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De Novo Archive

De Novo is the newest addition to the Minnesota Law Review family. The blog serves as a forum through which the staff, editors, and alumni of the Minnesota Law Review can contribute to legal thought and academic debate.

The Final Court to the Split

THE FINAL COURT TO THE SPLIT: COULD IN RE ARCHDIOCESE GIVE THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN ON NONCONSENSUAL THIRD-PARTY RELEASES IN CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS? By: Emily Muirhead McAdam, Volume 102 Staff Member The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota weighed in recently on a long-running debate in Chapter…

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(In)definite Detention

(IN)DEFINITE DETENTION: JENNINGS AND THE BACKWARDS DETENTION SYSTEM FOR NON-CITIZENS SEEKING RELIEF By: Nathaniel Gier, Volume 102 Staff Member In the current fiscal year, there are 667,839 immigration cases pending,[1] and the average wait time for cases pending in immigration court was 691 days in 2017.[2] There are also over 352,000 immigration detainees in the…

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Jesner v. Arab Bank

JESNER v. ARAB BANK: CORPORATE LIABILITY AND THE “TOUCH AND CONCERN” TEST By: Anthony Ufkin, Volume 102 Staff Member In Jesner v. Arab Bank,[1] the Supreme Court will likely answer the question of whether corporations may be held liable for alleged human rights violations under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS).[2] The ATS grants non-citizens access…

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Cruz-Guzman and the Rise of Charter Schools

Cruz-Guzman and the Rise of Charter Schools: How Will the Minnesota Supreme Court Respond to the Resegregation of Schools in the Twin Cities? By: Charles W. Niemann, Volume 102 Staff Member A recent analysis by the Associated Press showed that charter schools are playing a significant role in the resegregation of American schools.[1] Charter schools…

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Is Simple Better?

IS SIMPLE BETTER?: THE ANSWER TO PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING MAY LIE WITH BENISEK V. LAMONE RATHER THAN GILL V. WHITFORD By: Torie Abbott Watkins, Volume 102 Staff Member In today’s political discourse it is an all but impossible challenge to get Democrats and Republicans to agree on anything. There are few more politicized topics than that…

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Let’s Talk About Sex[ual Harassment]

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX[UAL HARASSMENT]: THE INADEQUACY OF LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT By: Sarah DeWitt, Volume 102 Staff Member Sexual harassment is not a new phenomenon.[1] Sexual harassment affects not only young woman in subservient positions,[2] but also in professional careers.[3] Sexual harassment is not confined to Hollywood, but occurs in media outlets,…

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After Marriage Equality

AFTER MARRIAGE EQUALITY: LGBT NONDISCRIMINATION LAWS IN MASTERPIECE CAKESHOP By: Joshua Preston, Volume 102 Staff Member Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) was a watershed moment in extending the full benefits of society to members of the LGBT community.[1] Though the freedom to marry was won, Obergefell failed to address the broader issue of whether nondiscrimination protections…

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Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center

ARMSTRONG V. EXCEPTIONAL CHILD CENTER: WHO SHOULD ENFORCE MEDICAID EQUAL ACCESS? By: Jessica Wheeler, Volume 102 Staff Member Deamonte Driver, a twelve-year-old Medicaid beneficiary, died from an untreated tooth abscess when the infection spread to his brain.[1] His death could have been prevented had his tooth been removed months earlier when it first started to…

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What the Tax Bill Means for Students

WHAT THE “TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT” MEANS FOR STUDENTS: DO WE WANT INCENTIVES OR SIMPLIFICATION? By: Melanie Pulles Benson, Volume 102 Staff Member The new House tax reform bill, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (“Act”), significantly departs from the current tax code.[1] The Act alters the tax brackets, lowers the corporate tax rate…

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Losing Bigly

LOSING BIGLY: HOW THE ACLU’S COMPLAINT FORCED THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE ROSA MARIA By: David Racine, Volume 102 Staff Member On October 25, 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained Rosa Maria Hernandez, a ten-year-old child with cerebral palsy who was recovering from an emergency surgery she endured a day prior.[1] National and…

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