Students walk out to protest displacement of teachers
See pages 8-9
Social media’s influence on young voters
See pages 12-13
Print Editor-in-Chief
Satenik Ayrapetyan
Online Editor-in-Chief
Jenny Marquez
Managing Editor
Alexa Garay
Features Editor
Vanessa Morales
Opinion Editor
Sophie Ortega
Entertainment Editor
Valerie Sanchez
Sports Editor
Aidan Lia
Visual Editor
Kristin Intal
Digital Media Editor
Andre Arcilla
Social Media Editor
Satenik Ayrapetyan
Staff Writers / Photographers
Daryna Hriaznova, Tania Lopez, Andrew Pulido, Benjamin Recinos, Alex Salcedo, Jasmine Thompson, Linus Bossardt
Copy Editors
Jasmine McNair, Genesis CuellarFigueroa, Emma Rosenberg, Isabella Tolosa
Contributors
Emely Cortez Adviser
Adriana Chavira
The Pearl Post is an open forum for student expression as allowed by California Education Codes 48907 and 48950, committed to excellence in reporting, writing and photography.
The magazine strives to inform and educate students and faculty on events affecting the school.
Thoughts and opinions published in these pages are the work of journalism students and do not represent the position of DPMHS, its administrators or the Los Angeles Unified School District.
An unsigned editorial is the opinion of the Editorial Board, which is comprised of the Editor-in-Chief and the editors. Signed opinions in The Pearl Post reflect the views of the authors. A signed cartoon reflects the view of the cartoonist.
This bimonthly magazine is the official campus newsmagazine of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. The magazine is also posted online at http:// www.thepearlpost.com.
Content
1 2-3 COVER - Design by Kristin Intal Index / Students reflect on September walkout
4-5
Student safety on campus / Opinion: Gun laws need to be tighter across the nation
6-7 How rising antisemitism affects two students’ college search / How students are avoiding misinformation online
8-9 Photo essay: Students protest for reinstatement of two displaced teachers
10-11 Infographic: National and local election candidates / Opinion: Abortion should be legal, protected everywhere
12-13 How media affects voters / Infographic: Do celebrity endorsements influence student perception
14-15 Infographic: U.S. Supreme Court’s summer rulings / Pearl Voice: Student opinion on rulings / Opinion: the Supreme Court is corrupt and out of control
16 BACK COVER - Design by Kristin Intal
Letter from the editor
As Nov. 5 draws ever closer, the election has become a mainstay in conversations. In The Pearl Post’s second-ever special issue, we spotlight local issues, such as the September walkout at our school and the lessons its organizers learned. We also highlight political topics concerning students, such as abortion and gun control. While we hope to inform with this magazine, we also want to showcase the ways students are learning about the election and key
issues on the ballot. We also wanted to educate students about the school’s safety plan in the case of a shooting or other disaster. Additionally, we wanted to spotlight some key decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court during the summer. Our priority with this magazine is to inform readers about the candidates – both local and state – that will appear on the November ballot.
Satenik Ayrapetyan Editor-in-Chief
Organizers reflect on protest
By Andrew Pulido, @andyesarte
When junior Delilah Trujillo learned Spanish teacher Glenda Hurtado and music teacher Wes Hambright were being displaced, she joined together with her peers to plan a walkout. Through her efforts, she learned the power of collaborative action.
“I learned that everybody in the whole school can combine into a team,” Trujillo said. “We could power our voices and tell the district and all of them that we need both teachers.”
The displacement occurred on Sept. 13, on Norm Day. Norm day is an annual event by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) where schools submit their enrollment. From there, the
district distributes resources based on enrollment rates.
Because Daniel Pearl Magnet High School only has 188 students year, two teacher positions were not funded.
To protest this displacement, the students organized a walkout for Sept. 23. The walkout took place at 3 p.m. None of the students had prior experience organizing, so it was a big learning experience.
While some organizers wanted to remain on campus and protest there, for safety, others believed they should walk out of school and march next door to the district’s Region North office.
The students met during lunchtime, after school and talk over the phone to make
the decision. They settled on walking out and protesting in front of the district’s Region North office along Balboa Boulevard. The experience helped the students learn how to cooperate while handling disagreements.
“I was working a lot more on (being cooperative) and being able to kind of accept other people’s viewpoints as part of my opinions,” said junior organizer Serena Elkins.
Hambright was reinstated on Sept. 23, empowering students. Although organizing the walkout was challenging due to the organizers’ inexperience, students-activists like senior Leeron Nakash believes she gained a greater understanding of collective advocacy.
“If you have a voice and you want to speak up about something, do it,” Nakash said. “Do it in a way that you’re sure that other people will listen to you.”
After the protests, no other active demonstrations have occurred. Following her displacement, Hurtado was hired at Portola Middle School and began working there on Oct. 14.
During lunch on Sept. 23, before the walkout, the organizers met and discussed plans to raise their demands even further. Although organizers are having trouble rallying the previous participants, they hope to combat Norm Day and repeal it at the state level.
ALEX SALCEDO | THE PEARL POST
Junior Delilah Trujillo, senior Genesis Cuellar-Figueroa and senior Leeron Nakash protest for the reinstatement of music teacher Wes Hambright and Spanish teacher
Glenda Hurtado at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Region North office on Sept. 23. The three helped organize the walkout, which drew about 150 attendees.
Students worry for their personal safety following multiple threats near school. School safety concerns rise
By Jasmine Thompson, @luvjasm1n33
Sophomore Hayden Lee trembled in fear during her period four math class as she learned of shooting threats at surrounding schools.
“I do not feel safe. It’s way too easy for someone to get into the school,” Lee said. “There’s no security, no gun detectors or metal detectors.”
Threats at High Tech
plies are held.
“Students felt unprepared in the event of a school shooting,” Sousa said. “So in my class, we took a day in all my periods to talk about it so that we all were on the same topic about what proce -
“I feel safe at DMPHS, teachers and staff really care about our safety and make sure we’re doing everything right while on campus.
-Sophomore Andrea Arosemena
High Los Angeles (HTLA) and Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) on Aug. 28 caused surrounding schools to go on lockdown. This has led to students and staff at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) talking about safety protocol and how they will implement more safeguards in case of a shooting on campus.
Math teacher Gonçalo Sousa reassures students that they will be safe during a school shooting by going over demonstrations and showing where safety sup -
dures the school wants us to engage in and what all of us should do.”
DPMHS athletes who play for BCCHS teams were concerned about practicing on BCCHS’s campus during the week of the threat.
“When I learned of the threats I was a little bit shocked,” senior Deven Szymczak who runs for the BCCHS cross country team said. “As long as nothing bad happens, I’ll be fine but with that (shooting threats), that’s where I draw the line.”
According to the Magnet
Coordinator James Morrison, who is in charge of safety on campus, if a shooting were to occur, the school would initiate a lockdown. In order to prepare for a school shooting, students practice drills. During those drills, they are told to shelter in place and keep quiet. Teachers make sure all windows, blinds and doors are closed with lights turned off in order to ensure maximum safety.
“I feel like with the process that we go through and the teachers that we have, I will be protected,” junior
Kayleigh Tapaoan said.
In a poll on Instagram that 50 students responded to, 67 percent of students voted that they would feel unsafe on campus if there was a school shooting. Twenty-four percent voted they would feel safe, while ten percent voted that they would feel very safe.
“I wouldn’t feel safe anywhere because gun violence is such a big thing,” junior Natica Renteria said. “At DPMHS, we only have a huge hallway and little places to hide.”
Linus Bossardt | THE PEARL POST Math teacher Goncalo Sousa stands on classroom tables to show their effectiveness and sturdiness during a lockdown drill in his period 5 pre-calculus class on Sept. 11. Some students worried the tables would break under pressure.
Opinion
Tougher guns laws needed
By Isabella Tolosa, @isabellaa.solange
Every year, I hear devastating stories about communities being turned upside down by school shootings. I’m terrified of the violence across the nation and believe that tighter gun laws are essential across the country.
Gun violence can happen any second due to how easy it is to obtain guns in this country. One example is Salvador Ramos, who was 18 when he shot up Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, making it one of the second deadliest shootings in America. In the US, the minimum age for gun possession is 18. It’s horrifying that someone still in high school can have access to rifles and shotguns. Raising the minimum age to get a gun would help prevent incidents.
Even worse, many adult gun owners do not properly store their firearms, even when there are children at home. This endangers everyone in the family. According to The Florida Times Union article, “Jacksonville boy, six, accidentally shoots himself; teen charged with culpable negligence in his death” by Dan Scalan, “On June 16, 2021, a 14-yearold boy was charged with culpable negligence for the improperly stored firearm that a six-year-old boy retrieved and accidentally shot himself.” If owners can’t properly store away their weaponry, they shouldn’t have any at all.
People’s emotions and traumas also drive gun violence. In some cases, it is due to experiences they had in the past. For example, CBS
News “At a young age, 42% of all mass shooters experienced trauma including physical and sexual abuse, parental suicide, or being victims of severe bullying.” These situations cause others to go through the same trauma.
Another example is how violence affects a person to create these shootings, “... Seventy-two percent of mass shootings were suicidal either before and at the time of the shooting.” Suicidal thoughts create a sense of hopelessness, which leads to a lack of empathy toward others, caus-
ing them to act out in harmful ways. This shows how people take their emotions out in wrong ways.
I understand people feel that they need guns for protection but I think they need to find other ways of protecting themselves, because guns cause more violence than they prevent. As stated in San Francisco Chronicle, “Charts show how California crime trends compare to the rest of the U.S.” by Susie Neilson, “California’s reported violent crime rate has increased over the past two years... a sig-
nificant spike in aggravated assault, which has risen by 24% since 2019.” People feel that their gun ownership is acceptable due to crime rates rising.
Hopefully, people consider this perspective and put more effort into doing deeper background checks. These are needed to examine if the person is mentally stable and educating themselves on how to properly store a firearm in your household. Also, raising the minimum age to get a gun to help avoid gun violence.
Daryna Hriaznova | THE PEARL POST As school shootings continue to occur, students feel increasingly worried about gun violence. Lack of gun control is a major part of school shootings and without more restrictions on gun laws, threats and shootings will continue without change.
Jewish students reconsider college choices
By Daryna Hriaznova, @daryna_hria_41
Senior Leeron Nakash and junior Tehillah Jaffe are picking colleges for their future. Both are Jewish and take the rising antisemetism rates into account when conducting their college searches.
“I’ve experienced antisemitism before,” Nakash said. “But it’s just that antisemitism rates in colleges have gone up in a copious amount. Because of the amount of anti-semitism happening with Gaza and Israel. So, I’m just afraid of being a target, I guess.”
“year, according to a survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). In K-12 schools, antisemitism rates have increased by 135%, according to another survey by the ADL.
VANESSA MORALES | THE PEARL POST
I’m just afraid of being a target. -Senior Leeron Nakash
“I think it’s terrible,” sophomore Nadia Buer said about antisemitism. “I don’t support excluding anybody’s religion or race or where they’re from. I think that we are all humans, and we’re all on this Earth, existing. And we’re all living, breathing bodies that don’t deserve to be hate-crimed because we’re just slightly different.”
Junior Tehillah Jaffe and senior Leeron Nakash, two Jewish students, are beginning to consider colleges for the future. The recent conflict in Gaza and the rise in antisemitism have given them both something else to consider in their searches.
part,” Nakash said. “My brother fights in the army and same with my cousins. So, I’ve been very closely affected. I have a bunch of family whose friends and other family members have been kidnapped or killed. I’ve been impacted in a very big way and, I feel like, every Jew has.”
Discrimination and antisemitism on college campuses has always been a problem. But after the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 73% of Jewish students have reported experiencing or witnessing antisemitism during the 2023-2024 school
Buer, while not Jewish, was emotionally affected by the war in Gaza. Others, like Nakash, have family members in Israel. For her, the war and antisemitism have become a big part of her life.
“My brother lives in Israel, my sister lives in the northern
The war in Gaza started Oct. 7, 2023, when the political and military organization Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people. Since then, discrimination and antisemitism rates have increased.
While the number of Jewish students feeling completely and very safe on college campuses has decreased by 21.1%, the amount of
students feeling only a little, somewhat safe and not safe at all has increased by 14.2%, 36.7% and 3.7%. In the past year, 73% of Jewish students surveyed on college campuses reported experiencing or witnessing antisemitism.
“Now, when I’ve heard of anti-semitic comments in colleges and people supporting Hamas, it’s difficult to feel safe in education,” junior Tehillah Jaffe said. “I’m not sure what colleges I want to go to but I want to go to Oregon for college. I feel like whatever college I go to, I will be unsafe. It’s going to be hard to focus on education when I try to focus on keeping myself safe.”
How students are avoiding misleading information online
By Benjamin Recinos
Junior Guadalupe Martinez tries to avoid misinformation on the internet and television about the upcoming presidential election. However, she has found it increasingly harder recently.
“I try to avoid misinformation by making sure that there are several articles covering the topic from trustworthy sources,” Martinez said. “I make sure that the sources I use don’t have a past of faking news. Now, there are so many different people saying different things it’s hard to figure out.”
The use of social media has fueled many false claims. According to an investigation conducted by NewsGuard in 2022, 20% of results given by
social media platform TikTok about major news topics, including politics, contained some form of misinformation.
Users often post baseless claims that have been proven false. Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, has made many false claims, including that the Democratic Party is responsible for “importing” illegal immigrants to vote in the presidential election. Due to Musk having over 200 million followers, these false claims are further amplified.
“I don’t use social media that much, but I just don’t think it’s a reliable source from what I’ve seen,” sophomore Nadia Buer said. “Anyone can say anything and no one
checks it. You have to base it off of previous information and articles and see if other people have co-signed on it and said, yes this is reliable.”
During this election cycle, many people are in a similar predicament as all over the internet many false claims have been made and repeated, potentially misleading voters.
For example former President Donald J. Trump has made an unsubstantiated claim that Haitian immigrants have been eating people’s pets in Springfield, OH, during the Presidential Debate on Sept. 10, even though they have been proven false by the township’s police chief.
Many students, such as
senior Franklin Johnson try to stick to traditional news sources such as NBC News in lieu of social media due the perceived unreliability of it.
“I usually get the news about this election from places like NBC News,” said senior Franklin Johnson. “They tell a lot of reliable stories about the election and show the debates. Social media can have a lot of untrue information that’s biased.”
In order combat misinformation, organizations such as the News Literacy Project log and analyze false claims.
“It’s super important to see what’s real and what’s not,” Buer said. “We need to be able to have reliable information on these topics.”
EMELY CORTEZ | THE PEARL POST
Freshman Anna Virabyan browses through a News Literacy Project module that focuses on election misinformation in her 4th period photography class on Oct. 16.
Photo Essay
Students walk out, speak out
The moment students learned two longtime teachers were being displaced, they mobilized into action.
Last month, music teacher Wes Hambright and Spanish teacher Glenda Hurtado were displaced due to low enrollment on Sept. 18, following Norm Day. During Norm Day, the Los Angeles Unified School District counts total enrollment numbers for a school and bases budget allocation off of that.
This year, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School has 188
students, the lowest enrollment it ever, meaning that the school did not have the budget to retain all of its staff.
“I don’t see DPMHS existing without Hurtado or Hambright here,” junior Sebastian Olfatmanesh said. “They meant the world to me.”
The walkout occurred on Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. with students walking out of sixth period to protest at the district Region North’s office next door. Earlier that day, Hambright was reinstated, Hurtado was not. She now works at Portola Middle School.
ALEX SALCEDO, BENJAMIN RECINOS, JENNY MARQUEZ AND VALERIE SANCHEZ | THE PEARL POST (Top left) Senior Jennie Lopez and former student Alia Galvan protest for the reinstatement of displaced teachers on Sept. 23. (Bottom left) Senior Leeron Nakash and junior Sebastian Olfatmanesh chant into megaphones. (Top right) Junior Delilah Trujillo leads walkout out of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. (Bottom right) Displaced music teacher Wes Hambright, who was reinstated that day, protests.
ALEX SALCEDO, BENJAMIN RECINOS, JENNY MARQUEZ VALERIE SANCHEZ | THE PEARL POST
(Top) Senior Vanessa Gonzalez and junior Kaleigh Tapaoan protest for the reinstatement of their teachers and their right to an education. (Left) Sophomore Mateo Zazueta holds up a sign with a school motto during the protest. (Middle right) Junior Abraam Grigorian holds up a megaphone for junior Tehillah Jaffee to speak into. (Bottom right) Seniors Leeron Nakash and Jefferson Lopez hold up signs during the protest for students’ right to a quality education.
A look at the candidates and 1 bond measure on the ballot
Opinion
Abortion rights should be law
By Vanessa Morales, @vane_m1110
One of the most controversial topics in American politics, abortion, is often associated with the idea of murder. Although many people, including legislators, may wrongly hold this belief, it shouldn’t give the federal government any right to take any legal action to prevent women from getting the medical attention that they want or may need.
On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), ruled under Roe v. Wade in a 7-2 vote that under the Constitution states that, all women’s rights to an abortion were protected under the Fourteenth Amendment. Then in 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned, ending the constitutional right to an abortion and leaving the
decision up to each state. As a result, according to the New York Times, 13 states have put in place a full abortion ban while seven other states have set restrictions earlier in pregnancy.
As a woman myself, this has been a complete violation of my rights. I believe every woman should have the right to make decisions for her own body no matter the situation. While an abortion ban doesn’t seem likely to happen in liberal California, it is upsetting to think of so many women around the country who cannot access proper healthcare as a result of ignorance within our government.
The main reason that many people endorse abortion bans is because they believe that abortion is the
equivalent to murder, which is not the case. According to Eastside Gynaecology, the latest that you can legally and safely get an abortion in general is about 20-24 weeks into the pregnancy, unless a complication occurs further along. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the fetus’ lungs haven’t even developed yet at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Typically, women get an abortion between their late first trimester and their early second trimester, when the fetus is not at all fully developed. The fetus is not technically viable until 24-26 weeks into the pregnancy.
Additionally, most women don’t wait that long to decide whether or not they want an abortion. Abortions at or after 21 weeks are
extremely rare in the United States, making up 1% of all abortions in the country.
Most people also fail to consider the woman’s financial, physical or mental situation. These women should not be burdened with raising a child if they are not ready to do so. Some women might not be financially able to give the child a stable life. Other women might have health problems or conditions that may put them in danger if they were to deliver this child.
Some just may not feel ready to raise a child. The same people who claim to be “pro-life” continuously advocate for the rights of something that is not alive while sacrificing the needs of the woman, who is alive.
DIANE GREENE LENT | FLICKR
Pro-choice activists protest the overruling of Roe v. Wade, which was decided by a 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court, at Foley Square during a New York abortion rally on May 3, 2022.
From posts to votes: social media’s role in the presidential campaigns
By Daryna Hriaznova @daryna_hria_41 and Tania Lopez @tl.hhs
Sophomore Ethan Sokol and his classmates are turning to social media for real-time updates on the election.
“Obviously, they have campaign accounts and personal accounts where they talk themselves up a little bit,” Sokol said. “Sometimes they make attacks toward the opposing candidate. They also try to talk up the points of their campaign.”
Presidential candidates are using social media to promote their campaigns, especially to reach young voters. Presidential candidate
and Vice-President Kamala Harris used Charli XCX’s “Brat” album cover as the design for her presidential candidate Instagram account. Due to of politican’s emphasis on social media, students are informed of events such as the presidential debate, assassination attempt on presidential candidate and former presi-
“dent Donald Trump and many other crucial events leading up to the election on Nov. 5.
Of course it has a lot of impact on the people, because everyone uses social media. If they watch campaigns and everything online, they will say: ‘You know, I want to vote for this candidate because I know they’re good.’ It’s easy to just go online and decide.”
-Junior Marianna Alvarez-Patino
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has received the backing of celebrities such as Charli XCX and Billie Eilish. Celebrities in turn, are using their platforms to throw their support behind candidates. As influential voices in
pop culture, their endorsements amplify Harris’s appeal, particularly among younger voters who are drawn to their progressive values and advocacy for social justice. Swift has praised Harris in an Instagram post on Sept. 10, highlighting her stance on issues like gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. The nonprofit website Vote.org, the website Swift directed her fans to register to vote, received more than 35,000 registrations afterward.
“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” Swift announced on her
ANDRE ARCILLA | THE PEARL POST Online platforms and prominent influencer’s help play a pivotal role in shaping how students form opinions and evaluate the presidential candidates.
Instagram account. “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
In Sokol’s opinion, there’s not a lot of information spread online by the candidates that can be trusted. Facts or sometimes only pieces of data posted online often determine how the people are going to vote, and it’s important not to believe everything posted on social media.
As senior Gracie Huaman said, sometimes, things said by the candidates about themselves and their campaigns leave young voters without their personal opinion about who they are voting for.
“I think that Harris is using it (social media) as a call to the American people, trying to build a community,” Huaman said. “And Trump is using it in an antagonizing way. He is going after specific people or party members.”
Celebrities Kid Rock and Zachary Levi have similarly used their platforms to endorse the Republican party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump. Levi endorsed Trump
at a Reclaim America Tour in Michigan on Sept. 28, saying that Trump is the right candidate because he’s going to have the fight that exists in Robert Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
“When I came out and said I was endorsing President Trump through my endorsement of Tulsi and Bobby,” Levi said. “90 percent (of the messages he received) have actually been quite lovely and supportive, and I’ve really appreciated that.”
There’s a lot of information about the election spread online and not all of it is true. Sometimes voters get confused with the information from the side of each candidate and take the opinion of the candidates or celebrities supporting the candidates. But people don’t do all the needed research to have an opinion of their own.
“Of course it has a lot of impact on the people,” junior Marianna Alvarez-Patino said. “Because everyone uses social media. If they watch campaigns and everything online, they will say: ‘You know, I want to vote for this candidate because I know they’re good.’ It’s easy to just go online and decide.”
Twenty-five students responded to a Google Form survey posted on Instagram and Schoology. Of those students, 17 said that celebrity endorsement plays a role on how people see the candidates while seven said it was possible and one saying that it didn’t play a role on how people see the candidates. Twenty-two students believed that media exposure and celebrity endorsement help campaigns.
Celebrity endorsement of the upcoming candidates for the presidential election plays a crucial role on society’s political views
ALEXA GARAY | THE PEARL POST
ALEXA GARAY | THE PEARL POST
on how each candidate is represented.
Opinion
Corrupted agendas in the court
Deception in the Supreme Court urges for justices to be appointed and recalled.
By Satenik Ayrapetyan @sayra.syrup
Two years ago, women lost their reproductive rights across states due to the political agenda of people whose presence we had no say in.
This year, those people decided bribery as legal. Term limits must be put in place so judges on the Supreme Court of the United States can be held accountable. There are not enough checks and balances on the Supreme Court that the judges have virtual immunity.
The Supreme Court of the United States is meant to be the final, impartial judge that ensures all laws follow the Constitution. Unfortunately, the conservative court has decided to push legislations that follow the judge’s political agendas. The American public has no way of dealing with corrupt judges. The judges need to be electable by the people.
According to the Pew Research Center, Chief Judge John Roberts’ court holds the lowest favorability ratings in the past 30 years. Three of the judges elected to the court – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – were elected by Donald Trump, a president who only won due to the electoral college.
Following investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Trump was accused of conspiring to
Corruption and deception in the Supreme Court of the United
more evident and recently
used their political agendas to guide their decisions. American citizens need the ability to recall and appoint these
overturn the 2020 election.
This year, the court ruled that any president cannot be prosecuted for actions done with core Constitutional powers of their office. The decision was 6-3. For the six, this was an attempt at protecting the President that put them there.
The repeal of Roe v. Wade was unpopular two years ago. According to the Pew Research Center, 62% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most cases. The belief was reflected in the 14th Amendment which guaranteed a right to privacy for American citizens.
However, the judges used their personal biases
to overturn it. Citizens can’t recall these decisions or return Roe’s protections. Though, this was intentional. The system was created so popular sovereignty could not affect courts. However, the idea that biases wouldn’t enter the court was unrealistic and an idealization of the judicial system. The judges are not infallible and people are biased, especially when someone is providing thousands of dollars worth of vacations.
This year, in Snyder v. United States, the court ruled that gifts and payments as rewards for political actions taken by state and local officials should not be considered bribery. This
ruling occurs one year after the ProPublica investigation into Judge Clarence Thomas’ undisclosed gifts, including 38 vacations from many generous donors, such as billionaire and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
Thomas’ bribes went as far back as 1991 when he was appointed to the court. He has received no legal punishment for this.
The American public must have a right to appoint and to recall the judges. We must do the same to the Supreme Court Judges. The American public has no say in their actions, leading to decisions that benefit only a small minority of radicals.
ANDRE ARCILLA AND KRISTIN INTAL | THE PEARL POST
States has become
the court has
judges.
Voice Recent, vital Supreme Court rulings and cases
“Do you think the Supreme Court of the United States is biased with their rulings?”
“Yes because everyone has their own political views.”
“Yes. I think they are biased because that’s their job. They need to give their opinion on what they think is right or wrong.”
“I think they are because there are more republicans than democrats so it’s uneven and unfair.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
The Supreme Court justices are responsible for making decisions that affect the everyday lives and routines of American citizens. This list goes over current Supreme Court rulings with farreaching implications that influence lives.
By Sophie Ortega @monophonicemoji
In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court upheld recent Food and Drug Administration guidelines responsible for distributing abortion pills through mail
and other methods. Even though Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito publicly stated they would allow limitation of the pill, they endorsed the ruling, ensuring full access to the abortion pill where it can be offered. This ruling does not override the restrictions in some states, meaning access there is limited.
The wealthy Sackler family will not be shielded from civil lawsuits despite filing for bankruptcy. The Sacklers played a part in the
opioid crisis through their promotion and marketing of the addictive substances. This ruling, made in a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court, will benefit victims of the crisis and their families. This was the first case where the Supreme Court addressed whether a bankruptcy plan could offer civil legal immunity.
In an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court expanded gun control laws. They ruled that a federal law barring people who have a restraining order for
domestic violence charges will remain constitutional. They declared it does not violate the Second Amendment. The decision sets a new legal standard and increases gun control. Only Justice Clarence Thomas dissented.
FInterviews & photos by Jasmine Thompson
ollowing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. capital, former President Donald Trump was sued on charges of plotting to subvert the 2020
election. In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from prosecution of official acts. Additionally, the court decided that presidents may only be prosecuted for private conduct. This will complicate Trump’s trial in the election subversion case.
