by: Alexandra Hoffman The Quandary of a Little Context… More than ten years ago, Justice Souter in Kansas v. Marsh reaffirmed that “the death penalty must be reserved for the ‘worst of the worst.’” [1] However, as the American Civil Liberties Union aptly states, “[t]he death penalty is like a lottery, in which fairness always […]
BY: Morgan Kirkland “Any society depends on citizens who are concerned about others and the common good.” These are the opening words of the recently published Harvard report on college admissions.[1] The premise is idealistic in its rhetoric instead of a guide to be implemented and followed. Yet, even though the report is arguably utopian, […]
BY: MICHAEL D. BRAUNSTEIN Decades after the start of the movement against lesbian, gay, transgendered, bisexual, and queer (“LGBTQ”) discrimination,[1] LGBTQ citizens have finally earned a long-sought victory. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-to-4 decision that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.[2] Although this was undoubtedly a huge […]
BY: LAUREN MADDOX In 1986, the Supreme Court decided Batson v. Kentucky, holding that use of peremptory challenges to remove jurors from the jury pool based on race is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.[1] The following year, Timothy Tyrone Foster, an 18-year-old black male, was convicted and sentenced to […]
