Holding the Homestead Together: Updating Kentucky’s Partition Framework for Heirs’ Property

Holding the Homestead Together: Updating Kentucky’s Partition Framework for Heirs’ Property

Heirs' property ownership is increasingly unstable and fragmented. In this blog, 3L Senior Staffer Ben Bertram argues for the implementation of the Uniform Partition of Heirs' Property Act to protect family-owned farms and ancestral land from forced sales and speculative exploitation. Bertram contends that the procedural adjustments required by the UPHPA are outweighed by the preservation of rural land ownership.

From Ashes to Atoms: Can Kentucky’s Energy Legacy Power a Sustainable Future?

From Ashes to Atoms: Can Kentucky’s Energy Legacy Power a Sustainable Future?

In this blog, 2L staffer Aaron Withers examines Kentucky’s emerging shift from a coal-based economy to advanced nuclear and critical-mineral projects on retired mine sites. He argues that this transition is welcome only if implemented through a community-centered legal framework with strict siting requirements, enforceable local-benefit obligations, and long-term accountability to prevent repeating past harms.

Beyond the Racetrack: Should Kentucky’s New Equine Inspection Law Apply to Show Horses?

Beyond the Racetrack: Should Kentucky’s New Equine Inspection Law Apply to Show Horses?

In this blog, 2L staffer Alexander Bowman tackles the issue of whether new equine inspection laws for racehorses should be extended to apply to show horses as well. Bowman discusses the new inspection laws and analyzes the benefits of them. Next, he discusses the potentially injurious effects on show horses without these inspection laws. Bowman recommends that these laws should be applied to show horses in a uniform manner through the creation of a similar independent agency like the KHRGC. 

Left Out and Left Behind: The Animal Welfare Act’s Failure to Protect Invertebrates

Left Out and Left Behind: The Animal Welfare Act’s Failure to Protect Invertebrates

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) remains outdated in excluding invertebrates such as hermit crabs and shrimp, despite mounting scientific evidence of their sentience. To address this gap, 2L staffer Calvin Scott Bailey believes Congress should amend the AWA or direct the USDA to develop welfare standards for decapod crustaceans, aligning U.S. animal welfare law with contemporary science and global reforms.

The Price on Protection: The EPA’s Decision to Deregulate Safe Drinking Water

The Price on Protection: The EPA’s Decision to Deregulate Safe Drinking Water

In this blog, 2L staffer Emma Carlo explains how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently attempting to rescind newly implemented drinking water regulations regarding chemicals known as PFAs. Carlo argues that this deregulation action is indicative of corporate favoritism and proves that water utility companies and the EPA believe the $800 million implementation cost is too expensive to protect the public and the environment. Carlo explains that EPA is acting contrary to its intended purpose, as this deregulation will allow continued exposure to these chemicals for more than 70 million people, despite the high likelihood of adverse health effects from low exposure to PFAS.

Water Wars: Colorado River Crisis Fueled by Climate Change

Water Wars: Colorado River Crisis Fueled by Climate Change

In this blog, 2L staffer Kalista Thomas focuses on the issues surrounding the lowering levels of water in the Colorado River and how these lowering levels are exacerbated by climate change. Thomas argues how the United States needs to continue to be a member in the Paris Agreement and gives an outline of how the Paris Agreement helps countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 

There’s Not a Snake in My Boot! Discussing Agency Overreach in the Designation of Critical Habits Under the Endangered Species Act

There’s Not a Snake in My Boot! Discussing Agency Overreach in the Designation of Critical Habits Under the Endangered Species Act

In this blog, 3L Senior Staffer Erica Joan Radermacher discusses the recent case of Skipper v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in which the court in the Southern District of Alabama ruled for private landowners. Radermacher argues that the abuse of agency power to designate thousands of acres of private lands as critical habitat after only a singular sighting of the black pinesnake on the land in the recent past is an example of government overreach at its most egregious.