Almost a year ago, following the lifting of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the combat ban against women, the United States military ended its ban on transgender soldiers. Then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter argued at the time that “we don’t want barriers unrelated to a person’s
"This is not just a Standing Rock issue . . . This is a human rights issue." Those were the words of Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member Joye Braun last fall, when hopes of defeating the Dakota Access Pipeline ran high. In the waning days
The Trump travel ban executive orders, issued in January and March 2017, each called for a 120-day suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (“USRAP”) in order to allow for a review of the security measures necessary by executive agencies.[1] Both orders were stayed nationwide
In March 2015, federal prosecutors in the course of a corruption investigation revealed a series of shockingly racist and homophobic text messages sent between several San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officers. In the wake of the scandal, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón commissioned a
A first-hand account of efforts to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by Greater Boston Legal Services attorney Elizabeth McIntyre.
In recent years, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community has gained many civil rights. Yet people continue to be fired, demoted, or treated differently at work because of their gender identities or sexual orientation. Until last week, however, no appellate court had ever ruled
After more than 1,100 law professors sent an open letter opposing the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, many received something wholly unexpected in return: open records requests for their university-account emails containing the words “Sessions,” “Jeff Sessions,” or “Attorney General.” These requests
Last month, State Attorney Aramis Ayala, who represents the Orlando area counties, announced that she would not be seeking the death penalty in the prosecution of Markeith Loyd. Loyd was charged with killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and fatally shooting an already wounded police officer. Days after
Guest post by Harmann Singh. Harmann is a first-year student at Harvard Law School and is interested in civil rights and criminal justice reform. He received a B.A. in Math and Economics from Columbia University. “I think he did it because he’s Mexican, and Mexican men take
In February, Florida enacted a new death penalty statute that resolved the constitutional issues the U.S. Supreme Court found in 2016. Even with this reinstatement, one state’s attorney, Aramis D. Ayala, said that her office would not seek what she views as an ineffective and costly form
