A Framework for Progressive Prosecution

The prosecutor is the lynchpin; ostensibly the first line of defense against petty, unjustified prosecutions that break apart families, send men and women to prison, and spit them out with the tarnish of a criminal record at the end of the process. Using the powerful tool of prosecutorial discretion, these individuals have the power to affect change and, short of changes to the penal code itself, are best able to mete out justice before a case ever makes it to the courtroom.

Why Harvey Weinstein’s Conviction Should Not Be Forgotten in 2021

Harvey Weinstein’s conviction deserves recognition as a story of change and hope for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence everywhere

When Rehabilitation Becomes Punitive, Incarcerated Minors Lack Major Rights

When Rehabilitation Becomes Punitive, Incarcerated Minors Lack Major Rights

Because delinquency hearings are labeled as “civil” rather than criminal, some rights that are guaranteed to adults in criminal proceedings do not extend to youth tried in juvenile court. When determining which constitutional rights should be incorporated into the juvenile court system, courts consider the Due Process Clause’s guarantee of “fundamental fairness.” Under this “Fundamental Fairness Test,” the Supreme Court found that the Sixth Amendment’s right to trial by jury does not extend to juvenile courts . . . However, the Supreme Court’s decisions on juvenile adjudication were made in the 1960s and 1970s, “prior to the explicit movement towards punitive juvenile justice.”

Little Fish, Big Protection

Little Fish, Big Protection

“The Endangered Species Act provides an incredible amount of legal protection. Someone could potentially go to prison for a whole year and be fined a whopping $50,000 for harming just one single pupfish… And that is precisely what happened.”

Disclaimer

GW Law School hosts this blog as a service to the GW Law Student Community to provide additional educational opportunities for student creative expression. It is law student-created and nothing on it constitutes or is intended to constitute legal advice. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the individuals who created the content; they are not the views of GW Law School, GW University or any other GW affiliate. GW Law School makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the site’s operation or the information, content, or materials included on this site.