By Kristin Hoffman, Staff Writer In United States v. Miller, a divided Supreme Court struck down mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles.[1] The ruling said that these mandatory sentences violate the constitutional amendment prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment because children lack maturity, have an underdeveloped sense of responsibility, […]
Post Tagged with: "SCOTUS"
Supreme Court Confronts Opportunity to Extend Bivens Remedies
By Karissa Murphy, Staff Writer On the morning of October 3, 2001, Anser Mehmood was asleep with his wife Uzma and their 1-year-old son when FBI and INS agents knocked on the door.[1] The officers searched Mehmood’s home, asked if he was “involved with a jihad,” and then arrested […]
A 2017 Supreme Court Case to Watch: What is a Quality Education?
By Alyssa Lazar, Staff Writer Court watchers all over the country are engrossed in the outcome of a case known as Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, which ranks as one of the top 10 Supreme Court cases to watch in 2017.[1] The decision the Court will render […]
The Legalities Behind President Trump’s Executive Order to Ban Immigration
By Drew Rummel, Staff Writer Arguably, the hottest topic in political news in the past two weeks has been the executive order that President Donald Trump issued, which temporarily banned immigration into the United States from seven overseas countries. The ban, if allowed, would halt immigration from those countries […]
SCOTUS Granted Cert on Transgender Bathroom Issue
By Amy Kerlin, Staff Writer[1] Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972[2] is most commonly known as the regulation that requires schools and universities to provide equal athletic opportunities for females in order to receive funds from the federal government. Not commonly known, however, is that Title IX […]
SCOTUS Rules Mandatory Juvenile Sentencing Practice Unconstitutional
By Kyle Steenland, Staff Writer Within our criminal justice system, the mental capacity of the offender, and its role in the commission of a crime, is paramount for the judiciary in arriving at a sentencing verdict that benefits both society and the offender. In a situation where someone lacks […]
SCOTUS to Rebuke Fifth Circuit for Facilitating Racial Bias in Criminal Justice System
By Kaitlyn Burns, Staff Writer “It’s a sad commentary that minorities, Hispanics and black people, are over represented in the [c]riminal [j]ustice system.”[1] In a country now steeped in controversy over the systemic violence and discriminatory practices against racial minorities,[2] uttering this statement in open court would normally be […]
One Seat on the Bench Remains Empty at the Start of SCOTUS’ Fall Term
By Kristin Hoffman, Staff Writer The Supreme Court began its October 2016 term last Monday. The bench, however, had a vacant seat after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February. His seat remains empty because the Senate has yet to vote on President Barack Obama’s nomination, Merrick Garland. […]
2016 Best Legal Blog Nominee
