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 Sophie Lovering Sophie Lovering is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. On Monday, March 29, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended a nationwide ban on evictions through June of 2021 [1]. Prior to this announcement, the moratorium deadline was March 31, determined by President Joe Biden in December of last year [1]. The initiative was first established at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with landlords and tenants struggling to maintain incomes and pay their mortgages [1].
According to CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the goal of keeping people in their homes is to get them “out of crowded or congregated settings…like homeless shelters” [1]. Notably, however, the moratorium on evictions applies only for nonpayment of rent; other lease violations remain valid grounds for eviction [1].
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 By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. Since Pfizer and Moderna introduced their COVID-19 vaccines, Americans have asked each other the question: “will you be getting vaccinated?” For many, the answer seems obvious. Vaccines are one of the greatest success stories of modern medicine; according to the CDC, vaccines have functionally eradicated smallpox and polio, and keep the levels of diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough at an all-time low today [1].  By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. On March 9, 2021, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law an extremely restrictive abortion ban, only allowing abortion in cases where “it’s necessary to save the life or preserve the health of the fetus or mother” [1]. Unlike other restrictive abortion laws commonly supported by anti-choice advocates, Senate Bill 6 does not allow any exceptions in situations of rape and incest [1]. Governor Hutchinson himself said he would have preferred the legislation include the exceptions for rape and incest, but stated that the goal of this strict authorship is to bring the fight over abortion back to the Supreme Court [1].  By Sophie Lovering In an article published by The Roundtable on November 22, 2020, I wrote that “[the] passage of Measure 110 demonstrates the public’s growing resistance to the American war on drugs” [1]. Just last month, Oregon passed Measure 110 with 55.8% of the popular vote and decriminalized the possession of small amounts of hard drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin [1]. This “war on the war on drugs” is spreading; on Friday, December 4, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and expunge nonviolent offenders with marijuana-related convictions [2]. By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. This November, the state of Oregon took the historical step of decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of hard drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin [1]. Measure 110, which passed with 55.8% of the vote, does not impact the possession of larger amounts of these drugs, which could still result in a misdemeanor charge [2]. Decriminalization was not the only matter up for a vote; Measure 110 also expands access to “addiction assistance and other health services” [2].  By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. In the midst of a contentious election and deadly pandemic, many Americans are facing, for the first time in their lives, the possibility that their vote might not count. As of October 25, over 59 million Americans have voted early [1]. With debates over the validity of mail-in voting and how to vote, confusion remains over what voters must do to ensure that their votes count [2].  By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. In 2019, 567,715 Americans experienced homelessness on a single night, an increase of 14,885 people from the previous year [1]. Between the same two years, the estimated number of people experiencing chronic homelessness increased by 8.5% [1]. There are notable racial disparities in this population. African Americans make up only 12.5% of Americans, but represent over 40% of the homeless population [2]. Other populations that account for a disproportionately large amount of the homeless population include military veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and the LGBTQ community [2]. If you visit any city or urban center, it is evident that homelessness is an American crisis. To make this crisis worse, many cities within the United States have criminalized homelessness.  By Sophie Lovering Sophie Lovering is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. “[The United States] raises smoking age to 21! BIG!” Trump wrote on December 20, 2019, referencing a measure included in a sweeping spending bill signed into law in late 2019 [1]. According to the American Lung Association (ALA), increasing the age of sale for tobacco products by just three years will save approximately 50,000 lives [2]. Drs. Steinberg and Delnevo write that most addicted smokers begin their smoking habit before the age of 18, and that marketing is often targeted at young adults, making them an at-risk age group [3]. These researchers argue that an increase in smoking age to 21 will not only make it more difficult for young adults to access tobacco products, but also disrupt the natural trajectory “from experimentation to regular use” [3]
 By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. In 1996, a white woman named Stacey Stites was murdered in Bastrop, Texas [1]. Following her death, investigators administered multiple polygraph tests to her fiancé, police officer Jimmy Fennell, who was found to be deceptive [1]; Fennell also had a history of violence against women [2]. Although Fennell was initially the “prime suspect” in the case, a small amount of semen linked Stites to a black man named Rodney Reed [1]. Two years after Stites’ death, Reed was charged with capital murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection [2]. He was scheduled to die in Texas on November 20, 2019.  By Sophie Lovering
Sophie Lovering is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and minoring in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. In 1971, President Richard Nixon called for a war on drugs, increasing sentencing and enforcement actions for low-level drug offenses [1]. In the following decade, President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan not only continued but also built upon Nixon’s initiative, passing new policies and starting the “Just Say No” campaign [2]. This war on drugs categorized substance abuse as a criminal justice issue in the minds of many Americans. With the concurrent expansion of drug law enforcement, this led to a massive increase in the number of people incarcerated. |
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