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Virginia bill repeals HIV criminalization laws due to disparate enforcement and adverse impact

Virginia bill repeals HIV criminalization laws due to disparate enforcement and adverse impact   Authored by: Gordon Willis, staff editor Last month, Senators Mamie Lock and Jennifer McClellan introduced Senate Bill 1138 to repeal the crime of infected sexual battery for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to remove a ban on HIV-positive organ and blood donors.[1] Washington D.C. and 11 other states … Continue reading Virginia bill repeals HIV criminalization laws due to disparate enforcement and adverse impact

Julia Ziegler
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Unbundle the Police: Structural Reforms to Move Toward Abolition

      Unbundle the Police: Structural Reforms to Move Toward Abolition Authored by: Patrick Rice, Staff Editor   [1]   Police violence against communities of color and poor communities has been a persistent presence in policing in America since police departments were formed. Since 2015, police have shot and killed at least 5400 people, disproportionately Black people and other people of color.[2] People of color … Continue reading Unbundle the Police: Structural Reforms to Move Toward Abolition

Julia Ziegler
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Wage Theft: to Help Struggling Americans, We Must End the Heist

Wage Theft: to Help Struggling Americans, We Must End the Heist Authored By: Greg Mills, staff editor The largest form of theft in the United States is never featured in television crime shows, the thieves are almost never arrested, and it’s likely you or someone you know has been a victim without even realizing it. This is the problem of wage theft, which costs the … Continue reading Wage Theft: to Help Struggling Americans, We Must End the Heist

Julia Ziegler
Blog Post, Recent Posts

The Unconstitutionality of Ag-gag Laws

by Enzo Chiariello, Staff Editor In 2020, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (“ALDF”) released footage from the Dick Van Dam Dairy, a California dairy farm which supplies milk to corporations producing well known products such as the DairyPure and TruMoo brands.[1] The video contained images of “newborn calves . . . left to die or decompose in the same pens with mother cows,” “workers poking … Continue reading The Unconstitutionality of Ag-gag Laws

Brianne Donovan
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Lessons Learned: A Reflection on No-Cash Bail in New York

by Harry Cohen, Staff Editor In April of 2019 New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, signed sweeping bail reform into law, the law was set to take effect January 1, 2019.[1] Just three months after taking effect, in April of 2020, that law was gutted[2] after a campaign by multiple State officials against the legislation they had previously supported.[3] What happened over the course of these … Continue reading Lessons Learned: A Reflection on No-Cash Bail in New York

Julia Ziegler
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Virginia Absentee Voting Reform

by John Dickinson, Staff Editor The 2020 regular session of the General Assembly dramatically expanded the role of absentee voting in Virginia.  Absentee voting transitioned from a back-up for those who were unable to make it to their in-person polling place on Election Day to a general expansion of the voting period, enabling any registered voter to vote between the time the ballots are printed … Continue reading Virginia Absentee Voting Reform

Julia Ziegler
Recent Posts

A Global Pandemic Highlights the Need for Robust Local Government

Authored by: Andrew Mullen; Staff Editor  As the United States struggles to get control over the COVID-19 outbreak and a consequential presidential election in three weeks, local government is a vital, often overlooked function of American society. While many people may be tempted to focus on national politics and national policy, most of the decisions relating to the pandemic have been made by mayors, school boards, county … Continue reading A Global Pandemic Highlights the Need for Robust Local Government

Brianne Donovan
Recent Posts

From the Streets to the Court: Virginia’s Fight for Environmental Justice Has Just Begun

Authored by: Kelley Flint; Staff Editor As America faces a racial reckoning, renewed interest in tackling systemic inequality is pressuring courts and legislatures alike. Environmental Justice is one such movement gaining popularity both with lawmakers and challengers in court.[1] The concept sits at the intersection of civil rights and environmentalism. It is a bridge between the technical aspects of regulating pollution and the human element … Continue reading From the Streets to the Court: Virginia’s Fight for Environmental Justice Has Just Begun

Brianne Donovan
Recent Posts

Opinion in Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada Spotlights U.S. Immigration Policies

Reprint from the International Enforcement Law Reporter (24 Sep. 2020). Authored by Mitchell Beebe; Staff Editor In an unusual rebuke by one of America’s closest allies, the Canadian Federal Court decided that the Safe Third Country Agreement (“STCA”) between the United States and Canada was unconstitutional. The Court determined that in light of recent U.S. immigration policies, it was a deprivation of human rights for … Continue reading Opinion in Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada Spotlights U.S. Immigration Policies

Julia Ziegler
Recent Posts

How Political Parties Divided the Supreme Court

Authored by: Chris Davis, Staff Editor  President Trump celebrates his appointments to the Supreme Court as political victories.[1] At a rally he boasted to his supporters that “Justice Kavanaugh now sits alongside Justice Gorsuch to defend your rights, your Constitution, and your God-given freedom.”[2] Trump recently released a list of people he is considering appointing if he gets reelected and there’s a vacancy on the … Continue reading How Political Parties Divided the Supreme Court

Brianne Donovan