Black Lives Matter Coverage

The Washington DC Police Union filed suit Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against the city, seeking to block part of an emergency police reform bill passed in July. The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 was approved by the… Read more »

A US federal judge in Mississippi has granted a police officer qualified immunity for damage caused to a black man’s vehicle during an extended traffic stop while calling for the Supreme Court to overturn the doctrine, a goal of Black Lives Matter protesters. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued his opinion… Read more »

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Multnomah County Circuit Court against the City of Portland in connection with the Portland Police Bureau’s use of livestreaming demonstrations in downtown Portland. Following the death of George Floyd, thousands of individuals have protested in Portland.… Read more »

Oregon Governor Kate Brown and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that there will be a phased withdrawal of federal law enforcement from Portland. Federal law enforcement agents entered Portland following recent protests and riots over the killing of George Floyd and threats to federal property, including… Read more »

Activists injured by the Minneapolis Police Department during protests following the murder of George Floyd filed a class action suit against the City of Minneapolis and its Police Department Tuesday. The suit, filed by four named plaintiffs injured during the protests, alleges that law enforcement used less-lethal weapons against protesters… Read more »

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell warned US officials Friday that unnecessary and disproportionate use force by authorities in response to Black Lives Matter protests violates international human rights standards. Throssell said in a statement that: Peaceful demonstrations in cities in the US, such as Portland, really must be able… Read more »

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 28-page report Thursday highlighting unconstitutional uses of force occurring within the Alabama prison system. The report indicates that Alabama prisons experience understaffing among correctional officers and inmate overcrowding. These dynamics cause tension and incidents of violence between inmates, which ultimately leads to… Read more »

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a police accountability bill Thursday in response to the protests over the killing of George Floyd. House Bill No.1 included five main provisions: clearly defining when police are justified in using deadly force, providing the attorney general’s office the power to prosecute law enforcement officers… Read more »

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Oregon on Thursday granted a temporary restraining order against federal agents in Portland to prevent them from arresting or using physical force against journalists or legal observers. Federal agents have allegedly been arresting and using physical force against journalists… Read more »

The US House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to remove from the US Capitol building offensive statues of individuals who served the Confederacy, supported slavery and who otherwise defended and promoted white supremacy. The legislation was introduced in response to ongoing nationwide protests against the killing of George Floyd, police… Read more »

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order on Friday establishing the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to improve policing practices within law enforcement agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction. The Commission is comprised of Pennsylvania citizens focused on promoting transparency, fairness, and… Read more »

New Hampshire governor, Chris Sununu, has signed a criminal justice reform bill. This bill comes in response to the George Floyd killing, which sparked nationwide protests. House Bill 1645 will effectively prohibit the use of chokeholds, ban private prisons throughout the state, requires mandatory reporting of police misconduct, and provides… Read more »

The US Attorney for the District of Oregon Friday called for an investigation into allegations that unidentified federal agents are arresting people in the city of Portland. US Attorney Billy Williams noted that federal agents have been in the city for the past fifty nights, defending the federal courthouse and… Read more »

The US Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigative agency, has advised that federal employees may express support for Black Lives Matter (BLM) in the workplace without violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or in the federal workplace. The… Read more »

The family of George Floyd has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the family of George Floyd against the city of Minneapolis and the officers involved with his death. The lawsuit was filed Monday and argues that the prone restraint techniques used by the Minneapolis Police Department, the… Read more »

En Irvine, enclavada en el corazón del rico condado de Orange, California, y escondido en un parque empresarial con jardines y paisajes cuidados y vibrantes, existe una cárcel vacía. La cárcel James A. Musick, manejado por el Departamento del Sheriff del condado de Orange, un departamento conocido por sus escándalos,… Read more »

In Irvine, nestled in the heart of wealthy Orange County, California, hidden within a technology business park replete with vibrant, meticulously manicured landscaping, sits an empty jail. The unnecessary James A. Musick Facility, operated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, a department known for scandal, violence, and negligence, is slated… Read more »

Here we go again. Some men looking all virile in camo and wearing masks or in black outfits it seems are grabbing people off the street and hauling them into vans. In Portland and in Columbus, Ohio. And these camo men are apparently on their way to Chicago. Everyone is… Read more »

The names Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd have been spoken in virtually every American household during 2020. As the Black Lives Matter movement gains unprecedented growth and media attention, many White sympathizers are asking themselves (some for the first time): “how can I help effectuate real change?” That… Read more »

Multiple jurisdictions have made the decision to switch to remote bar exams in October, in lieu of in-person exams in July and September. This is a laudable interim decision because it eliminates for so many the primary concern with this year’s bar exam cycle: exposure to COVID-19. For countless examinees,… Read more »

No less than Columbus’ namesake founded U.S. legal education.  Christopher Columbus Langdell devised the “case method”—the formalistic “science” of “discovering” law from appellate court opinions through the process of “legal reasoning.” As dean of Harvard Law School in the late nineteenth century, Langdell institutionalized the case method during the eras… Read more »

In 2017, Tarun Vijay, a former MP from India’s ruling party and member of a far-right Hindu religious group, remarked with a glaring display of ignorance that Indians cannot be racist because they live with South Indians who are “Black.” Putting aside the dimwitted logic of talking about north and… Read more »

July 4 is here, and we have an opportunity to adopt a more truthful narrative about the celebration of our nation’s birth and the racism upon which it was formed. This year while we look back on the almost 250 years since Americans freed themselves from England’s oppression, we must… Read more »

Since murder is a horrible wrong, preventing a murder must be a good thing, right? Truth be told, it can get complicated. Among the many questions raised by the killing of George Floyd, we should pause to consider what would have happened if a bystander had actually been successful in… Read more »

I am a native Tampanian, and in 1992 I graduated from Vanderbilt University Law school. Because I spent my last year of law school studying abroad, a novel idea back then, the law school registrar would not certify my graduation for me to sit for the July bar exam in… Read more »