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Penn Law
Global women’s rights
Rangita de Silva de Alwis makes the case for ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women by the United States.
Black Law Students Association reaches out to support diversity in legal field
Since 2007, Penn Law’s BLSA has led an outreach program to inspire a diverse cohort of future lawyers.
A conversation with Stacey Abrams
The Georgia politician sat down with Ben Jealous, visiting scholar and former NAACP leader, to discuss topics from gerrymandering to romance novels in a virtual discussion.
Honoring the life and legacy of a trailblazing civil rights activist
Penn Law is paying tribute to the legacy of Sadie T.M. Alexander, the first Black woman to graduate from the Law School, by launching three new full tuition scholarships created in her honor.
Myanmar coup, explained
Laura Edwards, an LL.M. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law and Myanmar expert, shares her take on the crisis.
More thoughts on the state of American democracy
In part two of this series, five Penn experts offer their insights on public health, election legitimacy, student loan debt, and more.
Dissecting chaos: An interdisciplinary look at the attack on the U.S. Capitol
Faculty from five schools at the University took part in a virtual panel discussion to unpack the policies, messages, and conditions that led to the events of Jan. 6.
The outlook for science under the Biden-Harris administration
Penn Today spoke with experts in various areas of science and environmental policy about what they anticipate will shift now that President Biden has assumed the nation’s leadership.
The state of U.S. democracy
On the eve of a presidential inauguration following a historic election and its aftermath, experts from across the University weigh in on where we stand as a country.
Kermit Roosevelt on incitement of insurrection and the 14th Amendment
Penn Law’s Kermit Roosevelt explains the historical context behind Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, its relation to the current presidential crisis, and its constitutional limitations.
In the News
Puerto Rico’s oversight board says it will have to pay certain bondholders less
The federal board leading Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy process announced a deal in which the island would pay less of its general obligation debt than initially required. “For a long time, the bond market thought general obligation bonds were the gold standard, and they couldn’t be restructured,” said David Skeel of the Law School. “The reality has become clear that they can be restructured.”
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Law enforcement diversity may improve policing, study shows
Research by Dean Knox of the Wharton School and colleagues suggests that diversity in law enforcement can lead to improvements in how the police treat people of color. “We see two groups of officers going out, and they’re treating the same group of civilians differently,” Knox said. “It’s troubling.”
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Sweetening senior status is potential path to boost judge supply
Stephen Burbank of the Law School co-authored a study that explored why many eligible judges don’t pursue senior status, in spite of the perks. Without senior status judges, he said, “the judiciary could collapse.”
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Philly police contract fight is on: FOP seeks 5% ‘accountability’ bonus for body cam use
John Hollway of the Law School’s Quattrone Center for Fair Administration of Justice said a proposal to bar arbitrators from overturning discipline for proven police misconduct is just a part of the solution. “If arbitration was where people fought before, maybe now they’ll fight upstream,” he said. “Giving more ability to the department to remove officers who clearly shouldn’t be on the job is a good thing, but it doesn’t mean that one change is going to all of a sudden solve every problem.”
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Pauli Murray vs. Jane Crow
Serena Mayeri of the Law School spoke about the life and accomplishments of legal scholar and poet Pauli Murray. Murray “essentially argued that sex like race was used to limit and oppress individuals for reasons that were really unrelated to their ability or their humanity,” said Mayeri. “It’s one of the most cited early articles on women’s rights and the law.”
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