By Ben Raab Each year, thousands of people are subject to debt collection. Sometimes, debtors are subject to unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices by debt collectors. Because consumers do not choose the debt collectors they engage with, consumer protection laws and regulations are particularly important.[1] To provide consumers with protection, Congress passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The FDCPA created guidelines under which … Continue reading [Un]Fair Debt Collection

By Owen Giordano This summer, President Biden’s administration announced that low- and middle-income individuals who have unpaid student loan debt could have $10,000 of said debt cancelled through the American Rescue Act.[1] While this development is a welcome change to many, only half the battle has been won. There is presently disparate treatment of such relief for income tax purposes amongst the states. Specifically, there … Continue reading Only Half the Battle: The Disparate State Response to the Taxation of the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

By Madison Neale During the process of prosecuting a case of child abuse, the testimony of a medical professional hired as an expert witness for the state is often pivotal.[1] This can pose a number of difficulties for defendants, because juries tend to find expert witnesses highly persuasive.[2] The very term “expert” holds a lot of weight, and juries tend to accept what an expert … Continue reading The Legal and Scientific Pitfalls of Prosecuting “Shaken Baby” Cases

By Kyara Rivera Rivera             The 4th Amendment states that “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”[1] This … Continue reading Are My 4th Amendment Rights Being Violated When I Go Through U.S. Customs?

By Rachel Ranieri A major question across the country is why eviction rates vary so drastically by state, and concurrently, whether there should be a more uniform eviction displacement rate across the states.[1] There are three primary approaches to the substantive landlord-tenant laws that courts may take.[2] The first is a “protectionist” approach; these states laws are generally pro-tenant.[3] States with a “contradictory” approach have … Continue reading Could the Only Thing Keeping People Off the Street During the Pandemic Be What’s Being Used to Put Them on it?

By Abigail Scanga Blackburn Human trafficking, otherwise known as modern slavery[1], has been oversimplified and sensationalized in the media.[2] Taken, a popular movie starring Liam Neeson, depicts a terrifying drama where a former CIA agent races around the globe to find his kidnapped daughter and rescue her from the clutches of an international human sex trafficking ring.[3] While Taken and other such movies are highly … Continue reading Human Trafficking in America: What “Taken” Doesn’t Tell You

By Erin Sweet A Land Value Tax (LVT) is a property tax that, unlike traditionally property taxes, does not take into account any value of improvements on the land, but rather taxes only the value of the land itself.[1] This means that for tax purposes, it really is all about location, location, location. While this sounds like a dramatic shift, most property tax schemes already … Continue reading How Land Value Taxes Could Change Quality Affordable Housing in Richmond

By Reagan Cavanaugh According to operational statistics released by the U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CPB) for August 2022, a large number of individuals fleeing failed communist regimes has led to an increased number of migrants attempting to cross the southwest United States border.[1] The number of individuals encountered nationwide in August was 157,921.[2] Of the total encounters from August, 55,333, or 35%, were from … Continue reading The Crisis Facing Migrants Today

By Kaitlyn Grant The Sixth Amendment guarantees defendants the right to counsel when being tried for a crime.[1] As part of the United States court system, defendants are appointed an attorney by the court if they are unable to afford one on their own.[2] This court-appointed attorney serves an important role in the assurance that a defendant can use the protections provided to him by … Continue reading Access to Justice and the Overworked Public Defender

By Melissa Hernandez Economic sanctions are by no means a new tool for nations to conduct foreign policy. They have been utilized for centuries, starting from around the time Athens imposed a trade embargo against Megara in 432 B.C. [1] Today, economic sanctions are defined as the partial or complete withdrawal of financial relations between entities for policy purposes. [2] They can be targeted precisely … Continue reading The Cost of Sanctions