Combination Among the States: Why the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an Unconstitutional Attempt to Reform the Electoral College Patrick C. Valencia[*] “In all, the invisible federalism that has gone largely unnoticed in present presidential election debates serves a valuable purpose. It accounts for nonvoters, it maximizes enfranchisement, and it discourages interstate meddling.…
Desmond’s Law: Imprecise Language Makes for Inadequate Advocacy
Desmond’s Law: Imprecise Language Makes for Inadequate Advocacy Nila Bala[*] In 2016, Connecticut was lauded for becoming the first state to pass legislation allowing for an animal advocate to be appointed in animal cruelty cases.[1] The legislation, called “Desmond’s Law,” was named for a boxer-pit bull mix that was abused and strangled to death…
The Coming Collapse of the Paris Climate Agreement
The Coming Collapse of the Paris Climate Agreement By Bryan H. Druzin [*] I. Introduction Now that the Trump administration has abandoned the Paris Climate Agreement, the question is whether the agreement will collapse. A strong case can be made that it will indeed unravel—perhaps not immediately, but eventually. Although the world’s leaders have been…
The Mathematics of Constitutional Failure
The Mathematics of Constitutional Failure By Carrie Leonetti [*] The federal courts were intended as anti-democratic structures.[1] Their interpretations of the federal constitution were supposed to be a counterweight to the excesses of the other two “democratic” branches.[2] The problem with this system is that the other two branches of government are not democratic. No one…
What’s the Matter with Kansas and the National Voter Registration Form?
What’s the Matter with Kansas and the National Voter Registration Form? by Carmen Hicks, TurboVote Research Lead, Democracy Works Federalism allows states to have agency in many aspects of policy creation, implementation, and regulation separate from that created by the federal government. It is this constitutionally managed balance that allows individual states to establish their…
“The Debt is Not Payable”
“The Debt Is Not Payable” by James L. Tatum III, MPA ’17, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University “The debt is not payable,” said Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla of Puerto Rico to the New York Times on June 28th, 2015.[1] In fact, by most independent analysis, the island’s $117 billion in…