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 Alexandra Kanan
Alexandra Kanan is a first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She plans to major in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a career goal of becoming an immigration lawyer. The foundation of democracy in the United States is based on one social contract: the governed are to obey the laws of the government as long as their natural rights are protected. So what happens when the government declares that the rights of certain groups are not applicable? Unfortunately, this scenario is palpable for the estimated eleven million undocumented people in the United States. While undocumented people must obey the law, most will not be protected.
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 By Alicia Augustin
Alicia Augustin is a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences who plans to study Political Science and Urban Education. “Let Haitians Decide Their Own Future,” reads the sign held by the young Haitian protester in the photo above. This picture was taken at a protest on October 9, 2022 outside of the United States White House in which protesters demanded that the U.S. government stop supporting the illegitimate government of Haiti [1]. It is clear from this protest that some Haitian citizens and supporters do not appreciate the efforts by the U.S. to help Haiti because they believe that the negatives outweigh the positives.  By Sajan Srivastava
Sajan Srivastava is a sophomore from Piedmont, California, studying Economics. The path to overcoming the longstanding issue of urban decline undoubtedly begins with individualized critical investments. Contributions to infrastructure, security, and sanitation can help uplift city neighborhoods and gradually propel them collectively towards renewal. Doing so in a sustainable way – without overlooking consequential gentrification and undermining a common subsistence of equitability – remains a challenge that cities across the nation are forced to confront.  image credits: https://www.nature.com/collections/ceiajcdbeb Sam JungSam Jung is a first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to major in Computer Science & Political Science.  By Alexandra Kanan
Alexandra Kanan is a first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She plans to major in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a career goal of becoming an immigration lawyer. The junior high classroom: the start of self-discovery, academic stress, teenage relationships, and for one Ohio teenager, the start of his very own empire. This story of this self-declared “independent state” begins with thirteen-year-old Brayden Hickerson, or as his subjects call him, Lord Brayden Michael Hickerson I, decided in 2015 to take his extracurriculars to another level, by starting his own state in Perrysburg Ohio. He declared himself Kaiser and over the next 11 months of his reign, accumulated 34 Hickersonian citizens [1].  By Hannah Agarwal
Hannah Agarwal is a first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She plans to major in psychology and minor in American Public Policy. On October 4th, the Supreme Court once again heard arguments challenging the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits discriminatory voting practices [1]. Merrill v. Milligan is one of the latest cases to be brought before the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, but the Act’s power has diminished over the past decade as multiple sections have either been reinterpreted or rendered unconstitutional [1].  By Shahana Banerjee
Shahana Banerjee is a sophomore in the College of Arts of Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania studying Health and Societies. After two grueling years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moderna, Inc. announced on August 26th, 2022, that the pharmaceutical giant would be suing its rival drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech. The lawsuit filed by the company in the U.S. and Germany alleges that the latter two companies used Moderna’s patented mRNA technology to develop their joint COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty®, infringing patents that Moderna had filed between 2010 and 2016.  By Alicia Augustin
Alicia Augustin is a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences who plans to study Political Science and Urban Education. The practice of redlining in the United States has added another dimension to the division of the country in a systematic way. This system not only creates this idea of desirable vs. undesirable areas to live in, but it also actively aids in perpetuating the inequalities that exist within these divisions. The roots of redlining can be traced back to the Great Depression and how government officials responded to it.  By Vishwajeet Deshmukh
Vishwajeet Deshmukh is an undergraduate law student at Government Law College, Mumbai, India. In February 2022, female students were banned from entering a college in Udipi, Karnataka, India because the students wore “hijabs” [1]. A hijab is a veil worn by Muslim women, covering the head and chest [2]. The ban on hijabs has resulted in large-scale protests across India and sparked controversy over religious liberty.  By Oulai Pan
Oulai "Audrey" Pan is a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts and Sciences who plans to study political science and economics. The filibuster, which refers to prolonged debate in the Senate, is perhaps one of the most discussed domestic political issues today. Though the filibuster is often seen as a tool which upholds the Senate’s tradition of unlimited debate, it actually originated from a simplification of Senate procedures in 1807. This included the deletion of a rule that would have allowed a simple majority to cut off debate on a bill. [1] Thus, from then onward, Senators could technically extend debate indefinitely to prevent the passage of a bill. However, there were few filibusters prior to the twentieth century, since Senators largely operated on a presumed majority rule. [2] |
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