Social Justice Posts
Artist Activists (Social Justice Policy Brief #196)
Today’s celebrities have large audiences who follow their everyday lives outside their music, acting, or entertainment jobs. Millions of followers log on to see glimpses of their personal lives and often, their stances on popular social justice issues.
Guns in America: Part 2- Who Owns Them? (Social Justice Policy Brief #165)
Gun ownership varies substantially across the United States, with some states & regions reporting far higher household ownership than others. Although the United States has a large number of privately owned firearms, those guns are not distributed evenly across the country.
Guns In America Part 1: Who Owns Them? (Social Justice Policy Brief #194)
Around one-third of American adults personally own a firearm, while roughly four-in-ten live in a household where at least one gun is present. Gun ownership is not evenly distributed across the population. Men, White Americans, rural residents, and Republicans are all more likely to personally own firearms than their respective counterparts.
Botched Execution of Christa Pike and Alternative Execution Methods (Social Justice Policy Brief #195)
On September 30, 2026, the state of Tennessee attempted to execute 50-year-old Christa Pike, the only woman on the state’s death row, via lethal injection. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture-murder of Colleen Slemmer, and while incarcerated in 2001, she attempted to murder a fellow inmate by strangling her with a shoe string. Despite being administered two full doses of pentobarbital, Pike survived the procedure and remained conscious. Following the failure, she was transported to an outside hospital and placed on a ventilator. In response, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted all scheduled executions for 2026 pending an independent review. Prior to her execution date, Pike’s legal team had explicitly petitioned the state for alternative methods of execution, including hanging or firing squad, citing risks with lethal injection.
A Collision Course For Social Security (Social Justice Policy Post #193)
For years, congress has kicked the proverbial can of Social Security’s financial deficit down the road to be dealt with at a later date. In 2026, we may be looking at the end of that road. This year’s Social Security Trustees’ Report warns that the retirement fund is only 6 years from absolute insolvency, when the program will no longer have the funds to continue paying benefits.
Does the Protect College Sports Act Protect College Athletes? (Social Justice Brief #192)
Last month, senators Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz drafted the Protect College Sports Act in an attempt to regulate college sports at the federal level. The bipartisan bill is the latest of many such attempts to standardize the constantly fluctuating college sports industry—none of which have yet been signed into law. The Protect College Sports Act aims to regulate the NIL (name, image, and likeness) market, and it does so by drafting requirements for college athletes to report earnings of over $600 per year to athletic departments, which no other college students earning income are required to do.
World Cup of Exclusion (Social Justice Brief #193)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was supposed to represent global unity, international sportsmanship, and the United States’ ability to welcome the world. Instead, as of June 29, 2026, the tournament is being overshadowed by growing concerns over U.S. immigration enforcement, visa delays, travel bans, airport detentions, and entry denials affecting players, referees, officials, and fans. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, is co-hosting the largest World Cup in history, but early reports show that access to the tournament is not being experienced equally.
Protect Communities, Not Criminals (Social Justice Brief #191)
On May 15, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a new initiative titled “Protect Communities, Not Criminals,” which includes a proposal to create a statewide prosecutor with the authority to override local district attorneys in certain cases. This proposed role would allow a state-appointed prosecutor to step in when a local prosecutor has not secured an indictment within 90 days, effectively creating a “backstop” to ensure cases move forward. Supporters of the proposal frame it as a necessary response to what they describe as “rogue prosecutors” local district attorneys who decline to pursue certain categories of crimes based on policy or resource limitations. The initiative is presented to ensure consistency in enforcement across Texas counties and to prioritize victims’ rights.
Grindr Hosts Networking Event Ahead of WH Correspondents’ Dinner to Advocate for LGBT Policy Change (Social Justice Policy Brief #190)
LGBT hookup app, Grindr, will host its inaugural White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend Party on April 24, one day before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.