Publications

Below is the heart of the YUULR: our articles. Our team of writers, using MLA for the first issue and Bluebook for the second, have written insightful pieces on a wide range of articles. We hope that you enjoy!

A Letter from the Editors

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the second edition of Yeshiva University’s Undergraduate Law Review (YUULR), the university’s primary publication of legal thought for undergraduate students. When we launched our inaugural issue last year, our goal was to offer a space for the rigorous, thoughtful, and diverse analysis of legal thought for the students in the undergraduate population of YU. Our first edition of the Law Review models exactly our hopes. We were happy to cultivate the opportunity for those in all of the undergraduate YU schools, including Sy Syms School of Business, Stern College for Women, and Yeshiva College.

This second issue retains that goal. It features a new collection of articles written and edited with care, precision, and deep commitment from our editorial board's returning and new members. Our team has shown its commitment to this review through our year-long process of compiling this edition. The topics explored are wide-ranging and intellectually engaging, from political betting to climate refugees to the foundations of representative democracy. One piece in particular examines double jeopardy through the lens of both secular and Jewish law, reflecting one of our university’s core values, Torah U’Madda (Torah and Secular Knowledge).

We could not have completed this issue without the guidance from the Shevet Glaubach Center, especially our pre-law advisor, Illana Julius, and we appreciate all her support. We would also like to thank our university’s student governments: Yeshiva Student Union and Beren Campus Student Government. Most importantly, we thank our readers, writers, and editors for taking an interest and investing in our publication, representing our students' devotion and expression of intellectual curiosity.

It is a privilege to help foster legal scholarship among YU undergraduates, and we hope this journal continues to be a meaningful stepping stone for students as they prepare to engage with the legal world beyond these pages.

Thank you for your support and for reading the ideas of the next generation of legal thinkers.

Sam Weinberg - Editor-in-Chief

Kayla Kramer - Managing Editor

(Important note: All views expressed in the following papers are of the writer alone. They do not indicate the beliefs or thoughts of the editors, senior editors, or Yeshiva University, administratively nor institutionally.)

REEVALUATING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: THE PUSH FOR ABOLITION

The author, Emmit DeHart, advocates for the abolition of the Electoral College and its replacement with a national popular vote system, arguing that the current system is undemocratic, outdated, and misaligned with the principle of equal representation.

GOOD ARGUMENTS, BAD STANDING: THE STATUS OF MEDICATION ABORTION IN THE UNITED STATES

The author, Sammy Haber, analyzes the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, arguing that although the case was dismissed for lack of standing, the plaintiffs’ arguments were taken seriously by the Court, indicating that future cases with proper standing could significantly threaten nationwide access to medication abortion.

CLIMATE REFUGEES IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

The author, Sam Weinberg, examines the legal and policy gaps in protecting climate refugees under current domestic and international law, arguing that outdated definitions of “refugee” fail to encompass climate-induced displacement and proposing inclusive legal reforms and institutional frameworks to address this emerging humanitarian crisis.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY IN HALACHA

The author, Aytan Waxman, is arguing that while the principle of double jeopardy exists in both American law and Halacha, Jewish law balances the pursuit of justice with maintaining the authority and integrity of the court, offering a distinct legal philosophy that prioritizes both fairness and judicial credibility.

OBSCENITY FOR WHOM?: AGE VERIFICATION IN THE INTERNET AGE

In this article, the author, Matthew Minsk, analyzes the constitutional challenges to Texas’s age verification law for online pornography (H.B. 1181), arguing that while the law likely withstands legal scrutiny, the state could have more easily achieved its goals by limiting age verification requirements to content obscene for adults, thereby avoiding First Amendment complications.

THE RESURGENCE OF THE ALIEN ENEMIES ACT

In this article, the author, Isabelle Adler, analyzes the legal and historical implications of reviving the 1798 Alien Enemies Act in the context of modern immigration policy, particularly evaluating its potential use under Donald Trump’s proposed “Operation Aurora.”

IDEAL DEMOCRACY’S IMPRACTICALITY: WHY REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY PREVAILS

In this article, the author, Aden Lyons, critiques the impracticality of both direct democracy and Robert Dahl’s ideal of democracy, ultimately defending representative democracy as the most viable system for modern large-scale societies.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS? THE HISTORY, LEGALITY, AND UTILITY OF POLITICAL BETTING

In this article, the author, Natan Levin, explores the historical development, legal controversies, and forecasting value of political betting markets, ultimately arguing that properly regulated platforms like Kalshi can enhance democratic knowledge while mitigating manipulation risks.

THIRD-PARTY LITIGATION FUNDING: “THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD” - BALANCING THE ACCESS TO AND EXPLOITATION OF JUSTICE

In this article, the author, Samuel Belizon, examines the global rise of third-party litigation funding, weighing its benefits in expanding access to justice against its ethical and legal risks, and proposes reforms to ensure transparency and accountability within the U.S. legal system.

IS VIOLENCE THE ANSWER? SERTA SIMMONS BEDDING AND THE FUTURE OF LIABILITY MANAGEMENT

In this article, the author, Seth Coronel, analyzes the rise of aggressive liability management transactions through the lens of the Serta Simmons case, assessing the legal, financial, and structural implications of the Fifth Circuit’s 2024 ruling on future corporate bankruptcies and debt restructurings.