By Grayson Shaw PO ’25 2022 was a record-breaking year for organized labor. Massive companies that were traditionally considered off-limits for collective action such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Chipotle recorded a major uptick in unionization (with some corporations recording their first union formation ever). Not only does it seem like unions are on the rise, the numbers back up the...
By Mira Setty-Charity (PO ’26) While the Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA) and its facilities are administered by Claremont Consortium officials, the Black Student Union (BSU) is run by Black students for Black students. As such, the BSU was pushing for a dedicated room for mentorship, activities, meetings, and safe, calm space for Black students on campus, independent of administrator...
Emrys Yamanishi (PO ’25) On January 1st, 2020, California’s Assembly Bill 5 went into effect. AB5 equalizes gig work—such as ride services, dog walking, and delivery—with steady work by classifying gig workers as employees. The Bill uses a three-pronged test known as the ABC test to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee. The ABC test states that A) the...
By Grace Zheng (PO ’26) With social media platforms transforming the way information is disseminated, there is no doubt that the internet has given rise to a new era for free speech. However, as these platforms grow in prominence, so have concerns about their influence in the political sphere. In particular, a recent legal battle around Senate Bill 7072 in Florida on social media has...
By Clare A’Hearn (PO ’26) Allowing law enforcement to deceive a defendant is not in the interest of public safety, it is in the interest of closing cases. In the United States, during an interrogation, a law enforcement officer is legally allowed to lie to an adult defendant regarding the evidence in the case in all 50 states. They can claim to have evidence that links the defendant to the...
By Clare A’Hearn (PO ’26) A recent focal point in Republican attack ads is bail reform. More specifically, ending the cash bail system. The United States currently employs cash bail for arrested individuals awaiting trial, but there is a push to end the system, in part because it disproportionately impacts low-income people. There is an imposition of a “poverty penalty” from cash bail, as...
By Eshika Arora (PO ’23) From rising sea levels threatening to swallow up island nations to recurring heat waves forcing mass migrations, the effects of climate change have already been disastrous, and the worst is yet to come. In an attempt to avert the looming climate crisis, more than 95% of the world’s countries came together at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in...
The democratic alliance in the Asia-Pacific region will be key to balancing a rising China’s ambitions. By Eshika Arora (PO ’23) The Indo-Pacific Quad, also known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a loosely defined alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan, and India. Recently, its member states have taken steps to deepen economic and security cooperation within the...
By Grace Zheng We have all been told to be careful with what we post on social media — it can cost us anything from an embarrassing moment in front of friends to even a job. However, our digital footprint has far greater implications than we may realize. The racial and legal consequences arising from the purchase of data from third-party companies, as well as the use of this data in policing...
By Emrys Yamanishi In March of 2022, ClientEarth, an environmental law firm and shareholder with the gasoline company Shell, filed a lawsuit against Shell under the Companies Act 172 and 174, positing that the company was “failing to implement an energy transition that aligns with” the Paris Agreement. Garnering support from several other Shell shareholders including Nest, London...
