A Judge’s Neutrality: Recusal in the Supreme Court
Impartiality and equality in the eyes of the law are the cornerstones of the American justice system. In fact, when Cass Gilbert designed the Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C. he etched “Equal Justice Under Law” into the western façade of the building, highlighting the importance of this guiding principle[i]. Ensuring the impartiality of judges […]
The Price of Being Gay: The Constitutionality of DOMA
In a letter to the Speaker of the House, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder signaled that the White House would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. In doing so the president took a proactive step for the equal rights of gay men and women across this country. This […]
Cricket: An Innovative Approach to Combat Terrorism
The comparison between sports and violence is far from a novel association. For hundreds of years under the Roman Empire violence was sport and sport was violence. Further, George Orwell wrote in a 1945 essay that sport is little more than “war minus the shooting.”[i] These comparisons can yield modern-day benefits for law enforcement and […]
Creative Commons: The GNU, and You
Over the centuries content producers have searched for ways of protecting their wares. From engraving names on sculpture, to scribing them on art, to the 21st-century development of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, these methods have only gotten more complex. The overarching idea behind all of the aforementioned methods, however, is a legal term known […]
How Will America Remember Joe Lieberman: Connecticut’s Independent Senator
With his entire extended family behind him and a crowd of several hundred supporters in front of him, Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman took the podium at a hotel in Stamford, Connecticut on January 19 to announce he would not seek reelection in 2012.[i] Lieberman, 68, has had a tumultuous career in the Senate over the […]
American DREAM: Delayed or Denied?
Over the last decade, policy makers in the United States continually pledged to make reformations to the policies surrounding immigration. This period of time has shown quite clearly that comprehensive reform is almost politically impossible. While the push for full-scale improvements has continued, there has also been an attempt to approach the problem pragmatically. By […]
Computer Geek Piracy: File Sharing and the Law
When a person hears the word “pirate,” what is the first image to come to mind? Is it a swarthy, unkempt scalawag with a parrot on his shoulder and cutlass at his hip? Maybe it is that of a rugged individual searching for the treasure of a lifetime. Others might even say it is Johnny […]
Street Corner Counterterrorism: The Role of Police in Combating Terrorism
The United States counterterrorism community has evolved significantly in the nine years since the attacks on September 11, 2001 but questions persist about the intelligence community’s ability to prevent the next attack. Terrorism is just as much, if not a greater threat today than before the attacks. Leon Panetta, current director of the Central Intelligence […]
The War on Taxes: Expiration of Bush Taxes, an Opportunity for Growth
At midnight this New Year’s Eve most Americans will be watching the ball drop in Times Square. However, as the ball is dropping there will be a far more important change within the tax system. Set to expire at midnight are the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) and the Jobs […]
What’s Easting U.S.? : Michelle Obama’s War on Childhood Obesity
First Lady Michelle Obama introduced a new ambitious national goal to her agenda this past February. Childhood obesity rates have steadily risen in the United States and Obama plans to solve the alarming increase of the disease within the next generation so that today’s children will be able to live adulthood at a healthy weight. […]