Supreme-Court

Michael Rebell was growing frustrated. It was October, over 10 months after the trial had ended, and Judge William Smith still had not released a decision on the case. In the 50 years that Rebell had worked in education reform, he had never known a judge to take this long. His career had taught him that change often required patience, but that did not stop him from hoping that Smith’s decision would arrive sooner. The case he had presented, after all, was urgent: He believed democracy was on the line.

My first Rosh Hashanah away from home and family was supposed to be unremarkable. I planned to be with friends, make some semblance of a holiday dinner, braid my first challah, and FaceTime my parents and brother to wish them a sweet and happy new year. Yet, it was only minutes after hearing the blast of the shofar—the signal that a new year has begun—that I heard the sounds of incoming texts, tweets, and Apple News alerts that would signal the end of an era. All these electronic blasts brought the same news: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice whose shoulders bore the weight of our country’s democracy, had died.

A 13-year-old suspect involved in the death of first-year Barnard student Tess Majors was found to have likely participated in the crime, a judge ruled on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect will go on to appear in court for a charge of felony murder.

Columbia joined 18 other colleges and universities—including six other Ivies—in filing an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy as part of ongoing litigation over the program under the Trump administration.

Appointed to the Supreme Court in 2015, Justice David Smuts has been a leading human rights lawyer in Namibia since before the country’s independence from South Africa in 1990.

On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed a case claiming Columbia University did not adequately respond to a student’s reports of rape.

The Eye—the magazine itself—was named after the author and urban theorist Jane Jacobs’ and her belief that the “eyes on the street” help keep cities safe. The Ear, then, alludes to the stories we’re always listening for.

The Law School’s Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic, headed by Executive Vice President for University Life Suzanne Goldberg, filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on Thursday, urging the court to rule in favor of a student’s right to use the restroom that corresponds to his gender identity.

This week, I’m taking a break from responding to my freshman self to respond to some fellow Spec writers, past and present. A couple weeks ago, columnist Johnathan Fuentes wrote a letter to Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, CC ’88. In his letter, Johnathan contrasted Gorsuch’s (stellar) track record as a campus leader with the (less stellar) track record of the president who nominated him for the Supreme Court. Jonathan raises an important question: Does working with immoral leaders compromise one’s own integrity?

Columnist Johnathan Fuentes responds to a 1988 Spectator column by Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, CC ’88.