Recently, the Federal Trade Commission stepped into a Texas-led antitrust litigation against some of the countries largest institutional investors—BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street—by filing a statement of interest with the court. In this blog, 3L Jessica Kurtz unpacks the claims levied by the states against the backdrop of the sustainable investment strategies invoked by the companies. Kurtz discusses how asset managers can satisfy their fiduciary duty to insulate their clients from climate risk without running afoul of antitrust laws, particularly cautioning companies managing significant shares in energy companies from agreeing to reduce emissions.
In this blog, 3L staffer Hyeongchan Kim examines the current recycling challenges in the United States by comparing recycling policies across several countries, including Germany, Austria, South Korea, and the United States. He highlights that although each country has its own legal system and procedures, the adoption of standardized recycling laws in US is recommended, drawing on examples from countries with higher recycling rates.
In this blog, 3L staffer Chas Lundy discusses the Trump administration’s attempts to eliminate offshore wind farms in America. Lundy explains the background of renewables in America as well as ongoing litigation regarding a stop work order imposed on a wind farm. Lundy also provides the reactions of powerful figures in the traditional energy industries and takes the position that deviating from offshore wind farms is against the national interest.
In this blog, Executive Editor Peyton Mills argues that United States v. Stevens, which held that depictions of extreme animal cruelty are not categorically unprotected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, effectively rubber-stamps animal cruelty by hindering prosecutors and emboldening animal abusers. He asserts that Justice Samuel Alito's dissent should pave the way forward for animal rights.
In this blog, 3L Staffer Samuel Larrabee argues that the H-2A visa program should be the solution to deported immigrant farm laborers but because of the program's shortcomings, it fails to fill the void. The Department of Labor's recent regulations could help prevent worker abuse that occurs under the program but because courts have stepped in and found that those provisions violate separate law, any meaningful reform of the program likely requires congressional action.
In the last thirty years, the average age of U.S. farmers has grown from 50.5 years to 58.3 years. Between 2007 and 2012, the number of farm operators fell by 90,000. America’s farmers are an economic asset in stimulating our rural economies and putting food on our tables. However, as American farmers retire, there is a concern that few emerging farmers will replace them.
Though Johnny Depp is most well-known for his starring roles in movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and more, in 1995, he took on a different role: Kentucky horse farm owner. Working with Halfhill Auction Group, on September 15, 2017, Depp held an auction on September 15, 2017, to try to sell the 41.32-acre horse farm for $2.9 million.
When Monsanto introduced dicamba-resistant soybeans for the first time, 200 dicamba spraying complaints were lodged in Missouri, with a host of aggravation for farmers, businessmen, and scientists on both sides of the issues. In fact, —a dicamba dispute between two Arkansas farmers even led to one farmer’s death and a murder indictment for the other. Farmers from Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas have been deemed eligible to join a class-action lawsuit against Monsanto because of the alleged dicamba drift damage suffered byto their crops.
While some in Washington have rejected the idea of mass deportation, the President has continued to defer his decision for undocumented immigrants until after the border is secured. Should the President continue this trend of fulfilling campaign promises by implementing a mass-deportation styled immigration crackdown, it would surely spell disaster. One issue that should raise concerns across ideological-lines, is the impact that mass deportations would have on the domestic agricultural economy of the United States.
The human population is expected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050, and at that size, to meet demand, food production must increase by 70%. Many argue, without a sustainable meat alternative that meat consumption will outpace production, causing meat to become scarce instead of the commodity it is now.
The use of bio fuels is one way to curb the perilous effects of global warming. Ultimately, the United States, and countries throughout the world, should move away from the burning fossil fuels and instead manufacture vehicles and equipment that can run safely on biofuels, as well as, explore other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.
Since President Donald Trump has been in office, one of his main objectives has been to reform the North American Free Trade Agreement. President Trump has labeled the agreement “the worst deal ever made in the history of the world.” Although there is no definite way of determining the future of NAFTA, there is fear that President
