by | Oct 1, 2021 | Amicus, Courts & Judicial Interpretation, Criminal Justice
Next week, the Supreme Court’s October Term begins, with cases ranging from state water lines to state secrets. One of the cases, being argued on October 12, 2021, is Hemphill v. New York, which asks the Court to decide whether a criminal defendant who opens the door...
by | Apr 22, 2021 | Amicus, Criminal Justice, Policing and Law Enforcement
This month, Maryland became the first state to repeal its statutory police bill of rights, thereby reducing the special protections police officers had previously received in the event that one of them was facing criminal prosecution. For those who are highlighting...
by | Apr 8, 2021 | Amicus, Criminal Justice, Legislation, Policing and Law Enforcement, Racial Justice
On the morning of March 31st, New York, home to the city once considered to be the marijuana arrest capital of the world, became the 15th state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Just hours later, the Governor signed into law an act dramatically limiting...
by | Mar 4, 2021 | Amicus, Criminal Justice, Human Rights, Policing and Law Enforcement
Pretrial detention, or keeping a person accused of a crime in jail until their trial, is a common practice throughout the United States. Though the system is portrayed as a way to protect public safety and ensure people show up for their trials, most often it instead...
by | Feb 17, 2021 | Amicus, Criminal Justice, Education & Youth, Policing and Law Enforcement, Poverty and Economic Justice, Racial Justice
Photo credit: The Imprint This past summer, the broadest protests in U.S. history erupted in response to the murders of Black people, like Tony McDade, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, at the hands of law enforcement. Calls to defund the police and reinvest those...
by | Nov 19, 2020 | Amicus, Criminal Justice, Policing and Law Enforcement, Racial Justice
On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor, an EMT, aspiring nurse, and unarmed Black woman, was fatally shot in her home. Months after she was senselessly killed by police, Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, recommended charges against just one of the three officers...