2017 & 2018 ABA Law Student Division Best Newspaper Award-Winner VIRGINIA LAW WEEKLY 70 1948 - 2018 A Look The Malicious Chinchilla: Part the Second.......................................2 Inside: Confirmation Stories: Hugo Black & Supreme Court Secrets..........2 Charlottesville’s Best Donuts, Reviewed by Kids.............................4 Which Fyre Fest Documentary? ......................................................7 Wednesday, 13 February 2019 The Newspaper of the University of Virginia School of Law Since 1948 Volume 71, Number 16 around north grounds THE SHAPE OF JUSTICE Thumbs up to free snacks in Student Affairs. Krasner, Others Keynote PILA Event After dropping a whopping $70 on a Barris- ter’s ticket, ANG can’t even afford groceries. Thanks, Michael Schmid ‘21 Lisa, for saving us all from Staff Editor our own poor decisions. The third annual Shaping Justice conference took place Thumbs up to February 8 and 9 at the Law free snacks in Stu- School, featuring a variety of dent Affairs. After panel discussions, workshops, dropping a whop- and a keynote address by Larry ping $70 on a Barrister’s Krasner, District Attorney for ticket, ANG can’t even af- the City of Philadelphia. The ford groceries. Thanks, event was sponsored by the Lisa, for saving us all from Public Interest Law Associa- our own poor decisions. tion, the Program in Law and Public Service, and the Mor- Thumbs down timer Caplin Public Service to classes that Center. Panel topics included still involve fights gun violence, alternatives to for seating. ANG incarceration, the affordable specifically dropped the housing crisis, and the opioid class in musical chairs for epidemic. anxiety reasons and does The opioid epidemic was a not find this fun. focal point of Krasner’s open- ing remarks. Addressing the Thumbs up to tsunami of prescription and spring break! ANG illicit opioids that has flooded has thoroughly en- Philadelphia just as it has re- joyed spending the gions around the country, last ten days blacked out in Krasner argued that the choices Branson, Missouri. law enforcement officials face in combatting that issue are indicative of the overarching Thumbs down issue facing the criminal justice to Valentine’s system today. Krasner shuns Day. ANG is so what he calls “antiquated no- Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner keynotes the Shaping Justice Conference Photo courtesy Rachel Davidson Raycraft. tired of receiving tions of right and wrong” with a solitary valentine from its focus on retribution, harsh ons to get votes.” He believes In the Alternatives to In- ANG’s mother that states, penalties, and hyper-criminal- that voters’ dissatisfaction with carceration panel, Angel Har- ing issues that lead people into “I like you ‘berry’ much.” ization, in favor of a “harm re- past approaches partially fu- ris, Assistant Counsel for the crime in the first place. Dicker- ANG is sick of the lies. duction” approach focusing on eled his victory and the election NAACP Legal Defense and son hopes that those involved public health and prevention. of other “progressive prosecu- Education Fund, emphasized in the criminal justice system When localities fail to treat the tors” across the country. When the importance of “directly “deal with the individual and opioid epidemic as a public change is not occurring on the impacted individuals” having not the stigma.” Thumbs down health issue, Krasner argues, it national or state level, Krasner a voice in addressing criminal The next morning, students, to SBA elections. leads people to hide their dis- argues that through “progres- justice issues. The intersection faculty, and community mem- ANG prefers the ease, which results in people sive federalism” municipalities of mental health and the crimi- bers packed WB 101 for the leaders of ANG’s “dying from stigma.” Krasner can be a source of sensible so- nal justice system was topic Confronting Racism panel, pointless bureaucracies to sees the harm-reduction model lutions to criminal justice and addressed in-depth during the sponsored by the Minority come only from the finest as the solution to the opioid cri- public health concerns. panel session. Judge Robert H. Rights Coalition and the Black haute-bourgeoisie, none of sis, as well as a variety of other Known for his fiery and Downer ’76 of Charlottesville’s Law Students Association. this grubby NOVA-prep- criminal justice issues, point- iconoclastic rhetoric, Krasner general district court noted Meredith Horton ’07, Associate school-dentists-for-par- ing to the success Vancouver, has courted criticism by some the successes of the “therapeu- Legal Director for the South- ents bullshit. British Columbia has had with for his approach to his role as tic docket” in Charlottesville, ern Poverty Law Center, spoke their supervised injection sites district attorney. However, a a targeted and individualized about her work challenging in drastically reducing the in- little over a year after taking program which seeks to divert felon disenfranchisement laws cidences of overdoses and opi- office, Krasner listed a few of those with mental health issues through impact litigation. For Thumbs up to oid-related fatalities. what he sees as some of his big- from incarceration and into example, in Mississippi, felons last week when Unabashed in his outsid- gest accomplishments. In part treatment programs. “We harm are banned from voting for life. ANG was wearing er approach to prosecution, because of his decision to de- people a great deal when we in- The only ways for a released shorts and flip- Krasner also appreciates the cline to recommend cash bail carcerate people with mental felon to have their voting rights flops. ANG kindly requests role of pragmatism in effect- for twenty-five offenses his of- health issues,” the judge re- restored are through (1) a gu- that Stephen T. Parr stop ing change. Reflecting that fice has labeled as innocuous marked. He also commented bernatorial pardon, (2) an exec- being so rude and change sometimes people have to put and non-dangerous, Krasner that integrating and welcoming utive order, or (3) a state legis- the weather back. themselves in situations that pointed to the significant de- formerly incarcerated individu- lator personally sponsoring the might make them uncomfort- crease in incarcerated individu- als back into society and giving person who has completed his Thumbs up to able in order to achieve the pol- als in Philadelphia: down from people a chance at a fresh start felony sentence and submitting Frank the Law icy goals they desire, Krasner 6,500 to 4,700. Crime has re- is critical to keeping people out legislation to restore his voting School security stated, “Virtue is nice. Victory mained flat, while violent crime of the criminal justice system rights. This bill must pass with guard. Frank’s a is even better.” Krasner pulled has decreased during Krasner’s and reducing recidivism rates. a two-thirds vote and be signed longtime reader and is glad no punches in criticizing some tenure, despite opponents’ “How we treat those who are re- by the governor. Unsurprising- “ANG’s gotten much more elected officials who he be- charges that his policies would leased [from prison] is impor- ly, said Horton, very few people positive the last few years.” lieves have neglected the issue have the opposite effect. When tant,” said Judge Downer. This are successful with this labori- It’s all thanks to rehab, of criminal justice reform over reflecting on how some of his was echoed by Herb Dickerson, ous process. Michael Herring Frank, but ANG appreci- the years. “The civil rights issue detractors might respond to the outreach coordinator and shift ’90, the Commonwealth’s At- ates it anyway! of our day is criminal justice downward trend in crime in the supervisor at The Haven, who torney for Richmond, noted reform,” he remarked. “Our re- city, Krasner quipped, “They’re said that the criminal justice that while most criminal defen- sources have been hijacked by opposed to crime, but they’re system should do a better job politicians who have built pris- very much opposed to me.” of dealing with the underly- SHAPING JUSTICE page 5 2 Columns VIRGINIA LAW WEEKLY Wednesday, 13 February 2019 SHAPING JUSTICE Malicious Chinchilla: Part the Second continued from page 1 dants he sees in the courtroom In Which Brutus the but prospered (depend- As it turned out, he did like, done any research at all are people of color, the judges, Chinchilla Moves in With Our ing on your definition of not––he didn’t even need to on them?” prosecutors, police officers, Correspondent “prospered”). Within three use the throwing stars. He “Not really, I just asked and defense attorneys are dis- weeks, he was slamming approached the erstwhile Dennis for some basic tips. proportionately white. This im- First things first, we whey protein shakes and do- leader of the squirrels, a I know I’m not supposed to balance can lead to prosecutors should probably discuss the ing prison workouts in his nasty specimen that my get him wet and stuff.” having a skewed perspective on photo that accompanied the cage while blasting Immor- friends and I had dubbed “Who’s Dennis? And–– the criminally accused they see last installment of this se- tal Technique on a speaker Harvey Dent (one guess why wait, you can’t get him wet? in court on their worst day and ries (hopefully there’s a new he’d procured on the dark we picked that nickname). Like in Gremlins?” in their worst form. one in place by now). I’m not web. By the two-month I like to think that Harvey “Dude who works at Following the last panel ses- going to lie, it’s not a great mark, he was the most swole said something uncultured PetSmart. Great salesman. sion, attendees could choose chinchilla on the eastern about chinchillas and that What’s up with the Wiki- Will Palmer ‘21 from a trio of concurrent work- seaboard and had dropped Brutus told him he’d need pedia?” I paused to ash my Staff Editor shops, titled: Trauma-Informed five mixtapes on DatPiff (if to “get woke,” but I’ll never cigarette.