By Matthew Naum, Staff Writer A federal judge has reversed his dismissal of Nicholas Sandmann’s quarter billion-dollar lawsuit against the Washington Post following the submission of an amended complaint.[1] In a story that polarized the American public and one the New York Times called “an explosive convergence of race, religion, […]
Juris Blog
Recent Use of the Amber Alert System Invites Questions to Its Use and Efficacy
By: Stephen Hodzic, Staff Writer After a recent child abduction that ultimately resulted in the murder of the child, a local Pittsburgh family is advocating for changes to the AMBER Alert law.[1] In or around Allegheny County, on August 31, around 5:00p.m., Nalani Johnson, Paul Johnson (Nalani’s father), and Justin […]
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Women and Human Rights
By Elizabeth Fitch, Staff Writer “The most looked-up-to person in Washington stands just 5-foot-1… The diminutive justice, who has barely cracked 100 pounds on the scale for most of her adult life, is a giant to liberals.”[1] She may even challenge you to a push up contest.[2] “I do 10, […]
Cleveland’s Landmark Opioid Settlement
By Isabella Simon, Staff Writer The opioid epidemic has been devastating our country and ravishing our communities for the past two decades. On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, and although there have been prior efforts to combat this problem, two Ohio counties decided to take […]
What is Impeachment and How Likely is it for President Trump?
By Joshua Larkin, Staff Writer This past Halloween, the United States experienced a political horror that the country would hope to never face: a possible impeachment of a sitting president. While one may or may not wish President Donald J. Trump to be impeached, the idea of impeachment being on […]
U.S. Border Arrests at an 11-year High: Due Process Concerns as U.S. Seeks to Expedite Migrant Deportations
By Emma Hurst, Staff Writer In September 2019, there were 52,546 arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border, the lowest it has been this year.[1] The number of arrests decreased 64% since May, just five months prior.[2] However, within the fiscal year that concluded in September, border arrests reached an 11-year high […]
New York City Criminal Justice Reform: Is Closing Rikers the Answer?
Photo provided courtesy of Pixabay.com By Elizabeth Echard, Staff Writer On October 17, 2019, the New York City Council made a momentous change and voted to close Rikers Island.[1] Rikers Island (herein after “Rikers”) is a 400-acre, ten-jail complex that is located across the river from LaGuardia Airport. [2] […]
Hicks and the Terry Stop
Photo provided by courtesy of Pixabay.com By Jonathan Veres, Staff Writer Second-year law students studying criminal procedure spend hours readings landmark cases involving the Fourth Amendment. Mention Terry v. Ohio, or Katz v. United States, and you might catch an eye roll from a 2L. But, mention Commonwealth v. Hicks, […]
Can States Eliminate the Insanity Defense?
Photo provided courtesy of Pixabay.com By: Samantha Thompson, Staff Writer On October 7th, 2019, the first day of the 2019-2020 Supreme Court term, the Court heard the arguments for Kahler v. Kansas, to determine whether the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments permit a state to abolish the insanity defense.[1] The insanity […]
Taxing Minors for Their Small Businesses
Photo provided courtesy of Pixabay.com By Jedidiah Price Yuknavich, Staff Writer In the fall or on a hot summer day you may enjoy a cup of apple cider or lemonade while out on a walk. If you have ever come across a lemonade stand run by a minor, you might […]