Law
Learning from the Watts Rebellion
Half a century on, we need to recommit ourselves to correcting the conditions that undergirded the civil unrest of the 1960s.
Effective Altruism’s Political Blind Spot
“Effective altruism,” the philanthropic movement founded on Peter Singer’s ideas, applies a consequentialist philosophy to the problem of global poverty.
Executive Secrecy
If we want to check presidential power—and check it we must—then it is essential that we resist claims to executive secrecy.
Racism: Dumb and Personal / Smart and Structural
Opponents often associate racism with ignorance. But intelligent people promote oppression through colorblindness.
Open Letter to Gayle Smith, Nominee for USAID Administrator
At USAID there’s one simple thing you can commit to: no famine.
The Folly of Neoliberal Prison Reform
The demands of justice and human rights compel thoroughgoing change, whatever the cost-benefit analysis returns.
Corporate Welfare Is Draining Baltimore
We need to turn to the economic violence that attends police violence.
Elder Consent: The New Sex Panic?
One report on purported elder abuse describes victims as dependent captives “in highly sexualized environments.”
Police Body Cameras Can’t Replace Camera Phones
Body cameras and camera phones are constrained by different policies and laws.
Police Manipulate Freddie Gray Story Through Leak
One of the many disturbing dimensions of Freddie Gray’s death after riding in a Baltimore Police van is how little the public knows about the circumstances.
How the Truth About Palestine Won Netanyahu the Israeli Election
He now has the power to establish, if he wishes, a coalition consisting exclusively of extreme right and religious parties.
Obama’s NSA Reforms, One Year Later
The “nothing to see here” tone of a recent intelligence report shows Obama is not concerned about our civil liberties. That is why we should be.
A Tale of Two Immigration Judgements
Federal courts have been busy scrutinizing the government’s handling of immigration.
With Immigration Plan, Obama Invited Legal Scrutiny
Even if Obama’s immigration measure gets past procedural obstacles, it may be quickly revoked.
Why We Tolerate Biased Policing
Tragically, it may be unrealistic to expect Americans—including police—to ignore race.
Americans Love King Because They Don’t Understand Him
Celebrating him as a figure of unity and tolerance erases his actual politics from public memory.
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