from the blog
SB320: A Call to Arms for Victims of Domestic Violence
In the United States today nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. While physical abuse may be the most prominent earmark of domestic violence, the law has recognized domestic violence to include many […]
Biometric Data Collection: Market Necessity or Unconstitutional Overkill?
Congress should pass, and the President should sign into law, the National Biometric Information Privacy Act of 2020 (National BIPA). Introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), this bill limits the ability of private entities to collect […]
“One of the most oppressive things a state can do is to take away your freedom and then deny you what’s necessary to win it back,” said Manojar Raju, San Francisco Public Defender, during a rally […]
Texas Heartbeat Act Poses Threat to the Future of Abortion Access
As the abortion debate in the United States has grown increasingly tense over the recent years, a newly enacted Texas law could lay the groundwork for a national trend of restrictive abortion laws. SB 8, also […]
Holistic Public Safety: Prosecutor-Led Reform through AB 1308
Prosecutors can promote safety in communities by approaching public safety holistically and by participating in legislative efforts to reform criminal justice. Some prosecutors in California did just that in 2021. Community Perceptions about Justice Have […]
A Safer and More Liberating World for Sex Workers
A legacy of Jim Crow is finally coming to an end in California with the repeal of penal code section 653.22, a law that has been used to criminalize Black and trans bodies in public […]
Biden’s Vaccination Mandate Plan: A Scatter-shot of Legal Solutions
The Ongoing Destabilization of COVID-19 and Biden’s Response The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not ended. Beginning around the end of July, the United States has seen another upward trend in COVID-19 deaths. By […]
Democracy is Fragile: Extreme Partisan Polarization Has Become Rampant in the World
“Democracy is in retreat across nearly the entire globe.” – Joshua Kurlantzick, Yale University Press. The status of democracy once seemed irrelevant in discussions of government in the United States and other long-established democracies. However, […]
Geofence Warrants: An Attack on the Fourth Amendment
Introduction to Geofence Warrants Imagine a world where a king could compel the search of anybody, anywhere, and for anything. This world inspired James Madison to draft the Fourth Amendment, and is also a world […]
Covid-19 Catalyzed America’s Homelessness Pandemic Although the rate of people experiencing homelessness was increasing even before 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to a further rise in the nation’s unemployment rate. Studies have shown that a […]
Remembering California’s History in Youth Corrections
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2021-22 state budget sets forth plans to permanently close the California’s Division of Juvenile Justice and transition any children in the state’s care to the counties who committed them. On September 30, 2020, […]
Attacks on the Asian Community: When Can Prosecutors Seek Hate Crime Enhancements?
At the start of 2021, images of violent attacks on Asian individuals all across the nation began flooding social media timelines. Large protests shortly followed these attacks in support of the Asian Community to “Stop […]