The Right's Assault on the Right to Autonomy & Privacy: The Abortion Debate
An op-ed highlighting how the debate surrounding the Texas "heartbeat bill" is not about abortion but one's right to privacy and self-autonomy. On May 19, 2021, Texas passed a "heartbeat bill" that bans abortion after six weeks. In the night hours of September 2, 2021, the United States Supreme Court…
S.C.O.T.U.S's One-Thousand Cuts to the Voting Rights Act & How We Can Stop the Bleeding!
An op-ed highlighting how the Supreme Court of the United States has incrementally cut the provisions of the Votings Rights Act and what we can do now to protect voting rights. By: Ian L. Courts, Esq. "Democracy is a process, not a static condition. It is becoming rather than being…
The Beauty of Brevity in Issue Writing
An op-ed highlighting why effective writing should be brief and to the point. By: Ian L. Courts For those who feel the fire to write pieces that enflame passion or bring enlightening information to others — this discussion is for you! Writing that informs or advocates is ISSUE WRITING! My…
Juries the Judges of Fact, Credibility, and Culpability in a Jury Trial.
By: Ian L. Courts In America, one of the fundamental rights an accused person has is the right to a jury trial or a bench trial. See U.S. Const. VI Amend. …
The Law of Nations: Sources of International Law
What is the "law of nations," and where does modern international law come from? Introduction We live in a global society where the law is based on complex mechanics manifested through treaties, customs, and other mechanisms that foster some form of uniformity in conduct and, to a lesser extent, accountability. The…
Biden's 55 billion to Africa, but No Reparations for Black Americans?
Why Biden's Investment in Africa is essential but overlooks the necessity of seriously investing in Black American descendants of formerly enslaved Africans? By: Ian L. Courts Last week during the African-US Leaders Summit, President Biden and Vice President Harris met the African Union and other political and social figures from…
The Values and Civics my Black Church Taught Me
A brief discussion on the values passed on to me from growing up in a Black American Pentecostal-Holiness Church in the American South. By: Ian L. Courts I grew up in Reidsville, North Carolina, a small town in the American South. Like many small towns in the American South, Reidsville…
Imprisoned for being Unemployed: America's Probation State
Why extensive periods of incarceration are excessive and harsh for technical probation violations. By: Ian L. Courts America, we have a major problem! You are running late for work at a construction site, a job you received because the site supervisor sympathizes with people who have a criminal record, because…
Biden's Agenda on Africa?
What should the Biden Administration offer African leaders during this week's U.S.-African Leaders Summit? By: Ian Courts This week leaders from across Africa will meet with the Biden Administration in Washington, D.C., for the U.S.-African Leaders Summit. The Biden Administration has announced that the summit hopes to demonstrate "the United…
My Genetic Story — An A.D.O.S Story
My genetic story via my Ancestry DNA and African Ancestry DNA results. By: Ian L. Courts I am a Black man, a descendant of Africans enslaved in America who were brought to North Carolina, specifically the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Several generations back, my family resided (and presently resides)…
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Carol Burt
Rebecca Stevens A.
James Stephens