• Articles

Who Does the Freedom of Information Law Protect? Attica and the Code of State Silence

by Heather Ann Thompson

• May 16, 2014

On September 9th, 1971, after months of first trying to get their concerns addressed through the system—writing countless letters to state officials and appealing to them personally—nearly thirteen hundred prisoners took over the Attica State…

• Articles

My Tio Viga's Fish Tank in the Bronx

by Manuel Borras

• May 14, 2014

My Tio Viga had grand fish-tanks—huge glass ones right in his living room, filled with all types of fish and treasure chest ornaments and colored pebbles. I remember just sitting there as a kid, right…

• Articles

Don’t Shelve That Report, Mr. Attorney General

by Liz Ryan

• May 8, 2014

How many times have we heard from government officials, “This report will be different, it won’t just sit on a shelf,” and then the report just sat on a shelf? Too often, right? My shelves are…

• Articles

The Empire Writes Back

by Katherine Thompson

• May 6, 2014

Just over a year ago, I wrote my first article for The Life of the Law, “An Open Letter to the President,” about my and my partner Jodi’s struggle under America’s legalized discrimination against same-sex…

• Articles

Forget internet security, how do I protect my genetic privacy?

by Elizabeth Joh

• May 5, 2014

On May 1st, the White House released its Report on Big Data and Privacy, and artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg announced a new project called Invisible. What do they have in common?  Each expresses concerns about genetic…

• Articles

Live today at 1pm ET: Nancy Mullane's AMA on Reddit

by Life of the Law

• April 28, 2014

Life of the Law‘s Executive Producer Nancy Mullane will be fielding questions from the Internet and responding in real time on Reddit today at 1pm ET. Ask a question or simply check out her interesting answers…

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Legal Briefs: This Week in Law

by Rebecca Worthington

• April 28, 2014

Can new laws adequately address the problem of sexual assault on college campuses? (New Republic) Supreme Court upholds Michigan voter initiative that prohibits race-based preferences in university admissions. (Supreme Court of the United States) The…

• Articles

A Prisoner Weighs in on Orange is the New Black

by Juan Haines

• April 24, 2014

As someone who has spent nearly two decades in prison, I approached Piper Kerman’s book about her 15-month stint in a federal prison, the now famous Orange is the New Black, with some skepticism. After all, here’s…

• Articles

The Laws of Springtime

by Katie Barnett

• April 22, 2014

Dear Listeners, The Polar Vortex has faded into the frosty recesses of our minds, which can only mean one thing: we are barreling headlong into spring! As you begin to plant your garden (or your…

• Articles

Legal Briefs: This Week in Law

by Rebecca Worthington

• April 21, 2014

Justice Stevens suggests how the Second Amendment should be amended. (Washington Post) Proposed Pakistani legislation aimed at curbing terrorism is compared to the U.S.’s Homeland Security Act. (Al Jazeera) Judge orders a man to sit on a…