By Laura Youngquist Employers in Virginia will now have the option to offer a wonderful benefit for their workers. Virginia is among the first states in the country to enact an insurance program aimed at securing paid family leave.[1] Paid family leave, while normal in all other high-income countries, has struggled to gain steam in the American political atmosphere until the last decade.[2] Virginia Governor … Continue reading Virginia’s Innovative Expansion on Family Leave

By Bailey Ellicott Death row is an environment designed to dehumanize and punish, and it does just that—these conditions are akin to solitary confinement, a severe punishment for inmates in general population restricted to limited periods of time.[1] For those sentenced to death, inmates live in these conditions for an average of over 14 years, but it is not uncommon to remain on death row … Continue reading A Broken System Creates Broken People: How Death Row Conditions Create and Exacerbate Mental Illness in Inmates Sentenced to Death

By Eric Ramputh Towards the latter part of 2023, no earlier than the third quarter of the year, America’s debt ceiling clock will strike midnight. At that time, the country will face two potential outcomes.[1] The first outcome would be all too familiar, as Congress would avert another debt ceiling crisis and kick the debt ceiling “can” down the road for yet another future Congress … Continue reading A Ticking Time Bomb at the Center of the American Economy

By Ashley Davis The phrase “manufactured home” gives people pause; the recent shift away from the terms “mobile home” or even “trailer” was not one that the majority of the public was aware of. However, this change indicates a wider shift in the attitudes and legislative landscape towards manufactured home communities. Following a series of 1976 regulations, the quality of manufactured homes dramatically increased. (In … Continue reading Predatory Rent-to-Own Clauses in Manufactured Home Leases

By Heather Barden The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“RGGI”), established in 2005, is a joint cap-and-trade program that aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector in participating states.[1] Currently 12 states participate in RGGI: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.[2] Power plants within the 12 states are required to meet pre-established … Continue reading Can Virginia Be Removed from RGGI By Way of Agency Action?

By Bin Lu Since the turn of the twentieth century, LGBTQ students have faced several challenges that may prevent them from attaining equal access to the benefits of public education: names and pronouns, access to sex-segregated spaces, apparel and appearance, and peers may play a role in the harassment or bullying of LGBTQ students.[1] Names and Pronouns While occupying a relatively small place in the … Continue reading Challenges Facing LGBTQ Youth in Schools

By Tanmay Gupta The role of the defense attorney is one that is very controversial in criminal law. On October 27th of this year, a federal judicial panel rejected a proposal to force defense attorneys to disclose more information, primarily financial statements of a defendant when he asks for a court appointed lawyer. [1] These issues seem to constantly get debated by legal panels on … Continue reading The Role of the Criminal Defense Attorney: How to Reconcile Protecting the Client and Being Ethical

By Danni Bian The #MeToo movement has prompted widespread recognition that sexual harassment is pervasive both in and out of the workplace.[1] About twenty-two percent of employed women in the United States reported experiencing sexual harassment at work, compared with seven percent of employed men.[2] Approximately forty-two percent of employed women in the United States have faced some kind of gender discrimination at work, including … Continue reading Restorative Practices on Workplace Sexual Harassment

By Daniel LaLonde What does it mean for a supervisee to answer to a supervisor? Does it remind you of your workplace? Where a supervisor can punish the supervisee if they do not perform their tasks appropriately? Do images of a supervisee working to handle their job appropriately to avoid reprimands from their supervisor spring into your mind? If so, to whom do you think … Continue reading Transparency at the Virginia Department of Corrections

By Nicole Evans The decision of Olmstead v. L.C. was a monumental moment for the disabled community. It held that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), unjustified isolation of a person with a disability is discrimination on the basis of the person’s disability.[1] Olmstead also held that the states need to provide treatment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the least restrictive … Continue reading Virginia’s Continued Non-Compliance with DOJ Settlement is Disability Discrimination