News & Commentary

Municipal judges have incredible power over the lives of the people who enter their courtrooms. When these judges refuse to follow the law and instead run their courtrooms like fiefdoms, they can ruin lives. This is starkly true for people already living in poverty who must appear in Colorado’s Alamosa Municipal Court. In our new investigative report, “

Donald Trump has pledged to defend the Constitution — even an article that doesn’t exist — but he can’t seem to lay off that pesky First Amendment. Trump has mocked the First Amendme

Across the country, African-American athletes have been taking a knee or raising a fist during the national anthem. They are protesting the killings of Black men and women by law enforcement officers and the systemic failure to hold anyone accountable for those killings. They have put their lives and livelihoods on the line for doing so. As the Supreme Court has long recognized,

For many soon to be college-graduates, the unfolding of the final year of college holds literally endless opportunities. My dream was to serve with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, the national full-time public service program.I knew purposefully dedicating one year — a small portion of my life — to serving my country was my best choice. I couldn’t have been happier when I was offered a position to serve as support team leader, based in the Mississippi office. I thought, this is what I’ve worked so hard for, and now I can work hard for others. But then it was suddenly ripped away from me through no fault of my own.

In the fall of 2014, “SR,” a little 8-year-old boy in Kenton County, Kentucky, had a terrible day at school. The assistant principal put him in a restraint hold after he yelled at kids who were mean to him. And then she confined him to her office, where he kicked and screamed to be let out because he needed to go to the bathroom. But then it got worse.The assistant principal cal

On February 22, 2017, Delta Airlines Flight 1583 departed San Francisco and headed for John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. As the plane was landing, passengers heard a strange announcement. Speaking over the intercom, a flight attendant announced that everyone would

Imagine getting arrested, charged with a crime, prosecuted, convicted, and hauled off to jail. Imagine that happening without ever being represented by a lawyer. Not in America, right? Wrong. This injustice happens with shocking regularity to people in South Carolina in the city of Beaufort and town of Bluffton. Take the case of Tina Bairefoot, whose constitutional rights were trampled upon in Beaufort.

I’m a member of the Mennonite Church. I’ve also been a math teacher for almost a decade. Because of my political views, the state of Kansas has decided that I can’t help it train other math teachers. I was chosen last spring to participate in a p

Has your employer, school, or volunteer program ever required you to disclose all the medications you are taking – including birth control and antidepressants?  Have you been asked if you saw a counselor or if you visited a hospital in the last five years?  Shockingly, AmeriCorps requires this information – and many more medical details – of all applicants to the