Jesse Choper quoted in Talking Points Memo, August 11, 2014
“As for what it all means, I think the simple answer is that the fact that one trial judge in one state issues an opinion is wholly insignificant,” said Jesse H. Choper.
Why race-based affirmative action in college admissions still matters
Richard Rothstein writes for The Washington Post, August 11, 2014
A focus on low-income communities bypasses middle-class African Americans who are fully qualified for elite universities but who remain under-represented at those institutions from the continued effects of centuries of public policy, first to enslave and then to subjugate African Americans. In consequence, black families and their children suffer from compounded and inherited disadvantages that are unique.
Science and human rights
Eric Stover quoted in Buenos Aires Herald, August 11, 2014
“I still remember Chicha Mariani and Estela Barnes de Carlotto bringing me a newspaper clipping from Mar del Plata that discussed (genetic) paternity testing that was being conducted in the US, and asking me whether it could also be done to identify grandparents,” Stover told the Herald.
Bill seeks to limit electric vehicle rebates to low-income Californians
Ethan Elkind interviewed by KPCC, August 7, 2014
“[The bill] could actually have a very positive effect if we focused on low-income communities because they’re the ones who potentially could stand to gain the most economically in terms of fuel savings, if they switched from a fossil fuel-based car to an electric vehicle. It really depends on how it’s structured, though.”
How to speed up public transit projects: get the public involved, UCLA report says
Ethan Elkind interviewed by KPCC, August 6, 2014
Elkind urges Southern California commuters to demand answers about slow transit projects from public agencies and public officials…. Elkind also favors lowering the threshold for voter initiatives that fund transit projects, from two-thirds to 55 percent.
California’s slow ride to new transit
Ethan Elkind writes for San Francisco Chronicle, August 6, 2014
While we want to ensure careful transit planning with proper community input, safety and cost-effectiveness, the multiyear processes are unnecessary and counterproductive. We must accelerate high-priority transit projects, which are vital for our economic competitiveness, quality of life, and environment.
Surrogacy is a mess
Joan Heifetz Hollinger quoted in Slate, August 6, 2014
“There are issues across the board with regard to health care of the surrogate and whether the surrogate can or should be required to undergo tests, including fetal diagnostic test or an amnio.” If a surrogate decides to keep a baby against the commissioning parents’ wishes, are they responsible for that baby? If the surrogate raises the child, can she sue the biological father for child support?
New strategy as Facebook and Google transform into web conglomerates
Steven Davidoff Solomon writes for The New York Times, August 5, 2014
The Internet giants are not just conglomerates but also the largest venture capitalists on the block. Not only are they buying early-stage businesses to incubate and grow, they are starting their own businesses outside their original mission.
Exit, voice, and the privacy paradox
Christopher Hoofnagle writes for Medium, August 4, 2014
Privacy surveys find that individuals care about privacy, but any observer of social networks can find a great deal of profligate, ill-advised information sharing.
American exceptionism
Jonathan Simon interviewed on This is Hell, August 2, 2014
“2014 is to mass incarceration what 1964 was to segregation – the year that it became totally discredited, but also ended up becoming the norm for American society.”