Briefs
Legal explainers
The law behind the news, explained in a few minutes by the experts who know it best.
Filter by Topic
3:03SPACELITTERING:A CRIME?
Is Littering in Outer Space a Crime?
Prof. Frans von der Dunk · Nebraska Law
No treaty bans space junk, but national licensing rules are turning debris guidelines into binding duties.
10:341.3K viewsWHO OWNSTHE MOON?
Who Owns the Moon?
Prof. Frans von der Dunk · Nebraska Law
The Outer Space Treaty, lunar bases, mining rights, and safety zones on the Moon.
8:5613K viewsState Laws Restricting Vaccine Mandates
Prof. Dorit Reiss · UC Law San Francisco
How states limit vaccine requirements by government agencies, businesses, and private employers
8:462.6K viewsFederal and State COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates
Prof. Dorit Reiss · UC Law San Francisco
Can governments and employers require a vaccine authorized only for emergency use? The 2021 debate.
2:32OFFSHOREWIND RIGHTS
Offshore Wind Rights
Prof. Michael Gerrard · Columbia Law School
How developers obtain federal leases, state cable approvals, and local permits to build offshore wind farms.
3:48507 viewsUNAPPROVEDCOVIDDRUGS
"Compassionate Use" and the Law on Unapproved COVID-19 Drugs
Prof. I. Glenn Cohen · Harvard Law School
How FDA expanded access, Right to Try laws, and off-label prescribing govern unproven treatments.
5:00WHO GETSTHEVENTILATOR?
Forced Triage: Allocating Ventilators and Legal Liability in the COVID Crisis
Prof. I. Glenn Cohen · Harvard Law School
How hospitals ration ventilators in a crisis, and the criminal and malpractice risks doctors and nurses face.
3:461K viewsCan the President Overturn States' Quarantine Orders?
Prof. I. Glenn Cohen · Harvard Law School
Harvard's Glenn Cohen on federal versus state power over shutdowns, quarantines, and public health orders.
1:341.7K viewsWHO OWNSYOURSPERM?
Who owns your sperm after you die?
Prof. I. Glenn Cohen · Harvard Law School
Frozen sperm, consent, and whether a child conceived after death can inherit.
1:3912K viewsSPERMDONORRISKS?
What Are the Risks of Sperm Donation?
Prof. I. Glenn Cohen · Harvard Law School
What known and anonymous sperm donors should know about parentage, child support, and donor agreements
2:142K viewsWHAT DOES"ORGANIC"MEAN?
What does the "organic" label mean?
Lauren Handel · Handel Food Law
How USDA defines organic, who certifies it, and what "100% organic" and "made with organic" mean.