Archive for March 2015
Blog Post #24: Status Update: Facebook and The True Threats Doctrine
By Jeb Harmon On September 15, 2014, Jaleel Abdul-Jabbaar of Washington State hit the “post” button on his Facebook page.[1] Angered by the recent incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, where a white cop killed an African-American teenager, Abdul-Jabbaar posted a photo of the officer, Darren Wilson, with the message, “this dude needs his house sprayed.[2]” In October…
Read MoreBlog Post #23: Prohibit Employers from Using Background Checks in Hiring Decisions
By Julia Parker The use of background checks and conviction policies to eliminate potential employees from applicant pools is a contentious topic.[1] As a society, how can we expect individuals coming out of incarceration to become productive members of society if the conviction on their record stands as a barrier to gainful employment? On the flip…
Read MoreBlog Post #22: Regulatory Uncertainty Surrounding Legalization of Marijuana
By Jed H. D’Abravanel The District of Columbia’s (D.C.) peculiar legal status as the seat of the nation’s government has long acted to restrict the ability of its residents to express their popular sovereignty, and constitutional rights to both representation and legislative self determination.[1] Thus, the wishes of D.C.’s residents have long differed from the expressed…
Read MoreBlog #21: NFL Cheerleaders and Wage Dispute
By Doug Silverstein The NFL is big business for owners, players, and sponsors. However, NFL cheerleaders who work each game day often see very little of that business. In fact, many NFL cheerleaders do not even make the minimum wage.[1] Within the last year, several NFL cheerleader squads have pushed their teams to raise their wages.[2] The…
Read MoreBlog #20: Hello Barbie and Privacy Implications
By: Amy Farina Like most young children, I used to have one-way conversations with my Barbie dolls. But starting in fall 2015, Barbie will now listen and talk back. Toy maker Mattel teamed up with Toy Talk, a company that creates conversational toys, to reveal Hello Barbie last month at the New York Toy Fair.[1] Hello…
Read MoreBlog Post #19: The Right to Lie: Challenging the First Amendment
By Collin Shannon The free speech protections granted by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution are among the strongest in the world. Even so, a number of exceptions to such protections exist because, even in a free society, there are justifications for restrictions of total free speech.[1] A potential new exception to the First…
Read MoreBlog Post #18: 26 USC 183 Activities Not Engaged in For Profit
By: Kelly Richardson Since Congress enacted the Tax Reform Act of 1969, section 183 has uniquely affected a variety of individuals.[1] This statute, commonly called the Hobby Loss statute, allows a participant to deduct the cost of engaging in a hobby only to the extent that it does not exceed the profits derived from that hobby,…
Read MoreBlog Post #17: The End of Disparate Impact As We Know It
By Theresa Lau January 21, 2015 started as a usual day for most people living in the District of Columbia. But for most civil rights advocates, that particular day was full of uncertainty about the future of civil rights law. The Nine Justices of the Supreme Court gathered to hear the oral arguments on an…
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