April - 2019

Politics in the Courtroom: US Disregard for International Justice and the ICC

R. Coleman Flowers

Apr 23, 2019
3 min

Politics in the Courtroom: US Disregard for International Justice and the ICC

Gut check. Is the United States leading the world in criminal justice? Do we as a nation actually support a robust and fair justice system? To this end, are we willing to hold members of our military accountable for international crimes? The answer to these questions seem an unfortunate and unequivocal no. Over the course of the past few years, and even before, the United States has developed a disturbing trend towards isolationism. Moreover, this trend has grown to character

Aminah Muhammad

Apr 23, 2019
14 min

Cyberbullying

Throughout history, people of all ages and backgrounds have dealt with various difficulties as they navigate through life. One of the most traumatizing, for many people, is bullying. Bullying is defined as “an intentional act that causes harm to others, and may involve verbal harassment, verbal or non-verbal threats, physical assault, stalking, or other methods of coercion such as manipulation, blackmail, or extortion.”. Bullying use to be an act that was done in person. Most

Are Prosecutors Above Reproach? New York’s Struggle to Address Prosecutorial Conduct

Belen Crisp

Apr 16, 2019
3 min

Are Prosecutors Above Reproach? New York’s Struggle to Address Prosecutorial Conduct

In 2018, New York became the first state to create a statewide commission, called the Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct, to address prosecutorial misconduct. The commission’s main goal is to fight malicious prosecution and wrongful convictions. While many members of the public are pleased with the new legislation, prosecutors plan to bring lawsuits. The commission would have a wide depth of power, with the authority to sanction prosecutors and remove them from office if the

Mens Rea to No “Rea”—How Congress is Slowly Detaching the Foundational Intent Requirement from Crimi

Ayah Innab

Apr 13, 2019
2 min

Mens Rea to No “Rea”—How Congress is Slowly Detaching the Foundational Intent Requirement from Crimi

In 2005 and 2006 the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Heritage Foundation reviewed the federal legislative process for all studied non-violent criminal offenses introduced in the 109th congress. The NACDL and Heritage Foundation found that over 57 percent of the offenses introduced and over 64 percent of the offenses enacted into law contained “inadequate” mens rea requirements making it more likely for the innocent to be convicted of a crime.

E-Discovery Disadvantages the Defense in Criminal Cases

Sarah Wilson

Apr 13, 2019
2 min

E-Discovery Disadvantages the Defense in Criminal Cases

Every minute of every day Americans use about 3,138,420 gigabytes of internet data. This massive surge of data use has spiked the amount of information you can learn about a person from a simple internet search. Not only can you learn someone’s favorite book or movie, but also you can locate them and see where they frequently go. This information can be used to commit crimes or to gather evidence to use against someone who is charged with a crime. Attorneys have reported seen

Paying for Justice: Public Defenders and Prosecutors Fight for Better Salaries

Marjorie Lluveres

Apr 10, 2019
3 min

Paying for Justice: Public Defenders and Prosecutors Fight for Better Salaries

Earlier this year, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle urged Florida lawmakers to financially aid public defenders and prosecutors, alleging that the pay has “reached a crisis level.” The pay public defenders and prosecutors receive insufficient to cover the high costs of living. As a result, the offices that employ them are grappling with high turnover rates. The turnover signifies that public defenders and prosecutors are

Brigitte Sotto

Apr 9, 2019
3 min

SCOTUS Update: Flowers v. Mississippi

When it comes to criminal cases, jury selection is quite vital. Jurors can make or break a case, and attorneys around the country have different tactics on how they go about their selection. On both sides of a case, both the prosecution and defense have a certain number of peremptory strikes, depending on the state, which are used to remove jurors without having to provide a specific reason. However, in 1986, the Supreme Court case, Batson v. Kentucky, came out with an opinio

MS-13: Betrayed the Gang, Betrayed by the State

Alejandra Rojas

Apr 6, 2019
5 min

MS-13: Betrayed the Gang, Betrayed by the State

Five years ago on Long Island, a desperate student wrote a letter to his English teacher. He had no way of knowing that his effort to be free of a past that followed him across country borders, would end in an orange jumpsuit and a death sentence. Henry, a Salvadorian native, was a young boy when his parents moved to the United States. Left behind in El Salvador, Henry watched the grandmother who raised him struggle to feed and support him. He also watched as older boys who p

KNOWLEDGE • PRACTICE • JUSTICE

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