President Obama’s eight-year term as President has corresponded almost exactly with a dramatic change in the national conversation about criminal justice. After decades of a tough on crime political consensus in this country, sentiment has shifted during the Obama years towards a recognition of the problems of mass incarceration and racial injustice in our criminal justice system. To be sure, some advocates were at this place all along, while others arrived at it from both the left and right for …
LAURENCE TRIBE: The Steadiness And Grace Of President Obama
One of the most impressive things about President Obama when he was just Barack to me, as my constitutional law student and research assistant at HLS in 1989-91, was Barack’s deep appreciation for history and for the impossibility of fully appreciating its unfolding while it is in the process of being made. Barack especially treasured the part of the Constitution’s preamble that spoke of our commitment over the generations “to form a more perfect Union,” and he took solace, ever since he was a …
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UPCOMING EVENT: Obama Legacy Symposium
In collaboration with ACS, DOS Grant Fund, and others, we bring you... Ron Klain: The Economy & Ebola Monday, November 14 at 12 p.m. in WCC B015 Serving as the "Ebola Czar," chief of staff to VP's Biden and Gore, and top debate prep advisor to a number of Democratic Presidential nominees are just a few of Ron Klain's many claims to fame in the political world. In Klain's talk, he will discuss how President Obama made major …
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Upcoming HLPR Symposium: A Retrospective on the Obama Years
Mark your calendars! Harvard Law & Policy Review and the Harvard Law School Chapter of the American Constitution Society are excited to announce that we will be hosting a symposium called "Forward: A Retrospective on the Obama Years." The symposium will feature the architects, implementers, and advocates behind President Obama's agenda, including several past and current members of the President's administration. The symposium will include on-campus speaking engagements and online guest …
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The Limited Impact of the Justice Department’s Pregnancy Discrimination Victory
By Kamika Shaw* Earlier this week, the Department of Justice settled a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against Florence, Kentucky. While the case is certainly a victory for the Justice Department and pregnancy discrimination activists, the outcome may have little impact on pregnancy discrimination claims generally, which are usually unsuccessful. The Justice Department brought the suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title 1 of The Americans with Disabilities Act. The …
Workers’ Rights in the Balance
by Atty. Steve Churchill* As The New York Times recently reported in a three-part series, employers increasingly are relying on mandatory arbitration agreements to force their workers to resolve employment disputes in arbitration instead of court (where a worker usually has the right to a jury trial). While arbitration can result in faster outcomes, it has well-known problems: it is prone to systemic biases in favor of employers, shields cases from the public eye, and provides only limited …