Can Urban Farming Save Declining Cities? Will the Law Allow It?

It’s a warm day in April, and Skip Wiener is showing off the crown jewel of gardens that the Urban Tree Connection has created out of 29 vacant lots in the poverty-ridden Haddington neighborhood on Philadelphia’s west side.

The site, tucked away in the center of a block of 60 homes, once was used by a construction firm for storage. When Wiener, the founder and director of the UTC, was first alerted about the property by a local block captain, it was overgrown, riddled with industrial waste, and a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes.

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Plowing Over: Can Urban Farming Save Detroit and Other Declining Cities? Will the Law Allow It? – Magazine – ABA Journal.

Alien Resurrection: Justices Open the Door…

In one respect, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion so narrow it squeaked when it upheld an Arizona state law that can harshly punish employers who hire illegal immigrants. Indeed, Arizona business leaders say they expect little change in their state as a result of the May 26 decision in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting.

But in another respect, the decision hinged on a single concept—the idea of license, which opened a gateway for other state and local governments to plunge into immigration regulation. The federal government nearly exclusively ruled immigration affairs for more than a century.

Read the rest here: Alien Resurrection: Justices Open the Door for States to Control Immigration Status – Magazine – ABA Journal.

The End of War and Slavery Yields a New Racial Order

As the United States lurched into civil war during the winter and spring of 1860-61, the primary cause of the crisis was clearly on the minds of political leaders.

While many today think of the Civil War as a dispute over states’ rights, most Americans at the time understood that slavery was the central issue of the conflict. The slave states declared in their secession statements that they were leaving the Union to preserve human bondage—what Alexander Stephens, the vice president of the putative Southern nation, called “the cornerstone” of the Confederacy.

Read the rest here:  The End of War and Slavery Yields a New Racial Order – Magazine – ABA Journal.

Exxon Mobil’s Dispute with Venezuela Has Global Implications

Exxon Mobil Corp. has been involved in some pretty big lawsuits. The oil giant has been regularly painted as the bad guy in connection with events like the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaskan coast and states’ claims that it has stolen billions of dollars in mineral rights without proper compensation.

Read the rest of this story here: Exxon Mobil’s Dispute with Venezuela Has Global Implications – Magazine – ABA Journal.