Beware Foreskin Man
Posted 334 days ago by Smita Ghosh
Some news outlets are starting to see San Francisco’s proposed circumcision ban as a referendum on religious freedom.
Jun 22
4 Comments
Don’t Dick Around On Twitter
Posted 335 days ago by Jake Laperruque
In a recently released piece focusing on New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, the magazine “Moment” wrote: “As part of a promise to his Twitter followers, he recently released a photo of himself . . . .”
Any guesses on how that sentence ends?
Pushing Boundaries toward Fairer Redistricting
Posted 335 days ago by Anthony Kammer
Following two landmark ballot initiatives, California transferred the power to draw legislative districts from the state legislature to an independent commission, the Citizen Redistricting Commission. And on June 10, the commission unveiled its first proposed maps for CA’s State Assembly, State Senate, and U.S. Congressional seats.
Rather than focusing on the particulars of these new maps, good government advocates watching from other states should seek to understand the dynamic produced by this new quasi-independent redistricting system.
ACS Convention discusses Free Speech on the Roberts Court
Posted 336 days ago by Jessica Jackson
Citizens United has clearly become the single most divisive first amendment opinion issued by the Roberts Court.
Jun 20
HLPR Blog Roundup: Politics as Usual
Posted 336 days ago by HLPR blog editorial staff
The flavor of the month for our bloggers has been the crumbling state of our nation’s political system. With no shortage of material on which to blog, our posts have captured various bits of the deterioration.
In a piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jessica Jackson lamented the treatment of progressive professor Goodwin Liu’s confirmation.
In his post, Yevgeny Shrago detailed the Senate’s’ latest use of the filibuster.
Lastly, Jake Laperruque discussed various aspects of the June GOP presidential candidate debates.
Read these posts and others only on the HLPR blog!
Adventures in Budgetland
Posted 339 days ago by Yevgeny Shrago
As economic indicators point toward extended stagnation, it’s time for the feds to realize that they will need to take responsibility for burgeoning state debts or risk cutting the legs out of what meager recovery we can get. In exchange, fiscal responsibility types should require states to buy into a sort of insurance program: during good times, states pay a percentage of their budget into a federally administered fund, which can then be used during recessions to smooth spending without pushing the deficit.
ACS Convention Covers the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions
Posted 339 days ago by Jessica Jackson
At the ACS National Convention, U.S. Representative Robert Scott pointed out the ironies of our current crime-reduction strategies, discussing the educational, employment, and professional consequences of a criminal conviction. His point, that none of these consequences have anything to do with rehabilitation or putting people on the right track, resonated with the crowd and was echoed by some of the other speakers.
Jun 17
Multiracial students and the evolution of affirmative action
Posted 339 days ago by Jay Willis
Schools are now grappling with new Department of Education regulations that, for the first time, allow students to identify themselves as members of two (or more) ethnic groups on their college and graduate school applications. Under the new reporting guidelines, how should a multiracial student be counted in terms of his or her contribution to a school’s diversity?
Eric Holder kicks off the tenth annual ACS convention
Posted 340 days ago by Jessica Jackson
Standing in front of the sold-out dinner at the opening night of the tenth-annual American Constitution Society convention, keynote speaker Eric Holder waited patiently for the roaring applause to finish. His message to the hundreds of progressive lawyers, judges, and students before him was simple, but very important for all those in the room: We are achieving progress.
Jun 16
DOMA in bankruptcy court
Posted 340 days ago by Marshall Thompson
A bankruptcy court in California strikes down DOMA as violative of the 5th Amendment.
