18062 research outputs found
Sort by
Ensuring Climate Litigants’ Standing: Insights from National and International Climate Litigation
No full textIn March 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report and confirmed unequivocally that human activities are the cause of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions over the next few years are capable of causing irreversible and catastrophic damage to our planet. Catalyst litigation plays an important role in tackling climate change by prodding governments to assume a role in implementing adaptation and mitigation measures. Despite the extreme consequences that climate change will have on humanity, jurisdictional issues—such as standing—impose considerable hurdles for climate litigants. And these hurdles ultimately keep plaintiffs from obtaining a ruling, or even a discussion, on the merits of their case. With the power to take immediate action, judges in the United States must view their constitutional role differently—more expansively—to advance climate change policy. But it is not just up to judges alone. Climate plaintiffs can assist judges in realizing their expanded role. In order to overcome issues of standing and attain more judicial engagement in American climate litigation, plaintiffs should bring claims inspired by past cases, both American and international.
With a focus on Juliana v. United States, this Note argues that plaintiffs in climate change cases can overcome or avoid standing hurdles by employing important lessons from other cases. Part I provides a brief introduction to standing, as outlined in Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife. Part II meanders through the arguably random and unpredictable history of standing in United States climate litigation. Part III explores Juliana, a climate case that was struck down in the Ninth Circuit because the court believed the plaintiffs lacked standing. Part IV explores how judges in other countries—France and Germany—approach standing and react to plaintiffs’ demands in climate cases. Drawing from these national and international cases, Part V recommends how climate case plaintiffs, such as those in Juliana, should frame their complaints to circumvent standing issues
The Original Meaning of Commerce in the Indian Commerce Clause
No full textIn Haaland v. Brackeen, the Supreme Court returned to the foundational question of federal authority over relations between the United States and Native nations, long known as “Indian affairs.” The decision reaffirmed well-established precedent affirming broad federal authority in the area, but it also underscored ongoing disagreement, as Justices Gorsuch and Thomas offered lengthy and dueling investigations of the original understanding.
This Essay explores one aspect of that history: the original meaning of “commerce” in the Indian Commerce Clause. Nearly a decade ago, I wrote an article that sought, as its title indicated, to move “beyond the Indian Commerce Clause.” The Clause, I argued, was only one small component in how the early American political elite understood federal authority in this area. Consequently, that article addressed the Clause itself only briefly. In this Essay, in the wake of the contention in Brackeen, I draw on both the Corpus of Founding Era American English and early American documents of law and governance to investigate the original meaning of “Commerce . . . with the Indian tribes.”
Ultimately, this Essay concludes that “commerce” was a widely and commonly used synonym for both “trade” with Indians and “intercourse” with Indians, a broader term that conveyed quotidian interactions between Native peoples and Anglo-Americans. The use of intercourse as a synonym for commerce was particularly frequent in documents dealing with governance in the early republic, with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, members of the First Congress, and early caselaw all deploying the term that way. The historical evidence does not support either the claim that “commerce” was routinely used as a synonym for “Indian affairs,” or that the term exclusively referred to trade and purportedly “economic” interactions
Supporting College Students with Children: Data-Driven Insights, National Trends, and Personal Stories Shaping a Future of Opportunity
No full textSupporting parenting students in higher education is essential due to their unique challenges, including balancing academics with caregiving, financial strain, and limited childcare access. At the 2024 NERA conference, an expert panel explored these issues and presented strategies for fostering family-friendly campuses. Panelists included Dr. Brittani Williams (Generation Hope), Miriam Cullimore (Minnesota Office of Higher Education), and Megan Brown (University of Texas at San Antonio). This interactive session engaged attendees in shaping inclusive policies through research, lived experience, and advocacy. The discussion highlighted actionable solutions to support student-parents in achieving academic success and economic mobility
Enhancing Middle School Literacy Instruction with Chat GPT: One Researcher\u27s Narrative Reflection
No full textThis narrative study examines a middle school literacy teacher\u27s experiences with sixth and seventh-grade mythology students. It investigates how integrating ChatGPT enhances student learning and addresses ethical considerations. The teacher, a doctoral student in educational leadership, reflects on student engagement, project outcomes, and instructional practices. Findings show that ChatGPT strengthens brainstorming, research, writing, revision, and editing skills. The study emphasizes ethical AI implementation, promoting class discussions on integrity and responsible use. It further highlights the need for teachers to understand privacy policies and data retention concerns while offering recommendations for educators and policymakers on ethical AI practices
Self-Reported Access to Oral Health Care and Perception of Oral Health from 2011-2020
No full textAn individual’s perception of their oral cavity directly correlates with whether he/she will seek oral health care. Self-reported oral health (SROH) rating is typically measured on a scale of excellent to poor and is a validated measure of an individual’s oral health. This study aimed to (1) examine the correlation between SROH and access to oral health care, (2) assess changes in access and SROH from 2011 to 2020, and (3) analyze variations across age, gender, and race. Data was collected from the 2011-12, 2013-14, 2015-16, and 2017-20 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for individuals 20 or older. Two questions for the Oral Health Questionnaire were used: (1) rate the health of teeth and gums and (2) whether oral health care was available in the past 12 months when needed. Demographic data was collected. Data was uploaded to RStudio and analyzed for statistical significance. A significant correlation between SROH and access to care was found. No significant differences in mean SROH were observed across survey cycles (p = 0.27), and access to care did not significantly change over time (p = 0.1296). SROH varied by age, with individuals aged 30-64 reporting lower SROH and those 65+ more likely to report care access. Males reported lower SROH but higher access than females. Asian and White individuals reported higher SROH and access compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Future research should include the 2021-22 data to explore pandemic-related impacts on oral health perceptions and access and underlying factors affecting access
Investigating Tumor Growth and Regulation in Supratentorial Ependymomas; The Impact of Dlk1 and Egr1 Knockout
No full textEpendymomas (EPNs) are primary brain tumors that often arise from radial glial cells lining the ventricular system. Supratentorial ependymomas (ST-EPNs) are particularly aggressive, and understanding the molecular factors driving their growth is critical for developing targeted therapies. This study investigates the roles of DLK1 and EGR1, key regulators in cellular differentiation and tumorigenesis, in the development of ST-EPNs. We utilized genetically engineered mouse models to induce postnatal knockouts of DLK1 and EGR1 and evaluated tumor growth using histological and imaging techniques. Tumor area was quantified across multiple brain sections from both male and female mice. DLK1 knockout brains exhibited consistent tumor growth in both sexes, suggesting that DLK1 may not play a critical role in tumor formation. It is likely that the Notch signaling pathway, normally activated by DLK1, remains activated through other ligands, such as Jagged1, compensating for the loss of DLK1. In contrast, EGR1 knockout brains showed no tumor formation in either male or female mice, indicating that EGR1 is essential for ST-EPN development. Gender analysis indicated no significant differences in tumor growth, suggesting that DLK1’s influence on tumor progression operates independently of sex-specific factors. These findings provide preliminary insights into the complex role of DLK1 and EGR1 in ST-EPN tumorigenesis, highlighting the need for further investigation into their interaction and potential as therapeutic targets. Future studies should address the limitations of small sample sizes and explore combinatorial knockouts to better understand their roles in tumor growth
Psychosocial Factors Associated with Substance Use Vulnerability in Black Americans
No full textIn 2010, the World Health Organization developed the Conceptual Framework for the Social Determinants of Health as a response to epidemiologists’ and public health workers’ need to estimate the impact of social inequality. Within this framework, psychosocial factors are intermediary determinants of health that influence an individual’s interactions with their environment. This paper analyzes data and results from ten articles from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), which looks at the impacts of psychosocial, contextual, and family effects on health and developmental outcomes in Black American families. The findings across the ten articles provide strong evidence that there are multiple pathways through which psychosocial factors impact substance use disorder vulnerability for Black Americans. In addition, racism was a psychosocial stressor in all nine articles that observed the effects of racial discrimination, showing that intermediary, and not just structural, racism is a mediating factor of substance use for Black Americans. The results of this study can be used to inform better health promoting policies, such as including interventions that center or include psychosocial factors as a means of reducing substance use for Black Americans
Siloed in Their Thoughts: A Phenomenological Study of Higher Education Leaders’ Perceptions of Internationalization in Changing Times
No full text
