Orange County Register : California should extend lifesaving telehealth tech options
Dr. Gene Dorio and Robin Clough spent their careers looking after their neighbors' needs. In Santa Clarita, they were the kind of couple every community quietly relies on—running programs for seniors, checking in on isolated neighbors, and making sure residents had support when things went wrong. They were the helpers. Then came their own brus ...
The woman who sued to enforce the Declaration’s promise of equality
The Declaration of Independence's bold proclamation that "all men are created equal" was the foundation on which the pillars of American ethos were built. Its principle endured, later shaping the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equality before the law. Self-evident as this truth may be, how these words would be lifted from the parchment and ...
Does the Constitution protect a cancer patient’s right to call his doctor?
When Jun Abell was just 18 months old, he was diagnosed with pineoblastoma—a rare, aggressive brain tumor. After multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy, he was referred to Dr. Shannon MacDonald, a leading pediatric radiation oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Jun's family moved to Boston for two months while he underwent proton ...
How a Policy Interpretation turned Title IX against itself
When Title IX was passed in 1972, it promised to provide men and women with equal access to opportunities like scholarships, athletic programs, and extracurriculars. It was a beacon of progress in the fight for gender equality and transformational for women's athletics. It's perplexing, then, that the number of NCAA men's gymnastics teams has dw ...
New York says helping your neighbors understand a court form is a crime
In New York, a debt collector can sue you for money you don't owe—and win, if you don't respond. These debt-collection lawsuits aren't uncommon; they make up roughly a quarter of all cases filed in New York state courts, and defendants fail to appear in up to 90% of them. They can result in financial ruin, even when claims lack merit. Reverend ...
Parents challenge Boston’s tier-based school admissions as unconstitutional
This week, PLF brought its challenge to a Boston public school's admissions system before the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. PLF senior attorney Chris Kieser delivered oral arguments, advocating on behalf of parents who argue the admissions process is discriminatory. The case, brought by the Boston Parent Coalition for Ac ...
Public school teacher asks Supreme Court to protect off-campus speech
Jeanne Hedgepeth spent 20 years teaching social studies at Palatine High School outside Chicago. During her tenure, she was actively involved in creating an inclusive environment at school; she sponsored the gay-straight alliance, participated in anti-bullying initiatives, and produced a school-wide video to promote diversity. Then, in June 2020 ...
Court lets surf school’s First Amendment challenge ride
Helina Beck has been trying to teach surf lessons on California's public beaches for years. On Tuesday, a federal court said her fight can continue, denying California's motion to dismiss her case and handing her a meaningful early victory in a fight over who gets to teach on shorelines that belong to all Californians. The ruling, issued Februar ...
Anchorage Daily News : The day the music lived
On a summer evening in Alaska, it's not unusual to want a drink while enjoying some entertainment — a local musician, maybe a screening of a classic summer movie like "The Goonies" or "Jaws." If you walk into a bar, you might be in luck. But until recently, if you walked into a brewery or winery, chances are you'd be out of luck. Not because t ...