The Student Issue

This issue of Mass Dissent was written and edited by law students from schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The articles focus on a range of topics from habeas corpus and the struggle between the judicial, executive, and legislative branches, political protest at law school events, budget cuts in the state court system, and the 2011 NLG Northeast Regional Conference. The range of issues represented in these articles reveals some of the key topics that are important to law students today.

The push and pull between the governmental branches over the habeas corpus issue, discussed by Ann Ferrera, represents the unbalancing of powers that continues to pervade our federal government as it becomes more polarized and less representative of the people and more representative of powerful and wealthy special interests.

With regard to political protest, Shannah Kurland analyzes the incident that took place at Roger Williams University School of Law and how the incident illustrates that free speech and First Amendment rights require continuous fighting for; otherwise students and others might be stripped of them.

Finally, Matthew Feinberg looks at the current budget cuts and how they hamper state court systems, especially the Massachusetts state court system. Clerkship positions in the Massachusetts state courts have not been available for new law graduates for a number of years now, and with the job market as insubstantial as it has been for the past few years, this does not bode well for future graduates.

Lastly, Lindsay Vick wrties about the 2011 NLG Northeast Regional Conference which took place at Roger Williams last April. It was an inspiring event that will hopefully spur the Massachusetts Chapter of the NLG and local law students into action throughout 2011 and into 2012.

We also have short reports from the 2011 NLG Annual Dinner and from our legal observers at an anti-foreclossure rally in Boston.

- Lindsay Vick & Stephanie Young -