U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams To Be Keynote Speaker at Cardozo’s 46th Commencement

The Hon. Ronnie Abrams, U.S. District judge for the Southern District of New York, will deliver the commencement address for the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law\u27s 46th graduation ceremony at Lincoln Center in June.https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozo-news-2024/1001/thumbnail.jp

The 2024 Cardozo Colloquium on Global and Constitutional Theory Presents: Linda Greenhouse on the Roberts Court

Join Linda Greenhouse, Senior Research Scholar in Law at Yale Law School, to discuss the exceptional trajectory of the Roberts Court. Greenhouse is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who has covered the United States Supreme Court for nearly three decades for The New York Times.https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/event-invitations-2024/1004/thumbnail.jp

Bollywood Movie Night

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Can the ADA Protect Persons with Disabilities in Their Ability To Get to Work?

James Kimmons worked at a Charter Communications call center. He suffered cataracts in both eyes, which made it difficult to drive in the dark. Kimmons requested a modification to his work schedule, seeking permission to work earlier hours so he could commute home in the daylight. Notably, the work-schedule accommodation Kimmons sought is one that many other Americans may need, as 22.8% of all working age adults are considered accommodation-sensitive and 47% to 58% “of those who would actually benefit from a workplace accommodation do not receive one.” His employer granted his request for a short period of time but ultimately refused to extend the accommodation, arguing that the call center was under no obligation to change his schedule under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Kimmons filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC), which prompted the Commission to initiate litigation on his behalf. While the district court ruled in favor of Kimmons’ employer, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held for Kimmons.This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website on February 12, 2024. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

AELJ Symposium: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

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You’re Giving Away Your Rights in Those Online Contracts You Don’t Read

Perhaps the most consequential documents ever produced in this country are the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution identifies our most important rights, while the Declaration explains why the deprivation of those rights justified the fight for independence. So you might be surprised to learn that rights the founding generation fought for have been stripped away from tens of millions of Americans — almost certainly including you — by businesses we deal with every day. And, unlike the British, these businesses have done so in a way that almost no Americans can even recognize until it is too late

Hot Cocoa Party

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The IRS Audits an Easy Target — The Poor

In 2018, Natassia Smick and her husband filed their income tax return showing earnings of about $33,000. They expected a refund,$2,000 of which is attributed to the Earned Income Tax Credit. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax credit “for working people with low and moderate incomes. It boosts the incomes of workers paid low wages while offsetting federal payroll and income taxes.” The EITC aims to reduce poverty, and in 2018, the credit “lifted about 5.6 million people above the poverty line.” Smick, like many other families, relied on her tax refund to help pay her credit card debt and other household expenses. Instead of a refund, Smick received a letter from the IRS stating she was going to be audited. After submitting bank statements, birth certificates, and proof that her child lives with her, the IRS would not review her documents for at least another six months. Smick’s story is representative of many others and fits within a pattern where “[i]n the past decade, the IRS has audited low-income taxpayers who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—with an average annual income under $20,000—at a higher rate than people making$500,000 to $1 million dollars a year.” The IRS has engaged in a practice of auditing low-income taxpayers because “it is cheaper and easier than auditing the rich.” However, the harm of the audits is disproportionately affecting minority taxpayers. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website on February 9, 2024. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above