US Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in opioid prescription cases
The US Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in Ruan v. United States and Kahn v. United States. Both cases concern appeals from doctors who were convicted of illegally distributing prescription drugs. The cases center around the question of whether doctors can defend themselves against these claims by arguing that they acted in good faith. In [...]
The US Supreme Court declined Monday to review a decision that allowed a transgender student to use the bathroom that corresponded to his gender identity. Gloucester County School Board v. Grimm was originally filed in 2015 after Gavin Grimm, who was born as female but identifies as male, was denied the use of the boys’ [...]
Defend Democracy Before It’s Too Late: A One-Page Bill Would Do It
America faces unprecedented and existential threats to voting rights, free and fair elections, and the very future of our democracy. Congress must take urgent action now — well within its constitutional powers — to stop these threats in their tracks. All it would take is a simple one-page bill. I have proposed a draft here. [...]
US President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday establishing the “Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment,” charged with increasing union density and promoting workplace organizing. The task force will be lead by Vice President Kamala Harris, who has advocated for public sector unions and co-sponsored legislation supporting the right to organize while serving [...]
Federal appeals court reinstates Tennessee abortion waiting period
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Friday reinstated a 48-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions in Tennessee. Tenn. Code § 39-15-202, enacted in 2015, mandated that women make two trips to an abortion client. On the first trip, women seeking abortions received mandatory counseling and information regarding abortion risks. Then, [...]
Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, was arrested in the US on Monday and charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation to the US. She is a dual citizen of the US and Mexico and was arrested upon arrival at Dulles International airport outside of Washington, [...]
A Miscarriage of Justice: The Pleaing of Tony DeDolph and the Elusion of Accountability
On January 23, 2021, Chief Petty Officer Tony DeDolph of the U.S. Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) was sentenced to ten years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of Staff Sergeant Logan Melgar of the U.S. Army Green Berets. DeDolph, “pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault, involuntary manslaughter, hazing, and obstruction of justice,” [...]
JURIST EXCLUSIVE – A coalition of international legal advocates sent a joint letter Saturday to Professor Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, condemning the growing trend of government officials intimidating and endangering the legal representatives of politically controversial clients. They also called for greater protections to be granted to advocates, the [...]
Indonesia province publicly canes two gay men under Islamic Sharia law
Officials in Indonesia’s Aceh province publicly caned two men Thursday for breaching the Islamic Sharia law by having a same-sex relationship. Four other people were also caned for a variety of offences. The two men received 77 lashes each. Of the remaining four, two received 40 lashes for alcohol consumption and the other two received [...]
I. Introduction Much of U.S. governance is held together by goodwill, unwritten norms, and the ideals that “that would never happen” and “no one would ever do that.” Every hope of continued reliance on these norms was “shattered” on January 6, 2021, when armed insurrectionists invaded the U.S. Capitol. Under the direction of the President, [...]
