The United States Constitution had been in existence for almost two hundred years before the Supreme Court decided that some violations of constitutional rights may be too insignificant to warrant remedial action. Known as "harmless error," this statutory doctrine allows a court to affirm a conviction when a mere technicality or minor defect did not affect the defendant's substantial rights. The doctrine aims to promote judicial efficiency and judgment finality. The Court first applied harmless error to constitutional violations by shifting the statutory test away from the error's effect on substantial rights to its impact on the jury's verdict. Over time, the test evolved even further, now allowing a court to disregard the constitutional error when a majority of justices believe that the untainted record evidence shows that the defendant is, in fact, guilty. This sacrifice of individual and institutional constitutional protections at the altar of judicial efficiency and judgment finality subverts the harmless error doctrine's purposes and strikes at the core of America's founding ideals. In particular, it allows appellate courts to invade the jury's role as the finder of fact and guilt, to sidestep their constitutional role to review and correct errors and protect the Constitution, and to incentivize government actors to commit constitutional violations with little-to-no ramifications. After conducting a comprehensive review of the harmless error doctrine and its development, this thesis traces through many substantive, theoretical, and practical problems with the doctrine's current application. It then proposes that the Constitution and the values that it protects should once again be elevated above the harmless error doctrine's pragmatic concerns of judicial efficiency and judgment finality.

Globalization has significantly increased the number of stakeholders in transnational issues in recent decades. The typical list of the new players in global affairs often includes non-state actors like non-governmental organizations, multinational corporations, and international organizations. Sub-national governments, however, have been given relatively little attention even though they, too, have a significant interest and ability to shape the increasing flow of capital, goods, services, people, and ideas that has so profoundly influenced the global political economy in recent decades. California, arguably the most significant among sub-national governments – its economy would be seventh or eighth in the world at $2.2 trillion annually, it engages in over $570 billion in merchandise trade, and has a population of nearly 40 million, out of which over 10 million are immigrants – is also one of the most active in transnational issues. The state government has opened and closed dozens trade offices abroad since the 1960s. It set up a multi-billion dollar carbon cap-and-trade system jointly with the Canadian provinces of Québec and Ontario under Assembly Bill 32, one of the most significant pieces of climate change legislation to date. California’s educational, technological, and media hubs – its public and private universities, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood – draw some of the best and brightest from around the world. California also has a long history of involvement in transnational issues. State efforts to undermine growing Chinese then Japanese “menace” immigrant populations from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries influenced United States foreign policy. This thesis first takes a look at the federalism and international relations issues faced by California as it plays a greater role in transnational issues. Then, it examines the main actors and institutions, and the issues at play. The states have some leeway under the Constitution and contemporary political order to use their domestic powers to influence global issues, whether through climate legislation, public pension divestment, or non-binding “Memoranda of Understanding” with foreign governments. Such behavior, while less significant than national policy, can fill gaps in national policy, promote policy change, and deepen global ties, promoting a more complex interdependence among nations. California can also exert a moral, soft power influence in leading by example. The structures promoting California’s growing role in transnational issues are poorly organized. If the Golden State is to better leverage its political, economic, and moral authority internationally, it would do well to more explicitly develop a unified vision for its role in the world.

La bibliothèque du couvent franciscain médiéval d'Assise a été inventorié par frère Jean de Iolo en 1381. Jean a aussi collé des étiquettes dans le plat postérieur de chaque manuscrit, portant l’indication du nom de l'auteur et de l'oeuvre ainsi que l’emplacement dans la bibliothèque. Dans l'inventaire du 1381 il décrit environ 700 livres, dont il s’est avéré l’existant d’environ 540, desquels la majorité est encore conservées dans la bibliothèque d'Assise. Des restants, une centaine, ont migré vers d'autres bibliothèques italiennes et étrangères. L'inventaire montre aussi que la collection de livres avait été divisée en deux bibliothèques, une nommé libraria publica, dans laquelle les livres ont été enchaînés aux bancs, une nommé libraria secreta, dans laquelle les livres étaient enfermés dans un armarium et disponibles au prêt.J'ai essayé d'étudier cette collection de livres d'un point de vue codicologique, que je pense jusqu'iciinexploré. Il n'était pas question d'étudier les manuscrits individuellement, peut-être le plus important pour leurs contenu ou leurs histoire, chose qui avait été faite dans le passé, mais de combiner les données tirées des manuscrits franciscains d'Assise connus, les saisir dans des bases des données et permettre aux données eux-mêmes d’apporter des informations.La première partie de ce travail se concentrera sur l'histoire de la bibliothèque médiévale, mais même dans ces paragraphes je fais souvent référence à des éléments codicologiques. La partie centrale cherche à mettre en évidence le caractère unique de la collection de la bibliothèque d’Assise, tels que Jean de Iolo l’a « photographié » en 1381.La dernière partie est plus spécifiquement de nature codicologique, dans laquelle j’ai mis en évidence les facteurs liés à la fabrication et à l'écriture des manuscrits. / So far, the oldest description that we have of the Franciscan Library of Assisi is an inventory made in 1381 by the friar John of Iolo. Friar John also labelled the manuscripts with strips of paper put on the covers and bearing the name of the author, the title and a call number of the manuscript.The inventory describes about 700 manuscripts; so far 540 have been identified, the majority of which are preserved in the Assisi Library. Among the ones which are not in Assisi, about 100 have been found in libraries either in Italy and in other countries. From the inventory one can infer that the Library was divided in two: the libraria publica, where the books were chained to the benches; and the libraria secreta, where the books were closed in the armarium and the books were available to be borrowed.I aimed to study this book collection from a codicological point of view, which had not had been investigated until now.I preferred not to focus on each manuscript and its content. Rather, I aimed to look at the library as a whole; therefore I gathered the general data by taking them from the descriptions of the manuscripts and then I combined those data within a new database; by doing this I was able to draw out new information about the collection itself.The first section of this work is focused on the history of the library, where I often referred to codicological elements. The central section aims to evidence the wholeness of the Assisi library, the way it was « pictured » by John of Iolo in 1381.Finally, the third section clearly highlights the codicological aspect of this research; here I tried to underline all the factors related to the book making and the writing of the manuscripts. / La biblioteca del convento francescano medievale di Assisi è stata inventariata da fr. Giovanni di Iolo nel 1381. Gianni ha anche preparato le etichette, con l’indicazione dell’autore e del titolo dell’opera e la lettera di collocazione, per il piatto posteriore di ogni manoscritto. Nell’inventario del 1381 descrive circa 700 libri, dei quali ne sono stati identificati circa 540, la maggior parte conservata ancora nella biblioteca di Assisi. Dei restanti, circa un centinaio, è migrato verso altre biblioteche italiane e straniere. L’inventario mostra anche che la collezione dei libri era stata divisa in due biblioteche, una denominata libraria publica, nella quale i libri erano incatenati ai plutei, un’altra denominata libraria secreta, nella quale i libri erano conservati in un armarium e disponibili per il prestito. Ho cercato di studiare questa collezione di libri da un punto di vista codicologico, prospettiva secondo me inesplorata. Non si è trattato di studiare solo alcuni manoscritti, i più importanti per il contenuto o la loro storia, cosa già fatta in passato, ma di raccogliere dati ottenuti da tutti i manoscritti francescani di Assisi identificati, inserirli in banche dati e permettere ai dati stessi di fornire informazioni.La prima parte di questo lavoro si concentrerà sulla storia della biblioteca medievale, ma anche in questi paragrafi si farà spesso riferimento a elementi codicologici. La parte centrale cercherà di mettere in evidenza il carattere unico della collezione della biblioteca di Assisi, come Giovanni di Iolo la “fotografò” nel 1381. L’ultima parte è di natura più specificamente codicologica, in questa io ho messo in evidenza i fattori legati alla fabbricazione e alla scritturare dei manoscritti

Cette thèse s’intéresse aux collaborations et au partage du savoir entre intellectuels juifs et chrétiens, en France, durant les XIIIe et XIVe siècles et propose une analyse comparative des différents échanges, dans trois domaines distincts : théologie, philosophie et astronomie. En prenant en compte les sources latines et hébraïques qui témoignent de cette transmission du savoir, nous proposons une étude approfondie divisée en deux parties. La première s’intéresse à l’évolution de l’enseignement dans les communautés juives et dans la société chrétienne. La seconde analyse le contexte de rédaction des Extractiones de Talmut, la transmission du savoir entre Maïmonide et Thomas d’Aquin, la collaboration étroite entre Jacob ben Makhir et Armengaud Blaise, ainsi que l’échange intellectuel significatif entre Gersonide et ses confrères chrétiens. Notre objectif est de répondre aux questions suivantes : les savants chrétiens et juifs recevaient-ils l’information selon leur propre valeur intellectuelle, ne tenant pas compte de leur provenance ? Et existait-il une influence directe de l’un et de l’autre ? Cette étude tente ainsi de montrer les différents motifs de ces échanges à travers un champ contextuel constitué par un événement intellectuel précis. Nous verrons ainsi que ces relations vacillent entre méfiance et admiration. / This thesis sheds lights on collaborations and transfer of knowledge between Jewish and Christian scholars in France during the 13th and 14th centuries. We propose a comparative analysis of different exchanges, in three distinct areas: theological, philosophical and astronomical. Taking into account the Latin and Hebrew sources that testify this transmission of knowledge, we propose an in-depth study, dividing in two sections. The first part narrates the evolution of education in the Jewish communities and in Christian society. The second part analyses the context of the Extractiones de Talmut, the transmission of knowledge between Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas, the close collaboration between Jacob ben Makhir and Armengaud Blaise, as well as the significant intellectual exchange between Gersonides and his fellow Christians. Our objective is to answer the following questions: did Christian and Jewish scholars receive information according to their own intellectual value, ignoring their source? And was there a direct influence from one scholar towards the other? Thus, this study demonstrates the different motives of these exchanges through a contextual field constituted by a specific intellectual event. We will perceive that these relations vacillate between mistrust and admiration.

This study examines the social and economic characteristics of the men who joined the Confederate Fourteenth Texas Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and provides a narrative history of the regiment's wartime service. The men of the Fourteenth Infantry enlisted in 1862 and helped to turn back the Federal Red River Campaign in April 1864. In creating a portrait of these men, the author used traditional historical sources (letters, diaries, medical records, secondary narratives) as well as statistical data from the 1860 United States census, military service records, and state tax rolls. The thesis places the heretofore unknown story of the Fourteenth Texas Infantry within the overall body of Civil War historiography.

Cette étude porte sur un corpus de chroniques du XIVe siècle qui comprend les trois principaux textes historiographiques florentins en langue vulgaire de cette période – Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne’ tempi suoi de Dino Compagni, Nuova Cronica de Giovanni Villani et Cronaca fiorentina de Marchionne di Coppo Stefani – et se fixe pour objet l’analyse des principaux concepts employés pour décrire le fonctionnement de la cité et ses enjeux, ainsi que l’identification des sources présentes dans les chroniques. L’analyse prend en compte à la fois l’écriture du fait politique et la valeur de celui-ci dans l’élaboration du discours de la cité.Pour mettre en évidence ce qui transparaît des principaux rouages politiques de la cité, les textes du corpus sont abordés selon les trois axes suivants : les rapports entre cité et citoyens dans le contexte de l’affirmation de la souveraineté du Comune et en regard des notions d’unité et de division ; la question de la liberté à Florence, ses principes fondamentaux, ses formes et ses représentations, par opposition à la tyrannie ; les liens entre cité céleste et cité des hommes à partir de l’analyse de la réception des signes célestes et des notions de providence, fortune et libre arbitre. L’approche retenue s’arrête sur les enjeux et les représentations propres à chacun de ces axes.De cette analyse conceptuelle il ressort que les trois sources principales du discours de la cité sont les auteurs de l’Antiquité gréco-romaine, la théologie chrétienne et le droit. On trouve également des sources contemporaines des chroniqueurs : textes officiels et documents produits par la cité, auteurs de référence pour la période comme Dante Alighieri. / This study focuses on a corpus of chronicles of the Fourteenth century consisting in three main historiographical Florentine texts written in vernacular in this period, namely Cronica delle cose occorrenti ne’ tempi suoi by Dino Compagni, Nuova Cronica by Giovanni Villani and Cronaca fiorentina by Marchionne di Coppo Stefani. It aims at analyzing the principal concepts describing the running of the city and its stakes, as well as identifying the sources present in these chronicles. The analysis takes in account both the operation of writing the political experience and its value in elaborating the discourse on the city.To highlight what can be seen from the main aspects of political machinery in the city, the approach to the texts is threefold : the connections between city and citizens both in the context of the Comune’s increasing sovereignty and in the light of the concepts of unity and division ; the question of freedom in Florence, its fundamental principles, its forms and representations, in opposition to tyranny ; the links between the celestial city and the city of men based on the analysis of the reading of celestial omens and the concepts of Providence, Fortune and Free Will. The approach chosen concentrates on the stakes and representations peculiar to each of those subjects.From this conceptual analysis it emerges that the three main sources to the discourse on the city are the authors of Classical Antiquity, Christian Theology and Law. Contemporary sources of the chroniclers also can be found : official texts and documents produced by the city, noted authors in the period as, for instance, Dante Alighieri.

Emendatio vitae was the most widely copied of all Richard Rolle’s writings in fourteenth and fifteenth-century England, and yet in modern scholarship this important work and its early audience have received comparatively little scholarly attention. My aim has been to address this lacuna by producing an edition of one of the seven Middle English translations of the text - Amendinge of Lyf - with notes and glossary. In an introductory study I adopt a dual focus: Rolle’s intended audience, and the actual early readers of this particular Middle English translation. Firstly, I conclude that Rolle may have intended Emendatio vitae as a work of ‘pastoralia’, for secular priests, and therefore with a wider audience of the laity also in mind. This being the case, it demonstrates that the adaptation of traditionally eremitic contemplative writings for a general audience, so widespread in the fifteenth-century, was already stirring in Rolle’s day. Secondly, I look in detail at a specific crosssection of Rolle’s early readership: a translator, several scribes and correctors, and other early readers and owners. The striking thing about this segment of the text’s reception is its breadth, including a priest, a number of prominent lay women and men, and by the end of the fifteenth-century also Dominican and Benedictine nuns.

Accelerating from 2022 and continuing through 2024, the state of Florida has experienced significant policy changes, particularly within the realm of higher education and affairs of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many progressive officials, experts, and activists assert arguments that the state is on the verge of evolving into an authoritarian regime while many illiberal policies are being produced through the Florida legislature and current executive leadership—social and economic sectors are consequently threatened in order to maintain political oppression. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act has served as a catalyst for shifting the state's political stance on DEI, culminating in a chain reaction of similar forms of legislation which create serious ramifications onto civic life, creating a tense environment in the state. Along with suppression of DEI, academic freedom especially has been jeopardized with Florida's next line of students and instructors left to bear the consequences. The following research will contribute to theory and understanding, by analyzing the common misconceptions that revolve around nuanced terms such as “woke”, DEI, and CRT, while also examining how these influenced legislation in other states. This paper will also investigate precisely how the Act was enacted in Florida by conducting research on theoretical perspectives, governmental proceedings, discourse among officials, court battles, and impacts that can likely last for generations, leading to potential harms onto the nation as a whole.