By: Pete Johnson Every public defender—whether  young or seasoned—knows the story of Clarence Earl Gideon, an indigent Florida defendant who hand-wrote a note to America’s highest court declaring that he had a right to an attorney.[1] Gideon’s inspirational story led to the landmark Supreme Court decision of Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Court ruled that Gideon’s 6th Amendment constitutional rights were violated when he … Continue reading Appoint Public Defenders to Federal and State Courts

PC: https://www.kiplinger.com/article/taxes/T055-C032-S014-5-ways-to-help-control-your-taxes-in-retirement.html By: Terri Morris The 2019 tax filing season had a slow start as the IRS and many other federal government agencies were forced to halt operations due to the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.[1] The IRS closure left Americans wondering how and when they would be able to file their income tax returns.[2] The federal government reopened on January 25, 2019, after … Continue reading Americans Start to Feel the Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

By: Gianna Fienberg In April 2018, Virginia took the important step of ensuring the incarcerated had access to menstrual products at no cost through the enactment of House Bill 83.[1] The bill directed the State Board of Corrections and the Director of the Department of Corrections to adopt and implement a standard or policy “to ensure the provision of feminine hygiene products to female inmates … Continue reading Periods & Prisons: Virginia’s Recent Struggle to Improve Menstrual Equity in State Facilities

By: Randell Scism When a child is a victim of a crime, not only must they deal with the emotional consequences of that experience, but they may have to deal with the potentially traumatizing effects of the legal involvement.[1] Child abusers are criminally sanctioned, but that requires the child victim to endure the long and traumatic road through trial.[2] It is not uncommon for children … Continue reading (Hu)man’s Best Friend: How Therapy Dogs Can Help Child Victims Testify in Court

PC: https://fox6now.com/2019/01/11/what-we-know-about-the-suspect-in-the-kidnapping-of-jayme-closs/ By: Jackie Cipolla The Badger State has had its share of high profile murders in the past two decades. The Netflix documentary, Making a Murderer, sparked a national debate over Steven Avery’s alleged murder of Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.[1] Avery’s attorneys put forward the defense of a corrupt sheriff’s department that planted incriminating evidence, but to no avail as a Manitowoc jury … Continue reading “Making *Another* Murderer”: Possible Defenses for Jake Patterson for the Murder of Jayme Closs’s Family

By: Caitlin Yuhas Over the years, law school programs have arguably become more robust with “real-world” opportunities for their students. Many now offer pro bono volunteer projects and clinical placements, for example. [1] Yet, without bar admission, a completed juris doctor, or a third-year practice certificate, it is still possible for students to feel stilted in what they can contribute to the greater legal community. … Continue reading Legal Observing: A Simple and Powerful Way for Law Students to Contribute

Image source:  Jake Burns, McAuliffe: Don’t Suspend Driver’s Licenses if Someone Can’t Pay Court Costs, WTVR CBS 6 (Jan. 3, 2017) https://wtvr.com/2017/01/03/mcauliffe-dont-suspend-drivers-license-if-someone-cant-pay-court-costs/. By: Edward Lebar Late in December of last year, a federal district court judge for the Western District of Virginia granted an injunction against the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to prevent them from automatically suspending the driver’s licenses of persons with unpaid … Continue reading A Change in Court Collections: Virginia Looks to End Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Fines

By: LeGrand Northcutt Across the country, it is perfectly legal to imprison a person simply because they have not paid a fine.[1] In some states, this practice is so commonplace that state law allows a defendant to deduct money from his fine for every day he is in jail for nonpayment.[2] The implications for putting a defendant in jail simply because he does not pay … Continue reading How Debtors’ Prisons are Making a Resurgence

By: Nicole Gibson Recent changes to immigration policies accompanied by public condemnation of undocumented immigrants has made it more difficult for many to escape dangerous or abusive relationships.[1] Immigrant survivors of domestic violence often have limited options available when trying to escape future abuse, and increased threats of deportation only amplify these difficulties. Currently, undocumented persons who suffer from abuse are afforded a few narrow … Continue reading Domestic Violence Survivors: The Silent Victims of Hard Line Immigration Policy

By: Rebecca Schultz If Congress does not start regulating compound interest on student loans, we could be facing our next national financial crisis. Like the mortgage crisis of 2008, when interest rates on mortgages were not being properly managed, negative amortization has led to a situation in which many student-borrowers are incapable of paying off their loans.[1] This enables the existence of situations in which … Continue reading The Student-Loan Debt Crisis