By Mariam Rasooli On December 9, 2021, employees of a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York voted to become the first unionized Starbucks in the nation, by a vote of 19-8.[1] The unionization of this store triggered a surge of organizing efforts in other locations across the country. Within less than a year, in October 2022, employees at an estimated 245 Starbucks locations had voted to … Continue reading The Unionization Surge of Starbucks

By Rachel Ranieri The Trafficking Victims Protection Act criminalizes human trafficking under federal law. [1] Concurrently, all states have criminalized human trafficking.[2] The laws surrounding human trafficking have a substantial impact on victims, who are often forced to commit criminal offenses.[3] Many state criminal laws do not recognize exceptions or give immunity from prosecution for victims of human trafficking who are forced to engage in … Continue reading Human Trafficking: Victims Treated as Criminals

By Heather Barden The Department of Energy, in consultation with other key stakeholders, has developed a Virginia Energy Plan every four years since 2014 as prescribed by state law.[1] In 2021, the General Assembly amended the requirements for the Virginia Energy Plan in order to ensure future plans are in compliance with current statutory law.[2] The law currently states that the Virginia Energy Plan must … Continue reading Governor Youngkin’s 2022 Virginia Energy Plan

By Reagan Cavanaugh The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, after the virus reached 118,000 cases in over 110 countries and territories around the world.[1] The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 quickly spread to all corners of the world and proved to be deadly to many of those in its path.[2] A public health emergency was declared by the United … Continue reading The End of the Pandemic

By Daniel J. LaLonde Virginia’s mass incarceration problem started in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1925, Virginia’s prison population was 1,920.[1] In 1925, .0008% of Virginia’s population was incarcerated.[2] Between 1925 and 1965, Virginia’s prison population remained relatively steady.[3] If, between 1965 and 2005, the prison population grew at the 1925 to 1965 pace, Virginia’s prison population in 2005 would have only been … Continue reading Mass Incarceration, From the View of Virginia’s Department of Corrections

By Erin Sweet   March 2020 changed the way we operate not only in public spaces, but also in public schools. Not only were students sent away from school buildings for at least a year, but when they were brought back, there was friction and fighting between students, parents, and school staff around Covid policies, classroom content, and mental health responses. At this point, all … Continue reading Post-Covid Safety in Schools

By Ben Raab The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states, “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”[1] Often times, people focus on the second part of the Amendment on bearing arms, without focusing on the first part, “a well regulated militia.”[2] Understanding the … Continue reading The Second Amendment: What is a Well-Regulated Militia?

By: Marley Manjarrez Imagine you are a pediatric nurse. Today you are treating a child suffering from an acute asthma exacerbation. You know this child because they are often in your office with asthma flare-ups. You do the best you can to help and are working with a parent dedicated to their well-being. However, you also know it is winter and their home has no … Continue reading Medical Legal Partnerships: A Collaboration Tackling Social Barriers to Health

By: Amanda Palini Generally, when people think of domestic violence programs, they imagine the necessary support systems for addressing domestic violence after it has already occurred such as shelters, advocates, court ordered therapy/rehabilitative programs, and court personnel. While these resources are crucial to addressing the needs of victims, they alone cannot solve the problem of domestic violence. Prevention programming is a critical investment in creating … Continue reading Stopping the Cycle of Abuse Before it Starts: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of  Primary Prevention Programs in Reducing Instances of Domestic Violence

By Owen Giordano With filing season just around the corner, many Americans are currently getting ready to fill out their tax forms. With the filing process often characterized as a tedious and nerve-wracking process, there have been multiple calls to make the system more user-friendly.[1] Most recently, representative Brad Sherman (D-CA-30) (re)introduced the Tax Filing Simplification Act (“the Act”) to the House of Representatives in … Continue reading Making Taxes Less Taxing: A Short Primer on the Tax Filing Simplification Act’s Viability