By Hira Baig Associate Editor, Volume 23 Reproductive justice is not just concerned with women having access to the healthcare they need, it is also concerned with the disparate impact caused by restrictions on reproductive healthcare. Historically, the more restrictions the Court allows on abortion, the more challenging it becomes for indigent women, women of […]
equal protection
Supreme Court Considers Limits of Racial Gerrymandering
By Marcus Baldori Associate Editor, Vol. 22 In the coming months, the Supreme Court is expected to clarify its stance on the legal boundaries of racial gerrymandering. In December 2016 the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections; the case will explore whether a requirement that certain districts have a […]
The Right to Bear Arms? Muslim Americans and Second Amendment Rights: Part 1
This piece is the first of a two-part series on Muslim Americans and Second Amendment rights. Read the second post here. By Serena Rabie Associate Editor, Vol. 21 Executive Editor, Vol. 22 The recent shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida has reinvigorated two of the most tense debates of the 2016 election cycle—Muslim immigration and gun control. In […]
COMMENT: The Detroit Water Shut-Offs: An Alternative Approach to Analyzing the Constitutionality of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department’s Shut-Off Policy
By Jackie Pilcowitz Associate Editor, Vol. 21 The City of Detroit is denying water to thousands of its residents. In the spring of 2014, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) announced its plan to disconnect water service to Detroit residents with delinquent accounts — those who owed $150 or more.[1] The median income in […]
COMMENT: Sixty Years Too Late: The Judiciary’s Superficial Treatment of School Desegregation in Cowan
By Alanna Farber Associate Editor, Vol. 20 Executive Editor, Vol. 21 The school district in Cleveland, Mississippi has been subject to federal jurisdiction since 1965 due to continued struggles in desegregating its schools.[1] Fifty years ago, citizens of Cleveland sued the county’s board of education, alleging that the defendants had not made any efforts to […]
COMMENT: Resolving the 7th Circuit’s Split on Bringing Class-Of-One Equal Protection Claims
By Jacob Hogg Associate Editor, Vol. 20 The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is one of the most celebrated and discussed topics in Constitutional Law. This clause states “No State shall [. . .] deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”[1] Law students generally learn about this […]
COMMENT: It’s High Time for the Defense Bar to Bring Race-Based Equal Protection Challenges to Federal Cannabis Scheduling
By Reid Murdoch Associate Editor, Vol. 20 Online Publications Editor, Vol. 21 Last fall, U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly J. Mueller held a rarely granted evidentiary hearing on the constitutionality of designating cannabis as a Schedule I Controlled Substance.[1] Defendant Brian Pickard, through his attorneys, has moved to dismiss charges of cannabis cultivation in the […]
Michigan Journal of Race & Law 