University of Michigan Law School journal dedicated to the exploration of issues relating to race and law
By: Shelly Feldman, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 In many areas of the law, facially neutral legal doctrines do not affect groups equally in practice.[i] This is well known and documented in America’s criminal justice system, which has historically oppressed racial minorities in disproportionate numbers.[ii] Though less… Read More
By: Kathy Jara, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 Linguistic reclamation[ii] of racist slurs has been described as “the process of taking possession of a derogatory label – usually introduced by a dominant group – by stigmatized group members.”[iii] Scholars believe this practice can empower marginalized groups because… Read More
By: Madelyn Hughes, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 On February 25, 2022, President Biden made history when he nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court to replace the retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer.[i] She is the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court and, if confirmed,… Read More
By: Rihan Issa, Executive Articles Editor, Vol. 27 In part one of the blog series, I presented an overview of Simone Browne’s argument in Dark Matters. She argues that one cannot understand the history of surveillance without examining its racial past. She presents a few examples of the racial roots… Read More
By: Alexis Franks, Associate Editor Vol. 27 The IDEA and the Emotional Disturbance Category The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), first enacted in 1975, provides federal funding for special education services for children with disabilities.[i] The goal of the legislation is that all handicapped children, who were… Read More
(Image of farmworkers with farm equipment in a field) By: Elisa Teeter, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 The purpose of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is to “improve the economic and social conditions of minorities and women by providing equality of opportunity in the work place.”… Read More
By: Madelyn Hughes, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 During the 1884 Berlin Conference, European powers including Britain, France, Spain, and Belgium met to carve up the African continent to create colonies in what was known as the “Scramble for Africa.”[i] For decades after this conference, African countries were stripped… Read More
By: Rihan Issa, Executive Articles Editor, Vol. 27 Government surveillance is inevitable in our current reality. So present, it seems it is a fact of life rather than a direct invasion into the lives of marginalized communities. Government surveillance obstructs marginalized communities’ growth and transformation into healthy, safe, and vibrant… Read More
By: Kathy Jara, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 (Celebrating Overturning Matter of A-B-, in Winning Back Protections for Refugee Survivors: Celebrating the End of Matter of A-B-, in Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (June 4, 2021),https://cgrs.uchastings.edu/news/winning-back-protections-refugee-survivors-celebrating-end-matter-b.) There are many arbitrary areas of immigration law that showcase deep-seated racist and… Read More
By. Elisa Teeter, Associate Editor, Vol. 27 (Image of a “fast food trading post” selling sodas, fries, and shakes in a desert with signs for a vegetable market, supermarket, and fruit stand pointing in the distance) The USDA defines “food deserts” as areas that meet both low-income and low-access… Read More
