Law Journal for Social Justice

by LIBAN YOUSUF As Americans were mourning the anniversary of 9/11 this week, we received more tragic news. The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked resulting in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. What motivated these attacks? The answer is not entirely clear. What we do know, however, is this: … Continue reading »

By FATIMA BADREDDINE Although many Chicago students are probably thrilled to miss school, the teachers’ strike has had a critical impact on low-income families. Many parents have struggled1 to quickly find alternative childcare, which can be expensive. Some parents stayed home on the first day of the strike to care for their children. For example, … Continue reading »

By MATHEW WADSWORTH It is convention season in America, and as anyone who has glanced at any news website after a big political speech knows, that means it is spin, half-truth, mistruth, and outright lie season in America. One Fox News commentator declared that Paul Ryan’s convention speech was good news for the economy because “The Romney-Ryan campaign … Continue reading »

By JUSTIN GRANT Voter fraud is a serious problem, and we must do everything we can to ensure the fairness and integrity of our elections. Undoubtedly, you have heard this sentiment expressed countless times in the past several months. The prospect is at once compelling and frightening, especially at a time when potentially unlimited corporate … Continue reading »

By Fatima Baddredine “Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“UDHR”), Article 16. In 1948, the United … Continue reading »

by Mat Wadsworth “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”1 … Continue reading »

By: Justin Grant What has been lost in the debate over the Health and Human Services’ [HHS] birth control mandate is the simple fact that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause requires both freedom of religion and freedom from religion to operate in a sensible way.  The government may not restrict the right of religious expression … Continue reading »

By Mat Wadsworth I will be graduating with about $65,000 in student loan debt next year. Disturbingly, this is not even close to the average amount of debt that ASU law students graduate with. The ASU law school estimates that the average ASU law student graduated with almost $90,000 in student loan debt last year. … Continue reading »

By Justin Grant A notable furor subsided on Election Day as Amendment 26,Mississippi’s proposed constitutional amendment to redefine the definition of life, failed to pass on the ballot.  But what was the uproar about?  Was it really worth the national attention? The text of the proposed amendment alone is not terribly insightful: Be it Enacted … Continue reading »

by Fatima Badreddine On Jenna’s eighteenth birthday, she arrived at her home only to discover that her foster parents had taken all of her belongings and placed them in the driveway. She stayed at a friend’s house for a few days, but she soon became homeless. Jenna had been in foster care since she was … Continue reading »

By Kevin Heade This Article is a response to Executions and the Constitution by Mat Wadsworth. The tide is turning against the death penalty.  Support for the death penalty is at its lowest point since 1971.  In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled, that the death penalty constituted cruel and unusual punishment as it was then applied.  Furman v. … Continue reading »

By Sally Colton On July 8, 2011, the Arizona Legislature put a freeze on AHCCCS benefits to a category called “childless adults.” Childless adults are people who fall under the 100% poverty level that don’t qualify for benefits under another eligible category, such as aged, blind, disabled, pregnant, under 18, or parent of a deprived … Continue reading »

by Tim Koch I grew up in Pennsylvania and although I have not lived there in over two decades, it is still my emotional home.  Since my childhood, Penn State University (PSU) has been “my” college football team and Joe Paterno “my” coach.  On Wednesday night, 9 November 2011, the Trustees of PSU fired the … Continue reading »

by Shifa Al-khatib This summer I lived and volunteered in Palestine, which enabled me to experience life under Israeli occupation for the first time.  I realized that growing up in the United States gave me a sense of comfort that I would never have felt growing up in Palestine.   The endless checkpoints and run-ins with Israeli … Continue reading »

By Mat Wadsworth What method of execution should states use to comply with the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment? It is a question that is not asked nearly enough by either side of the death penalty debate. To be clear, this article is not an endorsement of the death penalty. Whether or not the … Continue reading »

By Jack Escobar[1] Additional coverage by the Riverfront Times and Restore Fairness. This is the story of a five-year-old boy with tousled black hair and a wide, happy face. He lives in Joplin, Missouri, a city of 50,000 people tucked into the southwestern corner of the state. Depending on who you ask, this child’s name … Continue reading »

By Fernando Anzaldua The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act[i] (“AMMA”) protects terminally/seriously ill patients from state prosecution for using small amounts of marijuana at the recommendation of their doctor. The AMMA was passed in November 2010, when Arizona voters passed Proposition 203. It took effect in April of 2011. The AMMA allows authorized medical marijuana patients … Continue reading »

By Ismail Kukhmazov When I set out to write on this topic, it became immediately obvious to me how hard it would be to make a logical point without providing at least a bit of the context.  So, I begin by spelling out some of the concepts, which I hope will provide the necessary background … Continue reading »

By Mat Wadsworth “Today, I signed into law a bill that will allow Federal courts to hear a claim by or on behalf of Terri Schiavo for violation of her rights relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life. In cases like this one, where there … Continue reading »

By Tim Koch There is currently a petition to amend ER 8.4, Rule 42, of the Arizona Rules of the Supreme Court to include the following language: “It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to knowingly manifest bias upon race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or socioeconomic status … Continue reading »

by Fatima Badreddine Many legal professionals do not understand the concept of victims’ rights and why they are necessary. Critics of victims’ rights often contend that we should primarily be concerned with protecting defendants’ rights, but I am not arguing against protecting defendants’ rights. On the contrary, I agree that defendants’ rights are essential to … Continue reading »

by Mat Wadsworth A small Pinal County, Arizona utility company made headlines this week for its August 31st decision to disconnect power to 96 homes. Electrical District No. 3 spokesman Bill Stacy’s position is that customers need to pay their bills or their power will be turned off. According to Stacy, disconnects for nonpayment “average several hundred disconnects per month.” The company’s position makes some sense at first … Continue reading »

by Sally Colton Phoenix police arrested seven women and two men in connection with a prostitution ring last week. The ring focused on recruiting illegal immigrants as young as 19, and transporting them throughout the Valley using taxi drivers. This recent investigation and arrest brings up the question as to whether these women were illegally practicing prostitution as a … Continue reading »

By Mat Wadsworth    Rioters took to the streets across England recently. Hundreds of people have been injured, almost a thousand arrested, and at least five people lost their lives in the worst riots England has seen in decades. The riots started in Tottenham, a poor, largely black neighborhood in London, and spread across the … Continue reading »