blsr: A Pathfinder

This is a computer-generated pathfinder created against the Distant Reader study called blsr.

Each Distant Reader study carrel is composed of many individual items. Each item is bibliographically described with author, title, date, summary, and keyword values. Below is a list of the items' most signficant keywords as well as lists of the items themselves. Purpusing the content of this pathfinder provides the student, researcher, or scholar with one way to get their heads around the scope of the carrel. The keywords include:

Court; State; States; Companies; Government; U.s; Constitution; Review; Rights; Process; Case; Patent; Action; Rule; Bellarmine; Anomie; Child

Depending on how this pathfinder was created, many of the bibliographic sections will include elaborations on the meaning(s) of the given keywords. These elaborations were generated by feeding the items' summaries to a large langauge model and asking the model to address the question, "What is X?", where "X" is the keyword. The result will be a few sentences of elaboration. Be forewarned. The elaborations are often plausible, but they should not be take as truth. Instead, they should be taken as points for consideration.

• Drowning in Debt: A Legal Analysis of Pension Systems in the State of Illinois by Charles Power (2020) - But while the three-part Contract Clause test is widely accepted, “the decisions of state courts applying this analysis to state pension contracts vary considerably. Up until 1981, Illinois simply paid the costs of pension benefits as they came due. Keywords: assembly; bankruptcy; benefits; constitution; court; employees; general; illinois; pension; retirement; state; supreme
• Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31: An Unprecedented Blow to Public Sector Unions? by Sophia Carter (2021) - Kagan is concerned that, “Public employee unions will lose a secure source of financial support. Background and Facts of the Case The primary question at issue in Janus v. AFSCME is whether it is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to require non-members of public sector unions to pay agency fees as a condition of employment. Keywords: abood; agency; court; decision; employees; fees; janus; public; union
• From the Magna Carta to the MCA: The Development of the Right to Habeas Corpus for Enemy Combatants of the United States by Christopher J. Siegert (2022) - The progression of Supreme Court opinions throughout the Civil War, World War II, and the War on Terror reveals a variation in its jurisprudence. A week later on September 18, 2001, Congress passed the “Authorization for the Use of Military Force” (AUMF) with only one congresswoman voting nay to the joint resolution, which reads: The President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts 29 Scalia, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (Scalia, J., dissenting), 542 U.S. 507 (U.S. Supreme Court 2004). Keywords: combatants; constitution; court; enemy; enemy combatants; habeas corpus; rights; states; u.s; united; war; writ
• A Brief Legal History of RICO Charges and Artistic Freedom & Their Unconstitutional Applications in State of Georgia v. Kahlieff Adams, et al. by Mahoney, Brendan (2024) - “Everything We Know About YSL’s RICO Case.” 73 Sadler. 72 Armon Sadler, “Lawyer In YSL RICO Case Throws Out Slang Term ‘Cap’ In Court,” VIBE.Com (blog), April 18, 2023, https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/lawyer-ysl-rico-case-says-cap-court-1234749641/. 62 RICO to be clearly defined.77 This is the case that can set a precedent for loosely affiliated gangs like YSL to be excluded from RICO statutes as they do not affect interstate commerce.78 The people of Georgia have the power to make this case the beginning of the end for racial injustice within modern RICO charges. Keywords: case; charges; court; georgia; law; lyrics; precedent; rap; rico; state; thug; trial; ysl
• Finding Judicial Constellations: A Relational Thematic Content Analysis of Stare Decisis During the Roberts Court by Chen, Alex (2024) - While some researchers may select a group of 100 songs or 30 news articles, I selected all of the cases that overturned other Supreme Court cases from September 29th, 2005, to the present. Third, because Supreme Court opinions are intrinsically related to other opinions, the relations between cases were considered. Keywords: cases; court; decisis; precedent; rationale; research; stare; supreme
• A Well-Regulated Militia: A Historical Reading of the Second Amendment by Treanor, Darya (2024) - While his specific assertion about Second Amendment relevance to weapons other than firearms would not be readily accepted today, the implication here is not only that “arms” are for use in a regulated militia but also that “[t]he carrying of concealed weapons may, therefore, be prohibited by law under the police power.”7 Summary To summarize the legal argument, based on the exact language of the Constitution and its author’s own interpretation, the Second Amendment establishes the right of States to maintain a militia and the right of citizens to join their state militia. Keywords: amendment; arms; bear; court; law; military; militias; national; right; second; state
• Establishment Along the Borderline: Supreme Court Jurisprudence on Ten Commandments Displays by Darrish, Joshua (2024) - Justice Breyer’s concurrence in Van Orden further advanced the necessary vagueness of the Establishment Clause in religious display cases because he departed from the Lemon test. Legal precedent for religious display cases oscillates between separation and accommodation, justifying the opposing decisions from McCreary and Van Orden. Keywords: commandments; court; display; establishment; justice; law; orden; van
• Foreign Surveillance Turned Domestic: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Trial by Ward, Benjamin (2025) - In addition, this review considers the procedures used in FISA surveillance, with a focus on the practices of minimization and querying. Individual: The Role of Consumers Compared to courts and corporations, the individual holds relatively little power in the process of resisting government surveillance. Keywords: court; data; fisa; hasbajrami; section; states; surveillance; u.s; united
• TikTok and the First Amendment: An Analysis of the Constitutional Debate Regarding a TikTok Ban by Balamurugan, Kiruthiga (2025) - To this point, Montana’s lawyers had asserted that TikTok had not been compliant with a multistate investigation into the security of the platform but Malloy claimed that it was “unclear how this single investigation into TikTok warrants a complete ban on the application. 3_Balamurugan.docx Bellarmine Law Society Review Volume XV | Issue II Article III TikTok and the First Amendment: An Analysis of the Constitutional Debate Regarding a TikTok Ban Kiruthiga Balamurugan Georgetown University, kb1359@georgetown.edu TIKTOK AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE REGARDING A TIKTOK BAN KIRUTHIGA Keywords: amendment; app; ban; case; content; court; government; law; montana; states; tiktok; united

• Pharmaceutical Price-Gouging: An Analysis of Maryland's Efforts to Regulate Unconscionable Increases in the Prices of Generic Drugs by Harry Shanmugam (2020) - Over the last decade, drug companies and industry groups have poured $2.3 billion into lobbying efforts in Washington.12 As a result, according to a joint report by the Yale School of Public Health and the Yale Law School, “the federal government has failed to take—and many policymakers have not even considered—meaningful steps to curb drug prices.”13 16 in a generic drug market, drug prices decrease by 20%, and yet, pharmaceutical companies report consistent barriers to entry and inhibitors to competition.38 The largest such barrier is the bloated nature of the FDA approval process for generics. Keywords: drug; generic; gouging; ibid; law; market; maryland; patent; pharmaceutical; price; state
• Potential Federal Regulation of Covenants to not Compete by Abigail Korrell (2020) - One of the most significant problems in employment law is the diversity of state law on enforcing these covenants not to compete (non- competes).i Some states freely enforce these agreements; some states enforce them in narrow circumstances; and a few states, including California, prohibit them altogether. Due to the diversity of state law, choosing a litigation venue is vital to a litigant's strategy. Keywords: article; california; companies; employee; enforcement; law; noncompetes; review; state
• Analyzing “Sunny” California: A Study of the Role of Solar Energy Subsidies in the Golden State by Grace Mendes (2022) - The article then explores the logistics and statistics of California solar production, while raising questions about the efficacy, extent, and direction of state and federal involvement in the process. One of the most exciting solutions for western states, particularly California, is the prospect of solar energy. Keywords: california; companies; electricity; energy; government; market; power; program; public; solar; state; storage
• Evaluating COVID-19 Eviction Crisis: Policy Responses in Prolonged Emergencies by Hwang, Ines (2025) - First and foremost, the federal government, particularly Congress, should collaborate with national agencies such as the CDC and FEMA to establish clearer statutory guidelines for eviction moratoriums during emergencies. While eviction moratoriums should not be indefinite or lacking in clear endpoints, there must be predefined guidelines enabling both individuals and governments to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies. Keywords: act; assistance; cdc; covid-19; crisis; eviction; government; health; housing; landlords; moratorium; rent; state; tenants
• The Impact of Climate Shocks on Homeowners' Insurance: A Legal, Economic, and Public Policy Analysis by Julia Kuhn (2025) - As evidenced by the data, the results of this system are far from efficient.41 Aside from the fact that insurance companies pass on public intervenor fees to policyholders, the intervenor process has a “five-year average filing delay of 236 days for homeowners insurance. 27 Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and caused approximately $79.6 billion in damages, as well as Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on Florida and resulted in an estimated $34.3 billion in damages.52,58 Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Wildfires, which include the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, devastated California.32 Damages are expected to cost between $28 billion and $53.8 billion.32 This can all be compared to the 1980s, where the United States only averaged three climate disasters that exceeded $1 billion throughout the entire decade.58 The Problem Indeed, one of the most notable effects of these climate shocks can be seen in the market for homeowners' insurance. Keywords: california; climate; companies; coverage; energy; fair; homeowners; homeowners insurance; insurance; insurers; market; n.d; non; plan; policies; policy; risk; state

• Shackling Pregnant Prisoners: Cruel and Unusual or Justified and Necessary by Caroline Ring (2020) - These caveats allow for the possibility of subjectivity and human error in determining the appropriate times, if there are any, to use shackles and chains on pregnant women. In September 2018, a bipartisan group of Congresswomen introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that codifies the current Federal Bureau of Prisons policy, outlawing the shackling of pregnant women in federal prisons and banning restraints during the pregnancy and in the weeks after birth.106 The First Step Act, introduced in the Senate in November 2018, also bans the shackling of pregnant inmates, forbidding restraints around the ankles, legs, or waist even if the circumstances warrant an exception in which restraints must be used for safety.107 Judges, lawmakers, and prison officials have a duty to respect and protect the unalienable constitutional rights of inmates. Keywords: inmates; law; restraints; shackling; states; u.s; women
• Compliance in International Law: The Role of Legitimacy and Effect on States’ Material Power by Farrell, Shavonne (2020) - To explain variation in state compliance with international law, this Article explores under what conditions international legal institutions are most effective. Legal Institution Legitimacy No Legitimacy Positive/Neutral Effect on Material Power Geneva Protocol N/A Negative Effect on Material Power UNCLOS UN Security Council League of Nations The Geneva Protocol banning chemical weapons is an effective law because it is perceived as legitimate and it does not substantially affect state power. Keywords: compliance; effect; international; law; legitimacy; material; power; states
• Law in the Final Frontier: Ambiguities and Clarity in the Legal Regime of Outer Space by Gleason, Louis (2021) - The chief problem with extending Article 22 of the IGA to govern all of outer space, embedding it in the foundations of space law, is that it fails to effectively govern the interactions between nationals of different states. The Intergovernmental Agreement, or IGA (known officially as the Agreement Among the Government of Canada, Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the United States of America Concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station) is the treaty that governs space law specifically aboard the ISS.31 Article 22 of the IGA addresses legal jurisdiction, with Section 1 establishing active personality32 as the default jurisdiction in criminal matters, holding that all states with nationals aboard the ISS “may exercise criminal jurisdiction over personnel in or on any flight element who are their respective nationals.”33 Keywords: article; china; convention; criminal; government; international; jurisdiction; law; moon; new; ost; regime; registration; russia; space; spacecraft; states; treaty; united
• Gender Quotas and Equity in Corporate Boardrooms: A Legal, Economic, and Social Analysis by Kiefer, Rose (2022) - Abstract: Adopted by countries like France, Norway, and Germany, gender quotas have been enacted as a measure to ensure equal opportunity for women in the corporate environment. Today, an increasing number of states in America have turned to gender quotas to remediate the inequity present in corporate boardrooms. Keywords: boardroom; california; companies; corporate; female; gender; gender quotas; legislation; quotas; s.b; states; women
• Is the Equal Rights Amendment “Lost?”: A Contemporary Analysis of the ERA by Zarrella, Lila (2023) - 7 Jon O. Shimabukuro, “Equal Rights Amendment: Close to Adoption Note,” Equal Rights Amendment: Close to Adoption, 2 July 2018, 3. 13 already extended the deadline for ratification in 1978, Congress has the power to do so again in 2023.8 9 Shimabukuro, “Equal Rights Amendment: Close to Adoption Note,” 3. 10 Qtd. Keywords: amendment; congress; deadline; equality; era; gender; law; process; ratification; rights amendment; states

• Equal Access or Algorithmic Barriers? AI and the Fight for Disability-Inclusive Hiring by Kandel, Valerie (2025) - Additionally, I will introduce an under-researched argument against AI hiring practices, which is that these tools create accessibility issues that are not being sufficiently accommodated. For the third recommendation, there should be stricter laws and policies surrounding privacy and informed consent created and implemented by companies and vendors, just as they have to comply with traditional hiring practices.111 Part of this involves private data being kept private by companies and not being included in AI hiring practices to evaluate or analyze candidates. Keywords: candidates; companies; data; disabilities; disability; discrimination; employment; hiring; human; ibid; individuals; practices; process; tools

• An Analysis of the Legal History and Economic Impact of Federal Minimum Wage Policy in the United States by Villa, John (2025) - And despite the common belief that minimum wage workers are mostly teenagers from financially secure families, an analysis by Arin Dube, economist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, revealed that only about 25% of those earning the federal minimum wage — and just 12% of those earning $10 an hour or less — are actually teenagers.3 That means that tens of millions of working adults will have more money to spend, returning it back into the economy, and to save, allowing them to eventually afford to buy a house and retire. Workers making just above federal or state minimum wage would likely see their wages increase with minimum wage increases due to a “ripple effect. Keywords: act; federal; government; increase; labor; link; minimum wage; policy; wage; wage act; wage policy; workers

• New Textualism in Constitutional Interpretation: Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) and Its Creation of a New Rule of Law by Toh, Cindy (2025) - These precedential applications in Dobbs denote a 28 substantial pivot from a reliable implementation of abortion precedents to one that draws upon a more fundamentalist constitutional interpretation. Such barriers render the implementation of abortion precedents less foreseeable and thus undercut a critical standard for promulgating the rule of law as it used to be conceived. Keywords: abortion; cases; dobbs; law; precedents; roe; rule; stability; u.s

• Limits of Logic and Procedure by Colangelo, Caitlin (2021) - Legal pragmatism secures procedural justice in a loose sense, but if perfectly implemented, with moral judges seeking the public good, it secures substantive justice without fail. Nearly anything can be construed to be a type of moral interpretation, but valid applications of the past public meaning of a law and modern circumstances are more constrained. Keywords: constitution; decision; judges; justice; law

• Editor's Note: Volume XII of the Bellarmine Law Society Review by Shan, Rebecca (2022) - As always, many thanks are due to each of these accomplished and capable authors for their rigorous research and the insight that their articles provide on a diversity of legal issues. During the 2019-2020 academic year, Wieboldt joined the Review, and upon assuming the editor in-chief position during the 2020- 2021 academic year, successfully transitioned the Review to an online, open-access journal. Keywords: review
• Editor's Note Vol. 15 No. 2 by Hoefling, Simon (2025) - Next, Joseph Murphy of Boston College, a second-time author for the Review, discusses how arbitration clauses in terms of service agreements can restrict legal action against companies, raising important questions about the scope and fairness of these clauses. We are excited to feature contributions from three authors at universities outside Boston College, reflecting our commitment to expanding the Review’s reach and promoting undergraduate legal writing nationwide. Keywords: law; review

• LGBT Rights in Russia: The ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law and Its Consequences in Chechnya by Vazquez Loriga, Daniela (2020) - Moreover, the European Court of Human Rights saw an increase in Russian LGBT litigation from 2.1% in 2002 to 22.5% in 2007.9 By 2017, the Levada Center, a Russian polling organization, also found that 81% of the Russian public disapproved of same-sex relationships.10 Furthermore, 63% of respondents in a 2018 government-run poll believed that the spread of “gay propaganda” was destroying the traditional Russian values.11 This apparent near-uniformity in public opinion is the Russian government’s typical defense of the gay propaganda law, thus claiming that the State protects the traditional values of Russia through its legal enforcement. “Chechnya LGBT: Keywords: chechnya; gay; human; international; law; lgbt; propaganda; purge; rights; russia
• A Legal, Ethical, and Public Policy Analysis of Airbnb: How Platform Design and Legal Loopholes Enable Discrimination in the Sharing Economy by Emily Riccardi (2025) - Wachsmuth’s report also expands on Airbnb being a “Racial Gentrification Tool,” stating that in March of 2017, “White Airbnb hosts in Black neighborhoods earned an estimated $160 million, compared to only $48 million for Black hosts—a 530% disparity. The tension between Airbnb hosts and the public sphere of the platform has created legal uncertainty that needs to be addressed by reforming these acts. Keywords: act; airbnb; april; bias; civil; company; design; discrimination; guests; hosts; housing; platform; rights; sharing; users

• The Role of Socioeconomic Status in the College Admissions Process by Ratanjee, Taline (2021) - Contrary to higher educational institutions’ goals to recruit and retain economically disadvantaged students, many schools implicitly dissuade these students from attending their institutions, allowing higher SES students to be admitted and pay full tuition. Therefore, by limiting admittance based on SES, college institutions are not only failing to maximize human and social capital among low SES students, but they are also diminishing human and social capital among high SES students who are unable to integrate themselves with this identified “cohort.” 30 Pruitt, “The False Choice Between Race and Class and Other Affirmative Action Myths,” pg. 3 31 Guinier, “Admissions Rituals as Political Acts: Guardians at the Gates of Our Democratic Ideals” 32 Guinier, “Admissions Rituals as Political Acts: Guardians at the Gates of Our Democratic Ideals” 12 Research 33 (Table 3.7) has shown that Americans associate disadvantage with income more than race — eighty-three percent of those surveyed viewed low- income status as a disadvantage, and seventy-one percent claim that being both white and from a low-income family is a disadvantage. Keywords: action; admissions; class; college; college admissions; diversity; education; high; process; race; ses; status; students

• Disney’s Hidden Mouse Trap: The Arbitrariness of Arbitration Clauses by Murphy, Joseph (2025) - Disney Springs, although utilizing the company name and being technically within Disney property, consists of many independent restaurants and stores that would seem to be outside of strict Disney management. It seems unconscionable that agreeing to terms and conditions 18 James Wilkins, “‘Second Class’ in Disney Springs: Restaurant Workers Push for Better Pay, Benefits,” Tampa Bay Times, September 19, 2024, https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2024/09/19/second-class-disney-springs-restaurant-workers-push-better-p ay-benefits/. 17 Piccolo v. Great Irish Pubs Florida, Inc., et al. 45 of a free trial of a streaming service means waiving the ability to litigate for damages and death caused by a restaurant at a Disney property. Keywords: arbitration; case; clauses; disney; piccolo; service; terms

• Intellectual Property Rights on Covid-19 Vaccines in the U.S. by Ulziibold, Sunderya (2023) - | Issue I Article 1 Intellectual Property Rights on COVID-19 Vaccines in the U.S. Sunderya Ulziibold Boston College, ulziibol@bc.edu 4 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ON COVID-19 VACCINES IN THE U.S. SUNDERYA ULZIIBOLD * Abstract: The global development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines have raised concerns over intellectual property rights in the United States. Keywords: covid-19; moderna; mrna; patent; vaccines

• Affirmative Action in College Admissions: Successes and Failings by Ratanjee, Taline (2020) - The plaintiff, Students for Fair Admissions, presented the Court with three primary arguments with respect to Harvard’s admissions practices: (1) the University engaged in intentional discrimination, (2) the University attempted to create racial-balancing, and (3) the University did not use race as a “plus factor” for the purpose of critical mass.1 The defendant, Harvard University, defended its case by: (1) rationalizing its admissions policies, (2) connecting its admissions policies to the creation of a diverse student body, and (3) asserting that its admissions policy was aimed at allowing all students to have a safe and welcoming environment at Harvard.2 ”11 Harvard then utilizes this notion in acknowledging its reaffirmance in the 2016 Fisher II case, ultimately arguing that it was simply exercising the right to determine admittance based on the University’s definition of diversity.12 As stated in Harvard’s Fisher II amicus brief, “individualized admissions programs 9 Chiu, Cynthia. Keywords: action; admissions; harvard; sffa; students; university

• The Insanity Defense and Psychiatry: The Advantage of a Cognitive Approach by Hoefling, Simon (2024) - The main point of dispute between psychiatrists and legal scholars is whether insanity defense rules should focus on cognition or volition. It has been shown that juries rarely, if ever, allow psychopaths and pedophiles insanity defenses under the volitional rules. Keywords: code; defense; disorder; insanity; law; m'naghten; model; rule

• Editor's Note Volume 13 No. 2 by Calise, Isabella (2024) - First, high-school senior Alex Chen navigates the uncertainties surrounding stare decisis interpretation with a thematic approach that unveils the foundational aspects of the Court's opinions and anticipates their future applications. The release of this edition marks the inaugural venture of the BLSR under the guidance of Managing Editor Tommy Dee and myself. Keywords: bellarmine; volume
• Editor's Note Vol 15 No. 1 by Calise, Isabella (2025) - This past Monday, alongside many of our fellow authors and associate editors, we graduated from Boston College. As we turn the page on our time at Boston College, we do so with pride in this publication and confidence in the voices that will carry it forward. Keywords: bellarmine; law

• The Concept of Anomie in Explaining Crime by Lau, Ting Fang Tiffany (2020) - The article concludes that anomie theories provide robust explanations for certain types of crime (specifically property crime, violent crime, organized crime, and white-collar crime) and notes the empirical challenges in assessing the validity of such theories. Extensions of anomie theory include Messner and Rosenfeld’s Institutional Anomie Theory, Vaughan’s “Organisational Deviance,” and Passas’s “Reference Group Analysis.” Keywords: anomie; crime; criminology; durkheim; goals; means; merton; society; strain; success; theory

• The Oedipal Origins of The Law by Klapes, Peter (2021) - The father’s law, as Lacan calls it, is one of such laws. Rather, it seems the formation of laws—always linguistic in nature—marks the birth of a civilization. Keywords: child; father; freud; language; law

Epilogue

For more detail, about this study carrel, see the computed home page. For more detail about study carrels in general, see the read me file.

Created: 2025-12-22