Spotlight

Founded in 1927, Temple Law Review is a student-edited, quarterly journal dedicated to providing a forum for the expression of new legal thought and scholarly commentary on important developments, trends, and issues in the law. 

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Arlo Blaisus

The field of administrative law is facing a moment of unprecedented upheaval. For almost forty years, Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. has been the central pillar of administrative law guiding the interpretation of congressional acts by federal executive agencies. The Chevron doctrine has promoted good governance and democratic accountability by directing […]

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James Dykman

Despite assurances that the only problem with American policing is that there are “a few bad apples,” police departments nationwide seem less capable than ever of plucking “bad apple” officers from their ranks. Scholars attribute this inability to remove officers to many sources, including shoddy internal investigations; police union collective bargaining agreement provisions; and unique […]

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Jay Kaplan

Does the Bill of Rights protect convicted felons who have completed their punishment? Generally, yes—so long as they are American citizens or resident aliens. While one might reasonably claim that this is undesirable as a matter of public policy, “the Constitution disables the government from employing certain means to prevent, deter, or detect . . […]

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Julie Jonas

“Jurors may not understand the science, but they can count [the experts].”  To date, thirty innocent people have been falsely convicted in the United States of assault or homicide of children in their care. The prosecution mechanism for achieving these wrongful convictions was the use of experts to testify to “shaken baby syndrome” or “abusive […]

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Melanie Cecelia Regis

In McDonough Power Equipment, Inc. v. Greenwood, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that a litigant is entitled to a fair trial but not a perfect one, because there is no such thing as a perfect trial. When allegations of juror misconduct arise, prompting claims of an unfair trial, courts are reluctant to pierce the secrecy of the […]

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Chief Judge Juan R. Sánchez and Sarah Zimmerman

The struggle for civil rights has never been black and white; multiracial coalitions have been imperative in fighting for equality under the Constitution. With the creation of the new Hon. Nelson A. Díaz Professorship in Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law has brought important recognition to the role Latinxs have played in this movement. […]

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Judge Jack M. Sabatino

As surveillance cameras and other ubiquitous devices record more events in the world, appellate courts are being flooded with video and sound recordings, usually in digital form, as part of the record below. Such digital evidence offers substantial potential benefits in proving or disproving facts at trial. But that evidence can also pose associated challenges […]

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Lisa López

Locky, Phoenix, WannaCry, DarkSide, NotPetya, Hades. Do these names sound familiar? They have each touched the lives of individuals across the globe, generated revenues in the seven to eight figures, and managed to stand out in a field crowded with other actors. No, these are not the names of Disney antiheroes. They are not TikTok […]

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Mara Poulsen

“Abortion is an immoral, base crime; and he who aids and abets in its commission . . . is guilty of an act involving moral turpitude.” “Moral turpitude” is as redundant as the phrase “ATM Machine.” Morality is folded into the concept of “turpitude.” The term—turpitude—itself is old. Its Latin cognate appears as far back […]

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Jonathan Todres, Charlene Choi & Joseph Wright

Civic engagement is central to democracy, yet historically and today, the United States has excluded certain groups and denied them their participation rights. Even where there has been progress toward inclusion, young people have been largely excluded from meaningful participation in their communities. While there are historical and developmental rationales for this view of childhood, […]