Verdict

Former counsel to the president John W. Dean argues that it is high time for a woman—and most likely Hillary Clinton, in particular—to become our country’s next transformational president.

Cornell University law professor Sherry Colb discusses a recent New York law that bans tattoos of companion animals and compares it to a hypothetical law banning other types of animal cruelty.

Cardozo law professor Marci Hamilton discusses the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Holt v. Hobbs, holding that the Arkansas prison system’s beard-length requirements violate the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

George Washington University law professor and economist Neil Buchanan discusses the importance of civilian leadership of law enforcement and describes the dangers of an “us-against-them” mentality among law enforcement officers.

U.C. Davis law professor Vikram David Amar evaluates the merits of the arguments of the Arizona legislature in its Supreme Court challenge to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

Cornell University visiting law professor Joseph Margulies continues his discussion of torture and its place in American politics. Margulies describes how torture gained popularity only after it became a partisan issue, and only after its supporters assembled an argument making its use seem consistent with American values.

Cornell University law professor Michael Dorf discusses the extent to which various forms of protest by NYPD officers do (and don’t) threaten to undermine civilian control of the police.

Chapman University law professor Ronald Rotunda comments on the President’s asserted power to waive U.S. immigration laws.

Former counsel to the president John W. Dean reflects on a visit he had with the late California Justice Mildred Lillie, who, due to gender discrimination, was denied appointment on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cardozo law professor Marci Hamilton explains how the “religious liberty” supported by conservative Republicans is thinly veiled discrimination against the LGBTQ community and women.

Cornell University law professor Sherry Colb discusses the differences between the Fourth Amendment and the First Amendment with respect to the “fruit of the poisonous tree,” in the context of the recent Sony hack and widescale publication of the private data exposed by the cyber-attack.

Hofstra University law professor Joanna Grossman discusses the recent crackdown by the federal Office for Civil Rights on sexual assault and violence in schools.

In this first of a two-part series of columns, Cornell University visiting law professor Joseph Margulies debunks the widespread belief that Americans’ support for torture occurred immediately following the attacks of 9/11. In Part II, Margulies will discuss how support for torture took off only after it became a partisan issue, and an argument took shape that made torture sound congenial to American values.

UC Davis law professor Vikram David Amar continues his discussion of the low 2014 bar pass rates in California and throughout the country.

Cornell University law professor Michael Dorf discusses a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Supreme Court by Nebraska and Oklahoma against Colorado, alleging that the latter state’s legalization of marijuana undermines their ability to maintain their own prohibitions of the substance.

Cornell University visiting law professor Joseph Margulies discusses the growing role of radical individualism in political culture and how it leads to communities on all sides of the political spectrum not taking responsibility for violence their rhetoric causes.

Chapman University law professor Ronald Rotunda discusses the comments by MIT economist and Obamacare consultant Jonathan Gruber and the principle of the wisdom of crowds.

Hofstra University law professor Joanna Grossman discusses a Mississippi case in which that state’s supreme court held that the children of a failed marriage cannot sue a responsible third party for “alienation of affection.”

Cornell University law professor Sherry Colb considers whether, why, and to what extent the law should proscribe sexual relations with individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other permanent impairments on the basis of their incapacity to consent.

U.C. Davis law professors Vikram David Amar and Alan Brownstein reflect on the five most significant constitutional developments of 2014.