What just happened? The Supreme Court ruled on National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General of California, a case regarding a California law that threatened to shut down pregnancy resource centers serving women and children in need. What is this case about? The case of NIFLA v. Becerra dealt […]

Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy announced this week that he will retire from the U.S. Supreme Court on July 31. Here are five facts you should know about the high court’s primary “swing vote” on social issues: 1. Anthony Kennedy, age 81, served as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the […]

Yesterday was World Refugee Day, an annual observance created by the United Nations to “commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees.” Here is what you should know about refugee and asylum policy in the United States. What is a refugee? The U.S. government defines “refugee” as any person who is outside any […]

Amidst the ongoing opioid crisis, government agencies are warning about the rise of another deadly illegal drug methamphetamine. As the New York Times noted earlier this year, methamphetamine has “never been purer, cheaper or more lethal.” Here are five facts you should know about this forgotten killer. 1. Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug usually used […]

What just happened? The House recently passed a bipartisan prison reform bill authored by Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). The First Step Act was approved by a 360-59 vote, and included the support of 134 Democrats. The bill is headed to the Senate, where it is expected to face opposition by Democrats who […]

What just happened? On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that prohibited states from allowing betting on amateur or professional sports. In the case of Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the court ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act violated the 10th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. […]

The case of Alfie Evans, a terminally ill British infant who died several days after being taken off ventilation, has raised troubling concerns about the state’s authority to intervene in parental rights. But it also has caused some to wonder what they would have done if they were Alfie’s parents. We often aren’t prepared for […]

Understanding the facts Less than a year after the Charlie Gard case, another terminally ill British infant is gaining international attention and raising concerns about the rights of parents in Britain. A few months after he was born in May 2016, Alfie Evans began to show signs of having a developmental disorder. Then, on December […]

Last month the U.S. Senate passed the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), legislation intended to limit online sex trafficking. (A similar bill—the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA)—was also passed by the House, and the combined legislation is known as FOSTA-SESTA.) Here are five facts you should know about […]