Unbundle the Police: Structural Reforms to Move Toward Abolition Authored by: Patrick Rice, Staff Editor   [1]   Police violence against communities of color and poor communities has been a persistent presence in policing in America since police departments were formed. Since 2015, police have shot and killed at least 5400 people, disproportionately Black people and other people of color.[2] People of color … Continue reading Unbundle the Police: Structural Reforms to Move Toward Abolition

by Harry Cohen, Staff Editor In April of 2019 New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, signed sweeping bail reform into law, the law was set to take effect January 1, 2019.[1] Just three months after taking effect, in April of 2020, that law was gutted[2] after a campaign by multiple State officials against the legislation they had previously supported.[3] What happened over the course of these … Continue reading Lessons Learned: A Reflection on No-Cash Bail in New York

by John Dickinson, Staff Editor The 2020 regular session of the General Assembly dramatically expanded the role of absentee voting in Virginia.  Absentee voting transitioned from a back-up for those who were unable to make it to their in-person polling place on Election Day to a general expansion of the voting period, enabling any registered voter to vote between the time the ballots are printed … Continue reading Virginia Absentee Voting Reform

By Chandler Huffer, Staff Editor Millions of Americans have Ring Doorbells, a modern doorbell with video capabilities, to protect their homes and privacy. [1] However, these doorbells may actually be invading their privacy more than protecting it.  Ring uses an app called Neighbors to connect its users, but this app also allows police departments that have contracted with Amazon, the parent company of Ring, to … Continue reading Are Ring Doorbells Creating a Surveillance State?: The Effects of Local Government and Private Surveillance

By Kim Simmons, Lead Articles Editor On Wednesday, March 31, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced a new program, known as the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP), to expedite the development of potentially safe and effective life-saving treatments for the COVID-19 virus[1]. As part of the CTAP, the FDA has redeployed medical and regulatory staff to serve on review teams dedicated to … Continue reading FDA Fights for COVID-19 Cure

By Tyler Moses, Staff Editor Countries around the world are struggling to adjust to life with the COVID-19, the pandemic that has unapologetically altered the infrastructure of nearly every society. In the United States, the healthcare industry struggles to adjust to supply shortages and hospital capacity issues. The stock market has gradually plummeted, as much of the country issued stay-at-home orders and asked that only … Continue reading Crime and COVID-19 – How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has and Will Affect Crime

By: Julianna Meely, Staff Editor “[A]s long as the state provides a warm body with a law degree and a bar admission, little else matters.”[1]Unfortunately, Georgetown Law professor and prominent author, David Cole’s, sentiment seems to be an accurate reflection of the public’s view of public defense attorneys and indigent defense commissions. As an aspiring criminal attorney, it’s frustrating to think that criminal attorneys on … Continue reading Is Your Defense Attorney Paid Less Than You? How Virginia Values Appointed Counsel