Law and Justice
Rawls at 100
Happy birthday, John Rawls! We celebrate the political philosopher’s centenary, as well as the 50th anniversary of the publication of “A Theory of Justice.”
A Parable and Parody of Restorative Justice
The Netflix series Dead to Me suggests that we might get closer to justice by forgiving each other and ourselves for the sometimes literally fatal flaw of being human.
Poisoning Tallevast
First, segregation blocked this Florida community from equal education and other public goods. Then the military–industrial complex sickened residents and destroyed their property.
How Nations Heal
We cannot simply put the past behind us. The framework of transitional justice offers a promising path forward.
How Criminal Law Lost Its Mind
Many U.S. criminal statutes betray the bedrock legal principle of mens rea: the notion that actions are criminal only when they are accompanied by a guilty mind.
Our Undemocratic Constitution
Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation is a sham, but it is one the Constitution allows. There’s only one way out of this crisis: we must amend.
Save the Equal Rights Amendment
Renewed efforts to quash it stand to wipe out a hundred years of women’s work as constitution-makers.
U.S. Politics is Failing Children
Everyone agrees that child poverty is a problem. Why are Democrats and Republicans so bad at addressing it?
American Democracy Is in the Mail
Attacks on the U.S. postal service are attacks on building a more equitable and inclusive society.
What’s Next for Abortion Law?
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling is only the latest twist in the convoluted legal history of women’s reproductive rights. The future looks no less partisan.
Four Ways to Escape a Sex Panic
In the absence of rigorous journalism about accusations of sexual wrongdoing, these strategies are essential.
Violence Cannot Remedy Violence
Instead of deterring sexual violence, criminalization has empowered policing and punishment.
Our Broken Constitution
Constitutional crisis won’t be fixed by a few isolated reforms. We need to rethink the Constitution from the ground up.
From Restraining Orders to Assassinations, the Dangerous Work of Saving the Monarchs
Monarch butterflies may be gone in thirty years. Saving them seems apolitical, but environmentalists have landed in the sights of drug cartels, illegal loggers, Trump supporters, and even clandestine avocado farmers.
Police Sexual Violence Is Hidden in Plain Sight
Forms of gender-specific violence are baked into the structure of law enforcement. Reform efforts will fail until we eliminate police discretion over women’s bodies.
Bostock v. BLM
Two conflicting visions of equality have recently emerged on the American political left. Only one aims at institutional change.
When the State Fears a Poet
Celebrated Indian poet and activist Varavara Rao remains in prison on trumped-up conspiracy charges.
Burdens and Benefits
A recent abortion ruling asks whether abortion access laws may one day be judged on how they serve women's health.
How the Law Killed Ahmaud Arbery
In many states, legal regimes sanction the predictable murder of innocent black men. Justice will not be served until the law changes.
The Problem Isn’t Just Police—It’s Politics
Sociologist Alex Vitale explains how the U.S. policing crisis begins with politics—the decision to embrace neoliberal austerity and to turn the social problems it creates over to police.
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