On April 20, 2020, the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional to convict a criminal in state court without a unanimous jury in its ruling on Ramos v. Louisiana. According to the decision, the Sixth Amendment of the Bill of Rights requires trial “by an impartial jury.” Therefore, it necessitates a... Read More »
On April 23, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Barton v. Barr, holding that the “stop-time rule” made Andre Barton, a Jamaican national and U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), ineligible to apply for relief from deportation. Barton was admitted into the United States in 1989 and became a lawful... Read More »
America is watching the lawmaking process with the same attention as would ordinarily be dedicated to the sports that have long been absent from the country under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic. On July 27, 2020, Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn introduced the newest effort to provide comprehensive federal... Read More »
In the United States of America, citizens rest easier with the idea that the government exists for the people. Other countries are perceived as just that—other. In other countries, democracy might not be provided, human rights can run amok, and government forces may be unleashed with little or no limitations.... Read More »
In May, President Trump threatened to deploy the U.S. military in response to protests roiling the country. However, it's not clear that he has the power to do so. American law prohibits the use of the military on domestic soil except in very specific circumstances. To order troops into a... Read More »
In 2013, in a motel room in Marshall, Texas, Kari Hunt was murdered by her estranged husband with her three children just a few feet away. Her oldest, Breonna Hunt, picked up the room phone to call the police in an attempt to save her mother’s life. The nine-year-old dialed... Read More »
To combat the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the country, 34 states now require face masks in public. These mandates join social distancing measures such as mandatory business closures and limitations on the number of people allowed to congregate in an area. Public response to these health regulations has been mixed.... Read More »
Seventy-four days after George Floyd was killed by a police officer kneeling on his neck, demonstrations continue to erupt in cities across the U.S. The turbulence brings police officers, lawmakers, and protesters into conflict. What right, if any, does the government have to regulate civil dissent? The First Amendment protects... Read More »
Are business owners liable to employees or customers who get COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, if the business was not complying with government requirements or best safety practices? The short answer is yes. Every state has different rules, but the general rule is that a business can be... Read More »
In 2018, Florida voted by a significant majority to allow convicted felons to vote once their sentence was completed. The law went into effect, but with restrictions on the voting rights of Floridian felons. The new law states that felons may vote, but only once they have paid all fines... Read More »
Mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts have long been a topic of controversy. Private employers often include such provisions, and estimates suggest that around 60 million people in the United States have signed these clauses. California recently banned mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts. However, rather than going into effect... Read More »
As of July 1, 2020, the new minimum wage in Los Angeles County is now $14.25 per hour for businesses with 25 or fewer employees and $15.00 per hour for businesses with 26 or more employees. Steady increases have been taking place every year since July 1, 2016. By July... Read More »
From the beginning of his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump’s tough immigration stance was a pillar of his candidacy and later, his presidency. The Republican nominee highlighted tragedies caused by illegal immigrants who broke the law and left Americans dead in their wake. The villains, according to then-candidate and now... Read More »
In a recent Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice Roberts cast the deciding vote in a 5-4 decision striking down a law requiring Louisiana abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. In 2016, the Chief Justice had cast a dissenting vote when the Court struck down a nearly... Read More »
In its ruling in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California in June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's bid to remove the protections shielding more than 650,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation. The court determined in a 5-4 vote that the White House failed... Read More »
