2014 Voter ID Laws: Progress or Politics?

2014 Voter ID Laws: Progress or Politics?

co-authored by Alicia Schleifman and Tayonna Ngutter On October 18th, the Supreme Court decreed in a 6-3 decision that the state of Texas may implement…

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Who Deserves Our Help?

Who Deserves Our Help?

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has gone on a rampage throughout Iraq, roaring one ultimatum: either “convert or die!” [1] On…

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How Should We Define a Refugee?

How Should We Define a Refugee?

The continued influx of Central-Americans at the U.S.-Mexico border poses the most recent challenge to international refugee law. The common meaning of the word “refugee”…

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Will It Be Change or More of the Same?

Will It Be Change or More of the Same?

The constitution of The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico was ratified on March 3, 1952 and declared law on July 25 of that year. The establishment…

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CULR's Summer Legal Internships

CULR’s Summer Legal Internships

This summer, Columbia students participated in a wide range of legal internships. Check out some of their experiences below!   Renata Castilho, CC’17, Economics and Political…

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Checks and Balances? Evaluating Litigation against the President

Checks and Balances? Evaluating Litigation against the President

To even the casual observer, congressional gridlock is an old headline, as is the strained relationship between Congress and President Barack Obama. However, on June…

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The Third Gender: Be Yourself, But Don't Have Sex

The Third Gender: Be Yourself, But Don’t Have Sex

In the United States, there is a strong debate over whether insurance companies should be required to cover sex change operations. This is a far…

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Donations in Politics: How much is too much?

Donations in Politics: How much is too much?

On April 2, 2014 the Supreme Court decided, in a 5-4 ruling, that caps on donations to political parties were unconstitutional. This decision raises the…

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Bitcoin: Has this been tried before?

Bitcoin: Has this been tried before?

Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that everyone is talking about, is taking the financial and technological world by storm. It was created in 2009 by a developer,…

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Law and Order: ICC playing a dirty game?

Law and Order: ICC playing a dirty game?

In recent years, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has come under fire regarding its prosecution practices for “crimes against humanity.” The court has four offenses…

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 “Kids Will Be Kids”: A Legal Precedent?

“Kids Will Be Kids”: A Legal Precedent?

Just how far does the idiom “kids will be kids” absolve children from legal responsibilities? A. Beck, a California Little League coach, is suing one…

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Whose Baby is It Anyway?

Whose Baby is It Anyway?

Adoption cases in the United States have always been relatively complex and often muddled in jurisdictional debates. On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court ended…

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