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Full-Text Articles in Law
Literacy, Poverty, And Brain Development: Toward A New, Place-Based Educational Intervention, Michael R. Hilton
Literacy, Poverty, And Brain Development: Toward A New, Place-Based Educational Intervention, Michael R. Hilton
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
This paper provides an overview of emerging research focused on how living in an area of concentrated poverty can impact brain development and explores some possible applications of this research to education policy. One of the key findings is that state and federal policy-makers may need to adopt programs that integrate educational policy with housing and planning policy in order to protect and fulfill each child's educational rights. In order to impress upon readers the scale of the nation's current educational failures and the need for a significant change in policy, this paper first addresses adult illiteracy in the United …
Veteran's Law Symposium: Keynote Address Delivered November 8, 2013, Tim Kaine
Veteran's Law Symposium: Keynote Address Delivered November 8, 2013, Tim Kaine
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
d it is good to be back here Friday to talk to this Veterans Law Symposium. The initial symposium on veterans law here at the law school and what an appropriate thing to do on an appropriate weekend as we get ready to celebrate Veteran's Day and I was honored to be asked to come and offer some thoughts. I want to talk about, just sort of current issues we are really grappling with, that are legal issues, in Congress, that might affect the practice that you would hope to do, that certainly affect the lives of our veterans and …
Veterans Treatment Court: A Hand Up Rather Than Lock Up, Tabatha Renz
Veterans Treatment Court: A Hand Up Rather Than Lock Up, Tabatha Renz
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
There has been a gradual national shift toward rehabilitation within the justice system. This has been especially important for veterans who make up only 8% of the total population, but account for 10% of those with criminal records. Recognizing that the traditional justice system is not equipped to handle cases of individuals whose underlying cause of offense is combat trauma, there has been a call to expand the Veterans Treatment Court ("VTC") program as an alternative for offenders who are veterans of the armed forces. This issue has been compounded by over a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, …
Renewed Commitment: The Latest Chapter In Reforming Virginia's Mental Health System, The Honorable Jennifer L. Mcclellan
Renewed Commitment: The Latest Chapter In Reforming Virginia's Mental Health System, The Honorable Jennifer L. Mcclellan
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
In the wake of the highly publicized Virginia Tech tragedy, the 2008 General Assembly Session adopted mental health reforms that focused on the provision of emergency services during the detention and commitment process, and an increase in funding to implement these reforms and strengthen emergency services. Despite the reforms, the issue of inadequate capacity to meet the increasing demand for mental health services remains in a number of key areas, including emergency services and a decline in in-patient psychiatric bed capacity while population growth continues.
The Judiciary In Virginia: Changes And Challenges In Virginia: One Trial Judge's Perspective, Thoma D. Horne Retired Judge
The Judiciary In Virginia: Changes And Challenges In Virginia: One Trial Judge's Perspective, Thoma D. Horne Retired Judge
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
With the convening of the 2014 Virginia General Assembly, members of the Senate and House received the anticipated 2013 Judicial Workload Assessment Report-a weighted case load study produced by the National Center for State Courts and commissioned by the legislature during its 2012 session. The purpose of the study was to help guide both the future selection of judges and the allocation of the political boundaries to be served by those judges. The results of the weighted caseload study as contained in the 2013 Report would validate many of those concerns expressed earlier by the 2011 Judicial Boundary Realignment Committee …
Screening The Poor: The Legality Of Drug Testing For Welfare Benefits, Jacquelyn Bolen
Screening The Poor: The Legality Of Drug Testing For Welfare Benefits, Jacquelyn Bolen
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
On March 8, 2014, at the conclusion of the 2014 Virginia General Assembly regular session, Virginia joined at least 17 other states that, in this year alone, have introduced proposals to screen or test applicants for illegal substances prior to obtaining public assistance. Following the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which permitted states to conduct drug testing as part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, states began proposing drug screenings for applicants of public welfare benefits. Despite a 2003 Sixth Circuit decision holding that suspicionless drug testing is unconstitutional, in …
An Analysis Of The Political And Legal Debates Concerning Medicaid Expansion In Virginia, Rick Mayes Ph.D, Benjamin Paul
An Analysis Of The Political And Legal Debates Concerning Medicaid Expansion In Virginia, Rick Mayes Ph.D, Benjamin Paul
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
The Supreme Court's historic June 2012 ruling regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius set the stage for a massive federalism battle over Medicaid expansion in the United States. The original language of the Act was intended to nationalize Medicaid by having every state expand their program's eligibility to all individuals up to 138% of the federal poverty level. This would have significantly reshaped Medicaid, a joint federal-state health insurance program, into a universal entitlement for all low-income citizens. Currently, Medicaid eligibility varies dramatically from state to state. The Court held that the …
The Legacy And Implications Of San Antonio Independent School District V. Rodriguez, Charles J. Ogletree Jr.
The Legacy And Implications Of San Antonio Independent School District V. Rodriguez, Charles J. Ogletree Jr.
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
The Supreme Court's school desegregation case law has been a confusing maze of fits and starts. In 1954, a unanimous Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that education "must be made available to all on equal terms." Yet, less than 20 years later, the Court found a Texas education financing plan that allowed for significant differences in funding between school districts to be constitutional. This Article examines that decision, San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, in more detail. It also discusses the case's legacy and numerous unresolved issues that still impact the Latino community today. Part II …
The Promises And Pitfalls Of Teacher Evaluation And Accountability Reform, Benjamin Michael Superfine
The Promises And Pitfalls Of Teacher Evaluation And Accountability Reform, Benjamin Michael Superfine
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
This chapter examines the recent wave of laws aimed at enhancing teacher evaluation and accountability, and recommends strategies for moving forward in a way that holds greater promise for providing students with more equal and greater educational opportunities. First, this chapter provides a historical overview of the legal landscape governing the primary functions of the teacher workforce. Second, the major characteristics of this new wave of laws are examined. Third, the strengths and potential pitfalls entailed by these laws are analyzed in light of educational research. Finally, this chapter offers recommendations for improving teacher evaluation and accountability laws in a …
Unclaimed Remains And Next Of Kin: A New Path To The Final Resting Spot, W. Scott Johnson Esquire
Unclaimed Remains And Next Of Kin: A New Path To The Final Resting Spot, W. Scott Johnson Esquire
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
In response to requests from health care facilities, law enforcement agencies, and funeral service establishments, Senator Kenny Alexander (DNorfolk) convened a workgroup of stakeholders to rewrite the statutes dealing with unclaimed remains and next of kin. In addition to serving the General Assembly, Senator Alexander owns several prominent funeral service establishments and is a funeral service licensee. His experience proved invaluable to the process. The stakeholder meetings began in the fall of 2013 and culminated in the introduction of Senate Bill 304 in the 2014 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. The bill passed without a single negative vote through …
It Takes A Federalist Village: A Revitalized Property Tax As The Linchpin For Stable, Effective K-12 Public Education Funding, Mildred Wigfall Robinson
It Takes A Federalist Village: A Revitalized Property Tax As The Linchpin For Stable, Effective K-12 Public Education Funding, Mildred Wigfall Robinson
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
Public education in the United States is a big business. In the fall of 2011, more than 55.5 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade were expected to enroll in the nation's public schools at a total cost of $599,145,678,000. Though it is a service provided by local governments, its cost is borne by local, state, and, to a more limited extent, federal taxpayers. Providing public education is a massive undertaking and no one level of government can solely bear its cost. Governmental revenue sources, from which allocated shares of expense are presently borne, differ. Local funding is provided predominately …
In Sight, It Must Be Right: Judicial Review Of Va Decision For Reasons And Bases Vs. Clear Error, David E. Boelzner
In Sight, It Must Be Right: Judicial Review Of Va Decision For Reasons And Bases Vs. Clear Error, David E. Boelzner
Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest
"In sight, it must be right" was the advertising slogan of a chain of hamburger restaurants that featured visible grills so customers could see the food being prepared, the assumption being that under customers' watchful eyes the burgers would be grilled properly. The Board of Veterans' Appeals ("Board") provides the final decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA") on a veteran claimant's entitlement to benefits, based on de novo review of a previous VA regional office determination. When in 1988 Congress provided in the Veterans Judicial Review Act for court review of agency decisions on veterans' claims for benefits, …