COVID-19

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“The Many Faces of Health”: March 2021 Northeastern University Law Review Symposium Synopsis

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By Kelsea Davis

The 2021 Northeastern University Law Review (“NULR”) Symposium (“the Symposium”), entitled “The Many Faces of Health,” addressed the multidisciplinary intersection of systemic racism, public health, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Laudable professionals from across the globe were featured at the event to discuss various facets of the public and private systems that have led to both the creation and maintenance of inequity within the United States. Out of these discussions emerged common themes, including the public’s right to the data and information collected by publicly funded institutions and programs. However, the most dominant theme was the importance of both procedural and distributive justice in abating inequity and discriminatory practices.

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The Wall that COVID-19 Built: Barriers to Immigrant Justice during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Forum Editor: Why did you decide to get involved with the Immigrant Justice Clinic?

Sam Chang: I decided to apply for the Immigrant Justice Clinic (IJC) because my ultimate goal is to use my law degree to advocate for policies that will benefit marginalized communities. I am passionate about issues at the intersection of reproductive justice and immigrant justice and hope to work on these issues during my career. Immigrants, in particular, have difficulties accessing necessary resources due to their status (or lack thereof). The narrative surrounding immigrants, especially Latinx immigrants, not only affects how individuals treat them but how existing systems treat them as well. My interest in serving immigrants derives from this disparate treatment. I also believe that direct client experience is necessary in order to develop effective policy because policy should always be grounded in the experiences of the people it will affect . . .

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“Restructuring” Takes on a Whole New Meaning for the Community Business Clinic: The Debut of the Virtual Legal Help Desk

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By Jenna Agatep

This past summer, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Business Clinic adapted its established model to the ever-changing and novel issues plaguing small businesses. Instead of the traditional system where students work on conventional, longer-term projects, including contract drafting and entity formation, the Clinic prioritized and operated a virtual help desk. In partnership with the cities of Boston and Lynn, the Clinic made itself available to small businesses through virtual appointments, offering brief advice sessions for COVID-19 related issues. While the shift to working remotely presented many challenges to both the Clinic and the clients it serves, the impact the Clinic has had on the community has been powerful and continues on . . .

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(In)effective Assistance of Counsel in the Age of Zoom

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By Emma Coreno

I have wanted to be a litigation lawyer for as long as I can remember. I had imagined for years who my first client would be and what my first hearing or trial would look like. Was I going to feel at home in the courtroom, or would I be terrified? Would the judge and opposing counsel take me seriously? Would the client feel comfortable having a young and inexperienced student attorney represent them? I was excited for the day that I would finally have the answers to all these questions: the day that I would stand in a courtroom with my client seated next to me. At that time, little did I know that my first hearing would be entirely different than anything I had ever imagined. I already knew attorney-client relationships contained fraught power dynamics due to systemic and institutional flaws, but I was not prepared to see these relationships deteriorate so much in this new age of Zoom, to the point where I am no longer certain if there is such thing as effective assistance of counsel in a COVID world . . .

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From the Border to the Courtroom: Litigation as a Response to the Disastrous Mishandling of COVID-19 in Immigrant Detention Centers

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By Aly Madan

In February of 2020, I went to Dilley, a small town in Texas, to help women and children detained at the border. The trip was made possible through Northeastern University School of Law’s clinics. I, alongside a handful of my peers and our professor, went to volunteer with Proyecto Dilley, an Immigration Justice Campaign project that serves individuals seeking asylum. Their staff and volunteers work out of a cramped room in the “South Texas Family Residential Center,” which is a fancy name for what is, in actuality, a jail. Proyecto Dilley helps those seeking asylum prepare for one of the first steps of the asylum process: the credible fear interview. The organization also helps in the resulting court hearing and provides “know your rights” trainings about the asylum process to those who are detained . . .

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Indian Farmers Lead the Largest Protest in World History

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By Kiman Kaur

Tens of thousands of Indian farmers have marched to India’s capital, New Delhi, demanding that the government repeal three agricultural reforms: (1) the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Act; (2) the Farmers (Empower and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act; and (3) the Essential Commodities Act. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced these three bills to the Parliament of India in September 2020 in efforts to push forward the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party’s (“BJP”) deregulatory agenda. All three agricultural bills were passed by the lower house of parliament (“Lok Sabha”) and the upper house of parliament (“Rajya Sabha”) and then approved by President Ram Nath Kovind . . .

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Warp Speed: Does the Rapid Development of a COVID-19 Vaccine Create a Public Safety Concern?

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By Matthew Gallotto

Politicization of a COVID-19 vaccine may be causing a long-term safety issue for the U.S. public health. A poll administered by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that Americans are fearful of political influence on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine which may jeopardize the safety of any vaccine brought to market. More than half of poll participants said they would not be willing to take a free COVID-19 vaccine if it were available before the November presidential election. Another poll from Gallop similarly showed that more than one-third of poll participants would be unwilling to take a free FDA-approved vaccine if it were currently available . . .

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Let’s Play Ball (…or not)

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By Allie Band

Around 9:30 pm on March 11th, the NBA suspended its season seconds before tipoff of the Utah Jazz-Oklahoma City Thunder game. At the arena, fans were told the game was postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances.” As it turned out, the reason for the postponement was that a Jazz player, who made it a point to touch every mic in the media room to show his “fearlessness” of COVID-19 just days prior, tested positive for the virus. The next day would be remembered as the day the sports world stood still. Like a domino effect, most professional and college sports seasons were suspended or cancelled within days . . .

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Sex in the Time of COVID-19

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By Mackenzie Darling

During a public health crisis, the public is thinking about their health and the safety of their loved ones. However, while society is focused on protecting people from COVID-19, the sexual health and wellbeing of individuals is under major threat. This forum discusses three major concerns about the current state of sexual and reproductive health: (1) the impact the COVID-19 pandemic may have on people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); (2) how state executive orders are preventing access to abortions; and (3) how the closures of doctor’s offices, Planned Parenthood health clinics, and non-essential stores pose a major threat to access to contraception and sexually transmitted infection (STI) healthcare . . .