Ames Semifinals Liveblog, Tue. 3/22 & Wed. 3/23
Harvard CRCL will be liveblogging from the Ames Moot Court Semifinals on Tuesday, March 22nd and Wednesday, March 23rd at 6pm. This […]
Ames Live Blog, Amicus, Uncategorized
Amicus, Human Rights
Dalai Lama Steps Down
Today, in Dharmsala, India, the Dalai Lama will make an unprecedented move in Tibetan politics by stepping down as the
Amicus, Education & Youth
32 Percent Racial Divide in Graduation Rates of NCAA Tourney Athletes
It’s March and that means it’s time for March Madness, time for everyone to fill out their bracket, join a pool, and sneakily watch games online instead of doing work. All of this fun is created by the presence of student-athletes at America’s Division I colleges and universities, and we need to remember that these people are students, as well as athletes. The racial graduation gap has grown from 22 percent in 2009 to a current level of 32 percent.
Amicus, Education & Youth, Guest Author
Fairness in College Justice – Where Are We Now?
By Stephen Henrick “It is shocking,” wrote Professor Warren Seavy, “that the officials of a state educational institution, which can
Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Criminal Justice, Human Rights
Immunity of Government Officials Is Not A License to Ignore the Constitution
The Supreme Court head argument on March 2 in the case of Ashcroft v. Al-Kidd, questioning whether John Ashcroft is entitled to immunity from charges that Abdullah Al-Kidd was held under the act allowing detention of material witnesses, but was treated as a suspect and was in fact never intended to be a witness in any trial. Ashcroft v. Iqbal did enough to undermine the ability of those wrongfully detained by an overzealous government to challenge their detentions, and now Ashcroft asks the court to go even further. The Court needs to take a strong stance that waving the flag of fighting terrorism is not a license to ignore the democratic freedoms government officials claim to be protecting.
Amicus, Events, LGBTQ Rights
Colloquium: Video: Gay Rights and Lefts
On March 9, 2011 at 5-7p.m. at Harvard Law School in Austin North Professor Libby Adler presented her piece entitled, “Gay Rights and Lefts: Rights Critique and Distributive Analysis for Real Law Reform. Streaming video of the March 9 presentation and discussion is below.
Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Freedom of Expression
Blurring of the Public and the Private
While the majority of coverage regarding the Snyder v. Phelps decision has swirled around the distinction between the majority’s characterization
Amicus, Freedom of Expression
Indiana Court: Newspapers Must Reveal Identities of Anonymous Online Commenters
In a ruling issued last week, a superior court judge in Indianapolis ordered several news outlets to disclose the identifying
Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation
SCOTUS rules 8-1 for Gov't transparency,
says FOIA exemption for “personnel files” cannot apply to things like the maps and data related to the location of
Amicus, Labor and Employment, Voting and Elections Rights
Republicans Use Newfound Power to Limit Right to Vote
As usual when right-wing politicians want to block a strongly Democratic voting bloc from exercising their right to vote, Republicans in New Hampshire and elsewhere are trotting out the tired excuse of preventing fraud to support new bills that will curtail the ability of students, African-Americans, and other core Democratic groups from voting.
Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Freedom of Expression
8 Justices Agree Constitution Protects Free Speech
Whether you believe the Constitution is a living document, or whether you believe the Constitution is rigid and should only be interpreted according the expressed intent of the framers, we can all agree that the Constitution protects free speech (except apparently Samuel Alito). The Supreme Court sent a resounding message this week when it upheld the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to speak in the most offensive possible voice at the most sensitive of times, at military funerals.