By David Bergh Associate Editor, Volume 23 Online Publications Editor, Volume 24 The governmental power of eminent domain has deep roots in the Anglo-American legal tradition. Early English law held that the power to expropriate land was inherent in the Crown’s sovereign authority.[1] As an element of the Crown’s sovereignty, this power was essentially limitless […]
racism
Can They Do That? (Part 3): Reversing Modern-Day Redlining
By John Spangler Associate Editor, Volume 23 Production Editor, Volume 24 Detroit remains the most segregated metropolitan areas in the United States.[1] This is in part thanks to historical practices such as “redlining” where majority African-American neighborhoods were deemed “too risky” for mortgage lending.[2] Though overt discrimination in housing has been outlawed[3], the systems created […]
Resist, Revolt, Rinse, Repeat
By Cleo Hernandez Associate Editor, Volume 23 A public square, angry words, angry people, police in riot gear, torches bright against a night sky, flags, homemade signs and banners, summer heat. Some would say that this is what democracy looks like, [1] but perhaps it is the failure of democracy that brings people to the […]
Reflecting on Race Relations: Thanks Obama
By Marcus Baldori Associate Editor, Vol. 22 In 2008, it was an open question of how race relations would unfold under America’s first Black president. Eight years later, polling shows that 54% of Americans think race relations between Whites and Blacks have gotten worse; it is hard to recall the sense of optimism of when Obama stepped into […]
The Right to Bear Arms? Muslim Americans and Second Amendment Rights: Part 2
This piece is the second of a two-part series on Muslim Americans and Second Amendment rights. Read the first post here. By Serena Rabie Associate Editor, Vol. 21 Executive Editor, Vol. 22 In a previous piece I discussed the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida and its potential to impact the ability of Arab and […]
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 […]
UW’s Unequal Treatment of Student-to-Student Violence: The Case of Jarred Ha
By Jennifer Chun Associate Editor, Vol. 21 Contributing Editor, Vol. 22 NOTE: Revised January 31, 2017. On January 25, 2015, a University of Washington (UW) junior named Jarred Ha[1] was involved in a violent incident with Maddison Story, a female UW student (and a rugby player) and Graham Harper, a male UW student.[2] Before the incident occurred, […]
Task Force on Chicago PD Reforms Highlights Race Problems
By Dan Cho Associate Editor, Vol. 21 Contributing Editor, Vol. 22 Last December, after the release of a dash cam video showing Jason Van Dyke, a white Chicago police officer, shooting Laquan MacDonald, an unarmed black teenager and in the midst of the subsequent protests, Mayor Rahm Emanuel created a task force to “review the system […]
Constitutional Disparagement? : Legal Challenges to Racist Imagery
By Tom Topping Associate Editor, Vol. 21 Contributing Editor, Vol. 22 In 2015 an activist group named People Not Mascots became one of the latest organizations to file a complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking to have a disparaging image’s federal trademark revoked. The target of this complaint is the Cleveland Indians Chief […]
Trumping Trump
By Jason Raylesberg Associate Editor, Vol. 21 Contributing Editor, Vol. 22 It is a very real and terrifying possibility that Donald Trump will be our next president. Accepting that prospect means accepting that the hatred, divisiveness, and racism he has given voice to across America will continue to intensify along with his rise. In recent weeks, that […]
