������Ƶ Professor of Law Steve Friedland provided legal analysis for an Aug. 12 Washington Post article examining the Justice Department’s decision to convene a special grand jury in Washington, D.C., an uncommon legal mechanism that can focus on a single case or group of related cases and issue a report following its investigation.

The article, “Pirro, in rare move, convenes special grand jury in Washington,” reports that the special grand jury will be overseen by Steven Vandervelden, an ally of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. It remains unclear what the grand jury will investigate.

Friedland explained that special grand juries are governed by strict procedures but also provide prosecutors with some flexibility in how they conduct investigations.

“This could be very interesting,” Friedland told The Washington Post. “Each administration has its own approach to how it enforces the law and how it uses the tools available to it.”

Unlike a typical grand jury, a special grand jury focuses on a single case or related cases. It can also issue a report at the conclusion of its investigation, potentially naming individuals even when prosecutors do not have enough evidence to bring criminal charges.

������Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book recently spoke with Capital Analytics Association’s , for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolving landscape of higher education, ������Ƶ’s strategic priorities and the role colleges play in preparing graduates for a rapidly changing workforce.

During the conversation, Book discussed the importance of experiential learning and ������Ƶ’s commitment to preparing students with the knowledge, adaptability and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in careers that continue to evolve alongside advances in technology. She reflected on the university’s expanded law and healthcare offerings in Charlotte, as well as the planned merger with Queens University of Charlotte.

“One major priority is for the merger with Queens University to be successful,” Book said. “Another is the continued rollout of our new and expanded graduate programs. However, our core student is an undergraduate student, and we want to make sure that we continue to evolve the ������Ƶ experience so we have a compelling differentiator as a university to attract them.”

Book also addressed the growing influence of artificial intelligence in higher education, emphasizing that institutions have a responsibility to help students use emerging technologies ethically and effectively. She highlighted ������Ƶ’s efforts to lead national conversations around AI while reinforcing the enduring value of human connection, critical thinking and experiential education.

“I am proud of the success we have when students arrive. They graduate in four years and have great employment afterward,” said Book. “Over the next few years, we want to continue building on that, expanding our reach in key markets like Charlotte, deepening our impact in North Carolina’s communities, and staying true to the mission that has guided ������Ƶ’s growth.”

Assistant Teaching Professor of Economics Devon Hawkins about the cost of data storage following the social media app Snapchat announcing it would begin charging some users for its in-app storage.

The app announced last September that it would begin charging users for its in-app storage called “Memories” when usage exceeds five gigabytes. Anyone over that threshold was notified and given a year of temporary storage. The article highlights how its causing some users to lose access to imporant life milestones and memories.

“People think cloud storage is this invisible thing floating in the sky,” said Hawkins. “Those servers live in massive data centers that require land, buildings, electricity, cooling systems, engineering, cybersecurity and thousands of people to keep everything running. That infrastructure isn’t free, and eventually someone must pay for it.”

The journalist encouraged the reader to identify their expected walking speed based on age and sex by posting a to a systematic review on normative values for comfortable walking speed in adults that Andrews, Vallabhajosula, Boise, and another colleague published in the Journal of Physiotherapy in 2023: “Normal Gait Speed Varies by Age and Sex but not by Geographical Region: A Systematic Review.”

������Ƶ Assistant Professor of Anthropology Devin Proctor was featured in a recent Marie Claire article examining how gambling companies are increasingly targeting women through social media, reality television and influencer culture. The story, explores how betting platforms are reframing gambling as entertainment and financial empowerment to attract new audiences.

Proctor is a cultural anthropologist who examines identity construction and virtual space. He said the shift reflects a broader cultural change in how women’s interests are being monetized.

“This communicates to a whole new population of fans that their cultural knowledge has economic value,” Proctor told Marie Claire. “The same knowledge that has often been dismissed as trivial or ‘trashy’ is suddenly presented as something capable of generating capital. What’s changing isn’t necessarily the activity itself—it’s the moral framing around it.”

The article notes that betting companies are encouraging women to view their knowledge of reality television, celebrity culture and internet trends as opportunities to make money, much like sports betting has long relied on fans’ knowledge of athletic competition. Proctor described this trend as the “financialisation of cultural expertise,” highlighting how marketing campaigns are redefining entertainment as an economic asset.

������Ƶ Assistant Teaching Professor of Economics Devon Hawkins was featured in a recent examining how tariffs are beginning to affect the cost of vehicle repairs for businesses and consumers across the Piedmont Triad.

The story highlights how local auto repair shops are seeing price increases on imported parts, with many warning that those higher costs are likely to be passed on to customers.

“You’re going to see the American people (consumers) taking the brunt of most of that increase in cost with tariffs,” said Hawkins. “We may not see the full impact on consumers. It may take six to 18 months.”

������Ƶ Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas was featured in a recent examining campaign press access in North Carolina’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. The story explored recent decisions by the campaigns of Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper to restrict access to certain media outlets during campaign events and the implications for voters.

Balderas, a First Amendment attorney and former journalist, emphasized the important role journalists play in helping the public stay informed.

“If you take the reporter out, it’s not that you’re getting less information, it’s that you’re getting information nobody checked,” Balderas said. “And that’s the issue because in a free society, the idea is that voters want to be well-informed so they can make their own judgment come Election Day, but you take that out of the equation, and it’s the voter that loses.”

Balderas explained that reporters serve as stand-ins for voters who cannot attend campaign events themselves, documenting what candidates say and do. He noted that banning reporters from these events is a “Trump strategy,” and one that won’t work in this election.

He added that what’s driving the electorate now on both sides of the aisle and for independents is that people are tired of a system that is rigged.

“I think … authenticity is what voters are craving and maybe in the past, this would have been red meat for the people on the right, but this is a general election in a purple state where 2-3% of the electorate are going to decide this election,” Balderas said. “Maybe him saying no to … The Assembly, that’s going to stir up his base, but the fact that you are excluding the press is going to send a signal, that well, is Michael hiding something?”

The multimedia article explores how descendants across the country reflect on America’s past, present and future 250 years since the United States of America’s founding. Flechsig was interviewed and photographed for the project at ������Ƶ Law’s downtown Greensboro campus.

Flechsig is the 10th great-granddaughter of Declaration signer John Morton. A native of Whispering Pines, North Carolina, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from ������Ƶ.

Although her family’s connection to Morton was never a major focus growing up, Flechsig said participating in the CNN project prompted her to reflect more deeply on her family’s place in American history and her own aspirations for the future.

“I find it incredibly meaningful that I am able to have the opportunities I do with this part of our country’s history attached to me,” Flechsig said. “I know that my ancestor believed that things could be different and better, so he did the ‘dangerous’ thing of signing the Declaration and severing our ties with Britain. I know that our country can be different and better, so I am prepared to do what I can to accomplish that.”

CNN’s profile explores Flechsig’s thoughtful and sometimes conflicted relationship with America’s founding. She recognizes the enduring ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence while also acknowledging the inequalities that existed and persisted since the nation’s founding, perspectives that have shaped her interest in law, immigration and public service.

Now considering a career in immigration law, Flechsig hopes to use her legal education to advocate for others and strengthen the communities she serves. As she told CNN, “I always want to have a job that is making the space around me better … helping where I feel like I can, and using my voice to speak for the people who can’t speak right now.”

Before enrolling at ������Ƶ Law, and after graduating from ������Ƶ, Flechsig taught for more than two years at Henderson Collegiate, a public charter school in Henderson, North Carolina. As an undergraduate, Flechsig was an Honors Fellow. Her thesis advisor and research mentor, Associate Professor of English Kevin Bourque, wrote a letter of recommendation for a scholarship through the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI) and connected CNN reporters with her.

This summer, Flechsig is engaged in global study at The Hague, Netherlands, through ������Ƶ Law’s partnership with Stetson University College of Law.

������Ƶ Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Jason Husser provided analysis for a recent examining how two U.S. Supreme Court decisions could affect North Carolina elections and high school athletics. The story explored the potential implications of rulings involving mail-in ballots and transgender athletes, highlighting how federal court decisions often shape state policy debates.

Husser, director of the ������Ƶ Poll, discussed the election-related ruling and what it means for North Carolina voters and election officials.

“It doesn’t really impact North Carolina right now,” Husser said. “North Carolina has already limited the grace period (for mail-in ballots). There’s still a grace period in North Carolina for overseas and military voters, but the state also has rules to get those in as close to the election as possible.”

He explained that while the Supreme Court’s decision may not immediately change voting procedures in the state, it reaffirms that North Carolina has the power to set its own election rules.

The report also examined the Court’s decision allowing states to restrict participation by transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.

“The Supreme Court essentially protected North Carolina’s law that distinguishes and sets regulations about transgender athletes,” he said. “This means we’re not going to see immediate change to what’s in place in North Carolina. There was a possibility the court was going to rule in favor, that would have forced North Carolina and other states to change.”

������Ƶ Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas was featured in following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

The article examined the implications of the ruling, particularly Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion, which suggested Congress could pursue legislation related to birthright citizenship even after the Court rejected President Donald Trump’s executive order.

Balderas, a First Amendment attorney, explained that Kavanaugh’s opinion leaves open a potential legislative path for the issue to return to the courts.

“Birthright citizenship won today. But Kavanaugh just told Congress where the side door is, and Trump is already walking toward it. Whether that door is real or painted on the wall is the question the Court left for another day,” Balderas said.

Balderas cautioned, however, that such legislation would face significant constitutional hurdles.

“Here’s the tension inside the Supreme Court that most people will miss. The five-justice majority held that the Constitution itself guarantees birthright citizenship. If that’s right, then Congress can’t touch it with an ordinary law. You would need a constitutional amendment,” Balderas explained.

“But Kavanaugh disagrees. He thinks the door is still open for legislation. So the next battle isn’t just Democrats versus Republicans in Congress. It’s whether Kavanaugh’s view or the majority’s view controls when that legislation inevitably gets challenged,” he added.