair Brendan Carr. Here is what the FCC actually has the authority to do.  

Olivia Long

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is facing an unprecedented attempt at removal from her position on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors by President Trump. The lower courts have ruled to pause her removal pending the Supreme Court ruling. The outcome could reexamine judicial precedent on executive power and have lasting implications for the U.S. economy.  

Sophia Pavek

The Trump administration ended TPS for Venezuelans through the use of the emergency docket, allowing the Supreme Court to block ongoing litigation in lower courts. This overreach of executive power raises alarming concerns about the corruption of the courts by way of partisan interests and its serious humanitarian implications.  

Mia Werden

The Trump administration’s controversial removal of Democratic Federal Trade Commissioners challenges longstanding legal protections and raises questions about the future of regulatory independence and the balance of power in bipartisan commissions.

Kat Jensen

The Trump administration would like you to view public school teachers as evil harbingers of radical ideology, teaching kids to hate the United States. The irony of this claim becomes especially apparent when you read the part of the executive order that unveils the administration’s new goals for public K-12 education: “patriotic education” and teaching “American political tradition.”

Zeina Hussein

As Congress debates budgets, everyday Americans suffer the rippling repercussions. Millions of citizens have found themselves caught in the middle of the crossfire, as Congress fails to address the government shut down. This shutdown has already carried out many effects on middle class Americans, who continuously get more nervous as a resolution seems to be far from today’s reality.

Addie Manthey

If a lawyer defends a murder case knowing the person is guilty, how much moral liability is placed on the lawyer? Should the lawyer accept some ethical responsibility for the conclusion of the case, or should the blame be placed on the system that caused this person to get off scot-free?

Alessia Rossi

In the process of training AI, the intellectual property of thousands of copyright holders may be violated. As developers and copyright holders seek to assert their rights, fair use dominates legal analysis. 

Anousha Mozammel

Unionization has been a long contested topic in history. Used internationally, unions have been seen as a way to strengthen workers’ rights, improve the workplace environment, and raise the minimum wage. While improving workers rights is a generally supported issue by the public, there are economic balances and supply chain squeeze effects that go unseen. The PRO Act is a currently debated piece of legislation that could effectively increase the strength of unions. 

Antoine Eggers

When the President issues sweeping executive orders, the Supreme Court often responds with lightning-fast shadow docket rulings. But speed comes at a cost: judges, agencies, and ordinary citizens are left unsure what the law actually requires. 

Sophia Tutt

In an era of AI, deepfakes, and social media, nothing about a person is private anymore. With large areas of uncertainty and a lack of federal regulation, many states have stepped in to attempt to preserve this integral aspect of your personal data.

Zayan Hasan

The Supreme Court’s pending decision in Chiles v. Salazar could reverse decades of work toward protecting at-risk LGBTQ+ minors and strike down laws on conversion therapy in over twenty states

Duyen Nguyen

At the start of the new Trump administration, a reversal of private prison contracts previously established by Biden were put in place. How does the reversal interfere with current ICE practices and detention centers?

Daniel Eckers

American society has been ravaged by the Opioid epidemic, but a recent settlement targets Purdue Pharma, a major proponent of the crisis. The opioid settlement will distribute billions to affected communities and provide a footing for future legal action.

Joshua Yang

The Trump administration has allowed the usage of Palantir’s AI systems to utilize personal data to police individuals. What does this entail for our rights to privacy?

Elena Kesselring

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution is celebrated as the legal change that abolished slavery. Many people do not know the dark underbelly of this amendment–legal enslavement of incarcerated people. Addressing this loophole requires both legislative and policy reforms to ensure that the foundational promise of abolition is fully ensured.

Eva Schutz

Slavery is back on the ballot in California amidst stories of labor exploitation among incarcerated individuals fighting against the L.A. wildfires.

Sophia Tutt

C-SPAN isn’t the only channel covering Court news, now it’s every news outlet along with multiple live streams across social media sites. Suddenly judges’ decisions are in the limelight. It may seem confusing to many people. Why on earth would an unelected official get to make decisions–whose authority are they under? Why are those decisions followed? Most pressingly, perhaps, what happens if they aren’t?

Alexandra Geist

There is a growing awareness of the long-term health consequences for collegiate athletes who are at risk of and sustain these sport-related injuries. It is crucial for institutions to improve compliance with safety protocols, provide comprehensive education, and ensure that adequate care is available to athletes, both during and after their participation in high-contact sports.

 Sophia Tutt 

With the separation of church and state on the line, the Supreme Court takes on three new cases in the 2024 term.

 Alexandra Geist 

The intersection of medical malpractice law and religious freedom presents a complex legal challenge, especially when standards conflict. Courts must carefully balance individual rights to religious freedom with the state's duty to protect public health and patient well-being; however, patients are often left with little help for legal recourse when it comes to violated norms.

 Addie Manthey 

With the reinstatement of the death penalty, comes a need to reflect on why it was removed in the first place.

 Amelia Eric 

It's imperative to question the justice of subjecting children to a system designed for adult offenders. Rehabilitation, not punishment, should be the focus. Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability, and this vulnerability is magnified when mental health issues are present. How can we justify placing children in a punitive system when they lack the full capacity to comprehend the consequences of their actions?​

 Sophia Tutt 

Dissenting opinions have been an avenue of change for many years. There is more than one way to create change, and being in the minority is one of them. The Lily Ledbetter Act of 2009 shows us exactly that, and reminds us why fighting for what’s right doesn’t always stop when you lose.

 Alex Kizer 

The FTC’s regulations effectively ban all non-compete agreements except for senior executives. This move that would foster competition in the labor market and provide an end to the restrictive non-compete clauses employers often use but sparked a legal debate over the extent of federal regulatory power.

 Eva Schutz 

The Trump administration has decided to annul Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 executive order, leaving citizens, activists, and federal contractors alike to question what the future holds for civil liberties and segregation.

 Alex Kizer 

From a nonpartisan standpoint, this landmark case makes clear that if Congress has appropriated funds to a federal agency, the executive branch in charge must faithfully execute that funding. Although arguments can be made surrounding the President's true power in shutting down certain funding and agencies within its discretion through its constitutional powers, both the judicial and legislative branches have consistently rejected such claims.

Ariana Georgescu

Algorithmic decision-making systems are typically described as neutral, objective, and data-driven. This is misleading. While algorithms may lack human objectives, they systematically produce discriminatory outcomes due to relying on historical data, proxy variables, and institutional objectives that are shaped by inequality.

Alexis Sanderson

If you have been online lately, you may have noticed how much harder it is to tell what is real and what is fake. Whether it's an AI-generated video of a cat or a seemingly real photo of a celebrity, the internet has become a blurred line between truth and fiction. Experts say that 90% of online content will be AI-generated by 2026. While it may seem to be lighthearted fun, there is a dark side of AI that is rapidly surfacing.

Amanda Martin

Non-consensual pelvic exams prevailed in the 20th and 21st centuries, specifically while a patient is under anesthesia. While new policies enacted by HHS regulate this, the work is unfinished. Policies are not laws.

Alessia Rossi

Access to affordable and efficient repair services is necessary for farmers to sustain themselves. John Deere’s right to repair policies restrict access to necessary software for these repairs, and a current lawsuit brought by the FTC calls the legality of these policies into question.

Alexis Sanderson

For some, the government shutdown may just mean a headline in the news. For others, it means losing access to food overnight. With SNAP benefits being reduced, it's clear that poverty in the United States has never been a top priority.

Angela Langsweirdt

With America’s aging population, elder abuse within guardianship and conservatorship systems must be addressed. Although these legal frameworks are designed to protect, their broad standards and lack of oversight wrongfully strip autonomy and conflict with the 14th Amendment.

 Anaam Awad 

While Trump and his supporters present the dismantling of the Department of Education as a restoration of states' rights and parental authority, its consequences threaten to unravel decades of progress in public education, civil rights enforcement, and constitutional protection.

Eva Schutz

The Trump administration is actively working on dismantling DEI programs and language across the country. Here is how Title IX and other sex-and race-based laws are facing scrutiny and possible overturn.

Alex Kizer

Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond

How a First Amendment challenge could be used to create a first of its kind religious-based charter school. Its effects and implications on public education may reshape the boundaries of church-state separation in public education and in public funds.