Imagine that legislators from a cash-strapped state pass a law which diverts local police department resources away from violent crime, forcing them to spend important time and energy arresting individuals who left home without their driver's license. Imagine that the same measures had the practical effect of leaving residents hesitant...

Usually, first responders in disaster situations conduct an inventory of the wreckage, debris and injuries and direct their efforts towards areas and victims exhibiting the greatest need: Who is at risk of cardiac arrest? Who is bleeding out so quickly that, without immediate intervention, their very survival is doubtful?
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The downturn in the economy has affected every American, but people responded in different ways depending on their individual financial situation. For some it meant clipping coupons instead of paying full price at the store, for others it meant moving in with family members when they lose their home, and...

America’s most vulnerable populations seem to have faded into obscurity. The country’s severe economic crisis has prompted the government to act—first to save the financial services industry and then to invest billions to stimulate the economy and create jobs. But little to no attention is being paid by policy makers...

It's difficult to read a newspaper or watch television these days without hearing about two major U.S. policy debates: health care reform and how to combat the "Great Recession". For many these seem like two separate issues, but for the 22 million American women and girls living in poverty they...

As Lou Dobbs continues to fan the flames of anti-immigrant rhetoric, the American public is increasingly buying into a flawed premise: immigrants are criminals and local law enforcement must enforce immigration laws.  The effects of this rhetorical myth are devastating.  Communities all over the United States are sacrificing public safety...

On September 10, the Census Bureau published the official poverty figures for 2008. After the economic maelstrom of the past year, which brought massive lay-offs and stagnant unemployment to millions of Americans, the picture the figures paint is not a pretty one. The report indicates that the national poverty...

In terms of risk to women and girls, the country is at Code Red.

In the midst of record job losses followed with months of paralyzing unemployment, we are reminded of a basic pattern regarding violence against women and girls: incidents of domestic violence tend to rise during periods...

We've all seen the parade of "immigration" images on cable news networks and primetime exposes. Designed to evoke visceral reactions, they range from relatively benign -- day laborers gathered at convenience stores patiently waiting for work -- to overtly frightening -- scenes from the aftermath of drug gang violence in...

The effect of the United States Supreme Court's ruling last week in Ricci vs. DeStefano should not be understated: the decision threatens to undermine the vital function of the country's historic civil rights legislation.

Since its passage in 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act --...

The economic downturn is stretching the resources of families and individuals across America. Now, more than ever, we need a functioning social safety net -- one that helps families keep food on the table in times of crisis, while providing a toe hold to a more economically secure future.

Law is not math; it has neither the reliability of a quadratic equation nor the grace of a sin curve. Cases emerge from the pulp and pulse of real life, and their outcomes necessarily shape and mold how individuals and companies conduct themselves.

When a case makes it way...