What International Law Would Require for a Change in Greenland’s Status
By Momo Yamamura, Staff Editor Volume 40
The notion of the United States taking over Greenland tends to attract attention precisely because it feels improbable in our modern international legal order. Yet the very improbability of such a proposal makes it a useful case study for examining how contemporary international law regulates territorial sovereignty and political…
Passports for a Price: Trump’s Gold Card and a Modern Citizenship Marketplace
By Leah Hashagen, Staff Editor Volume 40
President Trump’s controversial September 2025 executive order created a new “Gold Card” visa program, offering expedited permanent residency (and ultimately, citizenship) in exchange for payments of $1 million USD for individuals and $2 million USD for corporations. The administration claimed that, as of December 2025, revenue from the Gold Card program had already reached $1.3 billion USD. Yet the Gold Card is already facing…
Rules of the Road: How Governments Are Regulating AI-Driven Autonomous Vehicles
By Aaron M. Spitler
For governments looking to dominate the autonomous vehicle (AV) market, the race is on. Experts note that this sector’s growth may be a boon for economies across the world. Case in point, analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate it may be valued at $200 billion by 2030, benefitting companies in fields ranging from automotive manufacturing to software design. Continued advancements in artificial intelligence (AI)…
The United States’ ICC Sanctions: Trump Threatens the International Rule of Law
By Nolan Barr, Staff Editor Volume 40
Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza has a storied career. After working her way up through Peru’s prosecutorial system, achieving the rank of Senior National Prosecutor, she was elected to sit as a judge in the International Criminal Court, presiding over the prosecution of the gravest crimes against humanity. For most, such a prestigious position would be a momentous achievement, but for judges such as Ibáñez…
When Recreation Becomes Cruelty: Catch-and-Release in U.S. and German Law
Baiyan Liao, Staff Editor Volume 40
I was browsing Reddit when an interesting post came up on my recommendations from the subreddit r/todayIlearned (“TIL”). The title goes “TIL that in Germany, it is illegal to kill any animal that is a vertebrate “without proper reason” like the animal being ill or a danger to humans. Because of this, all German animal shelters are no-kill.” The German standard, specifically, the Animal Welfare Act, prohibits one to cause…
Permanent Emergency: Comparative Constitutional Design Failure
By McCarthy Johnson, Staff Editor Volume 40
Justified by necessity and defended as indispensable tools for democratic survival, emergency powers are among the most familiar and unsettling features of constitutional governance. Although framed as temporary interruptions of constitutional normalcy, emergency regimes have proven to be remarkably durable; they are not confined to any single constitutional tradition and often outlast the crises…