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A museum curator removes a rare Native American Chumash basket from California, circa 1800, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., in 2003. MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Universities returning Native American remains and artifacts isn’t just about physical objects – it’s about dignity and justice

Congress passed a law in 1990 mandating the return of all Native American items that federally funded institutions took without consent. Progress since then has been slow.
Placing a student in seclusion is meant to be used as an emergency response to dangerous behavior, but it happens in other circumstances, too. EyeEm Mobile GmbH/iStock Getty Images Plus

Schools are supposed to limit using restraint and seclusion to discipline kids – but parents I spoke with say the practice is wildly misused

Interviews with parents of students with disabilities show that children were often physically restrained and secluded at school for nonviolent offenses.
Students, parents and others gather outside the White House to press the Biden administration to release updated Title IX rules on Dec. 5, 2023. Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for National Women's Law Center

Title IX’s effectiveness in addressing campus sexual assault is at risk − a law professor explains why

Recent changes to the federal law that bans sexual discrimination in education could make life tougher for students who experience sexual assault or harassment.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland during a news conference announcing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on March 21, 2024. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

What does the US attorney general actually do? A law professor explains

The combined political and legal roles and responsibilities of the US attorney general can create conflicts. Some attorneys general yielded to political pressure from the president – many did not.
Janet Protasiewicz is sworn in as a state Supreme Court justice at the Wisconsin Capitol on Aug. 1, 2023. Sara Stathas for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Wisconsin GOP’s impeachment threat against state Supreme Court justice is unsupported by law and would undermine judicial independence

Impeaching a recently elected Wisconsin Supreme Court justice for conduct neither criminal nor corrupt would negate the people’s votes – and strike a blow at judicial independence.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference after former President Donald Trump’s Aug. 15 indictment. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

RICO is often used to target the mob and cartels − but Trump and his associates aren’t the first outside those worlds to face charges

Federal and state RICO charges, which target racketeering, have been applied to a wide range of crimes committed by politicians and business people over the past few decades.
The federal Impact Assessment Act, which seeks to minimize the environmental impacts of major economic projects, is at the centre of a dispute over whether it intrudes into provincial jurisdiction over natural resources development. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

How a Supreme Court case could decide the future of Canadian climate policy

Canada’s federal Impact Assessment Act seeks to minimize the environmental impacts of major economic projects. Will the Supreme Court uphold the act?
A Department of Justice photo shows of documents seized during its Mar-a-Lago search. Department of Justice via Associated Press

Trump faces possible obstruction of justice charges for concealing classified government documents – 2 important things to know about what this means

A government filing on August 30, 2022, alleges that efforts were likely taken “to obstruct the government’s investigation” into classified documents held at Donald Trump’s Florida home.

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