The School-to-Prison Pipeline and How It Can Stop Once We Put an End to Zero-Tolerance Policies
The zero-tolerance policies and use of police officers on school grounds are deeply failing our students. [read more]
A Case for Treating Nonviolent Drug Offenders With Rehabilitation Instead of Prison Time
In light of the opioid crisis facing the nation today, lawmakers are focusing less on harsh federal sentences, and more on research into the public health crisis. Since the government is looking at opioid drug users with more compassion and less contempt, there is a perfect opportunity for lawmakers to make offenders of all drugs an offense that calls for treatment instead of prison time. [read more]
Addressing the E-pidemic: Regulating Teen and Young Adult Use of Electronic Cigarettes
If these brands fail to appropriately address the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use, they are likely to receive harsh consequences from the FDA, including complete removal of some or all of their flavored products that may be contributing to the rise in youth use from the market until they otherwise meet all of their obligations under the law. [read more]
Guise of Belief: Acquiring Religious Accommodations with an Invented Religion and a Veil of Religious Sincerity
Is there any way for a jury or judge to see past a sufficiently sophisticated farce? For now, we’ll have to hope that invented religions stick to humor and forgo genuine dedication to acquiring religious accommodations through an elaborate ruse. [read more]
Getting the Elephant out of the Room: A Needed Update to the Animal Welfare Act’s Humaneness Requirement as a Prohibition of Elephant Captivity in Zoos
The best solution for elephants currently suffering in zoos is to move them to elephant sanctuaries. A chorus of public and institutional support already exists for getting elephants out of zoos. [read more]
Voting Rights for the Incarcerated
These stunning statistics do not just affect policy implications for racial subjugation but also proper rehabilitation of ex-felons into normal society. [read more]
The 2017 Tax Reform and Its Effect on Renewables
As the Tax Reform Act continues to be implemented, the wind and solar energy sectors will be key industries to watch. Most likely, the late 2017 tax legislation will dampen incentives to invest in the renewables industry. [read more]
“The Subject Was Muddy and Wet”: The Illegality of Zero Tolerance
The disorder is a reminder of a grasping, struggling, messy attempt with no guarantee of successful entry, or even survival, by the end. [read more]
An Administrative Law Approach to Criminal Justice Reform
While the main utility of fusion centers at their inception was avoiding future terrorist attacks, they quickly transformed into tools of local policing. [read more]
Fight or Flight: Explaining Minority Associate Attrition
Diversity has been a prominent problem in the legal profession. Law is among the least diverse professions in the nation. According to a survey conducted in 2016, racial minorities represent about 20% of all attorneys at law firms. The industry has seen efforts to incorporate minorities into law schools and law firms, including minority mentorship programs, partner training, and objective evaluation methods; however, progress has been achingly slow. In the seven years between 2009 and 2016, the percentage of women in law firms has grown by less than one percent and the percentage of minority lawyers has only increased by about two percent. The lack of diversity is exacerbated among more senior attorneys. A survey of national law firms showed that while minorities compose 32% of the summer associate class at law firms, minorities compose 8% of partners. Thus, the primary impediment to diversity in law firms is not the hiring, but the retention of minority attorneys. Minority attorneys are 1.3-1.5 times as likely to voluntarily leave their law firms compared to white, male attorneys. Minority partners are almost three times as likely to leave their positions compared to white men. Minorities’ greater dissatisfaction with private sector jobs may be [read more]
Copyright 2014 by JLPP