Come November 8, Vermont residents will have the opportunity to amend their state constitution and abolish slavery and indentured servitude for good. To be clear, Vermont does not currently allow either in any form, but there is antiquated language in the state constitution that allows for certain exceptions. In the Founding Era, numerous other states [...]
The US Supreme Court Tuesday released a short, two-paragraph order stating they would not block a subpoena from a Georgia grand jury requiring US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-GA) to testify about his actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Previously, Justice Clarence Thomas put a temporary hold on the subpoena without explanation. The order [...]
Brooke Chmura is a 3L at Vermont Law and Graduate School. She’s covering state ballot measures before Vermont voters in the 2022 midterm elections. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the US Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion. This decision delegated power [...]
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Monday put a temporary hold on a lower court order requiring Senator Lindsey Graham to testify in court. Thomas did not offer any explanation for his decision. After the 2020 presidential election, Graham called Georgia legislators and allegedly tried to convince them to change their election procedures in ways that [...]
Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) Tuesday introduced the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act. The bill would prohibit any federal, state, local or private organization from using federal funds to “expose children under 10 years of age to sexually-oriented material.” Under the bill, certain depictions or descriptions of sexual activity or any topic involving gender identity [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Monday urged the District Court of Columbia to sentence Steve Bannon, former strategist to former President Donald Trump, to six months in prison and a $200,000 fine. The request comes after a federal jury convicted Bannon of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena. The US [...]
The US Supreme Court Monday heard its first oral arguments of the term in Sackett v. EPA over whether wetlands are “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The controversy arose in 2007 when “without a CWA permit, —who operated a commercial construction and excavation business—dumped approximately 1700 cubic yards of [...]
Frank Garrison, a resident of Indiana, Tuesday sued the US Department of Education claiming the recent student debt forgiveness is unlawful. On August 24, the Biden administration announced that it would forgive between $10,000 and $20,000 in federal student loans for over 40 million borrowers. Garrison claims the forgiveness would create tax liabilities which make [...]
The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) Monday warned that Russian activist Yulia Tsvetkova’s rights are in danger ahead of a September 27 hearing. Tsvetkova was charged with violating Russian laws by posting her drawings of the female body to social media. Tsvetkova was acquitted on July 15, and prosecutors appealed on July 22. Tsvetkova claims [...]
The Czech Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs called on Saturday for “the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression” after the discovery of mass graves left by Russian forces in Izium, Ukraine. The Czech Republic currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency as of July 2022 Ukrainian forces [...]
