By: Joseph Marcucci, Vol. 23 Staff Writer A. The Court Upholds the Names Clause The Supreme Court in Vidal v. Elster upheld the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s refusal to register a federal trademark for the phrase “Trump Too Small.” The court held that the USPTO’s refusal was warranted under the Lanham Act, specifically, under the …
By: Maggie Caudle, Vol. 23 Staff Writer Background After the first presidential debate on ABC in September, Donald Trump called for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to “take away” the network’s broadcasting license. Trump accused moderators of treating him unfairly during the debate, calling it “rigged” and saying ABC deserved to have their broadcasting license revoked. …
By: Lindsey Cox, Vol. 23 Staff Writer Overview The Supreme Court recently held in Lindke v. Freed that a public official who prevents someone from commenting on the official’s social-media page becomes a state action only if the official possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf on a particular matter, and purported to exercise that …
By: Madeleine Chapman, Vol. 23 Staff Writer Behind Bars and Beyond Rights: Can Inmates Protest Conditions? Prisoners forfeit many rights once they are incarcerated, should this include their First Amendment right to protest? This question becomes particularly pressing when inmates seek to protest their living conditions or the reasons behind their incarceration. Society often turns …
By: Brandon Brillant, Vol. 23 Staff Writer The rise of social media platforms over the past two decades has shaken up the digital landscape changing the way millions around the world engage with content. In 2018, TikTok burst into this thriving market with a powerful algorithm fueling its rapid expansion. The backlash to TikTok was swift …
By: Emma Schambach, Vol. 22 Staff Writer The advent of neuro-surveillance technologies, capable of delving into the depths of human thoughts and translating those thoughts into readable language, presents an unprecedented challenge to the sanctity of cognitive liberty—a concept that encompasses the essence of individual freedom in the digital age. These technologies include wearable devices …
By Caleb Flowers, Staff Writer, Volume 22 The Problem with Porn: Why make an Age Verification Law? Many young people, especially boys, have traded in the “good articles” in their father’s old Playboy Magazines for carefully curated and increasingly intense PornHub recommendation pages. Pornography is more pervasive than ever. A recent study showed that more …
By: Trey Bender, Volume 22 Staff Member Whether it is implicit or explicit, oftentimes it seems that politics dominate the public rhetoric in today’s day and age. Many people seem to speak with little regard for the repercussions their speech may incur, with those few who do plainly citing the First Amendment and the Free …
By Benjamin T. Craig, Vol. 22 Staff Member Introduction “It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer… to discriminate against any individual…because of his… religion….” This protection, outlined in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, enshrines our nation’s commitment to protect the religious devotee’s right to free exercise without fear of …
By: Alexandria Belton, Vol. 22 Staff Writer An Indigestible Blow to First Amendment Protection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are attempting to unconstitutionally censor “non-misleading factual” labeling of foods low in “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols” (low-FODMAP). So why is this important, it’s just food labeling, …