Articles

These parents did not hurt their children—but child protection agencies targeted them anyway

December 14, 2023 | By GLENN ROPER

This article first appeared in the winter 2023 edition of Sword&Scales. At 2:07 A.M. on Saturday, July 16, 2022, Sarah Perkins texted the family group chat: CPS just took custody. Her sister-in-law Dia wrote back: No no no no. Custody of both kids? Her brother-in-law Brian wanted to know. At 1:00 in the morning? They drove off with both ki ...

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Daily Journal : Bump stocks, machine guns, and the rule of lenity

December 04, 2023 | By GLENN ROPER

The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear the case of Garland v. Cargill, addressing whether a “bump stock” qualifies as a machine gun and is therefore banned by federal law. Gun rights and gun control advocates will surely use the case to argue about the legality and wisdom of gun restrictions, but Cargill presents … ...

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The Hill : Are Georgia and Oklahoma racially discriminating in a homeowners’ COVID relief program?

December 19, 2022 | By GLENN ROPER

The federal government is giving away billions of dollars in taxpayer money to help Americans nationwide who are struggling to pay mortgages. But in Georgia and Oklahoma, whether homeowners are eligible for assistance depends on their skin color. In both Atlanta and Oklahoma City, for example, a couple making $95,000 a year can receive tens … ...

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Republican American : Conn. embraces discriminatory lending program

November 29, 2022 | By GLENN ROPER

Small businesses across Connecticut were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are still hanging on by a thread as they seek to rebuild and once again flourish. Now they face a looming recession and grim economic prospects. These businesses might have recently felt renewed hope when they heard of a new $120 million fund … ...

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TJ alum calls admissions changes ‘a war on excellence’ in Washington Post

April 21, 2022 | By GLENN ROPER

My colleagues and I have written many times about our Thomas Jefferson High School admissions case, but nothing we could write better captures what’s at stake in the case than what Coalition for TJ member Hung Cao just wrote in The Washington Post. Cao is a TJ alum. A Vietnamese refugee who later became a … ...

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Parents file emergency request with Supreme Court in TJ admissions case

April 08, 2022 | By GLENN ROPER

On March 31, the federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to stay a February 25 district court ruling that the Fairfax County School Board violated the law in changing admissions requirements at the nation’s top public high school. The district court judge had agreed with a coalition of concerned parents and community members … ...

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A look back at the most ridiculous and arbitrary COVID restrictions

March 15, 2021 | By GLENN ROPER

It’s been one year since COVID restrictions began going into effect in states and counties across the nation. Although some of these restrictions were reasonable (and temporary) measures designed to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed, others seemed arbitrary and bore little connection to health and safety. At best, they were slightly ridic ...

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Daily Journal : The US Supreme Court’s giant Puerto Rico miss

June 10, 2020 | By GLENN ROPER

In a decision issued June 1, the U.S. Supreme Court missed an opportunity to address an important question: Does the abuse of federal power require a meaningful remedy? The case, Federal Oversight & Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, 2020 DJDAR 5167, arose out of Puerto Rico’s recent financial meltdown. For decades, ...

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The Hill : COVID-19 testing missteps illustrate failures of the regulatory state

April 07, 2020 | By GLENN ROPER

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, slowing the dangerous virus’s spread in the United States requires a two-pronged approach: altering behaviors through practices such as social distancing and sheltering in place, and widespread testing. Unfortunately, the second prong has been lacking, largely because of bureaucratic red tape and the fa ...