JURIST Guest Columnist Wendy K. Mariner of Boston University School of Law discusses the Trump Administration’s recent issued guidance that will allow states to include employment as a requirement for Medicaid enrollment… On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) sparked immediate controversy by announcing new policy for states seeking §1115 Medicaid [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Ruqaiijah Yearby of Case Western Reserve University School of Law discusses the legality of a work requirement for Medicaid eligibility and the impact this will have on poverty . . . On November 15, 2017, the Institute for Policy Studies issued a report noting that the three richest people in the United [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the constitutionality of Ohio’s lethal injection method on Thursday, just two weeks prior to a scheduled execution. The case stemmed from two death row inmates attempting to prevent their pending executions, claiming that Ohio’s midazolam-based, three-drug execution protocol presents a constitutionally unacceptable risk of pain [...]
Federal district judge Sam Cummings on Thursday ruled that an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guideline limiting employers’ use of criminal background checks in the hiring process is unenforceable. Texas, the plaintiff, claimed that the guideline was issued without notice and comment, overstepped the EEOC’s authority, and was an “unreasonable interpretation” of Title VII of [...]
US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) , with approval from President Trump, declassified and released a memo on Friday claiming that the FBI overstepped their surveillance authority while investigating Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election. The release of the memo stems from a dossier compiled by a longtime FBI source who allegedly [...]
Amnesty International (AI) released a report on Thursday detailing continued abuses by Australia against refugees being held on Manus Island . In October 31, 2017, Australia withdrew support services for the refugee detention center, including shutting off power, water, food and medical supplies to the center. AI claims this was done to force the refugees [...]
The UN expressed concern Thursday about human rights abuses in Mali despite the Malian government signing a peace agreement in 2015 with several armed groups. The UN monitored the situation in Mali from January 2015 to June 2017, finding 600 cases of human rights abuses, plus 800 more involving “unidentified armed elements.” Around 2,700 victims [...]
The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Nicaragua to pay Costa Rica nearly USD $380,000 for environmental damage to a protected wetland in the border area near the San Juan River. Nicaragua removed close to 300 trees and cleared 6.19 hectares of vegetation, resulting in Costa Rica’s claim that, due to the change in [...]
A federal judge on Thursday struck down Florida’s process for restoring voter rights to former felons, finding that it was unconstitutional. Florida citizens are automatically disenfranchised after being convicted of a felony under the Florida Constitution . Former felons must wait a period of five to seven years from the completion of their sentence, including [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Isaac Smith of the University of Cincinnati School of Law discusses the First Amendment implications of actions taken by Ohio University administrators… In 2017, violent student protests made headlines nationwide. The often minimal discipline meted out afterwards inspired legislative efforts in several states to impose mandatory punishments upon students who disrupt campus [...]
