In March, the Trump administration illegally arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University and an advocate for Palestinian human rights. Khalil, a U.S. green card holder, was detained in New York while returning from an iftar dinner with his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, who is currently nine months pregnant. He was later put on a plane and sent to a detention facility in Louisiana without notice to his attorney or family. Since Khalil's arrest, the administration has doubled down on its unlawful policy of revoking people's green cards and visas based on their political beliefs and advocacy. To be clear: The First Amendment does not allow the government to retaliate against anyone for their speech. Ripping someone from their home, stripping them of their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint is an unconstitutional attempt by President Donald Trump to silence dissent. Political speech – however controversial som...
Mikal Mahdi committed two tragic murders in 2004 when he was only 21. This Friday, more than two decades later, South Carolina plans to execute him for his crimes, despite serious constitutional and moral questions that call for the Supreme Court to stay his execution. If carried out, Mikal’s execution will be the third in South Carolina this year, and the 12th execution nationwide. Without a doubt, Mikal’s crimes caused irreparable harm, but justice requires a fair trial and sentencing. Mikal’s story is a tragic one of a child failed by everyone at every turn. As a toddler, Mikal witnessed his father routinely and viciously beat his mother. At age four, his mother fled, leaving Mikal and his brother to become the target of his father’s abuse. By age eight, Mikal was suicidal. At age 14, he was sent to juvenile detention for property crimes. After serving his time, however, his father failed to take him to required court and other program meetings. He was incarcerated again and thr...