by Ethan Lowens | Apr 16, 2021 | Amicus
It was 10:30 AM on Friday—hour three of waiting for my case to be called in West Roxbury District Court “virtual session.” I was happy to wait; from my perspective as a student public defender, I’d hit the lottery with the presiding judge. In several cases, he leaned...
by Ethan Lowens | Mar 9, 2021 | Amicus
In Santobello v. New York, Chief Justice White described plea bargaining as “an essential component of the administration of justice” because of how dramatically it reduced costs on “judges and court facilities.” Maybe that was true in 1971 when Santobello was...
by Ethan Lowens | Feb 22, 2021 | Amicus, Weekly News Roundup
Covid-19 in Prisons and Jails Prisons and jails remain hotspots for Covid-19 transmission. A top medical journal recommends that states prioritize incarcerated persons’ access to lifesaving Covid-19 treatments. (The Lancet) States have taken different approaches to...
by Ethan Lowens | Oct 7, 2020 | Amicus
Spiderman, Superman, even Ms. Marvel—they’re not superheroes for the woke era. In their day, strong men in spandex were celebrated for bringing justice to their cities. But today, our concept of justice is markedly different than it was in the 1960s. Spiderman tracked...
by Ethan Lowens | Apr 22, 2020 | Amicus
Progressive prosecutors have a math problem. Reform-oriented District Attorneys like Rachel Rollins (Boston), Larry Krasner (Philadelphia), and Kim Foxx (Chicago) ran and won on platforms of ending mass incarceration. And yet, they have no chance of achieving that...
