Adam Serwer

Ross Douthat writes about the death of Dr. Jack Kevorkian today, but really fails to grapple with the central moral dilemma of assisted suicide despite correctly identifying it: The difference, of course, is that Kevorkian’s clients asked for it. That free choice is what separates assisted suicide from murder, his defenders would insist. But this […]

Apologies for sending you into the weekend on a depressing note, but I didn’t want to end the week without delivering on my promise to blog about private prisons. As I noted on Wednesday, one way for California to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Plata would be to transfer inmates to […]

As a former anthropology major and current anthropology geek, I have a huge soft spot for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which is coming up at the end of June. Each year, the Festival highlights three traditions that have contributed to American culture — some indigenous, some brought over and adapted by immigrants — and hosts […]

Given who is actually being targeted in the war on drugs, it’s not terribly surprising that a UN report today dubbed the global anti-drug campaign a comprehensive failure with “devastating consequences for individuals and societies.” Suggesting a significant review of anti-drug strategy, the UN’s Global Commission on Drug Policy pushed political leaders to “have the […]

The immigration detention system is a big, swollen mess. (Note: I work in immigration, but my thoughts in this post, as always, are entirely my own.) Thanks to an increasingly aggressive (and increasingly well-funded) Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it’s had to take in ballooning numbers of immigrants (and U.S. citizens) over the last decade; thanks […]

Doug Berman asks a good question: “If concerned about border enforcement, why are Arizona’s Republican Senators so slow on judicial nominations?” Customarily, home-state senators submit to the president names of acceptable district-court nominees. According to Politico, Sens. John Kyl and John McCain do not appear to have submitted names to Obama for the three pending […]

Yesterday, to a flurry of press coverage, New York governor Andrew Cuomo declared that he was pulling his state out of DHS’ controversial Secure Communities program, which allows ICE to check the immigration status of anyone checked into a state or local jail. (Note: I work in immigration, but my thoughts in this post, as […]

Meet former Atlanta Falcons’ running back Warrick Dunn. Warrick Dunn invests his time and energy into public service. Warrick Dunn receives numerous awards and commendations for his public work. Warrick Dunn drives his car in Atlanta. Last week, Warrick Dunn gets pulled over. Why? According to the police, Warrick Dunn fits the profile for “people […]

The phrase “forcible rape” probably brings to mind the legislative battle earlier this year over H.R. 3, when House Republicans attempted to restrict Medicaid funding for abortions even further than it does now by excluding women who’d been, y’know, raped but not rape-raped. But the sad truth is that the term “forcible” is deeply rooted […]

Now that the dust has settled on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plata v. Schwarzenegger, which orders California to reduce its prison population, it’s time for state officials and legislators to start planning how to comply. Actually, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has already been taking steps to reduce the prison population […]