Law & Public Policy Blog

Alexander Rojavin ’20, Law & Public Policy Scholar On August 20th, the same day that de facto leader of the Russian opposition Aleksei Navalny was poisoned, Russian satirist (and arguably the last remaining clear-eyed social commentator left within Russia’s borders) Viktor Shenderovich yet again correctly characterized the current inhabitants of the Kremlin as “a criminal band” (link in Russian). “They are felons,” he wrote. “And they’re idiots, naturally, if they believe that it’s possible to halt the flow of history …

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Suzanne Bernstein, Law & Public Policy Scholar, JD Anticipated May 2022 A recent, landmark decision from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will have a lasting impact on the transatlantic economic relationship, which is worth nearly $7.1 trillion. On July 16, the ECJ invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, the agreement that has governed the transfer of EU citizens’ personal data to the United States since 2016. Over the past twenty years, a series of distinct EU and U.S. regulations and …

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Alexander Rojavin ’20, Law & Public Policy Scholar At the risk of jinxing something, the latest events in Belarus demand the very real consideration that Alexander Lukashenko’s twenty-six-year rule will shortly end. Lest this seem like a preemptive political obituary, it is worth noting that Lukashenko may well make a show of force that scatters the nationwide opposition and secures him another indeterminate number of years of power. However, with how things have been unfolding, Lukashenko’s continued political survival seems …

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Ashley Rotchford ’18, Law & Public Policy Scholar What it says: The proclamation suspends the entry of certain foreign nationals to the United States who attempt entry pursuant to immigrant visas. It applies to the following foreign nationals: Any foreign national outside the United States as of April 23, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. who does not have a valid immigrant visa or a travel document permitting re-entry and wishes to enter the United States pursuant to an immigrant visa. It …

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Ashley Rotchford ’18, Law & Public Policy Scholar As nonimmigrants and immigrants alike fear for their status, employment, and ability to qualify for any type of federal or state benefit during this pandemic, the Administration decided to add to these well-founded fears by proffering the following from President Trump’s personal Twitter account a little after 10:00 PM on April 20, 2020: “In light of the attach from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of …

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Alexander Fried, Law & Public Policy Scholar, JD Anticipated May 2022 What do the following claims have in common? “Nancy Pelosi diverting Social Security money for the impeachment inquiry” “Trump’s grandfather was a pimp and a tax evader; his father was a member of the KKK.” “AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) proposed a motorcycle ban.” First, all of these claims are patently false. But perhaps more importantly, they all were believed true. All of these claims were among the most viewed fake …

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Steven Johnston ’18, Law & Public Policy Scholar As Covid-19 grips the hearts and minds of the American people, all levels and branches of government must rapidly respond to the virus. The speed at which government must respond is complicated by the fact that it must do so blindly. There are asymptomatic carriers of the virus, a delay in the onset of symptoms, and a lack of testing that officials reacting to the national emergency must contend with when rolling …

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Fanny Lau, Law & Public Policy Scholar, JD Anticipated May 2021 and Luis Meléndez, Law & Public Policy Scholar, JD Anticipated May 2020 “All my life I’ve been bubbly and the life of the party,” Taraji P. Henson said in an interview with Self Magazine. “Things started to shift for me when Trayvon Martin—when that happened . . . [t]hat’s when I noticed anxiety started kicking in[.]” Fearing that even her fame could not protect her son, who was close …

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Cary Zhang, Law & Public Policy Scholar, JD Anticipated May 2021 The current Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, once stated in a 60 Minutes interview that she did not know which was greater, the number of false accusations of campus sexual assaults or the actual number of campus sexual assaults. Well, I certainly know. I know through common sense that the majority of women who report sexual assault are not making it up, misunderstanding, or overreacting. I know through emotional …

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Araesia King, Law & Public Policy Scholar, JD Anticipated May 2021 Philadelphia was the location of the nation’s first hospital, and it is now a national hub for medical education and care. One sixth of the physicians in the United States have trained in Philadelphia. The city has thirteen acute care hospitals, three children’s hospitals, two cancer hospitals, one eye hospital, and one Veteran Affairs hospital. The number of acute care hospital beds per capita exceeds both the national average …

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