May
14
The Pro Bono Oath
Posted by: Michael Gonring | May 14, 2012 | 3 Comments
When the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined in February to grant the Civil Gideon petition and its proposed requirement that legal counsel be appointed for impoverished civil litigants, it instead noted a familiar fallback solution: pro bono initiatives. When Congress decided in 2011 to drastically cut funding for the Legal Services Corporation, which funds legal services [...]
May
7
Funding Civil Legal Aid
Posted by: Michael Gonring | May 7, 2012 | 5 Comments
Alberta Darling had a lot on her plate in the late winter of 2011. As co-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee in the Wisconsin Legislature, the 66-year-old senator from River Hills, described on her website as having “a passion for protecting, educating, and improving the lives of children,” was one of the chief stewards of [...]
Apr
30
Equal Justice and the Poor
Posted by: Michael Gonring | April 30, 2012 | 1 Comment
Many years ago, I attended my first meeting as a newly-elected representative on our church’s parish council. I was enthused, energized. Then an older man, a veteran of the council, pulled me aside before the meeting started and gave me a warning. “Now you’re going to have your eyes opened, ” he said. “It’s a [...]
Mar
11
NAACP Leader: Photo ID Lawsuit Carries on 140 Years of Voting Rights Struggles
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | March 11, 2012 | 1 Comment
With its challenge to Wisconsin’s voter ID law, the NAACP is carrying on a struggle for voting rights that dates back to the post-Civil War era, James Hall, president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP, told the Law School’s Mike Gousha and an audience of more than 100 during an “On the Issues” session [...]
Mar
11
James Q. Wilson and Broken Windows Policing
Posted by: David R. Papke | March 11, 2012 | 6 Comments
Media coverage of the death of conservative political scientist James Q. Wilson on March 2 correctly identified him as the originator of “broken windows policing” and blithely assumed such policing had been successful. Ross Douthat’s column in the New York Times of March 4, for example, said that Wilsonian policing had resulted in “the low [...]
Dec
3
What Price Protest?
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | December 3, 2011 | 4 Comments
On December 1, the Wisconsin Department of Administration released new rules governing access to state facilities, including the State Capitol, for protests, rallies, demonstrations and any other “gathering of four or more people for the purpose of actively promoting any cause.” You may read the entire policy here. The most controversial aspects of the new [...]
Sep
27
Doing Better Than “Nailing and Jailing” in the Fight Against Violence
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | September 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment
As Milwaukee County Children’s Court Judge Joe Donald put it, “We do a very good job of trailing, nailing, and jailing.” But can Milwaukee do more when it comes to dealing with crime so that it can be prevented and the lives of those on the path to committing crimes turn out better? The good [...]
Jun
30
Milwaukee Foreclosure Mediation Program: Theory to Practice
Posted by: Michael M. O'Hear | June 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Andrea Schneider and Natalie Fleury have a new paper on SSRN that describes the Milwaukee Foreclosure Mediation Program and analyzes the MFMP’s design by reference to dispute resolution theory. The MFMP responded to the ongoing foreclosure crisis in Milwaukee, emerging from an initiative involving Marquette Law School and several government agencies, elected leaders, and community [...]
Jun
27
Department of Justice Files Fair Housing Act Suit Against City of New Berlin
Posted by: Garrett Soberalski | June 27, 2011 | 2 Comments
On Thursday, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint against the City of New Berlin. The complaint arises out of a series of events that led to the City’s denial of a “workforce” housing development proposal made by MSP Real Estate, Inc. (MSP). The DOJ alleges that the City of New Berlin ultimately denied the [...]
Feb
10
Holloway and the Housing Code
Posted by: David R. Papke | February 10, 2011 | 1 Comment
The media have given ample attention to housing code violations in properties owned by Lee Holloway, Chairman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. According to one account, city inspectors have identified over 200 housing code violations in Holloway’s small, north-side apartment buildings. The violations include roach and rodent infestations, faulty locks, missing smoke detectors, [...]
Jan
16
Mayfair – Tumult in Wisconsin’s Shrine of Consumption
Posted by: David R. Papke | January 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Much has been written and said about the tumult at the Mayfair Mall on January 2. Commentators have argued the theft and destruction grew out of, among other things, the general rebelliousness of teenagers, deep-seated racial tensions, and/or colliding urban and suburban subcultures. All these arguments have validity to them, but the very nature of [...]
Jan
2
Whatever Happened to the Underclass?
Posted by: Michael M. O'Hear | January 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Those of us whose political memories extend back before the Clinton Administration — and I am still in denial that this is not true for many of my students — may recall a time when the plight of the urban poor seemed a major preoccupation of mainstream journalists and politicians. I suppose there were even [...]
Blog Editors
- Alan Borsuk
- Bruce E. Boyden
- Edward A. Fallone
- Melissa L. Greipp
- Scott C. Idleman
- Lisa Mazzie
- Michael M. O'Hear
- Ryan Scoville
