“The conservatives of the U.S. Supreme Court, through rulings blocking gun control, greenlighting executions, condoning abortion-provider bounty hunting and forced maternal labor, has demonstrated a ghastly tolerance for violence,” writes ABA Journal Assistant Managing Editor Liane Jackson, the author of Intersection, a column that explores issues of race, gender and law across America’s criminal and social justice landscape.
Historically, wars are fought against a destructive enemy, real or theoretical, like the war on drugs. But factions of our country are battling a target that serves as a bulwark of our society: teachers.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination as the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court is historic and aspirational. But Jackson replaces retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer, and the court will retain its lopsided 6-3 conservative supermajority.
Some people say their guns are for self-defense. Often, guns are carried by bad actors to perpetrate violence or as a means of intimidation. Whatever the motivation, there is an explicit potential for violence when a firearm is present. And now, carrying, brandishing or waving guns around—particularly at Black Lives Matter protests—has been endorsed by a segment of the population, despite the lawless aggression and vigilantism it promotes.
Although we live in a democracy, that doesn’t mean we have a wholesale, unfettered endorsement to do whatever we want. Our democracy is a social contract—a compact that is the foundation of the U.S. political system. A government established by “We the People” is indeed required to serve the people. But in exchange, members cooperate to ensure the common welfare and social benefits, and they must sacrifice some individual liberty.
In 2020, this country had what’s been hailed as the most secure election in American history. And yet, lies about voter fraud have opened the door to false claims that our electoral system lacks integrity.
When it comes to convicting police officers, clear and convincing evidence is only half the battle. But evidence—visual, circumstantial, forensic—has historically been irrelevant when a police officer is on trial, with law enforcement often accorded the benefit of the doubt and acquitted.
For a variety of reasons, including voluntary reporting and a lack of police training or acknowledgment of bias incidents, tracking hate crimes is challenging and imperfect.
We have seen that courts can be an instrument for social and political change; they can be the sword and the shield. But they best serve justice when they are inclusive—a perennial challenge for the federal judiciary.
A new administration means a new approach to justice issues in America, but it remains to be seen what actions will be taken amid clamors for reform. There have been months of protests over police brutality and continued killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. And while President Joe Biden conducts triage, activists are seeking substantive change.
As America is left reeling from the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the infamous last days of Donald J. Trump’s presidency will be remembered for lawlessness, incitement and a…
At the virtual summit of the recently formed Law Firm Antiracism Alliance this fall, Louisiana lawyer Jamila Johnson walked through the ways that post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws inscribed white supremacist beliefs into criminal law—and how the effects are still felt in practical and painful ways. LFAA formed in June as a collaboration of law firms interested in combining efforts to address long-standing systemic racism. At the beginning of October, 280 firms from every state had signed on to the organization.
Female lawyers face unique work-from-home issues, compounding well-documented attrition and promotion challenges. Virtual work makes it harder to establish relationships with mentors and sponsors, and fractionalization can happen.
America is struggling to emerge from dark and uncertain times. COVID-19, record unemployment, civil unrest. As the turmoil unfolds, there has been a seismic shift in the national discourse, and 2020 may be one of those defining years of resurgence that bends the arc, ever so slightly, toward justice.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
