The Duke Undergraduate Law Review: Shaping Legal Discourse
Introduction
The Duke Undergraduate Law Review (DULR) stands as Duke University’s premier undergraduate legal publication, playing a vital role in advancing legal discourse. Through its print and online journals, DULR covers a diverse array of legal subjects, fostering intellectual engagement and critical analysis. This article explores several key themes addressed by DULR, highlighting the publication's commitment to examining contemporary legal challenges.
AI and Copyright Law: Ethical Implications
Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly reshaping systems of technology and knowledge, sparking intense controversy about the ethical implications of AI. This intersection of AI and ethics is a crucial area of inquiry, particularly in relation to existing legal frameworks like copyright law. As AI systems become more sophisticated, their ability to create and manipulate content raises complex questions about authorship, ownership, and intellectual property rights.
Biometric Data Collection by DHS: Privacy and Security Concerns
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is implementing an expansive plan to collect and store biometric data, including facial scans, fingerprints, and voice patterns, from all foreign travelers entering or leaving the United States. The DHS plans to retain this data for up to seventy-five years, creating long-term biometric files for millions of travelers. This initiative raises significant privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Privacy and cybersecurity experts have warned that large-scale biometric databases present especially attractive targets for hackers and foreign intelligence services because biometric identifiers cannot be changed once compromised.
Speech in the Digital Age: Online Penalties and Civil Discourse
In the digital age, speech is more often penalized by online audiences than by the courts. The prevalence of social media has globalized public forums, voicing an overwhelming abundance of opinion and broadening the opportunity for civil discourse engagement. However, this increased accessibility also brings challenges, as online platforms can amplify negative reactions and create environments where individuals face swift and severe repercussions for their expressed views. The balance between free expression and responsible online behavior is a critical issue in modern legal and social discussions.
NVIDIA's Dominance: Reshaping Economic and Regulatory Landscapes
In an era defined by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, the rise of leading chip manufacturers has reshaped both economic and regulatory landscapes. One such company that has established its dominance is NVIDIA. NVIDIA also holds an overwhelming market share in the AI and graphics processing unit (GPU) markets, capturing 92% in the add-in-board GPU market as of Q1 2025. Becoming the first company to reach $5 trillion in market value, its power and wealth are undeniable. As NVIDIA's influence grows, it becomes increasingly important to examine its impact on competition, innovation, and regulatory oversight.
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The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Against Self-Incrimination
The Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination stands as one of the most profound constitutional barriers against government intrusion, protecting the sanctity of human thought from compelled discourse. This constitutional safeguard was established to prevent the state from forcing a defendant into a confession. The Fifth Amendment ensures that individuals are not compelled to provide evidence against themselves, safeguarding fundamental rights and liberties.
Partisan Divisions and the Judiciary
Out of 5.5 million ballots cast, North Carolina’s 2024 Supreme Court election was determined by a margin of just 734 votes. After six months of protests and disputes over ballot counting, Jefferson Griffin conceded defeat to Allison Riggs . As shown by the tenth of a percent difference in results between the two candidates, the race clearly divided the state along ideological and partisan lines. But what do such divisions mean for a branch of government that is supposed to be non-partisan? The increasing politicization of judicial appointments and elections raises concerns about the impartiality and legitimacy of the courts.
AI in Administrative Decision-Making: Due Process and Accountability
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the landscape of administrative decision-making in the United States. Algorithmic systems are increasingly tasked with determining individuals' rights and immigration status. Supporters of the technology argue that technological automation will accelerate notoriously lengthy immigration proceedings and eliminate human error. However, fully integrating AI into areas as critical to the American experience as immigration raises questions about due process, accountability, and discrimination.
The Bail System: Balancing Liberty and Public Safety
The American bail system rests uneasily between two constitutional imperatives: the protection of individuals' liberty and the preservation of public safety. This tension is particularly evident in pretrial detention decisions involving defendants with prior violent convictions. When judges deny bail based on a prediction of dangerousness, they confront a constitutional question at the core of American due process: Does preventative detention before conviction undermine the presumption of innocence and violate the Eighth Amendment’s protection against excessive bail?
Separation of Powers and Administrative Agencies
The separation of powers, which divides governmental authority among the three federal branches, is the core structural feature of the American government. One of the biggest challenges to this system today is the massive amounts of delegated power held by unelected administrative agencies. The following analysis will establish that the main principle used to limit that power, the nondelegation doctrine, must also be applied internally to the federal judiciary. This examination of the separation of powers highlights the ongoing need to balance efficiency with constitutional principles.
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