Public Interest Law

Focusing on local, state, and national topics in areas of public concern, including education, public policy, and constitutional matters.

What White Collar Crime Threats Remain as the Country Emerges from COVID-19?

February 5, 2023

Are the 474 defendants charged with crimes for COVID-19 fraud schemes and the 1,686,121 reports of identity theft in 2021 just the tip of the iceberg?  COVID-19 steered the world into financial disruption.  As a result, the prevalence of white collar crime has skyrocketed over the last few years, particularly in the forms of government benefits fraud and identity theft. White collar criminals have targeted government benefits such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, the [...]

Public Policy vs. The Constitution: Confronting Minor Victims of Sexual Assault

January 14, 2023

Ratified in 1791, the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution sets forth rights related to criminal prosecutions. The amendment requires a speedy and public trial as well as an impartial jury; it also encompasses the confrontation clause. The Confrontation Clause provides that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” The purpose of this provision is to allow defendants to question their accusers in [...]

The Kids Are Not All Right: COVID-19’s Shocking Impact on Children

October 24, 2020

Many believe that one positive of the current health crisis is that children are not particularly vulnerable to the virus, but the youngest among us may bear the greatest trauma. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that one of the most vulnerable demographics during the COVID-19 pandemic is those aged 65 and older.  But with mandatory quarantines in place and over 10,000 schools across the country closing their doors, children are at an increased risk of negligence and abuse. The [...]

Micro-Lending with a purpose: A closer look at Kiva

October 4, 2019

What is Kiva? Organizations like Kiva, Heifer International, and Accion International, are leading the charge in the global effort towards financial inclusion.  These microfinancing organizations are helping to provide disadvantaged individuals and businesses with the financial tools to improve their lives and their communities. Officially launching in 2005, Kiva is a 501(c)(3) U.S. non-profit based in California.  As a person-to-person crowdfunding platform, Kiva connects everyday Americans [...]

Aging US population reaches new milestones: Need for legal services for older adults dramatically increasing

September 13, 2019

Maine recently hit a crucial milestone, which many were unaware of: A fifth of the state’s population is over the age of sixty-five.  The World Bank has defined this milestone as a phenomenon called “super-aged.”  This milestone makes Maine the state with the oldest population in the United States; however, Maine is just the “tip of the spear,” as stated by a reporter at The Washington Post quoting Ai-jen Poo, the co-director of Caring Across Generations. Maine will not be the only [...]

The Panama Papers: A global investigation into the secret tactics of tax evasion and fraud

April 14, 2019

After the ground-breaking leak of the Panama Papers in 2016, the first US charges have been brought against four individuals in the Southern District of New York.   The encrypted documents detailed the offshore holdings of prominent figures across the globe.   In 2016, an anonymous source leaked confidential documentsto a German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), that exposed how the wealthy and elite use certain tax havens to hide their wealth and avoid paying taxes.   The [...]

Judge Strikes Down State Constitutional Amendment

April 14, 2019

Judge Collins of the Third Division of the Superior Court ruled two amendments to the North Carolina Constitution, effectuated by N.C. Session Laws 2018-117 and 2018-128are now void.  Judge Collins wrote in his opinion, “an illegally constituted General Assembly does not represent the people of North Carolina and is therefore not empowered to pass legislation that would amend the state’s constitution.”   Judge Collins is referring to when the General Assembly redrew the [...]

It’s Not A Heart Issue: A look into the recent abortion war in Iowa

April 14, 2019

When it comes to a woman’s right to an abortion, the spotlight has recently been focused on New York. However, recently there has been an abortion war in Iowa where two battles that took place that ended in a victory for the pro-abortion activists. The first battle that took place was the fight in the Iowa legislature to stop a new restrictive abortion law from being passed. The second battle consisted of the fight that ensued in the Iowa courts after the bill was signed into law. The [...]

Cell phones and the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination

April 7, 2019

Data security technologies, like those used on both Apple and Samsung cell phones, continue to provide consumers with features aimed at increasing their data security.  Apple says iPhone users unlock their phones an average 80 times a day. Samsung’s newest device allows users to unlock their phones with an on-screen fingerprint scanner.  Apple has included fingerprint technology (Touch ID) on their phones since 2013 and now offers Face ID, which allows users to unlock certain iPhones by [...]

International legal rights of children living with disabilities: The realizations behind country-level implementation

April 1, 2019

International guidelines paint a relatively clear picture of the legal rights that all children living with disabilities share across the globe. These rights apply regardless of the region in which the child lives. The rights are inherently fundamental. These international human rights standards serve as excellent guidelines for countries looking to adopt and modernize their disability laws.  However, country-level implementation of these international laws on an individual country basis can [...]

A guide to Canada’s recent legalization of recreational marijuana

April 1, 2019

With the passage of the Cannabis Act, Canada just became the first G7 nation to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults on a federal level.   Under the new policy, Canadian adults may legally possess up to 30 grams of marijuana in public.   On October 17, 2018, Canada passed the Cannabis Act, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults.  According to the Canadian Department of Justice, the Cannabis Act “creates a strict legal framework for controlling the [...]

A divided court and a controversial travel ban: Trump v. Hawaii

March 23, 2019

Those following American politics will have heard of President Donald Trump’sProclamation No. 9645, a travel ban on nationals from eight foreign countries, including Chad, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.  On June 26, 2018, the controversial travel ban was fortified in a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court in Trump v. Hawaii. (2018).   President Trump’s Executive Orders   On January 27, 2017, immediately after taking office, President Trump issued Executive [...]
1 2 3 16