What’s the key to community lawyering? Less lawyering and more community

On a two-week visit to Thailand with our program director to visit several True Costs Initiative grantee partners, including the Community Resource Centre Foundation, I learned that real community lawyering looks nothing like “traditional” lawyering, and it is precisely that characteristic that makes it such a potent tool for protecting environmental and human rights.

May 22, 2024 3:13 PM CDT

Artificial intelligence used to replicate Brown v. Board of Education oral arguments

The retired law professor who founded the Oyez multimedia archive of U.S. Supreme Court materials has taken on a new project—creating an audio of the Brown v. Board of Education oral arguments using artificial intelligence.

May 21, 2024 2:32 PM CDT

Amal Clooney was among the experts who advised on the International Criminal Court arrest warrants

Amal Clooney on Monday said she helped weigh the evidence that led to the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

May 21, 2024 11:55 AM CDT

Judge allows unjust enrichment suit for use of cancer patient’s ‘immortal’ cells

A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that the estate of Henrietta Lacks can proceed with its lawsuit alleging that a pharmaceutical company unjustly profited from use of her “immortal” cells.

May 21, 2024 10:29 AM CDT

Asylum-seekers face ‘serious shortage of lawyers’ to help them

A surge in migrants crossing the southern border has created a case backlog in immigration courts and “a serious shortage of lawyers to help navigate the notoriously complicated legal process” for asylum-seekers, according to the New York Times.

May 21, 2024 9:01 AM CDT

Supreme Court restores Louisiana voting map with majority-Black district

The Supreme Court restored a congressional voting map in Louisiana on Wednesday that includes an additional majority-Black district, handing a victory to African American voters and Democrats less than six months before the November election.

May 16, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Clinical law prof who worked for social justice killed in triple murder

An associate clinical professor at the Mississippi College School of Law died over the weekend in a fatal shooting that also claimed the lives of her mother and sister.

May 14, 2024 1:59 PM CDT

Employer health plan’s exclusion for gender-affirming care violates Title VII, 11th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled that a health insurance provider can be liable for denying gender-affirming care to transgender people under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

May 14, 2024 12:48 PM CDT

Justice Clarence Thomas calls criticism of him ‘nastiness’ and ‘lies’

After facing harsh questions about his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas forcefully pushed back on his critics Friday—saying he and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, have endured “nastiness” and “lies.”

May 13, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

Catholic school can fire gay drama teacher for marrying, 4th Circuit rules

One of the most liberal appellate courts in the country has ruled that a Catholic high school could fire a teacher for marrying another man, a victory for conservative and religious advocacy groups that have pushed back against anti-discrimination law.

May 8, 2024 3:10 PM CDT

Family members struggle to help University of Chicago law grad who became homeless

Many states are trying to figure out how to help people like 44-year-old lawyer Rob Dart, who is living on the streets of Los Angeles after rejecting his medication for psychosis.

May 6, 2024 11:32 AM CDT

Kindergarten boy may pursue sex-bias claim after expulsion for wearing earrings, 10th Circuit says

A federal judge applied the wrong standard when he tossed a sex-bias lawsuit filed on behalf of a 5-year-old boy who was expelled for wearing blue stud earrings to kindergarten, a federal appeals court has ruled.

May 1, 2024 9:52 AM CDT

‘In the Shadow of Liberty’ shines light on American immigration history

Ana Raquel Minian uses the personal experiences of four immigrants to walk readers through the history of immigrant detention in the United States in In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States.

May 1, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Black retired judge who flew first class says flight attendant ordered her to use coach restroom

A Black retired judge from Chicago said she was flying first class when an American Airlines flight attendant accused her of slamming the first-class restroom door and later directed her to use the facilities in the back of the plane.

Apr 30, 2024 2:29 PM CDT

Immigration law firm will expand nearly 10% with addition of Seyfarth Shaw team

Updated: About 90 lawyers and staff members are moving from Seyfarth Shaw to BAL, expanding by almost 10% the head count of the immigration law firm formerly known as Berry Appleman & Leiden.

Apr 30, 2024 12:43 PM CDT