Independent at Harvard Law School since 1946
Every story published on our website. For print editions back to 1946, see Print.
Opinion
In October 1958, Ralph Nader, then a recently-graduated, former editor of the Harvard Law Record, co-authored an article (reproduced below) decrying the monopolistic practices of the Democratic and Republican parties on state ballot laws and their ill effects on minor parties. His prescient words concerning the suppression of minor parties and dissenting agendas remain even more accurate today as they were fifty-one years ago.
News
When Cora True-Frost LL.M. '06 asked the audience how many had seen The Wire, nearly all hands were raised. It was obvious that no one had come for advice on their Legal Research and Writing homework. Everyone was much more interested in learning about Cora's husband, Jim True-Frost, and his experience working as a television actor. But while Jim's success came from portraying a cop working the streets and schools of Baltimore, Cora's inspiration came from hands-on experience in the real classrooms of Baltimore, where she saw the grim consequences of life on the street during her service for Teach for America.
Opinion
I'm not normally a school spirit person, and even growing up in Texas had not made me interested in socializing around football. But my year at Cambridge University had changed me into a person who enjoyed engaging in petty rivalries alongside hordes of affiliated University revelers. So, when Harvard capitalized on poor playcalling by Yale to win the Game, I shuffled back into town with the masses, high on the victory and sugar, and was feeling particularly obnoxious. "Stinks to be you!" I laughed at a man in a Yale shirt. "Do you want to get punched in the face right now?" he replied.
News
Frustrated with the endless problems that prompted Microsoft to ditch its last version of its Windows operating system, Vista, with the latest incarnation, Windows 7, many Harvard Law students made the switch after the software giant released the new OS on October 22. But they weren't yet aware that their new operating system would not be compatible with Harvard Law School's exam-taking software, Exam4.
News
After eight years of exhausting war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama '91 outlined his plan Tuesday to achieve what he deemed the U.S. primary goals there and to bring the country's involvement to an end. The plan, which involves deploying 30,000 additional U.S. troops, targeting the Taliban and Afghan corruption with a "civilian surge" of targeted support for good governance, and engagement with Pakistan, came weeks after the death of Michael Weston '97. The war's toll has affected President Obama's Harvard Law School alumni, but perhaps none more than the Clas of 1997, which has now suffered multiple deaths.
Opinion
Switzerland's vote to ban the construction of minarets, the prayer towers of mosques, was greeted with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief around the world. The impact of this decision was certainly magnified by the fact that – coincidentally – it occurred on the last day of the "Festival of Sacrifice" (Eid al-Adha), a holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Some commentators have already suggested that the vote will spark a backlash similar to the one triggered in 2005 by the publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons representing the Prophet Muhammad. This makes it critical to shed light on the legal and political process that led to this vote.
News
Dean Martha Minow announced this week that Harvard's financial woes had forced the Harvard Law School administration to discontinue the recently launched Public Service Initiative (PSI) tuition forgiveness program and limit the amount of summer public interest funding (SPIF) available to current students. But despite ending PSI, representatives of the school's administration say students should have no doubt that HLS has retained its strong commitment to providing public interest funding to all its students and graduates. Dean Minow's announcement actually expressed a shift in strategy to emphasize the Low Income Protection Program (LIPP) as the preferred method of post-graduate public interest funding.
News
Polling data over the last several months made it seem as if Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley was a shoe-in for the Democratic Party's candidate to fill the late Ted Kennedy's U.S. Senate seat. But new numbers show other Democratic candidates challenging her lead – and picking up a number of high profile endorsements. With the primary for primary for the state's special Senate election set to be held December 8th – less than a week away – the chances that another candidate may pull off a surprise victory are now higher than ever.
Opinion
From December 7 to 18, the representatives of 192 nations will gather in Copenhagen, Denmark, to decide the fate of the human race. But thanks to a lack of U.S. leadership on the issue, which will give the resy of the world excuses for inaction, Copenhagen will fail to reach a deal that will safeguard your future. If you are planning to have children, you might want to reconsider.
News
A quirk in Google's Gmail system that identifies heavy loads of mail from one source as spam again afflicted Harvard users over Thanksgiving weekend, according to Jason Fuller, Harvard Law School's Manager of Technology Support Services. For the second time this year, the Google spam flag appeared to cause significant delays in email delivery for users on the Harvard Law School and Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) networks whose Harvard email accounts forward to the Google email service, and for Gmail users waiting for emails from the Harvard network.
Opinion
I remember November 26, 2008. I remember, vividly, the smell of terror surroundingMumbai when young jihadis with guns in their hand and hate in their eyes took overmy city and declared war on my country. The attacks raised a lot of questions in the minds of all Indians. Now that the first anniversary of the attacks is here, it might be a good time to revisit the same questions to know how much has really changed since, Mumbai and India were held ransom by ten terrorists.
News
While the Senate gears up to vote on the historic Health Care Reform Act, students at Harvard and across the country have organized to protest the Stupak amendment, a last minute addition to the act that will expand and entrench barriers to accessing abortion.