NGOs Like World Central Kitchen Must Do More to Protect War Zone Aid Workers
Without irony, Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen (WCK) accused Israel of a “crime against humanity” in the recent accidental deaths of seven WCK volunteers by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. His accusation has generated a furious, and troubling discussion — focused on Israel’s culpability. US President Joe Biden claimed Israel has not [...]
Recently, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC or Red Cross) has been accused of facilitating payments to accused terrorists captured and held by Israel in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict. The ICRC denies this claim. The ICRC has a blemished record, disturbingly far from its professed humanitarian mandate. A journalistic investigation conducted by ProPublica [...]
The New York Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit from Tax Equity Now New York (TENNY), which alleges disparities in the New York City property tax system are disproportionately burdening low-income and majority-people-of-color neighborhoods, can go forward in the New York state courts. Judge Jenny Riviera, writing for the court, ruled that the [...]
Trump and Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment: An Exploration of Constitutional Eligibility
Academicians, lawyers, elections officials, pundits and politicians are presently ensconced in the problem of Donald Trump’s continuing constitutional qualification for presidential office. Although he plainly meets Article II of the United States Constitution’s three qualifications – at least 35 years old, natural born citizen, sufficient residence in the United States – Trump arguably runs afoul [...]
Today the United States celebrates Juneteenth, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Juneteenth is the anniversary of the day in 1865 on which Union Major General Gordon Granger informed 200,000 enslaved people in Texas that they were free by executive decree. Juneteenth was a day of joy and celebration, and we [...]
The Answer to the US Debt Ceiling Crisis May Lie in the 14th Amendment
As tension rises over the impending breach of the debt ceiling, Biden aides are apparently debating the question of whether the debt ceiling is constitutional. Section Four of the Fourteenth Amendment provides that “the validity of the debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for [...]
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule to ban non-compete clauses for workers. The proposed rule is great news for low wage workers because it would allow them to explore new job opportunities and give them leverage to bargain for better wages. One in five low wage workers are subject to [...]
Showing the Prophet Muhammad’s Paintings in a Classroom is Not Islamophobic
Hamline University in Minnesota has fired adjunct art professor Erika Lopez Prater for showing 14th-century paintings of the Prophet Muhammad in class. The University asserts that the professor’s act is Islamophobic and that bringing the artwork to the classroom with Muslim students breached the limits of academic freedom. The facts do not suggest that Professor [...]
In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the US Supreme Court upheld provisions of a restrictive Arizona voting law, stating that the provisions do not violate the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion. The legal challenge focused on two provisions: “precinct-based election-day voting and early mail-in voting.” The first [...]
Since the attacks on the Capitol on January 6th, calls both for and against expanded domestic terrorism authorities have proliferated. Proponents argue that we have allowed bias and blindness to open us to a steadily expanding domestic terror threat and that we need the capabilities provided in the international context. Opponents have pointed out that [...]
