This study investigates the pivotal role of customary law (hukum adat) in preserving ulayat (communal) land within the Baduy indigenous community of Indonesia, navigating the complexities of modern legal pluralism. Employing a qualitative socio-legal methodology, this research utilizes purposive sampling involving traditional authorities, specifically the Puun and Jaro. The findings reveal that Baduy land governance is a holistic integration of social, spiritual, and ecological dimensions, in which land is venerated as a sacred ancestral trust (karuhun) rather than a fungible economic commodity. Consequently, traditional norms strictly prohibit land alienation and individual certification. These protective mechanisms are enforced through a sophisticated hierarchical leadership structure in which the Jaro implements both preventive norms and restorative sanctions to maintain communal integrity. Despite formal recognition through regional regulations, this study identifies critical friction between national agrarian policies, external economic pressures, and indigenous autonomy. The research concludes that the Baduy model provides a resilient, sustainable paradigm for land governance. It advocates for a substantive harmonization between state legislation and customary frameworks to ensure the enduring protection of indigenous territorial rights against contemporary developmental encroachment.

ABSTRACT This article examines the moralization of educational policy debates in the United States, focusing on recent campaigns to ban Critical Race Theory (CRT). Once an academic framework for analyzing race, law, and power, CRT has become a polarizing symbol in several state legislatures, school boards, and public discourse. Drawing on scholarship on moralization and affect, I argue that the traction of CRT bans lies not only in partisan mobilization but in processes of affective moralization, namely, the framing of educational policy issues as moral imperatives infused with emotional intensity. Emotions such as fear, outrage, and resentment amplify moral claims, transforming curricular disputes into existential battles over identity, belonging, and national values. By theorizing affective moralization, this article extends existing scholarship on moralization in educational policy, demonstrating how affect and moralization are mutually reinforcing. The analysis highlights both the scholarly importance and the democratic risks of moralized policy discourse in education.

My experiences as a student nurse and as a nursing assistant ignited a passion for making a difference, beginning with the moment I witnessed a death. At that moment, I realized the importance of nursing care and my limited ability to influence the health care system. Nurses must amplify their voices to address the systemic challenges in health care delivery. This article describes my internship with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the phenomena impacting rural health and communities today. Over 100 rural hospitals have closed, thousands of services are being cut, and millions of rural citizens are left stranded without vital health care. During my AACN internship, I learned how federal and state funding and legislation affect health care at every level, and the significance of engagement in policy work. This article serves as a call to action, providing practical resources applicable to all nurses, regardless of their position or level of practice.

ABSTRACT Postsecondary policymaking has entered an era of entrenched partisanship. Yet scholars have rarely sought to explain partisan differences in postsecondary policy support. This paper proposes that differences in information consumption among lawmakers are associated with and help explain political differences in support for higher education policies. Extending research on policy knowledge use, we challenge C.P. Snow’s “Two Cultures” framework by showing that policymakers draw on multiple, competing sources of authority—often outside traditional expert channels. Drawing on a national survey of state legislators, we use exploratory structural equation modeling to predict lawmaker support for policies related to campus carry, undocumented students, campus sexual assault, and political viewpoint diversity. We find that lawmakers differ in their reliance on sources of information related to legislative expertise, technical expertise, and religious authority. Moreover, the results suggest that the polarization of higher education policy among lawmakers reflects partisan differences in the kinds of information they consume.

The article provides a comprehensive scholarly analysis of the foundations of labor and business law in the United States as integral components of a federal legal system. It examines the sources of legal regulation, the interaction between federal and state legislation, and the role of case law in shaping legal practice. Particular attention is given to the “employment at will” doctrine as a defining feature of the American labor model, as well as to the mechanisms for protecting employees’ rights within the framework of federal statutes and supervisory agencies. The study also explores the principles of corporate regulation, legal forms of business organization, and the specific features of U.S. antitrust legislation. Special emphasis is placed on contemporary challenges related to economic digitalization, the expansion of the gig economy, the transformation of employment relations, and increasing regulatory scrutiny of large corporations. The article concludes that the American regulatory model combines a high degree of economic freedom with relatively limited social guarantees, ensuring labor market flexibility and a favorable investment climate, while significantly influencing the development of international legal standards in labor and business law.

The article provides a comprehensive study of the problem of the lack of a unified and generally accepted definition of private military and security activities in the system of international and national law, which negatively affects the effectiveness of legal regulation in the field of security. It analyzes the evolution of scientific approaches to understanding private military and security activities, as well as the provisions of international legal acts, regional documents, and the legislation of individual states that regulate the activities of private military and security companies. The key common and distinctive characteristics of such companies are identified, in particular with regard to the nature of the services provided, the degree of use of armed force, the level of state control, and the legal status of personnel. Particular attention is paid to the reasons for terminological uncertainty, among which the diversity of functional models of private military and security activities, the lack of a unified international legal approach, and the political sensitivity of the issue of delegating state functions in the use of force to private entities are highlighted. The article examines the problems of distinguishing between the concepts of «private military activity», «private security activity», «mercenary activity», and «military support services», which is of fundamental importance for determining the scope of rights and obligations of the relevant entities. The article also analyzes the legal, security, and ethical challenges associated with the activities of private military and security companies, in particular the issue of responsibility for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, mechanisms for holding the personnel of such companies accountable, as well as issues of transparency, accountability, and democratic civilian control. It justifies the need to develop a universal definition of private military and security activities as a conceptual basis for improving national legislation, harmonizing international legal standards, and creating an effective system of international control in the field of security privatization.

The research is relevant due to the lack of comparative research on the principles of penal enforcement law in post-Soviet states in the scientific literature. The purpose of the study is to reveal the distinctive characteristics of legal techniques for codifying the principles of penal enforcement law in the legislation of post-Soviet states. Research methods: the comparative legal method, enabling a comparative analysis of penal enforcement legislation across post-Soviet states, revealing common features and highlighting unique aspects; the formal-legal method facilitating the identification and analysis of legal concepts as formulated by the legislator. Results: The article proposes a definition of the principles of Russian penal enforcement law (penal enforcement legislation) based on positivist legal understanding, as fundamental ideas of legal regulation of penal enforcement relations, normatively enshrined and explicitly marked in Article 8 of the Penal Enforcement Code of the Russian Federation as principles of penal enforcement legislation. The article concludes that the Model Penal Enforcement Code for CIS member states of November 2, 1996, has a decisive influence on the enshrinement mechanism and the list of principles of penal enforcement law in post-Soviet states. The article demonstrates that, theoretically, the most optimal way for the Russian Federation to incorporate the principles of penal enforcement legislation is the method employed by the developers of the Penal Enforcement Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, with the Republic of Armenia’s model being more acceptable. The article offers questions for a public scientific discussion regarding the principles of penal enforcement legislation in the Russian Federation.

ABSTRACT Across the U.S. contentious battles have emerged over how schools address race and history, with opposition concentrated in predominantly White, conservative communities. While racial backlash to justice efforts is not new, this study explores its contemporary manifestation, specifically as shaped by White Christian Nationalist ideology, by examining the emotional and psychological impacts on educational leaders. It investigates the toll on administrators as they navigate the demands of equity work amidst politicized ideological resistance to the implementation of Black Lives Matter Week of Action in one Midwest school district. I ask: How did educational leaders perceive and experience the psychological, emotional, and relational effects of responses to Black Lives Matter Week of Action from parents, community members, and state legislators? Interviews with administrators and school board members reveal that backlash—from concerned emails to death threats—created a climate of fear, relational rupture, and constrained agency. These pressures forced leaders to self-censor, strained professional and personal relationships, and led some to question their roles and futures in the district. The findings have implications for leaders in communities where resistance, particularly when rooted in White Christian Nationalism, threatens equity efforts. Without systemic support, such backlash may undermine administrator well-being and the sustainability of equity-focused policies.

The authors of the article continue the discussion they started in a number of previous publications of the institution of confidential investigative actions, which were embodied in the criminal procedure legislation of the post-Soviet states. Analyzes the problems associated with this unusual legal phenomenon. Judgments are made about the advisability of its comprehensive study in the domestic science of the criminal process. The purpose of this research is to examine the legal nature and procedural framework of confidential investigative actions in criminal procedure law. It provides a detailed analysis of the procedural intricacies, discusses the fundamental principles and goals that guide this process, and evaluates its effectiveness. The study examines relevant laws, regulations, and judicial precedents that govern the conduct of confidential investigative actions. Additionally, it analyzes court cases to identify prevailing trends and distinctive aspects of this procedural category. The results of the study allow us to conclude that both the fundamental essence and the procedural structure of the legal proceedings for conducting confidential investigative actions are important for ensuring the legality and fairness of the criminal process. Based on the studied features of judicial proceedings for conducting confidential investigative actions, this category is undoubtedly recognized as an independent type of criminal procedural proceedings that arises and takes place within the framework of the main pre-trial proceedings. Only the proper application of this procedure guarantees the protection of the rights of both the accused (suspects) and the victims, while ensuring the safety of society and the state. However, there are certain issues and shortcomings that require further study and legislative improvement in this area.

Closing the Palliative Care Workforce Gap through State Lawmaking: A Survey of Legislation 2010-2023.

State Law No. 6.745/1985, which governs civil public servants in the State of Santa Catarina, remains in force even after the promulgation of the 1988 Federal Constitution and generates both normative and practical tensions within the state Public Administration. This article examines the disciplinary provisions of the aforementioned law, particularly Articles 135, 136, 137, and 152, considering constitutional principles, current case law, and contemporary standards of Administrative Law. The research identifies provisions incompatible with the existing legal framework, underscores omissions that hinder the administrative accountability of modern forms of misconduct and highlights the urgent need to update Santa Catarina’s disciplinary regime to ensure legal certainty, proportionality, and effectiveness in functional accountability. The research adopts a dogmatic legal method with a qualitative approach, centered on the analysis of federal and state legislation, as well as related regulatory instruments. Case law and precedents from higher courts were also examined, along with specialized doctrine in Administrative Law. The study is therefore essentially theoretical and documentary in nature, aiming to identify constitutional incompatibilities, normative gaps, and legal obsolescence in the disciplinary regime applicable to civil public servants in the State of Santa Catarina.

The tensions between scientific advancement and moral applications of legislation are at the political forefront of the polarizing nature of the United States. As the Supreme Court of the United States proceeds to forego stare decisis in different fields of the law, states have been delegated more power to implement restrictive laws. Notably, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Dobbs that laws regulating abortion are under the purview of state legislation. Subsequently, the Alabama Supreme Court held in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine P.C. that frozen extrauterine embryos be given the constitutional guarantees of children—removing their previous classification as property. Thus, research and the utilization of in vitro fertilization encompassing embryos have halted in the state. Additionally, the United States has failed to implement federal legislation regarding the regulation of human embryonic stem cell research. Instead, the Dickey-Wicker Act prevents federal funding from being granted for research relating to human embryonic stem cells. Further, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act prohibits the ability for claims encompassing embryos from being patented. As scientific technology advances, the utilization of a federal policy to provide regulation and transparency to American citizens is necessary as a way to incentivize the creation of life-saving medications and scientific advancements through the ethical use of human embryonic stem cells. Currently, the lack of a federal scheme creates ambiguity and risks to the advancement of and right to science.

Child trafficking and exploitation remain significant public health challenges and human rights violations in the United States (US), where it mainly impacts youth in foster care, unstable housing, and other marginalized communities. Multi-agency and collective responses are needed to prevent, identify, and respond to exploitation, but evidence on interventions is fragmented across sectors. For this scoping review, only studies based in the United States were considered regarding multi-agency response to child trafficking and exploitation. Data were extracted and synthesized systematically to explore legislative frameworks, risk factors, collaborative practice, and outcomes. In the US, responses to child trafficking and exploitation are based on extensive federal and state legislation that requires multi-agency approaches from criminal justice, child welfare, health care, education, and community systems; however, implementation and integration across these systems vary considerably. Across studies, risk of trafficking was characterized by intersections of structural, familial, and individual vulnerabilities, with the highest risks in youth experiencing homelessness and LGBTQ+ youth. Common channels of exploitation were through facilitation by a family member, romantic or peer recruitment, and increasingly through online pathways, reinforced by dependency, traumatic bonding, and barriers to exit. Multi-agency collaboration, integrated health and social services, trauma-informed and survivor-centered practices, were associated with improved identification, engagement, and recovery outcomes. However, most collaborations lacked formal infrastructure, sustainable funding, standardized screening methods, consistent training, and evaluation mechanisms, limiting effectiveness and scalability. Together, trauma-informed and survivor-centered multi-agency systems are essential to addressing child trafficking and exploitation beyond enforcement-focused responses. Strengthening formal collaboration structures and addressing underlying structural vulnerabilities are critical for sustained prevention and recovery. Keywords: Child Trafficking, Multi-Agency Collaboration, Exploitation Prevention

Many osteological methods used by biological anthropologists today were initially developed using historical anatomical skeletal collections such as the Hamann-Todd and Terry Collections. However, these collections were amassed through state legislation that permitted the dissection and curation of unclaimed individuals. These laws targeted low socioeconomic and marginalized communities that were less likely to be able to afford burial or claim relatives. Until recently, very few scholars have acknowledged the lived experiences of individuals who make up such collections. As such, there are ongoing conversations about the ethics of continued research with these collections. Part of evaluating this ethical dilemma is understanding exactly how these collections are being used for research, to evaluate to what extent these collections are used for methodological studies that neglect to consider the identities of the people in their samples. In this study, we categorized and analyzed research aims for 100 academic journal articles and 185 conference abstracts that used or significantly discussed the Terry, Hamann-Todd, Cobb, or Huntington Collections. Results show that most studies conducted using these collections have historically entertained questions of methodological significance, but there is a recent shift toward studies that focus on the lived experiences of individuals that compose historical anatomical skeletal collections. This analysis demonstrates that the discipline is responding to recent debates about the ethics of historical skeletal collections and is moving toward establishing better recognition of the individuals that constitute some of the most influential collections in biological anthropology.

Land disputes constitute a persistent and destabilising governance challenge in Puntland, Somalia, driven by weak land administration systems, contested public land allocations, and widespread informal occupation. In contexts where enforcement mechanisms are limited, such disputes can escalate into organised violence and large-scale displacement, undermining social cohesion and local governance structures. This study examines the scale, dynamics, and implications of land disputes in Puntland, particularly their impact on governance systems and social stability. To address these dimensions, the study adopts a qualitative research design, framed as a program evaluation with a case-oriented analytical approach, drawing on numerous data sources, including analysis of unpublished training and field reports from seven districts, and key informant interviews with purposively selected local government officials, judicial actors, land conflict management committee members, and community representatives who participated in the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Democratization of Puntland interventions. In addition, a case study of the Sheerbi conflict is used to illustrate the dynamics and severity of land disputes. Through this integrated design, the study assesses how these interventions have influenced local dispute resolution practices, mediation processes, and compliance with Puntland’s Urban Land Management Law (Law No. 2 of 25 August 2020). Data were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify recurring patterns and institutional challenges. The findings indicate that land disputes remain among the most critical drivers of instability in Puntland. These conflicts often stem from the absence of effective state control over land governance, contestation over public land allocations, and the prevalence of informal settlement practices involving individuals who are often involved with armed actors capable of mobilising. In some instances, the public officials, particularly those serving as mayors or executive secretaries within local governments, are among the primary actors involved in land grabbing and as major beneficiaries of illicit land accumulation, contributing to governance deficits. The study highlights the need for reforms to strengthen land governance systems, including the digitalisation of land registration processes, enhanced community engagement mechanisms, alignment and enforcement of local by-laws with state legislation, and setting up systematic land dispute incident reporting frameworks. These measures are critical to promoting sustainable conflict resolution and long-term stability in land administration.

ABSTRACT Politicized attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have reshaped educational policy landscapes across the United States, constraining what educators can teach and what students are permitted to learn. Fueled by misinformation and ideological divides, these efforts have extended from the White House, governors’ offices, and state legislatures to local school boards and educational institutions, resulting in various material, professional, and educational harms. This Peabody Journal of Education themed issue highlights the scope and consequences of anti-DEI policymaking, as well as educators’ and parents’ responses to it. Collectively, the contributions offer empirically grounded analyses of harm, resistance, and strategic adaptation, illuminating what is at stake for equity and democracy in America’s K-12 schools.

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ABSTRACT Infrastructures are sociotechnical systems embodying societal structures. In states characterised by colonial settlement, Indigenous peoples have often not benefited from infrastructure development. Here we show how historical and modern coastal transport infrastructure development in Aotearoa New Zealand impacted Indigenous landscapes of a Māori subtribe in the Kaikōura region. Early twentieth century road and rail development, operationalised through legislative mechanisms, disturbed landscape features and sites of spiritual and historical importance, reflecting a general disregard in wider New Zealand society for Māori rights, concerns and values. Despite improvements in relationships between the state and Māori since the late twentieth century, encapsulated in environmental and cultural heritage legislation, legislative responses and infrastructure reinstatement following the 2016 Hurunui/Kaikōura Earthquake again led to the disturbance of Indigenous landscapes; inadequate community engagement and oversight resulted in further modification and destruction of cultural sites. This case study illustrates how engineering practice and infrastructure development are mediated by state power and legislation. While the engineering profession is now better integrating Māori rights and concerns, and taking more responsibility for informed decision-making in ethically complex situations, how this may be operationalised after future disaster events for infrastructure recovery while minimising avoidable disturbance to Indigenous landscapes is still an open question.

How do minorities come to be seen as security threats? This paper examines the case of the large Russian-speaking minority in Estonia and Latvia in the context of neighbouring conflict activities driven by the minority’s alleged kinstate. The paper focuses on the trend of securitization experienced by the minority within the area of public life participation. This dynamic takes place through domestic laws linked to the decision-making sphere and self-governance opportunities. How this occurs is researched through primary fieldwork data from semi-structured interviews with Russian-speaking minority elites, whose perspectives are often overlooked in research addressing the particularities of the region. The fieldwork data complements the legal analysis and finds effects of securitization on public participation of minorities, regardless of whether they were successful in entering into governing coalitions or remained in the opposition within the State legislature. While some of those inefficiencies are caused by governing coalition agreements, other obstacles are created by divisions within the minority. Furthermore, the minority group experienced negative effects on their public participation opportunities through limited prospects facilitated by consultative bodies and self-governance arrangements. Finally, the perceived association with the alleged kinstate shapes the minority to the extent of essentially securitizing them.

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this article (a comparative analysis of state laws) is to thoroughly examine enacted state-level healthy universal school meals bills to summarize bill content and determine current practices for program implementation and long-term viability, with special attention to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Methods: Bills enacted at the state level, as of 31 December 2025, were located electronically on state legislature websites and subsequently reviewed with rules, regulations, and implementation guidelines. Content analyses were conducted to identify patterns, themes, and key concepts pertaining to healthy universal school meals laws and program implementation guidelines to inform comparison policy analyses. Results: Nine states (California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont) have healthy universal school meals laws that include mandatory funding provisions for programming. Michigan is the only state that has a non-permanent law. Such laws eliminate requirements to certify individual students for free, reduced-price, or full-price meals based on their household income, and instead allow entire schools and/or school districts to offer all enrolled students no-cost meals. All states are funding healthy universal school meals programming by leveraging existing or new tax revenue to bridge the gap between the cost of school meals and federal meal reimbursements. Conclusions: State laws that leverage the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) have become a key way to sustain universal school meal programs when federal funding falls short. States that direct resources to high-poverty schools, help districts determine the most accurate Identified Student Percentage, and reduce undercounting through strong direct-certification practices are better positioned to maintain universal meals over time. These strategies strengthen both child health and academic outcomes by ensuring stable access to no-cost, nutritious meals.