Wake Forest Law Review

Issues in the 4th Circuit

  • 4th Circuit: Lessons on Islam Don’t Violate Christian Student’s Rights

    By Caroline Hamilton and Alex Prunka During the 2014­–15 school year, Caleigh Wood was an eleventh grade student at La Plata High School in Charles County, Maryland.[1]  Wood was required to take a world history course as a part of the school’s curriculum, featuring a small, five-day unit entitled “The Muslim World.”[2]  This unit was…

  • Fourth Circuit Rules on Equal Pay

    By Melissa McKinney and Sarah Orwig  Facts In Spencer v. University of Virginia,[1]Zoe Spencer, Professor of Sociology at Virginia State University brought this suit against her employer alleging that she was paid less than her male colleagues, a violation of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII.[2]Spencer earned $70,000 per year whereas the male colleagues…

  • Fourth Circuit Joins the Third and Ninth Circuits on Aggregating Threats of Torture for an Immigrant to Meet His or Her Burden of Proof under a “CAT” Claim

    By Hayley Degnan Factual Background          In 2005, the Appellant, Eduardo Rodriguez-Arias (“Rodriguez”), fled his native country of El Salvador and unlawfully entered the United States at only twelve-years-old.[1] Before fleeing El Salvador, Rodriguez witnessed local gangs perpetuate violence against members of his family and experienced gang-related crimes firsthand; local gangs extorted his grandparents, killed…

  • Fourth Circuit Weighs in on When an Employer-Required Medical Exam Can Violate the Americans With Disabilities Act

    By Katy Thompson and Lanie Summerlin           In Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. McLeod Health Inc., Cecilia Whitten (“Whitten”) was employed by McLeod Health, Inc. (“McLeod”) for twenty-eight years as the editor of McLeod’s internal employee newsletter[1].  Whitten was born with postaxial hypoplasia of the lower extremity, so she lacks certain…

  • Fourth Circuit Reviews Title VII Retaliation Claim

    By Henry Hilston and Melissa McKinney  Facts In Netter v. Barnes,[1]the Fourth Circuit reviewed Catherine Netter’s Title VII claim against her former employer, Sheriff BJ Barnes. Catherine Netter, a black, Muslim woman,  worked as a detention services supervisor for the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.[2] In April 2014, after sixteen years of maintaining a clean record,…

  • Fourth Circuit Weighs in on Constitutional Challenges to Airport Metro Service Project

    Fourth Circuit Weighs in on Constitutional Challenges to Airport Metro Service Project By Agustin Martinez and Ashley Oldfield Facts In Kerpen v. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority,[1] the Fourth Circuit addressed numerous constitutional and statutory challenges to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s (“MWAA”) use of toll revenues to build and fund a metro service project. Beginning…