Oct 30, 2024
A close-up of a smartphone screen displaying a Facebook post by Donald J. Trump discussing concerns about mail-in voting and election integrity.
Pennsylvania Mail-In Voting Reaches U.S. Supreme Court

The voting case Republican Party of Pennsylvania v. Boockvar technically should have ended in Pennsylvania with the state supreme court’s decision. The highest authority on a state’s laws is that state’s judiciary—not the federal one. Justice Samuel Alito describes the petitioning of this state-decided matter to the U.S. Supreme Court... Read More »

University of San Diego campus building with outdoor seating area.
The University of San Diego Joins the Pandemic Legal Battle Arena

In a time when seeking a college degree equates to willfully taking on long-term debt, the merits of formal education had already come into question before the pandemic. Recently, in the light of COVID-19 shutdowns, the U.S. university system has evoked more than the usual begrudging frustration from paying student... Read More »

Text message alert about the extension of Michigan's Stay Home Stay Safe order due to COVID-19.
COVID-19 Restrictions in Michigan Deemed Unconstitutional

The Michigan Supreme Court recently ruled that Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders regarding COVID-19 restrictions are unconstitutional. They said that she is not allowed to add or extend restrictions after April 30. Whitmer had said that the state needed more time in order to "allow for an orderly transition during... Read More »

Sign promoting participation in the 2020 U.S. Census, encouraging people to be counted.
Supreme Court Census Decision Leaves Communities Uncounted

Once every decade, the U.S. is bombarded by the pleasantly passive marketing of the census. Ad campaigns gently inform residents of the census’s significance, matter-of-factly highlighting voter representation and the values of civic duty. The 2020 census, however, has joined the ranks of other once-unshakeable institutions now eyed by the... Read More »

A smiling woman with braided hair sits at a desk with a laptop, wearing a yellow blazer, in a bright office setting.
Hair Discrimination Pivots from the Courts to Congress

Instances of race-based hair discrimination are not uncommon. Chastity Jones is part of a long list of roadblocked cases alleging race-based hair discrimination in workplaces and schools. However, as court decisions and Congress appear optimistically receptive to change, cases like hers may now receive a national legal reckoning. Jones was... Read More »

Judge Amy Coney Barrett standing in front of an American flag.
The Election: Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Considering Recusal

Senate judiciary meetings for President Donald Trump’s newest nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, have concluded, with a committee vote set for October 22. The proximity of her potential confirmation to the upcoming election sparked immediate controversy, including several calls for Barrett to recuse herself from... Read More »

Protesters holding signs advocating for the Electoral College and urging people to vote their conscience.
Electoral College Overview

The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. There were some who thought that Congress should elect the President. Others thought that it should be left up to a popular vote. The Electoral College was a compromise. The Electoral College is a group... Read More »

A close-up of a ballot with a black pen and a folded patriotic fabric displaying stars and stripes.
Counting America’s Votes, Then and Now

The U.S. Constitution lays out some bare guidelines for voting in elections, but states carry most of the weight themselves. The Constitution does not guarantee voting as a right, exactly, and the consequences of that omission have rippled over the years. According to Section 2 of Article IV, states are... Read More »

A person wearing a mask holds a sign that says "YES on 15 FUND SCHOOLS + PUBLIC SERVICES" while standing on steps.
California’s Tax Reckoning: The Facts Behind Proposition 15

With November 3 approaching, most of the country is focused on the big names of the 2020 general election, and the words “split roll” aren’t set to dominate the headlines anytime soon. But in California, those words are all the more significant in light of the onslaught of pandemic updates,... Read More »