Category: Blog Post

Blog Post, Recent Posts

The Potential Pitfalls of Progressive Prosecution

By Frank Morris The theory that correcting racial and other demographic disparities in the administration of criminal justice can be achieved by electing reformist prosecutors who promise to use their broad discretionary and nolle prosequi privileges to reduce incarceration—so-called “progressive prosecution”—has gained traction in recent years.[1] The election of progressive prosecutors such as Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, Kim Ogg in Houston, and Rachel Rollins in Boston … Continue reading The Potential Pitfalls of Progressive Prosecution

Maxwell Petrie
Blog Post, Recent Posts

Should Mandatory Minimum Penalties Be Mandatory?

By Zach Lisner The Problem When it comes to sentencing, who should have control? Currently, our nation is divided in every aspect; criminal sentencing is no exception. For most of our nation’s legal history, judges were entrusted by citizens to decide what an individual’s sentence was, based on the crime and specific circumstances. However, after the crime waves of the 1970s, Congress reacted with the … Continue reading Should Mandatory Minimum Penalties Be Mandatory?

Maxwell Petrie
Blog Post, Recent Posts

Felony Convictions: The Disenfranchisement and Disempowerment of Black Communities

By Claudia Leonor For violators of criminal law, the process of stigmatization begins with arrest and conviction.[1] Arrest and conviction create “a panoply of economic, social, and political post-conviction penalties . . . intended to assure that the shame of incarceration is not forgotten or avoided.”[2] A felony conviction, in particular, carries collateral civil consequences that condemn a criminal offender to a lifetime of second-class … Continue reading Felony Convictions: The Disenfranchisement and Disempowerment of Black Communities

Maxwell Petrie
Blog Post

For the Sake of Normalcy, Waive the Vaccine Patent Rights!

By Bushra Haque The patent law world has recently been challenged with whether patent rights should be waived for the COVID-19 vaccines. It has been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives, and it often feels like life will never be normal again. At the end of last week, the world was alerted to the spread of the omicron variant—yet another … Continue reading For the Sake of Normalcy, Waive the Vaccine Patent Rights!

Maxwell Petrie
Blog Post

Racial Profiling and Illegal Searches: How the Fourth Amendment Disproportionately Harms People of Color

The Fourth Amendment guarantees the people a right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.[1] For the most part, this appears to be a straightforward principle. But why is it also often the most controversial? As the American Civil Liberties Union notes, “this is one of our most cherished Amendments, but often our most threatened,” and it … Continue reading Racial Profiling and Illegal Searches: How the Fourth Amendment Disproportionately Harms People of Color

Maxwell Petrie
Blog Post, Recent Posts

Virginia’s Own Tiger King: How the Netflix Documentary Impacted Roadside Zoos

By Jessica Rooke Hey all you cool cats and kittens, remember Tiger King? This sensational Netflix documentary premiered in the height of the 2020 pandemic displaying Joseph Maldonado-Passage, the star known better as “Joe Exotic” and his concerning roadside zoo in Oklahoma. [1]    This documentary did not only just provide entertainment for us stuck at home, it also sparked a movement. A movement of animal … Continue reading Virginia’s Own Tiger King: How the Netflix Documentary Impacted Roadside Zoos

Maxwell Petrie
Blog Post

Raising Awareness for Virginia’s COVID Rent Relief Program

By Caleb Thompson Virginia’s Rent Relief Program (“RRP”) is a program administered via Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development, and it exists to help “support and ensure housing stability across the commonwealth during the coronavirus pandemic”.[1]The assistance the program provides comes primarily in the form of financial assistance for rent payments, with an opportunity for tenants to renew these payments if further rent relief … Continue reading Raising Awareness for Virginia’s COVID Rent Relief Program

Maxwell Petrie
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
Blog Post

Overbreadth in UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Battle

By: Gianna Fienberg, L’19 The University of California at Berkeley is considered to be a bastion of free speech.[1] Berkeley started the Free Speech Movement in 1964, when students held a sit-in to protest restrictions on free speech at the University that prevented students from distributing flyers about major political issues, such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War.[2] Today however, some conservatives … Continue reading Overbreadth in UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Battle

Katherine Love
Blog Post

FEMA: What Happens When the Well Runs Dry?

By: MaryAnn Grover, L’19 2017 has been described as a historically catastrophic year by the agency tasked with dealing with those catastrophes.[1] In 2017, almost eight percent of the United States population was affected by significant natural disasters, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) received more registrations for their Individual Assistance program than were received for Hurricanes Rita, Wilma, Katrina, and Sandy combined.[2] In … Continue reading FEMA: What Happens When the Well Runs Dry?

Katherine Love