By Travis Panneck. Full Text. How much should the government be able to learn about an internet user without probable cause? Following the third-party doctrine, courts have held that internet users have no reasonable expectation of privacy in information “turned over” to internet service providers through ordinary use of the internet. Through minimal compulsory process,…

By Bryan Mette. Full Text. The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorizes the President to designate national monuments on federally owned lands. Administrations have employed this authority to create approximately 160 national monuments. In December 2017, President Trump raised the ire of national monument proponents when he drastically reduced the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears…

The United States patent system is designed to reward inventors and patent holders who contribute novel, impactful, and non-obvious work. To maintain this system, Congress authorized damages as a remedy for infringed inventions. Whether compensatory or punitive, the system’s main goal is to prevent the proliferation of unwanted “infringing” behavior. Outside of that guidance, there is little definition of what qualifies as egregious behavior, thereby leaving lower courts significant discretion to decide how much to award in damages. Integral to the allocation of damages is the standard by which courts evaluate egregious, or “willful,” behavior.

By Tash Bottum. Full text here. Federal disclosure law requires companies to report certain types of events on a current basis. This reporting regime aims to promote transparency, enhance informed investments, and protect investors. However, the disclosure requirements are currently governed by a vague materiality standard, which fails to adequately guide companies in determining whether…

By Robert J. Wild. Full text here. Rule 10 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice governs the recognition and enforcement of tribal court judgments in Minnesota state district courts. Since its adoption in 2003, the rule has led to delays in enforcement and to the denial of judgments that are mandated to be enforced by…

By Melanie A. Johnson. Full text here. The knowing use of perjured testimony is considered one of the most serious constitutional trial errors established in Brady v. Maryland. Yet, due to an unresolved gap in habeas jurisprudence, circuits courts have split on the materiality standard required for a habeas petitioner to bring such a claim on…

By Peter Estall. Full text here. Venue in patent infringement suits is governed not by the general venue statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1391, but by its own statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b). Section 1400(b) provides for venue in either the district the defendant “resides” or where it has “a regular and established place of business.” Until the…

By Julia Wolfe. Full text here. Abstract: “Workplace wellness programs have proliferated in recent years, thanks to a convergence of forces: the Affordable Care Act, steeply rising medical costs, and high rates of obesity and chronic illness. While aiming to lower healthcare costs and increase employee productivity, these initiatives raise troubling privacy concerns, specifically in…

By Torie Abbott Watkins. Full text here. Abstract: “When filling out job applications, employers routinely ask, “how much money did you make at your last job?” This discrete question has come under judicial scrutiny as women begin to find out one thing: they are making less money than their male counterparts based on their salary history…

By Joshua M. Greenberg. Full text here. Abstract: “This Note discusses the Supreme Court’s 2009 Burlington Northern decision and the impact that it had on divisibility defenses to cost recovery actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). It surveys the thirty-three post-Burlington Northern cases dealing with apportionment of harm and concludes that…