By: James William Rosson, Staff Editor A pressing issue exists in regard to the quality of indigent defense in America: the pay disparity between public defender and prosecutor offices. This pay discrepancy goes beyond the tax statements of individual lawyers. It affects the ability of public defender offices to recruit quality attorneys, manage their caseloads, and provide the caliber of representation promised by the U.S. … Continue reading Prosecutors Prioritized Over Defenders: The Criminal Justice Pay Gap

By: Rebecca Shultz, Senior Staff What does society make of a young sniper? Lee Boyd Malvo was seventeen years-old when he and his father figure drove around Washington, D.C., shooting innocent victims from the back of a van.[1] In 2002, Malvo and an older man killed ten people and injured three, seemingly at random, terrorizing the Washington, D.C. area.[2] The older man, John Muhammad, now … Continue reading Child-Abuse: A Miller Factor of Redeemability

By Jacob Alexander, Staff Editor. How, whom, and why our government punishes speaks a great deal about the values of our society.[1]It is an outward display of our society’s sense of justice, morality, responsibility, and accountability–and an insight into our humanity.[2]It comes as no surprise, then, that there are both staunch opponents and proponents of the death penalty. The Supreme Court of the United States … Continue reading Not Seeing Eye to Eye When Taking an Eye for an Eye

PILR is hosting a free 6 MCLE credit Symposium on Restorative Justice this Friday, October 4th, from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm. at University of Richmond’s School of Law in the Moot Court room. The Symposium will include sessions on “What is Restorative Justice,” Race, Gender, and Restorative Justice” with Keynote Speaker Johanna Turner from the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, “A Proposal For Restorative … Continue reading Reminder: Restorative Justice PILR Symposium This Friday!

By: Brianne Donovan, Staff Editor.   Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.[1]   Since 1903, this poem by Emma Lazarus has been engraved in the interior of Lady Liberty’s pedestal.[2]In the subsequent century her words have … Continue reading The American Dream: New Public Charge Regulation Information

By: Julia Ziegler, Staff Editor A defendant sat in a courtroom in Richmond, Virginia last month at his bail hearing while counsel for both the government and the defendant argued to the Judge he should be released to his home rather than remaining in custody or paying for his freedom while he waited for his case to move forward. The judge expressed concern that the defendant … Continue reading Virginia Practitioners Stepping Away from the Cash Bail System

By: Lizzy Ritchie, Editor-In-Chief The Fifth Amendment Takings Clause of the United States Constitution prohibits the government from taking private property for public use, without paying the property owner just compensation.[1] So long as the government provides just compensation, it is authorized to exercise its eminent domain power pursuant to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare.[2] The Supreme Court of the United States has … Continue reading Dissecting Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District: Should Heightened Scrutiny Apply to Monetary Exactions?

By: M. Randell Scism We all know somebody who has a Juul, or some other type of alternative nicotine product. Sometimes, this person is trying to quit smoking traditional cigarettes. The goal of e-cigarettes is to get people who are addicted to cigarettes to switch to e-cigarettes without enticing non-smokers to try them.[1]This is a difficult task, as there is a rapid growth in the … Continue reading Virginia’s Response to Teens’ Juuling Addiction

  By: Erica Rebussini, Notes and Comments Editor Over the past two summers I’ve had criminal law internships in Virginia and Massachusetts, respectively. After these experiences, I can’t help but question some of the disparities I witnessed in those systems. Broadly speaking, the differences between these criminal court cultures are palpable in both the substantive application of the law as well as practical nuances inherent … Continue reading The “Right” Side of Justice: A Personal Reflection Upon the Differences Between Practicing Criminal Law in Virginia and Massachusetts