by Joseph G.S. Greenlee
The Supreme Court elucidated in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that a modern firearm regulation is constitutional only if the government proves that it is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Lower courts are now exploring the historical tradition of firearm regulation to determine who can be barred from possessing firearms. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals became the first federal circuit court to address the issue post-Bruen, when a three-judge panel decided Range v. Attorney General United States. In Range, Bryan Range challenged a federal law that forever banned him from possessing fire-arms based on a nonviolent misdemeanor conviction in 1995.
16 Drexel L. Rev. 1
by Ryan Houser
Unlike weather events such as major snowstorms or hurricanes, which are the commonly thought of disasters within the parameters of the Stafford Act, infectious diseases, by their nature, share similar disastrous impacts that extend far beyond a small geographic segment of the country. While delegating disaster response to local governments worked for many weather disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the threats to our nation that exceed the capabilities of local and state governments. Similarly, the pandemic has highlighted how public health emergencies can exceed the scope of existing disaster legislation, limiting the effectiveness of the national response, and necessitating a rethinking of the legislative emergency and disaster response in the United States.
16 Drexel L. Rev. 83
by Nell Cormack
Dust from roads is likely not a pressing concern for many Americans living in urban areas with paved roads, but for rural communities in Pennsylvania, dust suppression for unpaved roads and the chemicals used for this process create serious health and environmental issues of imminent concern. One cheap or sometimes free method of dust suppression used in these communities is to spread produced water—wastewater from the oil and gas industry—on unpaved roads. Despite a moratorium on this practice after studies revealed the toxic nature of produced water, including its radioactivity, a loophole in Pennsylvania’s regulations allows the practice to continue.
16 Drexel L. Rev. 137
by Nicholas J. Lee
Americans often take for granted the ability to travel freely throughout the United States. Nonetheless, the ability to travel freely enables Americans to move throughout the United States without government or private interference, including interferences that cause a chilling effect on the ability. Considered a basic right in the United States, the ability to travel freely is a foundational political liberty that serves numerous important purposes.
16 Drexel L. Rev. 187
by Liam Pagán
Political debate in the United States has entered a dangerous era beyond mere hyper-partisanship. Often, “political commentary” presented by some of the most watched conservative news networks is not political commentary at all, but vilification of political targets. This vilification often results in stochastic terrorism—a phenomenon that occurs when speakers with large audiences engage in frequent rhetorical attacks against political opposition, eventually inciting an ideologically aligned individual to take unpredictable, often violent action.
16 Drexel L. Rev. 249