Individual freedoms are
the backbone of America, those rights that allow us—we the people—to
stand tall and affirm faith and conviction in whichever belief system we hold
above others. Naturally, in a presidential election year, many of the articles
that staff writers pitched focused on heated constitutional and political
issues: Our Right to Vote. Right to Health Care. Right to Marry. Right to
Education. Right to Bear Arms. As with all public discourse, these issues can
unite, but also divide many Americans, inflated by the Freedom to Disagree.
Perhaps this freedom, in particular, is the oxygen that allows the embers of
dialogue to burn. Inhale information,exhale opinion. Inhale opportunity,
exhale entitlement. Inhale injustice, exhale social change.
And so, the Winter 2013
edition of Juris developed organically. In this issue, staff writers tackle
major state and national issues while offering a local legal perspective.
Guided by the insight of law school faculty, prominent local figures and legal scholars,
each article offers readers an objective take on some of the most newsworthy
events leading us into 2013. From the inspiring tale of Amanda Holt, a young
Pennsylvanian who not only challenged the constitutionality of the state’s
redistricting plan but also became a “crusading cartographer,” to coverage of
the school-to-prison pipeline, a troubling national trend that deplorably
promotes incarceration over education, this issue has many highlights.
Of all the articles in
this issue, none resonate as loudly as Lauren Gailey’s coverage of gun access
and the mentally ill. With heavy hearts and overwhelming sadness, the nation watched
around-the-clock coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, just 11
days before Christmas. As Americans rally behind the families in Newtown, Conn.,
dialogue and debate continue over the necessary measures to prevent such future
tragedies. With diverging reactions, common ground is not always so common. But
where the common good is the ultimate goal, Americans’ right to disagree often
lights the path.
In my former life, a
short layover of five years between undergraduate and law school, I was a
sojourner with a journalism degree, an American living abroad. One of the great
opportunities of working for a study abroad program in Italy was the chance to
travel: to lose the comfort of familiarity and gain a little perspective on the
world and myself. In developing the concept of this issue, my mind raced back
to two countries I so fortunately had the chance to visit with friends while
living abroad: Egypt and Tunisia. As staff articles filled my inbox, headlines
of these North African countries’ political unrest filled my newsfeed, humbly
reminding me that the freedom to disagree is not universally accepted.
With great honor and
appreciation, I present the Winter 2013 issue of Juris. Please share
with us your comments and reactions on Twitter at @JurisDuqLaw or on our Facebook page.
Bridget J. Daley, 3L, is
the Editor-in-Chief of JURIS. She is also an Associate Notes and
Comments Editor of the
Duquesne Law Review and a Certified Legal Intern in the
Community Enterprise Law
Clinic. Upon graduation and passing the bar, Bridget will
join Buchanan Ingersoll
& Rooney, PC as an associate attorney. She can be reached at
bridgetjdaley@gmail.com.
