By Marcus Baldori Associate Editor, Vol. 22 On September 12, 2016, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Michigan’s controversial emergency manager law in a 3-0 decision. In general, the law provides that, when certain financial triggers are met, a state-appointed emergency manager will temporarily replace local governments to resolve the financial issue. The […]
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The case of Tamir Rice: race, self-defense, and the objective reasonableness standard
By Emmanuela Jean-Etienne Associate Editor, Vol. 21 On a cold November afternoon in Cleveland, twelve-year-old Tamir Rice sat alone at a gazebo outside the Cudell Recreation Center, a place he frequented daily.[1] In his hand was an airsoft pistol and, according to the witness who would later call 9-1-1, he was pointing it at cars […]
In the News: Warrantless Use of GPS
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s warrantless placement of a GPS device on a vehicle was constitutional because probable cause existed to believe the car was being used for criminal purposes. A three judge panel for the Third Circuit had previously ruled that in […]
Michigan Journal of Race & Law 