The Pressing Injustice of the Thirteenth Amendment

• August 3rd, 2020
• in Capstone Commentary

by Soleil Ozols

“Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, or any other place subject to their jurisdiction.”[1]

The exception for slavery and involuntary servitude for inmates in the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution redacts integral Constitutional rights from inmates. The few retained rights include their basic First Amendment rights, such as free speech and religion, protection against any form of cruel and unusual punishment,[2] as well as rights regarding disabled accommodations and the right to medical care.[3] One right that is lost is the inmate’s labor rights, such as the right to minimum wage and worker’s compensation. The lack of labor rights aids in the use of prisoners as a cheap and easily accessible labor force with very little regulations regarding the treatment of those working inmates is rarely considered. The Thirteenth Amendment is credited for legally outlawing slavery, but the simple exception for criminals allows a loophole for prisoners to be legally forced into involuntary servitude.

The Undeniability of Discrimination in Solo v. United States Soccer Federation

• August 3rd, 2020
• in Capstone Commentary

by Soleil Ozols

In recent years there have been many instances of women coming forward to speak out against their experiences with workplace discrimination through the unequal pay between men and women; women’s soccer is no exception to this. On March 8, 2019, all 28 players of the U.S. Senior Women’s National Soccer Team sued the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on the basis that the USSF is in direct violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act.[1] Even though the Plaintiffs in Solo v. United States Soccer Federation filed a federal class-action lawsuit against USSF on March 8, 2019, the issue of inequitable pay between the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (WNT) and the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (MNT) has been a constant agenda of the WNT soccer players since 2012, and even possibly before that. By looking through the evidentiary claims by the Women’s National Team, this article will evaluate the validity of the claims in regards to Title VII and the Equal Pay Act.

Iranian Cryptocurrency Restriction

• July 30th, 2020
• in Capstone Commentary

by Soleil Ozols

On account of the prohibition of the handling of cryptocurrencies among all Iranian financial institutions, the form of online currency took a hit towards a national progression in Iran, but progress with the emerging currency has not been ultimately banned and forgotten by Iranian financial institutions. As Iran continues to maneuver conflicts, both foreign and domestic, one focus of local financial institutions is cryptocurrencies, or moreover, the benefits and conflicts they pose. A major contributor to foreign and domestic disagreements relies on the country’s overwhelming Shiite allegiance.

Are International Requirements for Addressing Climate Change Being Met?

• July 30th, 2020
• in Capstone Commentary

by Soleil Ozols

“The more we disrupt our climate, the more we risk severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts. But, it does not have to be that way… Let’s join a race to the top, a race where there are only winners.”[1] – Secretary-General António Guterres

Climate change is a global phenomenon created predominantly by burning fossil fuels. This leads to increasing global temperatures, sea level rise, mass amounts of melted ice in the North and South Pole, as well as extreme weather events. Even in the last 650,000 years, the Earth’s climate has gone through multitudes of cycles, with the last cycle ending about 7,000 years ago, marking the beginning of the modern climate era which grants human civilization the ability to thrive.[2]

“I” is for Impeachment

• January 27th, 2020
• in Capstone Commentary

by Soleil Ozols

On August 12, 2019, an anonymous whistleblower filed a complaint to the Select Committee on Intelligence regarding current President Donald Trump. The contents of the complaint were in regards to whether or not President Trump used his power as president to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election.[1] Through multiple reputable sources, the anonymous whistleblower filed the complaint because of the actions that constituted “a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law or Executive Order’ that ‘does not include differences of opinions concerning public policy matters” that are consistent with the definition of an “urgent concern” in 50 U.S.C. §3033(k)(5)(G).[2] Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson was the one who reviewed the whistleblower complaint and determined it to be credible, allowing the prospects for an inquisition on the impeachment of President Trump to take form. On September 26, the whistleblower complaint was declassified along with the transcript of a call between President Trump and the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. Based on the information brought to light from the complaint and the transcript, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into the accusations against President Donald Trump.