All posts filed under: Faculty Commentary

Shortchanged: How Wage Theft Harms Pennsylvania’s Workers and Economy (Infographic)

A new report by the Sheller Center for Social Justice unmasks a shocking, but exceedingly common problem facing low-wage workers in Pennsylvania. Wage theft, the illegal non-payment or under payment of wages, is a pervasive problem hurting hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers across the state each week. See the main findings of the report in the infographic below, and read the full report here.

Drivers License Report

Driver’s Licenses for all: The Key to Safety and Security in Pennsylvania (Infographic)

Pennsylvania residents used to be able to apply, take a driver’s exam, and receive a driver’s license regardless of their immigration status. But in 2003, a law went into effect barring undocumented residents from obtaining driver’s licenses, interfering with their ability to provide for themselves and their families. Undocumented residents are not the only ones who are affected. This law is bad for all Pennsylvanians because it undermines public safety and holds back economic growth. This report illustrates how the current law is failing. It also explains why providing driver’s licenses to all will benefit the Commonwealth and all of its residents. Get the key findings in the infographic below, and read the full report here.  

The Supreme Court of the United States

Three Quick Thoughts of Zivotofsky

Long-awaited decision here finding the President to have exclusive recognition power, trumping Congress’ attempt to require birthplace of US citizens born in Jerusalem to be recorded as “Israel” on US passports issued to them. 1. Phew. Who knows what the response would have been in the Middle East if the Court had come out the other way. Maybe nothing, but it’s obviously still a tinderbox in which little sparks can lead to firestorms. 2. Though the President wins, Kennedy’s opinion cuts back on Curtiss-Wright, dismissing its broad characterization of executive power as dicta. “In a world that is ever more compressed and interdependent, it is essential the congressional role in foreign affairs be understood and respected. For it is Congress that makes laws, and in countless ways its laws will and should shape the Nation’s course. The Executive is not free from the ordinary controls and checks of Congress merely because foreign affairs are at issue. See, e.g., Medellín v. Texas, 552 U. S. 491, 523–532 (2008); Youngstown, 343 U. S., at 589; Little v. Barreme, 2 Cranch 170, 177–179 (1804); Glennon, Two Views …