The 2020 Supreme Court Term in the Shadow of BLM, MeToo, and the Notorious RBG

The upcoming Supreme Court term comes in the context of widespread protests about police violence, the criminal (in)justice system, continuing fallout from the #MeToo movement, and the death of iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The court has agreed to hear cases that involve the enduring white supremist legacy of a Louisiana law that allowed for non-unanimous jury criminal convictions, standards for evaluating excessive use of force by police, what is required to sentence a juvenile to life without parole, and military sexual violence. It is imperative that the Court acknowledge the difficult truths that Black Lives Matter protesters, advocates for children and sexual violence survivors, and plain numbers have been telling us about entrenched problems with our criminal justice system. In addition, these cases elevate issues of humanity and dignity when it comes to how we treat some of the most vulnerable members of society—people of color, children and sexual violence survivors