Category: Uncategorized
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Haaland v. Brackeen and the Impact on Tribal Sovereignty
Taylor Kugler* Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Haaland v. Brackeen represented an important victory in protecting tribal sovereignty and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). ICWA, a federal law aimed at keeping Indian children connected to Indian families, stemmed from the U.S. government’s practice of forced assimilation of Native American children into…
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Fortnite and Beyond: Epic Games’ Quest to Break Free from App Store Monopolies
Eric Osborn* Epic Games (“Epic”) is the creator of the popular, free-to-play game Fortnite, which in November 2023 had over 100 million players. Instead of charging players for downloading Fortnite, Epic charges players for purchasing in-game items. These in-game purchases must be made with a virtual currency called V-bucks, which can be purchased within Fortnite…
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Minnesota Driver’s Licenses for All – What Do We Need to Know About this New Law?
Maggie Chen* Imagine yourself driving and hearing the police siren going off behind you. You look up and see the shining red and blue lights in your rearview mirror. As you nervously pull to the side of the road, what would be the first thought that goes through your mind? Are you worrying about getting…
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After SAG-AFTRA: Debriefing the Months-Long Actors’ Strike that Ended with a Landmark Contract
Abigail Moser* From the heartfelt comedy Barbie to the harrowing biopic Oppenheimer, 2023 was decidedly a renaissance for the TV-film industry. Following a devastating blow to the industry in 2020, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this past year was reinvigorating for TV-film professionals and consumers alike. But despite these box office successes, the film…
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Mindless Entertainment or an Industry of Abuse? The Harsh Reality of Unscripted Television
Kiley Munsey* We are taught many things in law school: how to think, how to structure an argument, and how to take care of yourself throughout the process. From those first days as a terrified 1L until now, the thing I have tried to consistently instill in my routine is self-care. Law school is undoubtably…
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Dress for the Job You Want? Professionalism and its Intersectional Implications in the Legal Field
Alena Stankaitis* Picture the word “lawyer” in your mind. What image accompanies this term? Is it a white man in a suit carrying a leather briefcase? This assumption would be statistically correct. In its 2023 report, the American Bar Association surveyed that 73% of all lawyers were white and 61% of all lawyers were men.…
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I’m NOT the Only Tigger? Public Domain Day and What That Means for Disney Characters Like Tigger and Mickey Mouse
Naomi Voehl* Today is the first of the year, so Happy New Year to everyone except The Walt Disney Company, who is in mourning because today is also Public Domain Day, so they can say goodbye to their copyright protections for the original animations of both Mickey Mouse and Tigger. Public Domain Day is celebrated…
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The Meta Lawsuit: Will it Spark Change or Fade as Just Another Legal Firework?
Grace Pilz* On October 24, 2023, attorneys general representing thirty-three states filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. in federal district court in California. Eight other attorneys general simultaneously filed related but separate lawsuits against Meta in their own state-level courts. The joint lawsuit alleges that the social media giant, through its flagship platforms Facebook…
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Is Time Ticking for TikTok? Where Efforts to Ban the App Currently Stand and Possible Legal Challenges that Could Ensue
Mason Rademacher* Overview: More than 150 million Americans use TikTok for an average of ninety minutes each day. Even with so many Americans using the app, national security experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle have called for banning TikTok, citing to national security concerns. The concern lies with the fact that TikTok,…
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Separating Fact from Fiction: Analyzing Jury Duty on Amazon Prime
Adam Revoir* The white envelope with the two-words “jury duty” often sends shivers down the spine of many individuals. Jury duty is a civic responsibility that often feels like a burden, but it is an essential component of the justice system. In April 2023, Amazon Prime came out with a mockumentary titled Jury Duty that…
University of St. Thomas Law Journal 