May 8, 2025
Dear Readers,
We are excited to present Issue Two of the Thirty-First Volume of the Richmond Journal of Law & Technology (JOLT). Issue Two includes three articles that discuss innovative and timely topics at the intersection of law and technology.
Our first article is co-authored by Professors Margaret O’Grady and Fiona Scott Morton. Professor O’Grady is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and a Thurman Arnold Project Fellow at Yale University. Professor Scott Morton is the Theodore Nirenberg Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management and the Director of the Thurman Arnold Project at Yale University. Professors O’Grady’s and Scott Morton’s article compares the current safety landscape of the digital platforms market to the automobile industry prior to the imposition of core safety regulations like required seatbelt installations. The article advocates for digital platforms to be held to the same regulatory standards as other industries to ensure safety for consumers.
Our second article is authored by Avery Younis. Ms. Younis is a third-year law student at the University of Richmond School of Law. Ms. Younis is also the Senior Manuscripts Editor for Volume Thirty-One of JOLT. Ms. Younis received her M.S.A. in 2022 from Wake Forest University School of Business and her B.S. from Washington and Lee University in 2021. In her article, Ms. Younis discusses the intersection of tax law and the developing technology of agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics is a process where land is used for dual purposes like energy and agricultural production. With the rise of renewable energy sources as a backdrop, the article argues that due to the possible benefits to farmland that agrivoltaics projects present state lawmakers should consider addressing dual-use property in their regulations regarding current use programs. The article further advocates that states should adopt statutes that are at least favorable to the implantation of agrivoltaics projects as to minerals found on or under farmland.
Our third article has thirteen authors: Gary Marchant, Rida Bazzi, Diana Bowman, Justin Connor, Royal Aubrey Davis III, Eunmi Kang, Kaniah Konkoly-Thege, David Liu, Susanne Lloyd-Jones, Kayleen Manwaring, Lyria Bennett Moses, Megan Wagner, and Sarah Wastek. The article brings a vast array of experiences together, from Law School faculty, deans, administrators, J.D. candidates, an In-House Counsel, an Executive Director, a Senior Research Scientist, and a Post-Doctorate Fellow to discuss quantum technology and the current governance landscape around this emerging technology. The article explores various case studies and emerging technology frameworks while also recommending regulatory pillars to effectively govern quantum technologies.
First, I would like to thank our amazing authors for their impact and contributions to our journal and the legal field through their scholarship. Second, thank you to the JOLT Staff, Editorial, and Executive Boards for the hard work you put in to make this Issue possible. Finally, a special thank you to the incoming Executive Board of Volume 32 who assisted in the editorial process for Issue Two.
On behalf of JOLT’s Staff, Editorial, and Executive Board of Volume 31, we hope you enjoy Issue Two.
Kathryn Threatt
Executive Editor, Volume XXXI
ARTICLES
Digital Platform Safety and The Problem of Variable Costs
by Margaret O’Grady & Fiona Scott Morton
A Tax Friendly Approach to Agrivoltaics
by Avery S. Younis
Learning From Emerging Technology Governance for Guiding Quantum Technology
by Gary Marchant