A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS: THE MRERA’S APPROACH TO SAVING CAMDEN’S SCHOOLS BY SAVING CAMDEN ITSELF

In 2002, the State of New Jersey took control of the operation of the City of Camden. That process included a takeover of management of the city’s school district. While state disestablishment of underperforming school districts is not a new idea, New Jersey’s all-encompassing approach marks a radical change in the way such an action… continue reading

SUPPORTING THE HOME TEAM… IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PUBLIC FINANCING OF PHILADELPHIA’S NEW SPORTS STADIA

Cities take great pride in their professional sports franchises. On any given day, the office water cooler is likely to be surrounded by fans reveling in the home team’s latest victory or lamenting its last defeat. Living in a major league city often produces an increased sense of community and civic pride amongst its citizens…. continue reading

SEEKING A CONSOLIDATED FEMINIST VOICE FOR PROSTITUTION IN THE US

Liberal, social, and radical feminism are among the most predominant feminist doctrines on the issue of prostitution. The core tenets of these schools of thought are vastly different. Each focuses on what they believe to be the root causes of prostitution and each seeks to improve the quality of life for these women in different… continue reading

A QUEER ALLIANCE: GAY MARRIAGE AND THE NEW FEDERALISM

May 17, 2004 was an odd day in American politics. Many will remember that Monday as the first date in United States history that the government of one state recognized the union of same-sex couples in marriage, initiating a nationwide proliferation of legal challenges to same-sex marriage restrictions in several other states. This in itself is quite remarkable,… continue reading

WORD FROM THE ACADEMIES: A PRIMER FOR LEGAL POLICY ANALYSIS REGARDING ADOLESCENT RESEARCH PARTICIPATION

Few voices regarding scientific research are as eminent as the National Academies.1 When the Academies speak, Congress and the White House not only listen but also act. As federal legislation and executive orders exemplify, the Academies’ reports about challenges at the biomedical science-society interface inform public policies and influence laws. Foremost at this interface are… continue reading

THE MYTHS OF SCHOOL CHOICE: REFLECTIONS ON THE TWO-INCOME TRAP

What do the debate about the rising number of bankruptcy filings and the debate about public school reforms have to do with each other? Quite a lot according to Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi, mother and daughter co-authors of THE TWO- INCOME TRAP: WHY MIDDLE-CLASS MOTHERS & FATHERS ARE GOING BROKE. They conclude that middle-class families… continue reading

SUPPORTING FAMILIES, SAVING FUNDS: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF EQUALITY FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES IN NEW JERSEY

Perhaps no issue is more closely associated with religious, moral, and emotional concerns than extending marriage to same-sex couples. As the discussion has broadened and deepened over the last fifteen years, though, the public debate has evolved to include considerations of the social and economic consequences of marriage equality. Economic consequences, in particular, have assumed… continue reading

OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES: A RECONSIDERATION OF INFORMING JURORS ABOUT PUNISHMENT IN DETERMINATE- AND MANDATORYSENTENCING CASES

“This is without question the worst case of my judicial career…” So observed United States District Court Judge Gerard Lynch in 2002 in a case before him involving a defendant facing a mandatory-minimum ten-year sentence on a charge of advertising the distribution of child pornography. That case and Judge Lynch’s actions and observations, about which… continue reading

NOT A LIVING ROOM SOFA:CHANGING THE LEGAL STATUS OF COMPANION ANIMALS

Veterinary medicine has gone through tremendous changes in the past several decades. Until fairly recently, veterinary practice was viewed primarily as a “service profession to agriculture,” that involved many rote practices such as vaccinating herds of cows. In contrast, today’s veterinary practice focuses much more heavily on companion animal medicine and includes such specialty areas as… continue reading