Category Archives: News

Recap: “Attacks on Civil Society” — Professor Genevieve Lakier

KELLY LIANG—Professor Genevieve Lakier of the University of Chicago Law School explores the Trump administration’s attacks on civil society and what that means from a First Amendment perspective. Ultimately, Lakier calls attention to a broader concern: that the government’s aggressive intrusion into civil society is undermining American liberal democracy. Defining Civil Society Traditionally, civil society […]

“Impoundments and Other Methods of Fiscal Control” — Professor Zachary S. Price

AVERY HALL—In his lecture, “Impoundments and Other Methods of Fiscal Control,” Professor Zachary Price analyzes the history of executive efforts to control federal spending. He situates his discussion in recent history, arguing that the Trump administration’s assertion of spending control has marked a new degree of departure from historical norms. While this tension is not […]

Recap: “Removals of Officers & Inferior Officers, Bureaucratic Control, Vacancies Act” — Thomas Berry

NINA SUAREZ—The power to hire and fire may seem straightforward, but within constitutional law, it embodies a prominent unsettled question about executive authority: how much unilateral presidential control should exist over appointments and removals of executive officers? Thomas A. Berry, director of the Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies and editor-in-chief of […]

Securitizing Stardust: The Legal Life of Bowie Bonds

TRENT ANDERSON—In 1997, David Bowie made waves in both the music and finance worlds by transforming his back catalog into a $55 million financial instrument. The first of what became known as “Bowie Bonds,” this deal allowed him to raise immediate cash by securitizing future royalties from twenty-five of his albums. Consistent with Bowie’s persona, […]

Great Jeans Controversy: Lessons from the Sydney Sweeney AEO Campaign

PAIGE-TATUM HAWTHORNE—This past August, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) launched a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. In the advertisement, a camera pans Sweeny’s body clothed in AEO jeans, as she suggestively whispers, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” A […]