Nov 05, 2024
An assortment of drug-related items, including pills, a syringe, and a vial, with the word "Addiction" prominently displayed on a document.
Oregon Voters Pass Measure 110 to Decriminalize Hard Drugs

Oregon has become the first U.S. state to abolish criminal penalties for possession and use of all drugs, including cocaine, LSD, and heroin. The ballot initiative, known as Measure 110 or the “Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act,” also redirects state funding to expanded healthcare access and addiction services without... Read More »

Sign at a protest reading "END POLICE BRUTALITY" with participants in the background.
Immunity Overturned for Indicted Sheriff Deputies

Georgia’s Supreme Court recently overturned immunity granted to three former sheriff’s deputies indicted for Eurie Lee Martin’s murder. The court’s unanimous decision will see the former deputies tried in Washington County for Martin’s murder and other charges. In a story that has become too familiar, three white law enforcement officers... Read More »

Logo icons of Twitter, Google, and Facebook on a smartphone screen, with the text "BIG TECH" above.
Section 230 Brings Social Media CEOs Back to the Senate

Jack Dorsey, Sundar Pichai, and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEOs of Twitter, Google, and Facebook, respectively, appeared before the Senate on October 28. The hearing was called to examine the consequences of Big Tech’s “immunity” under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). Section 230 gives platforms like Twitter, Google,... Read More »

A close-up image of a person holding a handgun in a holster, resting on their hip. The background is blurred, focusing on the firearm.
Open Firearm Carry at Michigan Polling Places 2020

On October 16, 2020, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson ordered that all open-carry firearms were to be prohibited at polling places across the state. The action led an alliance of gun-rights groups to file suit and request a preliminary injunction against the order on October 22. Oral arguments were... Read More »

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 »