By Sarah DeLoach Artificial reproductive technologies (“ART”) have brought millions of families together and provided opportunities for parentage which were once considered impossible.[1] Since its inception in 1976, the ART of surrogacy, though, has caused increasing concern.[2] The legal implications of international commercial surrogacy and the exploitation of women in third-world countries are particularly troubling. Commercial surrogacy has boomed in the United States within the … Continue reading International Commercial Surrogacy and the Exploitation of Women in India

By Laney Flanagan Social media has made it possible to constantly stay in touch with friends, family, and even strangers. The onset of social media has also created yet another platform for stalkers, harassers, and abusers to contact their victims. The law has tried to keep up with this danger, especially helping those who have preexisting protective orders against abusers, but several loopholes still exist[1]. … Continue reading When the “Block” Button isn’t Enough: The Interplay of Social Media and Protective Orders

By Courtney Mason The U.S. maternal mortality rate is consistently growing, and certain demographics are suffering the most.[1] Each year, 50,000 women in the United States experience severe pregnancy-related complications and 700 women die.[2] Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.[3] This number is even higher when including non-cisgender Black women. Black birthing persons, which … Continue reading Race Discrepancies in Medical Treatment of Pregnant People

By Marley Manjarrez On a cloudy October evening, a friend and I arrive at a park in Richmond’s Woodland Heights neighborhood. Upon arrival, Devin Jefferson, the Science Museum of Virginia’s Community Science Catalyst hands us each a mobile air quality monitor. We then stroll through winding streets talking about community projects and how the city has changed over the years. We met that evening as … Continue reading Protecting The Data Usability In Community Air Quality Monitoring Networks

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