Who decides on life or death: judge or jury?
The use of judicial override in capital cases is emerging as an issue in Florida and Alabama after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida’s death penalty sentencing scheme.
Brendan Dassey’s interrogation brings attention to false juvenile confessions
Juveniles are psychologically susceptible to being coerced into false confessions and yet there are few safeguards in place to prevent these confessions.
Lawsuit straight out of Compton schools: does trauma equal disability?
Federal district court rules that students who experience traumatic events while growing up could be considered disabled.
“You have to just do it”: Teen charged in death of boyfriend
Seventeen-year-old Michelle Carter has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, who committed suicide in 2014.
Lawsuit over teen used as rape-bait can proceed
A federal appeals court allows a lawsuit against an Alabama school board to continue in regards to a 14-year-old female student who was used by a school employee in a plot to catch another student deemed to be an alleged sexual predator.
Re-thinking the use of solitary confinement
A federal appeals court decides that an inmate in solitary confinement may sue based on a procedural due process claim
The end of “one person, one vote”?
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if representation should reflect the number of eligible voters or overall population
Men can lactate too: breastfeeding mom loses discrimination case
No discrimination where breastfeeding mother feels forced out of her job
Where can sex offenders live?
The Supreme Court of California has struck down a blanket ban on sex offenders living near schools, which effectively barred them from living in large cities.
Colleges work to stop racial profiling before it starts
School administrators are considering the use of anti-bias training and body-worn cameras to prevent racial profiling by campus police officers.
Administrators respond to allegations of racial profiling by campus police departments
College and university officials are struggling to simultaneously support protestors and law enforcement.
Accusations of racial profiling cause tension on college campuses
Colleges struggle to strike a balance between respecting students’ rights and helping campus police departments do their job.
Ebola: To quarantine or not to quarantine?
Government officials must balance individual rights with public health when deciding whether to impose quarantines.
The Innocent on Death Row
DNA evidence has cleared two brothers wrongfully convicted of a 1983 rape and murder in North Carolina.
Breaking the Cycle of Incarceration
Bipartisan reform of the criminal justice system hopes to reduce recidivism and help nonviolent offenders reenter society.