In 1995, after her husband’s physical abuse caused her to miscarry days before she was due to give birth, Tzviyah Gorodetsky filed for divorce. The 19-year-old Russian, who had just migrated to Israel, filed for the dissolution of her marriage under the Jewish rabbinic courts, which govern all matters of marriage and divorce. She was … Read more
In the 1770s, American colonists rebelled against the British because they were being taxed without representation. After the Civil War, Abolitionists crafted the Equal Protection Clause because the Constitution was not being applied to all Americans equally. In the 1960s, young people pushed for the 26th Amendment, which set the voting age at 18, because … Read more
When the USSR fell at the end of 1991, along with it fell the idea that organized religion was a threat to the government. But the free practice of religion did not last. In recent years, the Russian Orthodox Church has gained power and popularity at the expense of other religions. Russia has returned Orthodox … Read more
Amidst ongoing debates about the legalization of cannabis, a growing number of medical experts and activists seem to think that Americans might have an appetite for overhauling other drug-related restrictions. This past November, Oregon’s attorney general approved language for a ballot initiative that could legalize medicinal psilocybin, a psychedelic drug derived from “magic mushrooms.” The … Read more
The world’s largest democracy confronts a difficult choice in 2019. As India’s 875 million voters prepare for what is expected to be the most expensive election in history, its largest state — Uttar Pradesh — is ripe for sectarian battle. Uttar Pradesh elects 80 of the 543 members in the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house … Read more
In the 2018 midterm elections, Badger State Republicans lost every race for statewide office, but still carried the legislature in a landslide, winning 63 of 99 seats in the State Assembly and 11 of 17 seats in the State Senate. This was not the first time Republicans had won large statehouse majorities without winning the … Read more
With the demise of ISIS imminent, the United States finally seems to be making headway on its “War on Terror.” In his inaugural address, Donald Trump had promised, with his characteristic hyperbole, to “eradicate radical Islamic terrorism completely from the face of the earth.” By helping to defeat ISIS, however, the United States has won … Read more
On Friday, March 15, over 1.4 million high school students in more than 300 cities around the world took to the streets to demand serious climate action from their representatives. With the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Climate Assessment forecasting disastrous effects of climate change in the next … Read more
In an unprecedented move that would shock millions and capture national media attention, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined a sit-in at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on November 13, 2018 alongside Sunrise Movement, a new environmental group led by young people who are working to make climate change a national priority. Their call: the formation of … Read more
In August 2018, a six-year-long court process against notorious anti-gay, evangelical pastor Scott Lively came to an end. In 2012, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a federal lawsuit in the state of Massachusetts against Lively on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a non-profit umbrella organization for LGBT advocacy in Uganda. The suit alleged that … Read more