What’s New in Public Law

—Yassin Abdalla Abdelkarim, Judge at Sohag Elementary Court, Egypt. LLM Leeds Beckett University, UK.

In this weekly feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in public law. “Developments” may include a selection of links to news, high court decisions, new or recent scholarly books and articles, and blog posts from around the public law blogosphere.

To submit relevant developments for our weekly feature on “What’s New in Public Law,” please email iconnecteditors@gmail.com.

Developments in Constitutional Courts

1. The US Supreme Court  in NRC v. Texas (23-1300) decided that Entities who were not parties to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing proceeding are not entitled to obtain judicial review of the NRC’s licensing decision under the Hobbs Act.
2. The US Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti (23-477) decided that Tennessee’s law prohibiting certain medical treatments for transgender minors is not subject to heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and satisfies rational basis review.
3. The Supreme Court of Korea in Decision 2024Du62738 dismissed an appeal, upholding the lower court’s decision in favor of the Plaintiff (Company A) and charging costs to the Tax Office. The Court established that ‎for a document to be taxed as a “gift certificate,” it must entitle the holder to receive merchandise or services. In-game currency, being an intangible right with property value, does not fit the definition of merchandise or services under the relevant Enforcement Decree. Therefore, the tax disposition was found unlawful.
4. The Constitutional Court of South Africa’s judgment in Mavundla v Gotcha Security Services (Pty) Ltd [CCT170/24, [2025] ZACC 11] centers on the right to fair labour practices and the proper interpretation of reinstatement orders. The Court held the matter engaged constitutional rights under Section 23 (fair labour practices).
5. In Munir Zulu v Attorney General and Ors, the Constitutional Court of Zambia discussed the role of judicial discretion in matters involving automatic constitutional operations.  the hearing reveals critical tensions between automatic constitutional triggers and fairness through judicial oversight pending appeals.

In the News

1. Hugo Aguilar, an Indigenous Mixtec lawyer, has been elected as Mexico’s first Supreme Court chief justice chosen by popular vote. His victory marks a historic shift, as Mexico becomes the first country to elect judges at all levels. Aguilar received his certification in both Spanish and Mixtec, emphasizing his commitment to Indigenous representation.
2. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has denied that his push for constitutional changes is an attempt to extend his presidency beyond its current term, which ends in 2028. Erdoğan, who has led Turkey for 22 years, insists that the proposed reforms are meant to modernize the constitution, which was originally drafted after the 1980 military coup.
3. The Trump administration is taking steps to ease regulations on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), a corporate structure that allows workers to own stakes in their companies. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has pledged to support ESOPs rather than regulate them excessively, arguing that past oversight discouraged their growth. ESOP advocates have long criticized the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) for making it difficult to establish these plans. Trump’s nominee for EBSA leadership, Daniel Aronowitz, has vowed to “end the war on ESOPs”, claiming that regulators have unfairly scrutinized valuation processes.
4. A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants were illegal and must be reversed. The decision follows lawsuits challenging the termination of funding for studies related to racial minorities health.

New Scholarship

1. Interpreting ‘the highest appellate court’ in light of the drafting history of Article 22(1) of the Constitution of Uganda: Reconciling 2nd Lt. Ogwang Ambrose v Uganda (2024) with Attorney General v Kabaziguruka (2025).  Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi. Statute Law Review, Volume 46, Issue 2.
2. 30 Years of Pepper v Hart: an empirical review. Lewis Graham. Statute Law Review, Volume 46, Issue 2.
3. The deployment of Ugandan troops abroad: the (un)constitutionality of section 38 of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Act (2005). Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi. Statute Law Review, Volume 46, Issue 2.
4. The executive trump card: government-initiated votes of confidence in parliamentary democracies. Francesco Bromo. Parliamentary Affairs.
5. The Collaborative Constitution. Aileen Kavanagh. Cambridge University Press. This book presents a collaborative approach to constitutionalism, arguing that protecting rights in a democracy is not the sole responsibility of courts or legislatures but rather a joint effort involving all three branches of government—the Executive, legislature, and judiciary. She critiques traditional theories that frame courts and legislatures as rivals for constitutional supremacy, instead proposing a dynamic and interactive process where each branch has a distinct yet complementary role.

Calls for Papers and Announcements

1. Cogent Social Sciences calls for papers for the collection “From Code to Court – The Impact of Intelligent Technologies on Law, Crime, and the Future of Legal Regulation”. Deadline 15 July 2025.
2. Cogent Social Sciences calls for papers for the collection “Marijuana Legalization: Intended and Unintended Consequences”. Deadline 17 September 2025.
3. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications calls for papers for the collection “Free speech and hate speech” Deadline:  30 October 2025.
4. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications calls for papers for the collection “Mediated populism” Deadline:  30 October 2025.
5. The Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy (TJLP) is now accepting submissions of original scholarly articles for Volume 18, to be published during the 2025–2026 academic year. TJLP seeks legal scholarship that critically examines the dynamic intersection of law and policy.

Elsewhere Online

1. Rights group calls on EU to address Türkiye erosion of judicial independence. JURIST News.
2. The Supreme Leader’s Word as Law: Iran’s Constitutional Path to Nuclear Crisis. JURIST News.
3.  Unpacking Judicial Innovation in the Digital Realm. Springer Nature Research Communitites.
4. Constitutional Reform. Science Direct.
5. Standing in the Face of Illiberal Elections: Lessons from Venezuela. Verfassungsblog.