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Judicial Override and Divided Juries: Capital Punishment in Alabama

by: David Ware Introduction The Sun Does Shine authored by Anthony Hinton, discusses the criminal justice system in the State of Alabama, specifically addressing the use of capital punishment. Mr. Hinton, an African American man, was convicted of the murder of two restaurant workers in 1985 and was sentenced to death.[1] However, there are two important distinctions to be made about this case. First and foremost, Mr. Hinton was wrongly convicted and was released in 2015, 30 years after his […]

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Recidivism and Reentry: The Perils of Civil Death

by: Ava Fisher (Prison Writing Competition winner, 2021) Introduction The criminal justice system in the U.S. has long represented a response to a very fundamental belief of democracy: the concept of the social contract. Social contract theory is rooted in ancient political theory that inspired the very birth of democracy itself. However, a contemporary understanding that has been implemented in much of western governance draws its influence from the discourse of enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean […]

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A New Age of Community Oriented Policing

by: Tristan McCallister      Policing in America has obviously come under extremely hot water recently as protests and demonstrations raged throughout the summer and in the later months of 2020. Police distrust has skyrocketed and officers have begun to leave departments across the country at alarming rates.  According to Fort Worth Police Officer Association President Manny Ramirez there was a 60% drop in the number of applications to police departments nationally.  (Rozier, 2020) Due to these events, policing is […]

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The Post- Shelby Landscape: The Role of Federalism in Elections

by: Ava Fisher Introduction The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) marked a significant congressional response to racially discriminatory election laws [i]. While the Fifteenth Amendment attempted to enfranchise racial minorities, it lacked means of enforcement [ii]. In response, the VRA established federal authority over state election laws [iii]. This federal enforcement power derived from preclearance through Section 5 of the VRA. States covered under preclearance, determined by the coverage formula of Section 4(b), were required to submit proposed changes […]

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Defining Data Privacy: Nickelodeon Consumer Privacy Litigation

by: Claire Sullivan Concern for the privacy and protection of personal information has long found a place within the United States legal system. In recent decades, however, the discussion surrounding the issue of privacy has taken on new connotations as technology has rapidly broadened the definition and understanding of precisely what kind of information should be regarded as private. As issues regarding Internet usage and privacy have become more common, so have discussions surrounding what kind of legal protections personal […]

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The MORE Act of 2020

by Lacey Stewart In the United States, more and more states have begun to legalize marijuana for not only medicinal use but for recreational use as well.[i] That being said, there has been pressure put upon Congress to take action federally.[ii] The House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would end the federal ban on marijuana. The bill is referred to as The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2020 or the MORE Act of 2020.[iii] This bill essentially […]

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New Rules: A Breach of Faith

by Rachel Sharma In the beginning of May of 2020, Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education, issued new rules about Title IX regulations of sexual misconduct. These regulations are set to take effect on August 14th of this year. These new changes also apply heavily to college students and allow those accused and accusers of sexual assault, harassment, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking to have more due process protections.[1] Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall, on […]

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The 12-Foot Tall Steel Wall

by Tanner D’Ortenzio The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 is a United States law that bestows certain rights to artists across the country and the works they produce.[1] This law is the first piece of U.S. legislation that formally protected the moral rights of artists and their work. Traditionally a European practice, moral rights (separate from economic rights) essentially maintain the integrity of the artist’s work. While these laws do provide artists with protections in a large number of […]

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The Fantastical Case of the Vanicorn

by Tanner D’Ortenzio Sweet Cecily Daniher is an artist from the Bay Area who has quite the knack for finding rare and mystical unicorns in our modern world, as shown in her photography book I See Unicorns.[1] A tattoo artist by trade, Daniher has used her artistic ability to maintain a career that gives her the opportunity to put forth true forms of expression into the world. One of these expressions took the form of a “tremendously cool, dark blue […]

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A Coat of White Paint

by Tanner D’Ortenzio There once was an old, dilapidated factory nestled cozily in Queens, New York. Constructed in the waning years of the U.S industrial revolution, this factory served its role in expanding the industrial might of the United States by working in the exciting field of water meter manufacturing. In time the Neptune Meter Factory[1] underwent a drastic metamorphosis, changing from a damp water meter factory; to a world-renowned sanctuary for aerosol artists and daring creatives alike. Eerily similar […]

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