The Roundtable
Welcome to the Roundtable, a forum for incisive commentary and analysis
on cases and developments in law and the legal system.
on cases and developments in law and the legal system.
 By Ally Margolis
Ally Margolis is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science and History. In 1994, approximately 1 million people were killed in Rwanda over the course of 100 days. The socioeconomic differences between Rwanda’s inhabitants, Hutus and Tutsis, were later exacerbated to be seen as ethnic differences, a view egged on by colonial forces. While our narrative surrounding the events of the genocide focuses on Hutus that killed Tutsis, it is hard to know the exact breakdown of deaths because of lack of ethnic differences. However, neighbor killed neighbor, preacher killed congregant, and countryman killed countryman, often through the use of machetes. Throughout most of the genocide, the Western world looked on and did nothing, or actively made decisions that allowed the genocide to continue. While the international community should focus on its own failings during the Rwandan genocide, holding direct perpetrators accountable is the least they can do.
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 By Ally Margolis Ally Margolis is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science and History. On Wednesday, Mississippi Senator Hyde-Smith raised some eyebrows during a Senate Rules and Administration Committee meeting on the proposed For the People Act, a Democrat-sponsored voting rights bill. When Majority Leader Schumer criticized proposed legislation in the Georgia legislature that would ban voting on Sundays, Hyde-Smith responded with a quote from Exodus: “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” [1]. Hyde-Smith’s reasoning to ban voting on Sundays, an action that would severely limit the political activity of Black churches, fell flat with many, especially since Exodus is a book in the Old Testament, and the Jewish sabbath is not on Sunday. Hyde-Smith’s inaccuracies compliment her blatant disregard for the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” While Georgia’s state legislature has stepped away from that specific proposal, “Republicans have introduced more than 250 bills to restrict voting in 43 states” [2].
 By Ally Margolis
Ally Margolis is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science and History. In the recent weeks following the release of the documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” the #FreeBritney movement has become mainstream. This movement features examinations of the misogyny and mistreatment that Spears endured as a child and burgeoning star, as well as analyzes her conservatorship, with many believing that she is being unfairly restricted by her father. But with 1.3 million people under these arrangements, what is a conservatorship [1]? And what is it like for non-celebrities?  By Ally Margolis
Ally Margolis is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science and History. Former President Trump’s legal challenges to the outcome of the 2020 election were largely if not entirely struck down by courts. In the most recent case, the Supreme Court threw out a case brought by the Texas Attorney General to invalidate election results in various states that President-Elect Biden won. Not one of the Justices offered a public dissent in favor of relief. Justices Alito and Thomas said that they would have let the case be filed but would not have provided any further relief [1]. This decision came just days after the Court denied Pennsylvanian Republicans’ case to throw out all of Pennsylvania’s mail-in votes from the recent election [2]. Again, there were no written dissents to this decision.  By Ally Margolis
Ally Margolis is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science. While Philadelphia is reeling from the coronavirus, we have seen both the best and the worst of humanity. Unfortunately, amidst this pandemic, the owner of Hahnemann Hospital refuses to be a team player as city officials try to expand resources to handle the unprecedented surges in hospital visits [1]. When Philly officials inquired about Hahnemann, a closed hospital with room for 500 beds, the building’s owner, Joel Freedman, proposed the city pay one million dollars a month to rent the space [2]. Mayor Jim Kenney characterized this offer as coming from a “multi-millionaire who wanted to maximize his profits,” and argued that a man “with great means” should help during this “terrible crisis” [3]. The city has moved on from Freedman’s offer and was aided by Temple University without charge. However, some Philadelphia residents and politicians are not letting Freedman off so easily. |
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