By Kaela Cote-Stemmermann (SCR ‘18) Interview Editor Over the past year, the Trump administration has continually rolled back the climate policies passed by the Obama administration. From repealing Obama’s Clean Power Plan that reduced pollution from coal-fired power plants,1 slapping trade barriers on imported solar equipment,2 to withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, the present...
By Isaac Cui (PO ’20) The Supreme Court yesterday released opinions in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission,[1] a highly-anticipated case which seemed to pit the civil rights of gay people against the religious objections of others. While the holding of the case was nominally in favor of the petitioner, who sought protection for his religious objections against Colorado’s anti...
By Allie Carter (CMC ’19) On May 4, 2018, the state of Iowa took a major leap towards enacting the nation’s strictest regulations on abortion. Colloquially referred to as the “heartbeat legislation,” abortions in Iowa are now prohibited once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is typically six weeks into a pregnancy. Whether the legislation is constitutional is largely ambiguous, as most...
By Daisy Ni (PO ’21) The United States’ military, the strongest military in the world, has depended upon an all-volunteer force (AVF) since 1973. Since then, our military conflicts have been disproportionately burdened by less than one percentage of our population. Although our military efficacy remains as stable as ever, the AVF model contains moral concerns, with opponents doubting its...
Dear Readers, Welcome to the tenth print edition—Vol. 5, No. 3—of the Claremont Journal of Law and Public Policy (CJLPP)! After reviewing many highly-qualified submissions, the editorial team is delighted to feature several particularly stimulating papers and two abridged interview articles in this issue. For our digital content as well as submissions from across the U.S. and overseas, please be...
By Dina Rosin (CMC ’20), Foreign Correspondent Throughout Middle Eastern and North African countries where Islam dominates both the social and political spheres of life, the rights of women often differ from traditional Western expectations. The legality of polygamy in many Muslim countries limits women’s rights by international human rights standards. The International Covenant on Civil...
By Bryce Watchell (PO ’21) Throughout his presidential campaign and administration, President Trump’s agenda has frequently featured anti-Islam rhetoric, which manifested itself in a “Muslim ban,” later renamed a “travel ban.” Following his initial mention of the ban, lawyers, judges, and politicians from across the political spectrum rejected the proposal on the constitutional basis of religious...
Conducted by Kaela Cote-Stemmermann (SC ’18), Interview Editor and April Xiaoyi Xu (PO ’18), Editor-in-Chief Transcribed by Kaela Cote-Stemmermann Ambassador William J. Burns is a former career Foreign Service Officer with over 30 years of experience. He previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2005 to 2008, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs...
By Elinor Aspegren (PZ ’20) The United States Supreme Court case Sessions v. Dimaya made headlines on Tuesday, April 17 when Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump nominee and noted conservative, sided with those more liberal in the decision that the Immigration and Nationality Act. This act defines a violent crime as eligibility for deportation, which is unconstitutionally vague under the...
By James Dail (CMC ’20) On April 10th and 11th, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress over the revelation that Cambridge Analytica, a British Data Analytics firm, compromised the data of more than 50 million Facebook users in order to try and influence the 2016 Presidential Election. The hearings were about Facebook’s ability to protect user privacy and monitor fake news...
