By: Haley Edmonds The Indigenous right of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent should be implemented in U.S. environmental decision-making substituting the current, lesser standard, of tribal consultation. By empowering Native Americans with actual leveraging power, and not merely a forum to air their grievances, Indigenous peoples can effectively serve as the last line of defense against environmentally-exploitative activities, such as pipelines. What is FPIC? Free, … Continue reading Free, Prior, and Informed Consent: A Potential Last Line of Environmental Defense

By: Abbey Lahnston In the summer of 2021, Virginia moved from its well-established institution of jury sentencing to judge sentencing.[1] Joe Morrisey, a Virginia State Senator claimed, “Jurors have no idea what a normal sentence is. That’s why it is important to have a judge sentencing who has the guidelines and can put it into context.”[2] But Joe Morrisey, and the Virginia Legislation in general, … Continue reading

By: Amanuel Mekonnen DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, is under attack again. On June 16, 2021, Judge Andrew S. Hanen of the United States District Court in Houston ordered the immediate vacatur of the memorandum that created the DACA program and remanded the program back to the Department for Homeland Security (DHS), subject to a temporary stay. [1] In a 77-page memorandum, … Continue reading

By: Jessica King In the United States, approximately 24,000 juveniles are held in detention on a given night. Three hundred thousand young offenders are admitted to detention centers every year.[1]  The sentencing of an offender is driven by three key considerations: punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation often holds the most weight when discussing the sentencing of youth offenders.[2] Juvenile justice policy has been increasingly focused … Continue reading Recidivism in Young Offenders: The Focus on Rehabilitation

By: Tyler Butt In 2008 the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment “provides an induvial right to keep a handgun at home for self-defense.”[1] Since that ruling, the Supreme Court has largely refused to rule on additional Second Amendment related challenges. However, this upcoming term, the Supreme Court will hear ““perhaps the single most important unresolved Second Amendment question” since the court found an … Continue reading “Proper Cause” the Supreme Court to decide on most consequential Second Amendment Case in a decade

By: Albert Gutierrez The eviction situation in Virginia is highly unsettling. In 2016, five of the top ten cities with the highest eviction rates were located in Virginia.[1] The list included cities such as, Richmond, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, and Chesapeake.[2] Richmond, in particular, was second in the nation, where roughly 1 in 9 renters faced eviction each year.[3] With eviction numbers skyrocketing throughout Virginia … Continue reading “New Virginia Law Can Have a Positive Effect on Those Facing Eviction”

By: Kaylin Cecchini Evaluating credit history in determining whether a rental applicant will be a “good tenant” is a relic of a racist history in housing accessibility. Credit reports have little to no predictive value for any person but have even larger and compounding complications for people of color.[1] Access to housing is a necessary foundation for achieving other goals related to food security, employment … Continue reading Removing Credit History from the Rental Applicant Screening Process

By: Kira Davis The “best interests of the child” has become the fundamental consideration in family courts.[1] In order to determine what is in the child’s “best interests” when deciding custody arrangements, courts consider multiple factors.[2] These factors include the child’s age, which party can continue to provide the child’s current routine, and which party is able to meet the child’s physical needs, among others.[3] … Continue reading Why Attachment Theory Should Play a Larger Role in the Courtroom

By Pablo Grijalva On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans protested for environmental reforms[1]. About eight months later, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established, a new era of protecting land and waterways that the public can benefit from and enjoy.  Now in 2021, Greenhouse Gas Emissions are at their highest recorded levels[2], and we continue to see a rise in extreme weather events[3] causing … Continue reading Recent SCOTUS decision may open-or close- the door for State Tort Climate Claims