REVISITING WATER BANKRUPTCY IN CALIFORNIA’S FOURTH YEAR OF DROUGHT By Olivia Moe, Volume 100Managing Editor This spring, as “extreme” to “exceptional” drought stretched across most of California—indicating that a four-year streak of drought was not about to resolve itself[1]—Governor Jerry Brown issued an unprecedented order to reduce potable urban water usage by twenty-five percent.[2] In…

DEFYING AUER DEFERENCE: SKIDMORE AS A SOLUTION TO CONSERVATIVE CONCERNS IN PEREZ v. MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION By: Nicholas R. Bednar, Volume 100 Lead Articles Editor* On March 9, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision in Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association.[1]F The Court overturned the D.C. Circuit’s decision in Paralyzed Veterans…

WHAT’S UNDER THE BRIDGE? A PATENT REFORM PRIMER By Ann E. Motl, Volume 99 Online Managing Editor Just a few years after passing the most sweeping changes in patent law since 1952, Congress is considering patent reform again.[1] Whereas the America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA) focused heavily on patent examination, the proposed reform would…

RUMBLE V. FAIRVIEW HEALTH SERVICES: FEDERAL JUDGE HOLDS THAT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT’S FRANKENSTEIN CIVIL RIGHTS PROVISION PROTECTS TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS By: Leah Tabbert, Volume 99 Staff Member The federal judiciary has spent years teasing apart and examining the many provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).[1] Yet amidst the excitement surrounding religious…

THE FAA’S AMAZON EXEMPTION SIGNALS A COMMERCIAL DRONE QUANDARY ON THE HORIZON By: Maxwell Mensinger, Volume 99 Staff Member Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Amazon a much anticipated but highly restrictive license to test its drone delivery program. The event prompted various responses. Some commentators found the FAA’s progress laudable, particularly considering…