Harvard Law & Policy Review

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The Supreme Court Vacancy and the End of Capital Punishment

By Isaac Saidel-Goley* Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing on February 13 has fundamentally altered the ideological composition of the Supreme Court. The Court has for decades consistently leaned Right and suddenly finds itself leaning Left. This shift in the composition of the Court provides a rare opportunity for abolitionists to successfully challenge the constitutionality of capital punishment. For decades, the death penalty has been a deeply divisive issue, both politically and …

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Smart Infrastructure Investment

By Annise Parker* Cities across America are facing a looming crisis caused by a failure to adequately invest in critical infrastructure. The water crisis in Flint was clearly a failure of leadership, but it was equally a failure to maintain a public infrastructure system necessary to sustain life. Ten years ago, we were having a related spasm of national outrage over the New Orleans levees that failed during Katrina. Metropolitan areas are the platform on which 85% of Americans build their …

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Why We Need National Water Affordability Legislation

By Sharmila L. Murthy* A growing number of water crises across the United States underscore the need to ensure that all Americans have access to safe and affordable water for drinking, sanitation, hygiene and other basic needs.  From lead-contaminated water in Flint and Jackson to the massive water shut-offs in Detroit and Baltimore, affected residents have demanded that water be treated as a basic right.  The U.S. never ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural …

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Navigations Through a Legal Asteroid Belt

By Robert Seaney and Jake Glendenning* These past couple of weeks have been exciting for those interested in the future of space. Astronaut Scott Kelly returned to earth after a record-setting year-long stint in the International Space Station, and SpaceX attempted their fifth rocket landing, with mixed yet valuable results. Given these two significant milestones in one week, one thing is clear: Space is the future, and it is approaching rapidly. As with any rapidly advancing technology, it …

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When the “Distressed Assets” are Homes: Fighting Foreclosures on FHA Loans in Philadelphia

By Rachel Labush* I am a staff attorney at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia where I defend low income homeowners in foreclosure. By saving my client’s homes through loan modifications, I am holding the mortgage companies to the contracts that they have signed and the laws that govern their conduct. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans help provide safe, affordable access to homeownership for low- to moderate-income and minority borrowers, as well as first time homebuyers.  …

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It’s an Election, Not a Party

By Charles McGonigal* Political parties play strong roles in our government, but they should never be confused with actual parts of the government (e.g., Congress, agencies, officeholders). Current election processes, however, risk encouraging this confusion. State governments run parties’ candidate selection processes (primary elections), and general election ballots list the party affiliation of each candidate. While the actual impact of this entanglement on individual elections is …

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