Inequality Inquiry
Shorter Form Content from the Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality
Crypto and the Climate Crisis
March 8, 2023
Cryptocurrency mining has done more than shake up financial industries – it has had an enormous impact on climate change as well. In this blog, JLI Note & Comment Editor Mallory Harrington breaks down how cryptocurrencies impact the environment and potential solutions to these problems.
Continue ReadingFace It: Police Can’t Be Trusted with Facial Recognition Technology
March 7, 2023
As facial recognition technology becomes more common, governments must confront the more sinister aspects of this new field, including privacy concerns, threats to free speech, and government surveillance. This piece by JLI Online Editor Joseph Scanlon breaks down the issues with police’s use of facial recognition technology.
Continue ReadingThe Respect for Marriage Act: Limitations, Protections, and Future Implications
March 3, 2023
In this blog post, Staff Member Elise Skarda reviews the impact of the much-anticipated Respect for Marriage Act, and, due to the Act’s limits, proposes further actions to be taken to protect same-sex marriage.
Continue ReadingNot-So Affordable Housing: Regulatory Blocks on Accessory Dwelling Units in the Twin Cities
JLI Vol. 41 Staff Member Jacque Randolph explains the benefits of and barriers to using Accessory Dwelling Units for affordable housing in the Twin Cities.
Continue ReadingNoncompete Clauses and the Federal Trade Commission’s Proposal to Ban: Pros, Cons, and Questions on the FTC’s Authority
March 1, 2023
**By Mike Fadden Introduction: On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a new rule proposal that would result in a ban on noncompete clauses in the United States.[1] This proposed rule specifically impacts noncompete clauses in the employer-employee relationship, which “block people from working for a competing employer, or starting a…
Continue ReadingUpdated Minnesota Child Support Guidelines Starting January 1, 2023: What’s Changing and Who Will Be Impacted?
February 10, 2023
*By Sydnie Peterson Effective January 1, 2023, the Minnesota child support guidelines will undergo various targeted changes that aim to have a large impact on child support awards. Child support awards are court ordered and intended to adequately provide for children’s “care, housing, food, clothing, transportation, and additional support for medical costs” and child care.[1]…
Continue ReadingPolice Questioning of Juveniles
February 9, 2023
By Emma Kruger Police interrogation can be intimidating even for adults, but the experience of police questioning for a juvenile suspected of committing or witnessing a crime can be even more overwhelming. Police interrogation practices often do not differ for children, but children’s experience of them and their capacity to adequately make choices in the…
Continue ReadingAll in the Family: How Polyamorous Families Can Use Businesses Models and Contracts to Secure Legal Benefits
JLI Staff Member Jacqueline R. Brant explores the legal challenges of polyamorous and plural families, including child custody, tax filing, government benefits, and housing rights, and the methods these families use to build a life outside of legal marriage.
Continue ReadingExpungement of Marijuana Convictions: Lessons Learned from Minnesota Prohibition
February 7, 2023
Articles Editor Cedar Weyker looks back on Prohibition-era Minnesota to determine the best path forward for expungement as states across the country legalize marijuana.
Continue ReadingState v. Khalil: How a Minnesota Supreme Court Ruling Led to the Amendment of a Minnesota Criminal Sexual Conduct Statute
February 6, 2023
In this blog post, staff member Remy Bell explores how the case of State v. Khalil impacted Minnesota’s criminal sexual conduct statute.
Continue ReadingUnhoused and Handcuffed
January 13, 2023
By Eleanor Khirallah Under the guise of addressing homelessness and mental illness in New York City, on Tuesday, November 28, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new directive that allows the involuntary hospitalization of people suspected to be mentally ill on the street or subway. The city directive authorizes peace officers and police officers to…
Continue ReadingExplainer: The Teamsters Local 320 Agreement
January 12, 2023
In this blog, staff member Selma El-Badawi breaks down the recent agreement between the University of Minnesota and the Teamsters Local 320.
Continue ReadingLaufer Gives ADA Testers a Second Green Light
January 11, 2023
By Matthew Schmitz ***Disability communities differ on whether they prefer person-first (“person with a disability”) or identity-first (“disabled person”) language.[1] Here, I have opted for identity-first language but want to acknowledge that each member of the disability community may have a different preference. The First Circuit bucked the trend of its sister circuits on a…
Continue ReadingD.C. Statehood: A Half-Made Promise Losing Momentum
In the newest blog post on Inequality Inquiry, staff member Sergi Torres reviews and responds to arguments against D.C. statehood.
Continue Reading“It’s Absolutely Immoral”: The Denial of Mental Health Treatment in U.S. Prisons
January 9, 2023
Staff member Nicole Carter interrogates why prison inmates’ mental health needs are neglected in this new blog post.
Continue ReadingFirst Down, First Amendment: A Case Comment on Kennedy v. Bremerton School District
December 2, 2022
Note & Comment Editor Karissa Grapes analyzes a recent Supreme Court decision and discusses its impact on religious practices in schools.
Continue ReadingThe Forgotten Child Bride in the United States
December 1, 2022
In this blog post, staffer Rachel Emendorfer discusses child marriage in the United States, the current landscape of legal issues surrounding marriages involving minors, and the specific impact child marriage has on young girls.
Continue ReadingReforming the Troubled Teen Industry
November 30, 2022
By Alida Weidensee* Imagine yourself as a teenager. You wake up in the middle of the night to adult strangers in your bedroom. Maybe there are police officers too. These strangers force you to go with them, telling you that there is “a choice to do this the easy way or hard way.” You might…
Continue ReadingTelehealth Providers: A Temporary, Tenuous Solution for Post-Dobbs Access to Medication
November 29, 2022
JLI Managing Editor Lottie James examines the vital, but limited, role of telehealth providers play in maintaining access to medication abortions after the Dobbs decision.
Continue ReadingCuba’s 2022 Family Code: A Different Model for Social Progress
November 2, 2022
In this blog post, staffer Buchanan Waller analyzes the development of and reasons for success behind Cuba’s 2022 Family Code.
Continue ReadingAbortion Asylees: Is There Still a Path Forward After Dobbs?
October 30, 2022
In this blog, JLI’s Lead Online Editor Madelyn Cox-Guerra analyzes the impact of the overturning of Roe v. Wade on asylum-seekers who come to the United States.
Continue ReadingWhat’s Brewing with Bruen?
Kenneth Cooper examines the impact of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 142 S.Ct. 2111 (2022), and New York’s public defender and legal aid offices unexpected involvement in the case.
Continue ReadingPurging False Narratives Around Cash Bail
October 28, 2022
By Christian Purnell. With Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) set to take effect in a matter of months, opponents are stepping up their efforts to spread misinformation about the law on social media. Homing in on a provision of the PFA that abolishes cash bail in the state’s pretrial system, Twitter trolls, and even…
Continue ReadingHow Worker Centers Can Build Working Class Solidarity Outside of Traditional American Labor Law
June 23, 2022
View/Download PDF Version By Jon Erik Haines† Those who believe in the power of the labor movement have struggled to process the continued, seemingly unstoppable decline in union membership over the last 50 years. The percentage of the American workforce that is represented by a union fell to a significant low in 2020.[1] The causes…
Continue ReadingA Full Constellation of Benefits: How In Re the Custody of N.S.V. Exemplifies the Need for Courts and Legislatures to Readdress Definitions of Parenthood in Light of the Recognition of Same-sex Relationships
June 21, 2022
View/Download PDF Version By Esther Raty† Two women fall in love, move in together, and decide to start a family.[1] While two women cannot both genetically[2] be the parent of one child, they can choose when to have a child, which sperm donor to use, and how to co-parent a child.[3] However, no matter how…
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