Known for relatively stringent pandemic safety measures (along with protests and governor-kidnapping plots in response), Michigan remains in a partial shutdown amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Though the state of the pandemic now surpasses the initial early-spring surges, restrictions are far less universally imposing than the lockdowns enacted at the... Read More »
On December 10, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8-0 ruling on Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, making a potentially profound stride in protecting states’ abilities to regulate prescription drug prices. The unanimous opinion was authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, with a concurrence submitted by Justice Clarence Thomas.... Read More »
On the positive side, the candy companies in question do not claim to condone child slave trafficking. In fact, according to court filings, Nestle USA “firmly believes that traffickers deserve punishment.” But, they stressed, “This case is not about any of that.” Indeed, Nestle & Cargill v. Doe, heard in... Read More »
In light of the seemingly ever-escalating COVID-19 pandemic, the legal dilemmas—not to mention the moral ones—surrounding capital punishment have multiplied with nearly the same exponential progression of the virus itself. Along with investigations pointing to unconscionable pain caused by lethal injection (now the federal government’s preferred method of execution), playing... Read More »
Georgia was already in the national spotlight for flipping blue this year. The last state to be called by the Associated Press, Georgia’s polls locked Joe Biden into the Presidency with a total of 306 electoral votes. It’s the first time the state has elected a Democratic President in decades.... Read More »
The Associated Press has called elections since the mid-1800s. The respected group named Joe Biden the President-elect on Saturday, November 7, after he secured more than the required 270 votes from the Electoral College, despite counts persisting in parts of the country. However, the AP typically avoids calling states when... Read More »
Oregon has become the first U.S. state to abolish criminal penalties for possession and use of all drugs, including cocaine, LSD, and heroin. The ballot initiative, known as Measure 110 or the “Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act,” also redirects state funding to expanded healthcare access and addiction services without... Read More »
Jack Dorsey, Sundar Pichai, and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEOs of Twitter, Google, and Facebook, respectively, appeared before the Senate on October 28. The hearing was called to examine the consequences of Big Tech’s “immunity” under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). Section 230 gives platforms like Twitter, Google,... Read More »
The voting case Republican Party of Pennsylvania v. Boockvar technically should have ended in Pennsylvania with the state supreme court’s decision. The highest authority on a state’s laws is that state’s judiciary—not the federal one. Justice Samuel Alito describes the petitioning of this state-decided matter to the U.S. Supreme Court... Read More »
In a time when seeking a college degree equates to willfully taking on long-term debt, the merits of formal education had already come into question before the pandemic. Recently, in the light of COVID-19 shutdowns, the U.S. university system has evoked more than the usual begrudging frustration from paying student... Read More »
Once every decade, the U.S. is bombarded by the pleasantly passive marketing of the census. Ad campaigns gently inform residents of the census’s significance, matter-of-factly highlighting voter representation and the values of civic duty. The 2020 census, however, has joined the ranks of other once-unshakeable institutions now eyed by the... Read More »
Instances of race-based hair discrimination are not uncommon. Chastity Jones is part of a long list of roadblocked cases alleging race-based hair discrimination in workplaces and schools. However, as court decisions and Congress appear optimistically receptive to change, cases like hers may now receive a national legal reckoning. Jones was... Read More »
Senate judiciary meetings for President Donald Trump’s newest nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, have concluded, with a committee vote set for October 22. The proximity of her potential confirmation to the upcoming election sparked immediate controversy, including several calls for Barrett to recuse herself from... Read More »
Florida is one of 18 states in the U.S. with a system in place to directly involve the public in passing amendments to the state constitution. Over the years, this form of “direct democracy” has helped introduce meaningful legislation with powerful participation from the people themselves, rather than depending solely... Read More »
The U.S. Constitution lays out some bare guidelines for voting in elections, but states carry most of the weight themselves. The Constitution does not guarantee voting as a right, exactly, and the consequences of that omission have rippled over the years. According to Section 2 of Article IV, states are... Read More »
