Camila Laval, J.D.

Latest Articles

• Eleventh Circuit to Review Nationwide Injunction Against Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors

  The coronavirus pandemic may be winding down, but there are still pending cases dealing with the legality of executive mandates requiring vaccination for different types of employees. One of them, Georgia v. Biden, is currently before the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and its resolution will determine the fate of President Joe Biden's executive order mandating vaccination for federal contractors.

• Can You Sue Over a Lack of Chick-fil-A at the Airport?

  The so-called "Save Chick-fil-A law" bans government entities from taking any adverse action against a person based on their support to a religious organization, but does it allow would-be Chick-fil-A patrons from suing the city of San Antonio for its decision not to allow the restaurant at its airport?

• Fourth Circuit Rules in Favor of Abortion Providers Suing South Carolina AG for "Fetal Heartbeat" Act—But State Asks for Rehearing En Banc

  South Carolina passed a law banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected—generally after six weeks of pregnancy and before many people know that they are expecting. The District Court enjoined the enforcement of the law, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Governor Henry McMaster has now asked for further review, arguing that the Courts' reasoning on standing and severability was flawed.

• Is the LSAT a Thing of the Past? Alternative Law School Admissions

  The LSAT was first administered in 1948 and, up until last year, it was the only way to apply for law school. Today, 80% of law schools accept GRE scores instead of the LSAT. And a program to go to law school without taking any standardized test is launching this fall.

• BigLaw Joins the Iron Curtain Against Russia

  Many multinational companies decided to end their business in Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, some in response to the sweeping sanctions imposed by several countries. International law firms have recently joined this movement, severing ties with Russian clients and closing their offices in Russia.

• SCOTUS: One Night's Burglary Spree Not a "Career Crime" Under Armed Career Criminal Act

  In 1997, William Dale Wooden and a group of friends unlawfully entered a storage building in Georgia and stole items from 10 storage units, crushing the drywall between the units to move from one to the next. Is that enough to make him a career criminal? The Supreme Court recently said, "no."

• First Black Woman and First Public Defender Nominated to SCOTUS: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

  On Feb. 25, President Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, 51, to take the seat which will be left vacant by Justice Stephen Breyer at the end of the current SCOTUS term.

• Can Ghislaine Maxwell Get a New Trial for Child Sex Trafficking?

  In December 2021, a jury convicted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of child sex trafficking and other crimes related to her relationship with American financier Jeffrey Epstein. A few days later, a juror known as Scotty David revealed that he had been a victim of sexual abuse and shared his experience to convince other jurors about the victims' credibility. He says sharing his experience swayed some jurors in the Maxwell case.

• Tesla's Elon Musk Accuses SEC of Harassment, Broken Promises, and Chilling Free Speech

  On Feb. 17, Musk and Tesla's attorney Alex Spiro wrote a letter to Judge Allison Nathan, accusing the SEC of failing to fulfill its promise of distributing the $40 million penalty to Tesla shareholders, deciding instead to focus its energy and resources to muzzle and harass his clients.

• Sarah Palin Loses Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times

  The lawsuit alleged that the publication and its former editorial page editor, James Bennet, defamed Palin when an opinion column incorrectly linked Palin to the 2011 Tucson mass shooting, in which Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords was wounded during a constituent meeting at a grocery store parking lot. The Times corrected the mistake the next day, and Bennet took the blame when testifying, adding that he meant no harm to Palin.