Nonhumans Suffer In Our Conflicts
There is a gorgeous ritual, devised by John Seed and Joanna Macy, known as the Council of All Beings. Participants embody a nonhuman entity or species and speak for it.
Brief on Behalf of Amici Curiae Filed in Von Staich, and an Extra Helping of Cruelty
Today I submitted an Amicus Curiae brief on behalf of the ACLU of Northern California and eighteen criminal justice scholars in In re Von Staich, another San Quentin-related COVID-19 relief
Nov. 2020 Ballot Endorsement: Yes on 25
Once upon a time, I was at a quantitative research conference, in which I was assigned to comment on a paper by two economist colleagues, Frank McIntyre and Shima Baradaran.
Nov. 2020 Ballot Endorsement: No on 20
Many Californians don’t know that our state Constitution requires that any voter initiative have a single subject: “An initiative measure embracing more than one subject may not be submitted to
Between COVID and Fires
This is a hard post to write, because quite honestly, with today’s news, I’m just not sure how much more calamity human beings can take. The intersection between the pandemic
OIG Report Criticizes CDCR’s COVID-19 Screening Practices
Today, the Office of the Inspector General published the first installment in a series of three reports about CDCR’s (mis)handling of the COVID-19 crisis in prisons. The report was commissioned
In Memoriam: Prof. Ruth Gavison
On my first day of law school, Ruthie Gavison taught us a 1964 case, The AG vs. Bash. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was not uncommon for people to
Amicus Curiae Brief Filed in Support of SQ Relief Effort
Yesterday I filed a brief on behalf of the ACLU of Northern CA, and seventeen of my colleagues, in support of the consolidated habeas corpus petitions submitted by dozens of
Nov. 2020 Ballot Endorsement: Yes on 17
Currently, the California Constitution, in Article II, Section 4, provides that “The Legislature shall. . . provide for the disqualification of electors while . . . imprisoned or on parole
Marin’s Top Health Official Warned SQ Warden, Was Rebuffed
If you thought the travesty of the Chino-Quentin transfer was the absolute rock bottom of prison management, prepare to dig. Today’s Chron reports that Dr. Matthew Willis, Marin County’s top