By David McPeak, Staff Writer The U.S. Senior Women’s National Soccer Team (WNT) has been granted class certification in their pay discrimination suit against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).[1] The order certifying class action status allows any potential plaintiff who was a player on or since March 8, 2016 […]
Posts
Labor Standards: The Legality of Unpaid Internship Depends on Students’ Employment Status
By Kirstin Kennedy, Staff Writer Unpaid internships are common for college and post-graduate students in the United States.[1] So common, in fact, that nearly one half of all internships offered by employers across the country are unpaid, according to a 2016 study.[2] Arguably, the concept of an unpaid internship is […]
Sandmann’s Libel Suit Against Washington Post Ordered to Proceed
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, […]
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, […]
A Neurosurgeon, a Cruise Liner, and a Stolen Port: The Helms-Burton Act Offers Redemption While Raising Questions of Extraterritoriality
By Samantha Cook, Editor-in-Chief Javier Garcia-Bengochea is a Cuban-American neurosurgeon who was 15 months old when his family fled Cuba.[1] He claims his family was an owner of a valuable piece of property confiscated by Castro’s regime.[2] Garcia-Bengochea, like many other certified claimants, considers himself and his family to have […]
The Radium Girls: A Tale of Workplace Safety
By Rachel Pressdee, Feature Editor Once upon a time, there was no expectation that employers needed to care about the well-being of their workers. However, throughout American history, women have fought on the front lines of labor reform movements by fighting for better wages, equal rights, and safer working conditions. […]
A Heartbeat Bill Has Been Detected in Pennsylvania
By Giulia Schaub, Blog Editor As of November 2019, all of the proposed “heartbeat bills,” the nickname given to pro-life legislation that places severe limitations on a woman’s right to have an abortion, have been blocked by federal judges in the seven states in which they have been passed.[1] Despite […]
Making Sense of Pennsylvania’s Two-Party Consent Law
By Christina Pici, Staff Writer During my internship with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office I had the opportunity to witness how the two-part consent law protects an individual, even though my initial reaction was to question why anyone would consent to such recording. Pennsylvania’s “two-party consent” law makes it […]
Pre-dispute Mandatory Arbitration Agreements Deprive Employees of Their Right to Access the Courts When the Agreements Are a Condition of Employment
By Amanda Leonard, Staff Writer More than 60 million American employees are subject to pre-dispute arbitration agreements, a required condition of their employment.[1] Pre-dispute agreements dictate that any legal disputes between an employee and an employer cannot be brought in court, but rather, must go through private arbitration.[2] The […]