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From Bible to Ballot Box: Church Attendance and Political Participation 2008-2020
No full textThe relationship between religiosity and political participation is a core topic of interest in American Politics. However, political scientists have not as fully explored how attendance of religious services impacts political participation across the twenty-first century across the four major racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. This research examines how church attendance is associated with political participation across time from 2008 to 2020 disaggregating across African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and White Americans. I develop and test three hypotheses about the impact of the church on political participation over time depending on specific social and political contexts: The Church Demobilization, Stability, and Mobilization Hypothesis. Then, I conduct logistic regressions to analyze this relationship using four waves of the Cooperative Election Study (CES) between 2008 and 2020. I find support for my Church Mobilization Hypothesis, as church attendance’s impact on voter turnout increased substantially for Whites, Blacks, and Asian Americans - especially in 2020. Churches were even more politicized given events surrounding racial justice movements and mobilized their congregants to the ballot box, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. I also find that the impact of the church over time depends on the specific mode of political action assessed. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to understand how context conditions impact church attendance on political participation and further unpack how race structures this relationship over time
Crazy Cravings: A Television Pilot
No full textA half-hour single-cam dark comedy about a 29 year-old recovering alcoholic living in New York City that is forced to pay back her neurotic mother for bailing her out of jail by working at her dysfunctional family’s catering business as a mixologist in Suburban Iowa
Trial by Ambush: The Prosecution of Indians in Federal Court
Get PDFThis Article addresses the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure’s unjust impact in the prosecution of Indians in federal court. As the rules of engagement used by federal prosecutors and defense attorneys in federal court when prosecuting Indians under the Major Crimes Act and the General Crimes Act, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure differ from those of Civil Procedure with regard to discovery procedures. Specifically, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure are unjust because they do not allow defense attorneys to conduct pretrial interviews or depositions of prospective witnesses whose evidence the United States will introduce at trial or use in the process of plea negotiations. Pretrial interviews and depositions prevent a party from being caught by surprise or ambushed in federal court.
Unlike federal courts, several tribes in New Mexico provide the mechanism for conducting pretrial interviews of trial witnesses. New Mexico state courts require pretrial interviews. New Mexico’s criminal procedural rules are similar to the procedural rules in Florida state courts. The states of Indiana, Missouri, and Vermont require depositions in criminal proceedings. In addition, military courts require depositions.
Indians were not involved in the enactment of the Major Crimes Act or the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, which have had a significant impact on the lives of Indians, both victims and defendants. This Article argues that the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure should be modified to require pretrial interviews or depositions to ensure that Indians prosecuted in federal court are not unjustly ambushed
Equity and Inclusion in Honors: A Case Study of Admissions Changes
Get PDFCreative levers for change often emerge in times of institutional uncertainty. As higher education continues to confront institutional racism, honors programs can exercise their power to increase diversity and educational outcomes for excluded and marginalized students, as well as influence related university-level policy. This case study chronicles dramatic changes to admissions policies and programmatic offerings in honors between 2020-2023. Changes in admissions practices markedly diversified the student body, moving it from a 60% white population to 60% minority population in just three years. Conversations around race and racism were initiated, inculcating a culture of inclusion rather than elitist exceptionalism. As activism and accountability coalesced, authors observe changes in student culture and a period of pushback from university administration. A student-faculty coalition formed to ultimately ensure change. This study shows that changing diversity and inclusion policies in honors is possible and worthwhile, while also challenging, complex, and perpetually incomplete. The authors’ narrative provides guidance for others contemplating similar changes, positing that honors education is worth defending if it remains a place where the soul of the educational mission is preserved, defended, and made available to all who genuinely desire to participate in it
Addressing Student Mental Health During COVID-19: The Incredible Endeavors of One Group of Urban Elementary School Teachers
Get PDFThis case study investigated one urban school district’s efforts to address the mental health of its students during COVID-19. Specifically, I examined the protocols established by the district and the daily implementation of social-emotional learning and culturally relevant practices during the 2020–21 school year, focusing on the instructors’ perspective. Utilizing a semi-structured qualitative interview approach, I collected data from five teachers and one district personnel and corroborated it with district survey results and the Learning Continuity Plan. Findings indicate that despite teachers not explicitly understanding social-emotional learning (SEL) before COVID-19, they relied on a strong network of support and personal expertise to address the social-emotional needs of their students. Students engaged in activities such as art therapy, journaling, yoga, and community circles. Teachers incorporated culturally relevant lessons into online instructional sessions. The district established protocols to address the mental health of their students; however, teachers perceived them to have little effect on students’ mental health. The protocols specified in the Learning Continuity Plan may not have been fully effective, or the student’s social-emotional needs might have exceeded the support offered by the district, as further evidenced by the fact that teachers were compelled to advance much further than what was stipulated by the district. These findings indicate the need to be more proactive versus reactive. From teacher credentialing programs to new teacher onboarding at Title I schools, educators need more training and long-term coaching provided by experienced professionals to effectively support students’ mental health needs, particularly within marginalized communities
One Court, One State, One Year: What We Don\u27t Know About Criminal Defendants\u27 Testimony and Why It Matters
Get PDFJury trials are supposed to encourage public trust in the criminal legal system while protecting fundamental fairness for the defendant. But how can the public help ensure the fairness of criminal trials when it has no meaningful way to understand the reality of what happens every day in criminal courtrooms across the country? This Article presents findings from an original pilot study—believed to be the first and largest such study—that collected and analyzed court documents and transcripts from seventy-five state criminal trials from one court in one state in one year. It posits that the public’s understanding of the significance of a criminal defendant’s testimony may be distorted and questions its ability to ensure fairness of trials and trust in the legal system when the public—including judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys—is operating in the dark.
The study found that defendants who testified had better sentencing outcomes compared to those who did not, and they were more likely to be acquitted of their most serious offense and less likely to be sentenced to incarceration. By exploring these findings, the pilot study suggests that greater access to data from state criminal trials is critical to better understanding the significance of criminal defendants’ testimony on trial outcomes. What we don’t know matters because misunderstanding the reality of the decision to testify undermines the right to a fair trial and trust in the criminal legal system
Current Developments in Tax Malpractice: Basics and Beyond
Get PDFIt was always assumed that “tax malpractice” referred to a situation in which an error occurred with respect to some tax provision or in a tax-related administrative or legal proceeding. However, several recent cases have expanded this thinking, introducing the possibility that tax malpractice may also occur where damages include an increase in taxes—irrespective of whether there was an error that directly involved tax law. Beginning with a discussion of the evolving definition of that term as seen in the New York cases of Serino v. Lipper and Bloostein v. Morrison Cohen LLP and whether these cases may have returned New York to its traditional negligence measure of damages in such tax malpractice situations, this Article presents a survey of current developments in the tax malpractice area.
While the existence of damages is an essential element of a tax malpractice claim, such damages may not become evident until many years after the negligence occurred, at which point the claim may be precluded by the statute of limitations or repose. This Article focuses on several thoughtful litigation strategies attempted by plaintiffs to navigate this dilemma. Also considered is the need for clear scope of engagement agreements between tax practitioners and clients to avoid protracted litigation; but even then, services rendered beyond the scope of engagement may result is a corresponding increase in the practitioner’s responsibility. Whether tax practitioners are generally required to anticipate future changes in tax law is addressed. And finally, also reviewed is a recent case that serves as a stark reminder that an egregious breach of the tax practitioner–client relationship may result in the imposition of significant punitive damages
Microplastics in Bottled Water: The Influence of UV Radiation on Shedding
No full textMicroplastic (MP) contamination of drinking water is a growing phenomenon and concern for public health given the potential toxicity of MPs and their chemical additives. MPs are defined as plastic particles between 1-1000 µm, or 1 µm to 1 mm, with anything smaller than 1 µm classified as a nanoplastic. MPs have been found in bottled and tap water sources, with higher concentrations in the former. Additionally, the storage time of plastic bottles and their long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation have been documented to increase the amount of MPs in bottled water. This research investigates if short-term UV radiation exposure leads to increased shedding of MPs into bottled water. In this experiment, single-use plastic water bottles were subjected to short-term applications of UV radiation by being irradiated in direct sunlight. The bottles were then filtered and subjected to microscopic analysis. Bottles were filtered through 0.8-micron pore gold-plated membranes. For one brand of single-use polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, an average MP count was quantified for a control group, a moderate UV exposure group, and an intense UV exposure group; MPs were also classified as either fragments or fibers depending on their visual appearance. After analysis, there was no statistically significant relationship between increased UV radiation exposure and increased MP detection. Bottles in the control group reported the highest average MP counts (19 fragments, 5 fibers), followed by intense UV exposure group (14.3 fragments, 3.3 fibers) and moderate UV exposure group (10.3 fragments, 0.3 fibers). However, given that UV radiation has been observed to increase MP shedding in previous research, there is reason to believe it could act as a release mechanism for smaller plastic particles, particularly nanoplastics. Although harder to detect with conventional methods, nanoplastics are a growing cause of concern and deserve attention in future plastic contamination research
Identification of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for Ballona Wetlands Restoration
Get PDFThe Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (BWER) is home to many California native plant species which contribute to ecosystem services of flood and erosion mitigation, water quality improvement, carbon sequestration, and habitat provisions for threatened and endangered species. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) improve plant tolerance to abiotic stressors and suppress pathogens through the alteration of nutrient absorption, water uptake, and enzymatic activity, and have potential in conservation strategies by aiding revegetation methods. Eight bacterial strains were isolated from native Frankenia salina and Baccharis pilularis in the BWER to determine whether these microbes act as PGPR. The strains were characterized using PGPR biochemical assays such as phosphate solubilization, cellulase activity, and salt tolerance. Results have shown that all strains are negative for phosphate solubilization while four strains demonstrate cellulase activity, seven strains are tolerant of 5% NaCl and five are tolerant of 10% NaCl. The high salt tolerance of these bacteria may be contributing to the salt tolerance of native species in the BWER. Given these findings, in vitro germination and growth assays using Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia seeds were carried out to determine the role of these microbes in facilitating the restoration of native coastal species in the BWER