Amicus Curiae [Revisited]
Have you ever had a case of the Mondays? You know, that feeling of having just so much to do but still you dread moving? The dragging heaviness in your limbs and the overwhelming sense that the clocks must all be broken?
This week was not that. This week my alarm clicked on bright and early at 4 am. Instead of being my normal, groggy self I was jittery and anxious. I dressed quickly in the dark and snuck upstairs to make coffee as quietly as possible, stopping to check the time only every other minute. Unfortunately, I left too early and, because the earliest trains run at 5 am, I was stuck on the platform, waiting. When the train came, I was briefly the lone passenger of my car but every stop brought more sleepy travelers starting their work week.
By 5:45 I had arrived at my destination. The Supreme Court. And for the next four hours, we stood outside and waited to see if we would get in for the handing down of decisions. We made friends with those in line with us and chattered anxiously about which way we thought the cases would go.
[Sidebar: we didn’t make friends with everyone. You dirty line-cutters out there, I hope you see the irony in your behavior, given the building you were standing in front of. Also, making jokes about how you weren’t going to wake up early to stand in line was inadvisable, as those behind you were coming together to plot a mutiny.]
By 10 am I was sitting in the courtroom. I know it’s silly to be such a fangirl but those nine ladies and gentlemen are a constant inspiration. Even if I don’t always agree with the decisions they’ve made, they hold a position of honor and respect. Even Justice Kennedy, though I feel mildly betrayed by his decision to retire.
Emma and I are doing a presentation for the office on the politics and legal concerns behind human migration. The decision on the travel ban and the crisis at our southern border have really put our work into focus. Last week I wrote about globalization and how our world is getting smaller and smaller, and I see that now more than ever. Human migration is growing and has more consequences than I previously realized. Reading Trump v. Hawaii was, admittedly, a little of an emotional rollercoaster but it’s illustrative of how complicated the world has gotten.
Speaking of the complicated, interconnected world…I also sat in on several meetings regarding the many privacy policies of NCSC. With a growing global sensitivity to data privacy, organizations need to be more vigilant and become more proactive about being transparent. People need to know how their data is being used and why so that they can make informed decisions about the websites and services they choose to use.
I also helped proof-read and fact-check the new proposal we’re submitting for a project in the Caribbean. Because it’s still in the process, I can’t really talk about it yet. But I can talk a little bit about the proposal we’re considering for Bangladesh. Due to an increased threat of radicalization and terrorism in Bangladesh over the last three years, the need for a strong justice system and access to justice is heightened. Citizens suffer from extensive pretrial detention issues and problems with case backlogs. Additionally, there are concerns that individuals might be exposed to terrorist ideologies while detained. By improving access to justice, we can protect their rights and decrease terrorist exposure.
Through this, I’ve learned that a large part of the rule of law work that we do here is in writing the proposals and doing them correctly.
Additionally, this week I compiled research on how NCSC can incorporate in the various countries that we work in. While it’s not always necessary to do so, there are benefits to being established in certain localities that we frequently do projects in, like Central America and the Caribbean. As a law student, I think it's a bit fascinating how each country has a distinct path to accomplishing the same task. Different departments to talk to, different information required, and different timelines. It makes it clear how malleable the law is, how many options there are and really puts into perspective what our founding fathers had to do. And I don't say that just because I'm obsessed with Hamilton right now (though, of course, I am).
Lastly, the final report for Morocco came out this week! It’s incredible to see all of the hard work come together. Weeks of mapping regulations, compiling reports, and writing summaries have resulted in an amazing final product. It’s really cool to see it all come together in the end.
The summer only has three weeks left. I know that sounds like a short amount of time but I have a feeling that a lot is still going to happen. I guess I’ll see when we get there.