Amicus Blog
A Tale of Two Fultons
The Supreme Court on Thursday weighed in on the continuing tension between religious freedom and LGBT equality in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, holding unanimously that a Philadelphia anti-discrimination law does not bar a Catholic foster care agency from...
read moreDOJ Supports Trans Woman’s Eighth Amendment Claim
Last week, the Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in support of Ashley Diamond’s lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Corrections. Diamond, a Black trans woman and civil rights activist who is incarcerated, has endured repeated sexual assaults...
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This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Derek Chauvin was convicted for killing George Floyd, while the Supreme Court undermined its recent rulings protecting juveniles accused of serious crimes. Meanwhile, Oakland begins experimenting with...
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Maryland Becomes First State to Repeal its Police Bill of Rights
This month, Maryland became the first state to repeal its statutory police bill of rights, thereby reducing the special protections police officers had previously received in the event that one of them was facing criminal prosecution. For those who are highlighting...
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Over Zoom and In-Person, Prosecution is Criminally Inefficient
In the good ol’ days before the pandemic, what may have felt like efficiency in the criminal legal system was really just the whirring machinery of the New Jim Crow. We should care about the efficiency of the criminal legal system. But we must define it appropriately. Does each hour and dollar we invest in it do all that it can to repair harm, help individuals thrive, and build strong communities?
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This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. This week, President Biden forms a panel to study Supreme Court reform, Maryland establishes a multitude of police reform measures, and California’s COVID-19 related restrictions are once again struck down by the Supreme Court.
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Historic New York State Legislation Shows Us What is Possible When Elected Officials Listen to Organizers and Directed-Impacted Communities
On the morning of March 31st, New York, home to the city once considered to be the marijuana arrest capital of the world, became the 15th state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Just hours later, the Governor signed into law an act dramatically limiting...
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Rejecting the Myth of Amateurism Beyond NCAA v. Alston
At the center of the case is the sustainability of the NCAA’s vision of “amateurism” in the face of growing profits, coaches’ salaries, and public skepticism. But amateurism—the belief that sports is part of a students’ educational experience which would be undermined by the pursuit of profit— has been a tool for racist and classist exploitation since its inception.
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This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. This week, evictions are continuing despite the federal moratorium, Virginia bans the “gay/trans panic” defense, President Biden announces his first slate of judicial nominees, and the second week of the trial of Derek Chauvin begins.
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Supreme Court Considers Property Rights—and Future of Regulation—in Cedar Point
The Supreme Court heard oral argument last week in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid. The case, brought by two agricultural employers, involves a challenge to a 1975 California regulation that requires businesses employing farmworkers to allow union organizers on their...
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Will the Pandemic Change How the Federal Government Provides Support to Children and their Families?
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended households across the country and exacerbated long-existing income inequalities. As has been well documented, not all have felt the effects of the pandemic and its corresponding economic crisis the same. Women, caregivers, and...
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This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Pressure builds to push the Biden Administration to address the overcrowding and harsh conditions in federal detention facilities; the Supreme Court will review a Boston federal appeals court decision vacating...
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On one read, Fulton is decidedly narrow; on another, it represents a subtle but worrisome expansion of religious liberty at the expense of other fundamental rights. Read below! https://harvardcrcl.org/a-tale-of-two-fultons/ https://twitter.com/HarvardCRCL/status/1406982603094335492
New on the Amicus Blog: @samjuneneal examines the Supreme Court's limited decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, and what it means for both the future of free exercise principles and LGBTQ rights https://harvardcrcl.org/a-tale-of-two-fultons/
Though the Supreme Court's decision yesterday in Fulton has been hailed as narrow, its silent expansion of religious liberty should give LGBT rights litigants pause. I wrote about it for the @HarvardCRCL blog. Read here: https://harvardcrcl.org/a-tale-of-two-fultons/
A new episode of our podcast, Taking Liberties, is up! On this episode, editor Laura Garcia speaks with @MALDEF's Nina Perales. They discuss her work as an impact litigator, voting rights, civil rights issues facing the LatinX community, and more.
https://harvardcrcl.org/taking-liberties-episode-16-nina-perales-of-maldef/
Hey! You! It's Friday afternoon and I know you're not really working. Take a minute to read my post on @HarvardCRCL's blog! I reflect on my recent experience in West Roxbury court and how we define "efficiency" in the criminal legal system.
https://harvardcrcl.org/criminally-inefficient/