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Democracy and Politics Ishani Bakshi Democracy and Politics Ishani Bakshi

US immigration policy impacting Asian students in NJ

Newark, NJ - When six Asian international students at Rutgers University found their student statuses abruptly terminated in April 2024, they were left in legal limbo. Represented by the ACLU of New Jersey, the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project, and attorneys from the Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law, the students challenged the terminations in federal court—and won a preliminary injunction on May 8, 2025, in the United States District Court of New Jersey.

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Democracy and Politics Renee Johnston Democracy and Politics Renee Johnston

Could this state legislation deny your free speech?

Newark, NJ - New Jersey Senate bill S1292, which attempts to establish a state definition of anti-semitism and to appropriate $100,000 for a “public awareness campaign to promote bias crime reporting,” was introduced on January 9, 2024. The New Jersey General Assembly Bill A3558 was later introduced on February 4, in a bid to garner support from the full state legislature.

A number of federal representatives from NJ, including a few currently running for governor, have expressed support of the bill - with some having accepted funding and support from AIPAC. Therefore, support for Israel is not uncommon amongst state lawmakers. Further, the bills have already gained the support of a number of state legislators running for re-election, many of whom gathered in Trenton earlier this year to make their support public.

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Democracy and Politics Renee Johnston Democracy and Politics Renee Johnston

Book Review | Laundering Black Rage

Newark, NJ - It was well known, prior to 2020, that police protection did not extend to certain segments of the population, specifically Black men, women and children. However, the response to the uprisings of 2020 by the governmental structures of civil society, were exposed as not only violent, but in direct opposition to the demands of the community.  

Too Black and Rasul A. Mowatt’s book, Laundering Black Rage, The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits explain the response of the state, through a process they have coined as “laundering.”

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Democracy and Politics Anthony Orlando Democracy and Politics Anthony Orlando

New Jersey joins the nation in a May Day call to action

Newark, NJ - May 1st will see citizens across the United States participating in over a thousand protests and rallies led by May Day Strong, a coalition of nearly 200 grassroots and civic organizations nationwide, many of which were behind the National Hands Off campaign on April 5th. The goal of these protests is to unite the public in addressing and preventing what organizers have described as a “billionaire takeover” of the American government.

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Democracy and Politics Ishani Bakshi Democracy and Politics Ishani Bakshi

Knock knock, democracy’s calling: Inside the NJ Million Voter Project 

Newark, NJ - New Jersey is heading into one of the most consequential elections in its recent history. In November, voters will choose a new governor and reshape the state Legislature. But for many residents, especially in communities of color, immigrant neighborhoods, and working-class towns, politics is often . The Million Voter Project (MVP) New Jersey aims to change that.

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