The Freedom to Fear

The Freedom to Fear

Serious commentators are telling us not to assume that the Supreme Court is going to find “Obamacare” unconstitutional just because the conservative justices gave the government lawyer a hard time when the case came before the Court last month. Somehow...
Breathing While Black

Breathing While Black

The radical conservative majority of the Supreme Court delivered yet another bizarre opinion the other week. It ruled that police and jail officials can strip search anyone arrested for anything, no matter how minor the violation or how upstanding the suspect. In...
Corporations Commit Atrocities, My Friend

Corporations Commit Atrocities, My Friend

The Supreme Court heard arguments in a crucial case yesterday that could have major ramifications for corporate accountability. In Kiobel vs. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., the multinational oil giant commonly known as Shell is accused of helping the Nigerian government...
Interview with Roe v. Wade Lawyer Sarah Weddington

Interview with Roe v. Wade Lawyer Sarah Weddington

January 22 marks the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. That ruling has been called the most significant of the 20th century. Certainly it was the most significant for women. The case was...
A Long Shadow of Doubt: The Execution of Troy Davis

A Long Shadow of Doubt: The Execution of Troy Davis

September 21, 2011 was a sad day for American justice. On that date at 11:08 pm, the state of Georgia administered a lethal injection into the body of 42-year-old Troy Davis and put him to death. With his dying breath, Troy Davis maintained his innocence in the 1989...