From the Blog 5/6

Margaret Helein

Nov 17, 20213 min read

Impartial or ignorant? How “impartiality” is an excuse to exclude Black jurors from courtrooms

The jury has finally been selected for the trial of Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan for the killing of...

Samuel Kwan

Nov 16, 20213 min read

Facebook's criminal liability

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data...

Adam K. Roberts

Nov 2, 20214 min read

Urban legends and crime: The stigmatization of mental health

Crime has always been sensational. True crime books, movies, comics, and podcasts gather huge followings. And while the overwrought prose...

Kayla Ollendorff

Oct 26, 20213 min read

D.C. hearing paves way for legalizing recreational cannabis sales

The District of Columbia Council set its first-ever hearing on a bill to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. Chairman Phil...

Siena Richardson

Oct 25, 20213 min read

Survivors want safety, not longer sentences

For decades, lawmakers have justified “tough on crime” sentencing regimes by invoking the desires of crime survivors, particularly survivors

Isabel Hagood

Aug 7, 20214 min read

The path to ending juvenile life without parole

The United States is the only country in the world that sentences children under the age of eighteen to life imprisonment. Juvenile life...

Matthew Sokol

Aug 2, 20213 min read

Police accountability under the ADA: Why deaf civilians fear interaction with law enforcement

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, protests erupted in cities across the United States with the goal of reforming American pol

Adam K. Roberts

Jul 28, 20214 min read

Guilty of nothing: False convictions for misdemeanors and plea bargains

“[H]orse trading determines who goes to jail and for how long. That is what plea bargaining is. It is not some adjunct to the criminal...

Annemarie Gregoire

Jul 23, 20212 min read

The criminalization of mental illness

The criminalization of mental illness has become increasingly common in the United States. A disproportionate number of mentally-ill...

Lawrence Culp Robinson

Jul 21, 20214 min read

Why local corruption cases belong in local courts

In early 2019, Front Royal and surrounding Warren County, Virginia were rocked by allegations that the executive director of the Warren...

Margaret Helein

Jul 9, 20215 min read

Virginia kills death penalty: How it affects the future of state-sanctioned lynching in the South

On March 24, 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., ended a 400-year run of the death penalty in Virginia, making it the first southern state...

Caitlyn Greene

May 25, 20214 min read

The codefendant in Chauvin's trial: Race

As police departments’ roles are widened beyond their expertise, police are granted vast discretion to employ tactics of force, and there is

Vicky Cheng

Apr 13, 20214 min read

Can the law adequately define hate: Punishing the intangible

#StopAsianHate. #BlackLivesMatter. For a plethora of reasons, 2020 and 2021 so far have been the hardest and harshest times for many people,

Samuel Kwan

Apr 12, 20214 min read

Why would military veterans commit insurrection?

The violent January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection is still fresh in our minds. As a veteran, I was particularly saddened and dismayed, yet al

Peter Coetzee

Apr 5, 20214 min read

Revolution or riot? The legal issues of prosecuting the January 6 insurrection

On January 6, 2021, then President Trump exhorted a mob of his supporters to march on the Capitol building with a vague mission of “stopping

Kaitlyn Wallace

Apr 5, 20213 min read

COVID-19's impact on jury selection

As COVID-19 continues to persist after hitting the year mark this March, trials have started to resume in courthouses across the country. Th

Emily Gorin

Mar 31, 20215 min read

Court proceedings and trials during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in courts shutting down in-person appearances. Courts then turned to virtual proceedings as it continued. In

Madeline Bergstrom

Mar 31, 20213 min read

Bail reform: The impact cash bail has on minority populations

In an important first step to making substantial reform to the American criminal justice system, Illinois became the first state to abolish

Kayla Ollendorff

Mar 22, 20213 min read

Removal of Symbols of Oppression in Courtrooms

In December 2020, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard ordered the removal of the portraiture that hung in the courtroom...

Madison Howard

Mar 22, 20213 min read

Second chances: A look at D.C.’s second look act

Prisoners who committed offenses in their youths are finally getting a second chance. D.C. recently passed the Second Look Amendment Act,...

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