Blog By: Ashton Edwards
In this Blog, 3L Staffer Ashton Edwards argues that instead of staying silent on the issue, Congress should respond to the interstate commerce concerns that reside in the Prop 12, a proposition that was made law by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023. Edwards discusses that so far, Congress has yet to address the arguments and concerns of Farmers, the Court, or citizens, even though this law arguably has a substantial impact on interstate commerce.
Blog By: Antonio C. Ellzey
In this Blog, 3L Staffer Antonio C. Ellzey discusses the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, particularly the impact of Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code, which limits deductions for businesses engaged in the cannabis trade due to federal prohibition. Ellzey discusses the potential benefits of rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, which he argues would alleviate financial burdens on cannabis businesses, enhance safety, and stimulate economic growth.
Blog By: Yuha Jung
In this Blog, outgoing 3L Staffer Yuha Jung explores two recent youth climate cases, one resolved in Montana (Held v. State) and another ongoing in California (Genesis v. EPA), emphasizing their implications for future climate litigation. Jung contends that youth-led climate lawsuits will ultimately contribute positively to safeguarding a clean and healthy climate for future generations.
Blog By: Camille Camp
In this blog, 2L Staffer Camille Camp discusses the threat black vultures pose to the livestock industry and the proposed bill aimed at assisting livestock producers. Additionally, she highlights the essential ecological function served by black vultures and stresses the importance of finding a sustainable solution that both addresses the threat to livestock and preserves the black vulture population.
Blog By: Daniel Martell
In his blog, Vol. 17 Executive Editor Daniel Martell reports on a barrier in the transition to clean energy: local opposition to solar projects in rural communities. While opposition groups have delayed and derailed solar projects in the past, Martell argues that there are steps that solar farm developers can take to the conflict and cost that come with public opposition to their energy projects.
Child labor is alive in the United States. Almost a century after the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and despite numerous amendments, loopholes still remain that allow young children to work for excessive hours in dangerous environments with unfair compensation. The agricultural field, more precisely the tobacco industry, has benefited from child labor due to the shortcomings of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Liquor industry giant Sazerac Co. (Sazerac) has been involved in numerous trademark infringement lawsuits in recent years. For example, in September, Sazerac filed suit against Stout Brewing Company LCC claiming that Stout Brewing tried “to pass off its own product [Fire Flask] as Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey.” The companies settled the dispute on Sept. 22, and Stout Brewing agreed to “cease selling its product with infringing labels and redesign its label.
Recently, the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee (ARRS) of the Kentucky legislature reviewed a proposal of a regulation that would give racetracks the option to identify or “card” certain races as furosemide-free. Parties involved include the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC)
In July, the Georgia Legislature enacted the Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act of 2015. The purpose of the Act is to encourage a more affordable use of solar power in Georgia by allowing residents and businesses to lease solar technology from third party solar panel companies. The Act ensures that residents and businesses do not have to bear the considerable initial cost of purchasing, installing, or maintaining the solar panels.
The use of performance-enhancing drugs is an avidly discussed crisis in the horse racing business. With the introduction of the Thoroughbred Horseracing Integrity Act of 2015, Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) seek to uniformly regulate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in horseracing rather than leave regulation to each individual state. However, this bill may prove to be not helpful to the industry at all.
The success of the Trans-Pacific Trade Deal (hereinafter “TPP”), which could become the largest trading bloc in the world, may hang in the balance of the Kentucky tobacco industry. The United States and eleven other countries (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam) are involved in negotiations to remove trade barriers for goods and services, to improve intellectual property protection, and to create novel 21st century trade rules.
As prices at the pump continue to plummet, it is only normal to wonder what unseen force is behind the recent fluctuation in the price of crude oil and how long the SUV-friendly prices are here to stay. The economic rollercoaster that a barrel of crude oil rides annually is driven by many factors, the most fundamental of which is supply and demand. Surprisingly, and contrary to what many may believe, a solution to keeping the cost of gasoline down for good in the United States is to export the supply of crude oil that we have elsewhere.
On August 3, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the federal agency dedicated to the conservation of animal and plant species and their habitats, teamed up with the app company FishBrain to launch a crowd-sourced data collection for protected animal and fish species across the country. FishBrain is a community-based fishing app and social network through which anglers can communicate with other anglers, as well as forecast fishing success in certain areas.
