Can a president fight a war that Congress never declared?
The Prize Cases let a president meet a rebellion with force and a blockade before Congress acted. Here is the rule, and its weak point.
Law School Notes
At a glance
Full experience- Legal experienceMassachusetts Attorney General's OfficeLegal intern, Non-Profit Organizations / Public Charities Division, summer 2026
- Law schoolRoger Williams University School of LawJ.D. candidate, May 2028. LEAD Fellow. Lexis Ambassador.
- Before lawNonprofit founder, media co-founderEnvironmental nonprofit in Shanghai; 668 KTV, with more than 400 interviews and more than 150,000 subscribers
- AlsoM.P.H., LEED AP, Mandarin, FrenchMaster of Public Health; LEED Accredited Professional; about ten years working abroad, mostly in China
Selected writing
All selected writing
Nonprofit lawWho Oversees Nonprofits? State Attorneys General, PlainlyWhy day-to-day oversight of charities belongs to state attorneys general, and the design choice behind most of nonprofit law.
Energy lawWho’s Actually Deciding Your Electric Bill? Inside a PURA Rate CaseThe utility asks; PURA decides. How a Connecticut rate case tests the evidence, and who can intervene.
Energy lawHow Connecticut Pays for Its Green BankA ratepayer charge and RGGI proceeds, not tax dollars: the statute, the 2016 and 2017 budget fights, and the leverage math.
Business lawCross-Border M&A: What Changes, PlainlyHow a foreign buyer or target changes due diligence, deal approvals, CFIUS review, and closing, from the operator's side of the table.
InternationalDoing Business in China: Five Legal Basics US Founders Get WrongCompany chops, contracts, NNN agreements, entity choice, and IP, from someone who worked there.
Public interestWhat Legal Aid Funding Sources Cost an OrganizationHow LSC, IOLTA, state money, and philanthropy fund civil legal aid, and the limits each source puts on the work.
Writing sampleMemorandum opposing a motion to suppress an identification (PDF) 1L legal writing, persuasive memo
Latest writing
Estate & Elder Law
Power of Attorney, Guardianship, Conservatorship: Who Decides When You Can’t
Power of attorney, guardianship, and conservatorship all answer one question: who decides when you can’t.
Estate & Elder Law
The Estate Tax in 2026: Federal $15 Million, Massachusetts $2 Million, and Connecticut’s One-of-a-Kind Gift Tax
The 2026 federal estate tax exemption is $15 million, but Massachusetts taxes estates over $2 million.
Energy & Environmental Law
Who’s Actually Deciding Your Electric Bill? Inside a PURA Rate Case
Connecticut electric rates are set by PURA through a formal rate case, not by the utility. How the pending Eversource docket works and who can intervene.
Energy & Environmental Law
The Green Bank Math: Why Public Climate Money Is Built to Multiply
Connecticut’s Green Bank reports $6 of total investment per public dollar. What that multiplier means, why it matters, and where the federal fight stands.
Energy & Environmental Law
How Connecticut Pays for Its Green Bank
Connecticut’s Green Bank runs on a ratepayer charge and RGGI proceeds, not tax dollars. The statute, the 2016 and 2017 budget fights, and the leverage math.
Nonprofit Law
What Legal Aid Funding Sources Cost an Organization
A look at how civil legal aid is funded (LSC, IOLTA, state money, philanthropy) and why the funding source an office picks limits what legal work it can do.
Nonprofit Law
Cy Pres: What Happens to a Charitable Gift When Its Purpose Dies
The cy pres doctrine lets courts redirect charitable gifts when their original purpose becomes impossible.
Estate & Elder Law
The Five-Year Lookback: How Medicaid Treats Gifts Before a Nursing Home
Give assets away within five years of applying for Medicaid long-term care and a penalty clock starts.
Health Law
Health Care Proxies, Living Wills, and MOLST: The Documents That Speak When You Can’t
Health care proxies, living wills, and MOLST forms do different jobs at the end of life.
Law, Plainly. One legal idea, explained in plain English, every other Sunday.
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