As individuals progressively incorporate digital devices into their daily lives, many aspects of law need to be adjusted to better reflect the interests of those individuals. One particularly glaring blind spot in the law is the collection of internet users’ data. Every occurrence in cyberspace is recorded, and anything recorded is accessible. It is thus critical for the Supreme Court to revise and update their interpretation of the Fourth Amendment to better address the current conditions of online privacy.
Read MoreOn November 28, 2009, following a divorce and an episode of severe depression, James Kahler drove to a family gathering where he shot and killed his ex-wife, two daughters, and their grandmother. At trial, he was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder. Despite Kahler’s history of mental illness, the defense was barred from using the insanity defense because Kansas state law denies its use when criminal intent can be proven.
Read MoreThis year, the United States celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification. This amendment began a decades-long process of enfranchising women across the country. By enshrining, for both sexes, the right to vote, the Nineteenth Amendment formally recognized that women do indeed have a role in making political, legal, social, and economic decisions. However, while this amendment legitimized women’s presence in the public sphere, it did not fully grant them equal rights within it.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic has exposed jarring shortcomings in America’s healthcare system. Between the shortage of resources and exhausted health practitioners, all aspects of healthcare, even ones not directly related to COVID-19, have been impacted. Though the legal repercussions of one of the “largest medical disasters in [U.S.] history” have yet to fully unravel, over four thousand medical malpractice complaints are reported to have already been filed against physicians as of August 12.
Read MoreFrom sensational dances to personalized news, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms of today’s generation. Since its 2018 release in the United States, TikTok has soared in popularity, surpassing two billion global downloads in April 2020. Owned by the Beijing-based startup ByteDance, Tiktok has sparked apprehension among world leaders and politicians that sensitive user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.
Read MoreAt the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, posters at protests and rallies across the United States read “End qualified immunity.” Whether it be the growing public demands to shift into an abolitionist framework or the more centrist voices calling for reform from within the existing justice system, many Americans have called into question the mid-twentieth century doctrine that effectively shields public officials from civil suit. Likewise, across the Atlantic, Spaniards have for decades attempted to hold ex-Francoist police officers accountable for thousands of documented instances of torture and enforced disappearance under the fascist regime, with little success on account of national amnesty law.
Read MoreIn June 2020, the Supreme Court delivered a victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Bostock v. Clayton County. In this case, the Court ruled that firing an employee for being gay or transgender violates the prohibition on discrimination “because of … sex” in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While many Americans rejoiced over this victory, others were concerned about the ruling’s implications for religious liberty.
Read MoreLawsuits are expensive. For those who wish to bring suit but cannot afford the costs, access to the legal system is barred by a hefty entry fee. Fortunately, a practice known as litigation funding makes the legal system more accessible to individuals who cannot afford to bring suit on their own. In effect, a third party firm provides the means for a plaintiff to sue in return for a share of the financial returns if the lawsuit proves successful. Litigation funding provides firms with the option to profit from successful suits, giving them a natural incentive to aid plaintiffs—especially those with meritorious claims.
Read MoreOn July 3, 2020, Republic Act No. 11479, commonly known as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, was passed into law in the Philippines. This new legislation effectively repealed Republic Act No. 9372, also known as the Human Security Act of 2007 (HSA), and aimed to prevent and prohibit terrorism. Due to the broad definition of terrorism and the acts included therein, critics believe that the Anti-Terrorism Act was signed with the ulterior motive of deterring government criticism, raising questions about the act’s legality.
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