In 2012, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) made some sweeping changes to health insurance, but one of the broadest changes was its expansion of Medicaid coverage. Medicaid, a program involving coordination between the federal ... [Read more...]
State Bans on Conversion Therapy
Garrard Conley, the author of the memoir-turned-movie, Boy Erased, said of his experience with conversion therapy, “I came to therapy thinking that my sexuality didn’t matter, but it turned out that every part of my personality was intimately ... [Read more...]
A Primer on Construction Contracts
If you are involved in a construction project, you may anticipate obtaining permits, coordinating materials, and battling weather conditions, but you may not think about paperwork. Every construction contract involves a contractual relationship, or ... [Read more...]
An Overview of Birthright Citizenship
President Trump recently acknowledged that his administration has been looking into using an executive order to end birthright citizenship. This declaration prompted a flurry of reactions from confusion to outrage. Birthright citizenship seems to be ... [Read more...]
Toxic Torts and the TVA
A decade ago, Roane County, Tennessee, suffered the worst coal ash spill in American history. A barrier gave way at the Tennessee Valley Authority (“TVA”) Fossil Plant in Kingston, Tennessee, pouring over 5 million cubic yards of coal ash (the waste ... [Read more...]
Tampering with Digital Locks: New Laws and Smartphones
It’s a common experience: the smartphone that is supposed to make your life easier and more manageable develops a glitch. You don’t have the time or the money to send it off for repair, but you do have enough know-how to fix it yourself, so you try ... [Read more...]
Teachers, Guns, and Schools: Issues of Local Law
Recently, a small school district in eastern Pennsylvania became the first school district in the state to permit teachers and other school employees to carry concealed weapons in schools. The measure, which the school board passed unanimously, ... [Read more...]
State Gun Laws and Ballot Measures
During the 2018 midterms, Washington State asked voters to consider a ballot initiative outlining one of the most sweeping platforms of gun safety laws in the nation; the initiative passed with 60 percent of the vote. Initiative 1639 took a broad ... [Read more...]
Legal Challenges to Daylight Saving Time
It’s that time of year: leaves fall, shadows lengthen, and we turn back our clocks, offering a one-time gain of an hour of sleep and a months-long loss of daylight. However, legislative challenges to Daylight Saving Time (“DST”) may reshape our ... [Read more...]
Revisiting “Stand Your Ground”
Following the devastation of Hurricane Michael, a city commissioner in Lakeland, Florida, was caught on video shooting a man he suspected of looting his store. Lawyers for the commissioner, who was indicted for second-degree murder, said that they ... [Read more...]