By: Callie Keen For many years, meetings of local and state public bodies – from school boards to city councils to state legislatures – have been hallmarked by engagement with interested citizens.[1] At these meetings, members of the public can closely watch the proceedings and offer their perspectives on proposals and community problems.[2] However, as COVID-19 swept through the United States, public bodies could no … Continue reading Governance on Zoom: Electronic Meetings and Public Participation during COVID-19

By: Jenny HernandezAustria You look outside your window and see your neighbor acting strange. He is out on the street walking erratically and is taking his shirt off. You look closely and realize his eyes are glassy and he appears unaware of his surroundings. You are concerned for him, but do not want to approach him due to his erratic behavior. Clearly there is something … Continue reading The Future of the New Safe Harbor Statute in Virginia

By: Carley Ruival Testifying in court as a victim of a crime can be traumatic. The propensity for trauma arguably increases when the victim is a young child and the alleged crime involves sexual abuse. The tender years hearsay exception is an effective mechanism in reducing trauma to child victims of sexual abuse because it limits the extent to which the victim is subject to … Continue reading The importance of the tender years hearsay exception in cases of sexual abuse

By: Tiffany Ngo The Virginia Employment Commission (“VEC”) was established to provide compensation and benefits to unemployed Virginians in their time of need. Since its establishment, the VEC had been a saving grace to many Virginians, until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Not only did COVID-19 affect Americans hard, the Virginia-governed VEC was the hardest hit1. What was established for Virginians, was no longer … Continue reading COVID-19 and the Historic Failure of the Virginia Employment Commission

By: Owen Giordano In Virginia, drug courts are defined by the court system as “specialized court dockets within the existing structure of Virginia’s court system offering judicial monitoring of intensive treatment and strict supervision of addicts in drug and drug-related cases.”[1] Given the below-described statistics and the nature of drug usage in Virginia, it is apparent that drug courts can provide a low cost means … Continue reading Breaking the Habit: Analyzing the Effectiveness of Drug Court in Virginia

By: Samantha Callejas On April 14, 2021, President Joe Biden announced plans for a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan with a deadline of September 11, 2021.[1] Since then, President Biden has stated that the U.S. is set to complete this task by August 31st, 2021.[2] With news of thousands swarming the capital Kabul’s airport, and the Taliban’s increasing presence, it is safe to … Continue reading Changing Relations: What U.S. troops withdrawal means for the Afghan people

The Weaponization of Academic Freedom in Higher Education Authored by: Nina Belber, staff editor   Academic freedom has been an important concept in the American higher education system for many years. Recently, there has been a weaponization of academic freedom, where professors and scholars “attempt to provide a ‘scholarly’ veneer to what are otherwise hateful ideologies.”[1] This problem stems from the fact that people have … Continue reading The Weaponization of Academic Freedom in Higher Education

Elderly Americans are living in poverty and at risk of losing their homes Authored By: Charmaine Nyman, staff editor   Although the poverty rate among Americans aged 65 or older has declined by almost 70% in the past five decades, over 15 million Americans aged 65 or older are currently living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level with their income averaging $25,760 … Continue reading Elderly Americans are Living in Poverty and at Risk of Losing their Homes