Katelyn Fossett

Progressives were outraged and disappointed earlier this summer when the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, all but gutting that vital piece of civil rights legislation. But two months later, a handful of reformers are wondering if they might be able turn that lemon of a ruling into something closer […]

John Lewis during the 1960s Recently, Georgia Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis compared Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker, to figures like Henry David Thoreau and Gandhi for exposing government-condoned injustices and being willing to suffer the consequences for it. “In keeping with the philosophy and the discipline of non-violence … if you believe […]

A new poll has shown the historically polarizing issue of abortion is perhaps becoming even more polarizing. Importantly, it seems that the divide has become primarily drawn around regional lines, joining a host of other issues where steep regional splits have rippled out from the extreme polarization in Congress in recent years. The poll, released […]

Last year was a record year in corporate settlements, and for those harboring any faith in our criminal justice system, it was also a record year in disillusionment. In 2012, the Department of Justice broke its all-time record for corporate settlements, raking in $9 billion. (The previous high was at six billion in 2006.) This […]

A paper released this week by the New America Foundation makes the case for tax code reform that would make the most basic financial aspiration more attainable for lower-income Americans: the ability to save money. The report begins by taking on a critical hole in the current policy – that it “allocates a large portion […]

Elizabeth Warren could barely contain her excitement today at an event put on by Democracy Journal marking the two-year anniversary of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – and, of course, right on the heels of Cordray’s confirmation to head the agency after two years of Republicans’ doggedly obstructionist campaign to prevent it. Though the […]

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which specifies states and districts in the U.S. that must have changes in their voting or districting laws pre-cleared by the federal government. Section 4 specifically targets states with histories of voting discrimination – most of the jurisdictions are in […]

According to figures recently released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, nearly a quarter of U.S. children live below the poverty line, compared with 15 percent of Americans generally – and that number keeps growing. The child poverty rate of 23 percent is up from 22 percent in 2010 and 10 percent in 2005. The […]

Flickr – Fibonacci BlueWhat’s at stake? Both the Prop 8 and the DOMA Supreme Court cases have the potential to be landmark cases, but their ultimate impact will vary quite significantly in scope and impact depending on how the court rules. First: DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) is a 1996 law signed by Bill Clinton […]