Chad Gasman '20 Diane Watson, a former United States Representative from California’s 33rd District, argued in front of the entire House of Representatives that “the judicial branch has often been the sole protector of the rights of minority groups against the will of the popular majority” [1]. This idea is the driving force behind much … Continue reading The Democratization of Injustice: How Judicial Elections Affect the Judiciary’s Ability to Protect Minority Rights
GUULR Blog
California Proposition 57 Gives Juvenile Justice a Much-Needed Facelift
Dominic Solari COL 2020 On November 8, 2016, California’s Proposition 57 passed with a majority vote and will now be implemented into the state’s criminal justice system. Among other clauses of the proposition was a measure that allowed juveniles who commit crimes to obtain hearings before a judge to determine whether or not they will … Continue reading California Proposition 57 Gives Juvenile Justice a Much-Needed Facelift
The Future of the Trump Supreme Court
Jennifer Hepner COL 2020 Trump’s election to the oval office came as a major shock to most of the nation. With the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and the pending retirement of Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and perhaps even Anthony B. Kennedy, president-elect Donald Trump now holds the responsibility … Continue reading The Future of the Trump Supreme Court
Is there the potential for a compromise in Zubik v. Burwell?
Sarah Hannigan SFS 2018 A recent development in Zubik v. Burwell, a case on accommodations for religious non-profits under the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, has further complicated the case and is likely an effort by the Court to avoid a 4-4 tie in the ruling. Both sides of the case have been required to … Continue reading Is there the potential for a compromise in Zubik v. Burwell?
The Inevitability of the Clean Power Plan and the Supreme Court: What We Can Learn from… Herman Cain?
Anthony Albanese COL' 16 The Clean Power Plan that was passed down by the EPA last August was perhaps the most ambitious federal environmental action taken since President Obama took office. Its main purpose was to pass reduce the emissions of power plants (primarily coal-based) by 40%, as well as to spur investment into renewable … Continue reading The Inevitability of the Clean Power Plan and the Supreme Court: What We Can Learn from… Herman Cain?
Splitting the Ninth Circuit Once and For All
Joseph Di Pietro Columnist When examining a map of the geographic jurisdictions of the federal courts of appeals, one could hardly be blamed for momentarily believing that one was looking at a vague approximation of the United States’ political boundaries soon after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. As one’s gaze moves west across the continental United … Continue reading Splitting the Ninth Circuit Once and For All
Why Have We Forgotten About the ERA?
Yun Joo Park COL '18 In June 2015, actress Meryl Streep sent 535 letters, one to each member of Congress, urging them to consider backing the Equal Rights Amendment. [1] But this isn’t the first time Congress has been asked to consider the ERA. The National Woman’s Party first introduced the ERA in 1923 [2]; … Continue reading Why Have We Forgotten About the ERA?
Evenwel v. Abbott: Should “One Person One Vote” really be “One Voter One Vote”?
Gaia Mattiace Columnist In American Constitutional law the history of the phrase “one person one vote” is a tumultuous one, but what does the provision truly entail? At first glance this issue seems simple. The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that the number of representatives shall be apportioned on the basis of state … Continue reading Evenwel v. Abbott: Should “One Person One Vote” really be “One Voter One Vote”?
Surrogacy: The Gray Area Amidst the Body Right Battle
Kelsey Yurek COL '19 In the age of deep controversy over body rights and abortion, states are grappling with a method to manage surrogacy laws in both traditional and gestational cases. Traditional surrogacy transpires when the biological mother of the child also acts as the surrogate. Though the child is intended for another individual or … Continue reading Surrogacy: The Gray Area Amidst the Body Right Battle
The Heavy Weight of Wage Garnishment Laws
Rachel Linton SFS '19 Wage garnishment occurs when a portion of an individual’s paycheck is seized to recover debt, and it has long been a legal measure in the United States. The percentage seized varies depending on the law and the case but can often amount to a sizable segment of the person’s income. Wage … Continue reading The Heavy Weight of Wage Garnishment Laws