Plus, there used to be thousands of Black midwives in the South. Where'd they all go?
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Happy Tuesday/end of February, readers! Two months ago, I was screaming a countdown at my friends' house and now I'm looking for my allergy medicine so I can be prepared when pollen attacks. This past week, I've been thinking about courts and how they shape our lives. Every year, the Supreme Court has a surge of popular interest between late-May and mid-June as major decisions get released toward the end of the court term. But those decisions are made months in advance. By the time we the people can truly reckon with what's happening, the term is done and the justices are sipping daiquiris on a beach somewhere. Take last year's infamous Dobbs v. Jackson decision. The case was argued in December 2021. The draft of the decision was leaked on May 2, and the official decision came almost two months later on June 24. When that decision leaked, it was basically set in stone. None of the justices switched sides between the leak and the official opinion. The members of this unaccountable institution got to kick over decades reproductive autonomy for millions like a toddler destroying a tower of blocks. Eight months later, and we're still working through the rubble.
With that in mind, I curated this week's newsletter with an eye toward the courts. Not just the capital-C Court, but all of the institutions on federal, state and local levels that feed into it like tributaries into a river. Hope you have your waders on because it can get murky fast. |
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If you're bracing yourself for the possible return of student loan payments later this year, today is a day you're going to want to remember. Why? Because today, February 28, is the day SCOTUS will be hearing arguments in a case brought by organizations who believe the student debt of millions shouldn't be forgiven. I don't know about you, but I'm going to be gripping the table until my knuckles turn white until a decision comes down this summer. |
Ever heard of the Comstock Act? Maybe you skimmed over it in a study guide for your American history class in high school and then never thought about it again. Me too! Well, now might be a good time to brush up on it... 😬 |
Nohemi Gonzales was one of the 130 people (and the only American citizen) killed during a terrorist attack in Paris in 2015. The group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Now, her parents are suing Google, arguing that the company violated the United States' Anti-Terrorism Act by allowing ISIS to post hundreds of radicalizing videos on its platform. Read some of the questions that came up during last week's oral arguments and what it could mean for the future of the internet. |
At the turn of the last century, the South was home to thousands of Black midwives. By the 1980s, they had been pushed out of practice. Now in the 21st century, 98% of all babies are born in hospital settings, attended to by doctors, nurses and other workers recognized by the medical establishment. Read Anna Claire Vollers' latest for a timeline of where all the Black midwives went and how midwifery is making a comeback. |
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