SLU Law Journal Online

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  Balancing Testator Freedom with Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs Illinois

  Mary Webb

  When creating a trust, a grantor may attach conditions that beneficiaries must meet before receiving an inheritance. Some conditions can become so restrictive that they contravene public policy and are unenforceable by courts. In this article, Mary Webb balances Illinois public policy on testamentary and reproductive freedom to determine whether an Illinois court would uphold a beneficiary restriction clause that restricts a beneficiary's reproductive rights.

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  The Saga of Scabby: How a Giant Inflatable Rat Helped Define Free Speech in Organized Labor

  Adam Kosmicki

  A large, grotesque, inflatable rat has become a symbol of organized labor, a target of controversy, and a defining icon for unions' rights under the First Amendment. In this article, Adam Kosmicki explores the implications for free speech and the protection of "neutral" parties following the NLRB's decision regarding Scabby in Int'l Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

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  Where There Is a Right, There Is a Remedy—Or Is There?

  Grace Panicola

  Courts have repeatedly declined to allow causes of actions under the Constitution when Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights are violated by government officials. In this article, Grace Panicola discusses a pocket of governmental immunity that creates serious implications for Plaintiffs as they ultimately face inadequate remedies.

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  A New Age of Antitrust: How the Latest FTC Leadership is Rewriting the Rules

  Sara Rutherford

  The addition of a new Chair of the United States Federal Trade Commission has brought major changes relating to Big Tech. In this article, Sara Rutherford discusses the FTC's new anti-trust policies and their application to big companies.

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  Myles Away from Perfect: The Potential Impact on NIL Deals following LSU Quarterback’s Retirement

  Brian Ahle

  Just prior to the 2022 College Football Season, Louisiana State University Quarterback Myles Brennan decided to abruptly retire from football. Despite the unexpected finish to his career, Brennan is still going to likely retain all of the money he received in endorsements that were paid through the newly approved “NIL” deals available to collegiate athletes, as a result of a stipulation that these deals cannot be “performance-based”. In this article, Brian Ahle evaluates the potential ways in which endorsers may be able to protect their investments, while still complying with the NIL Policies that provide protections towards the athletes.

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  Peer Mediation: A New Opportunity in St. Louis City Schools

  Beatrice Connaghan

  Mediation is often used in legal disputes, but what happens when the same process is applied to children in order to deter conflicts and avoid the need for school administration intervention? In this article, Beatrice Connaghan discusses the process of training students to become peer mediators to deter conflicts in St. Louis Schools.

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  Presidential Interpretation and War Powers

  Tobias T. Gibson and Matthew R. Trout

  Judicial deference toward presidential decision making in national security has led to largely unencumbered presidential action in national security concerns. In this article, Matthew R. Trout and Tobias T. Gibson argue that presidential interpretation is a power of the president—a power that has enhanced an outsized presidential role in national security.

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  “Rap Music on Trial”: Examining the Consequences of Rap Lyrics Being Admissible at Trial

  Malik Stewart

  Rap lyrics are being deemed admissible in court to convict criminal defendants. In this article, Malik Stewart considers the consequences of admitting rap lyrics to evidence to prove a defendant’s guilt, possible First Amendment violations, the efforts to prevent prosecutors from using rap lyrics as evidence, and the ways in which rap music is being targeted by prosecutors. The article also considers the emergence of Drill music and what to expect moving forward.

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  Cryptocurrency: The Consequences of a Regulatory Gap in a Rapidly Growing Industry

  Claire Sanford

  Digital assets are largely unregulated, which has led to many investors being defrauded without remedy. Various solutions have been proposed to solve the regulatory gap, but none have been successful in practice. In this article, Claire Sanford discusses how the risks associated with cryptocurrency exchanges are distinct from more traditional investments.

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  ABA Model Rule 8.4(g): National Adoption is Long Overdue

  Sara Rakowiecki

  In 2016, the American Bar Association amended the Model Rules of Professional Conduct to include Rule 8.4(g) in an attempt to include a prohibition against discrimination and harassment with conduct related to the practice of law. While discrimination and harassment remain commonplace in the legal profession, many states refused to adopt Rule 8.4(g) which resulted in an unprecedented response to the ABA amendment. In this article, Sara Rakowiecki emphasizes the necessity for the legal profession to adopt and apply Rule 8.4(g) to cultivate a legal community where lawyers are consistently ethical and professional in the practice of law.

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  A Roadmap for Suing the NFL: How San Diego Taxpayers Are Using St. Louis’ Success as a Plan in Their Own Suit Over Relocation, and Will it Pay Off?

  Allison Frisella

  Last year, the city of St. Louis forced an unprecedented settlement against the Rams, Stan Kroenke, and the National Football League over relocation of the Rams. In this article, Allison Frisella covers how St. Louis' lawsuit can be used as a successful "roadmap" to sue the NFL, and how recent lawsuits filed by San Diego Taxpayers over relocation of the Chargers did just that. The article evaluates the claims made by St. Louis, how San Diego Taxpayers used similar claims in their complaints against the league, and if their successes will be the same as St. Louis.

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  In a Legal Field of Uncertainty, Much Change is Needed Before Commercial Space Flights Become More Common, and Contracts of Carriage Might Be the Answer

  Gavin Coveney

  In this article, Gavin Coveney seeks to give to a short description of current space laws and the lack of regulation. Gavin Coveney also gives a short breakdown of solutions and how current airline Contracts of Carriage provide inspiration for future space Contracts of Carriage.

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  Force Majeure & the Coronavirus Pandemic’s Effect on Contractual Obligations

  Mack Miner

  With the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic, some businesses found themselves unable to perform on their contracts due to Covid-19's unpredictable nature, government orders, and a variety of other factors. Many contracting parties responded to the unpredictability by invoking force majeure to avoid performance. In his article, Mack Miner considers revising force majeure clauses to read less like boilerplate language and include specific pandemic-like events to help to ensure future force majeure issues are successfully invoked.

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  The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in the Constitutionality of DACA

  Olivia Dixon

  DACA has been a controversial immigration program for almost a decade, as it winds its way through the United States's court system. In this article, Olivia Dixon argues that federal judge Andrew Hanen's most recent holding, that DACA is unconstitutional, is wrong, specifically looking at the role prosecutorial discretion plays in the program's constitutionality.

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  Laws Surrounding Daily Fantasy Sports and Sports Gambling are Ambiguous; Let’s Just Legalize Both

  Patrick Azer

  There is a discrepancy between laws legalizing daily fantasy sports ("DFS") and laws making sports gambling illegal. In this article, Patrick Azer discusses how DFS has been able to operate under the UIGEA season long fantasy exception, how DFS platforms have disguised sports betting as DFS, and why both DFS and sports betting should be legalized to eliminate ambiguity in the current law.

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  Proposed Bill in Missouri Senate to Lower Personal Injury Statute of Limitations to Two Years

  Sarah Thompson

  The Missouri legislature is considering a bill that would drastically lower the statute of limitations for personal injury claims. What factors should be considered when determining the length of a statute of limitations? In this article, Sarah Thompson discusses the interests that are at stake, some arguments in support, and some arguments in opposition to lowering statutes of limitations.

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  2022 MLB Lockout: Time to Re-Examine Baseball's Antitrust Exemption

  Adam Renfro

  In this article, Adam Renfro examines the legal basis for Major League Baseball's antitrust exemption in light of ongoing lockout in Major League Baseball. This article also discusses ongoing and current threats to the exemption and asserts that the exemption should be abolished once and for all.

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  What’s in the Forecast for the SPAC Boom & the PSLRA?

  Nick Krone

  Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have exploded in popularity. These so-called “blank check” companies are used as vehicles to take companies public without going through a traditional IPO process. Financial projections in SPACs are currently protected by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements afforded by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA). In this article, Nick Krone examines whether SPACs should be protected by the PSLRA.

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  Should Missouri Consider the Social Cost of Carbon in Policymaking?

  Matthew Geer

  The social cost of carbon (SCC) is a tool used by federal agencies to quantify the cost of carbon emissions in policymaking. As concerns surrounding climate change become more pressing, some states have also begun using the SCC in their own policies, rules, and regulations, while other states like Missouri have actively challenged the metric. In this article, Matthew Geer looks at the origin of the federal social cost of carbon and considers its effectiveness as a tool by state governments to guide policymaking that will prevent climate change from causing irreversible harm to Planet Earth.

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  Judicial Ethics May Decide Whether a Prisoner Can Be Touched As He Is Executed

  Mikayla Lewison

  The community having faith in the judiciary is vital for the U.S. to function as a democracy. Recently, the Court has become seemingly more politicized, even though Americans prefer an apolitical court. In this article, Mikayla Lewison argues that personal interests of the justices on the Court have likely played a role in whether or not prisoners, like John Henry Ramirez, may have a cleric of their choice inside the chamber as they are executed.

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  Chambers v. District of Columbia and the Future of Title VII

  Andrew Melzer, Alok Nadig, and Lindsay Marum

  Can blatant workplace discrimination escape the grasp of Title VII? In Chambers v. District of Columbia, the D.C. Circuit is considering whether to revisit a rule that employment discrimination must result in “objectively tangible harm” to give rise to a Title VII claim. In this article, the authors argue that the D.C. Circuit should stay true to the language and purpose of Title VII and adopt a standard similar to the simple “treated less well” test used under the NYC Human Rights Law.

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  Touchdown St. Louis: A Recap of the NFL and Rams Lawsuit

  Katie Hoffecker

  The Rams’ move to Los Angeles in 2016 brought about more than just hard feelings toward the National Football League and owner, Stan Kroenke—it resulted in a billion dollar lawsuit. In this article, Katie Hoffecker analyzes the past five years of the litigation proceedings as the case ultimately settles.

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  “Under the Guise of Public Health:” The Biden Administration and Title 42

  Casey Plach

  In March 2020, the Trump Administration set forth a policy, now known as Title 42, which closed U.S. borders and allows government officials to immediately expel migrants—including asylum seekers—citing public health concerns in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still in effect today, Title 42 has faced criticism from legal experts and health experts alike, who claim the policy directly conflicts with asylum laws and has little basis in public health. In this article, Casey Plach explores this criticism and critiques the Biden Administration’s continued use of Title 42.

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  ESG Investing: May ERISA Plan Fiduciaries Consider Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors When Making Investment Decisions?

  Morgan Fox

  ERISA fiduciaries have long sought guidance from the DOL as to whether environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors may be considered in their investment decision-making. In 2020, the DOL issued a final rule requiring ERISA fiduciaries to consider solely pecuniary factors. In this article, Morgan Fox discusses a recently proposed rule under the new Administration that eases the restrictions and provides greater leeway for ERISA plan fiduciaries to consider ESG factors.

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  Like and Subscribe: The Fight for Student Athletes’ NIL Rights

  Jovanny Nava

  Recent developments in state law concerning student athlete’s ability to monetize their name, image, and likeness, as well as the Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down similar restrictions, does not bode well for the NCAA’s remaining policies. In this article, Jovanny Nava explores the implications of these developments.