A Tale of Two Victims Trying to Stay Above Water While Pursuing Justice: Corey Feldman and Patty Fortney (And Her Sisters)

MARCI A. HAMILTON

Marci A. Hamilton, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and CEO of CHILD USA, describes two stories that show the persistent barriers to justice for child sex abuse victims, despite significant progress recently. First, Hamilton relates the story of Corey Feldman, who will finally get to tell his story of abuse in the premiere of My Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys on March 9, 2020, which will air at 11pm EST in a one-time, online showing globally. Second, Hamilton describes how Patty Fortney and her sisters are pursuing justice against the diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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Searching for Even Slim Reeds of Optimism That This is Not the End of the Rule of Law in America

NEIL H. BUCHANAN

UF Levin College of Law professor and economist Neil H. Buchanan offers two possible reasons for cautious optimism that the rule of law survives under President Trump: (1) Trump continues to lie, and (2) even the most potentially unreliable Democrats have not (yet?) decided to stop opposing him.

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Ortez-Cruz v. Barr

Docket: 18-1439

Opinion Date: February 26, 2020

Judge: Albert Diaz

Areas of Law: Immigration Law

Petitioner sought withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture. The Fourth Circuit held that the Board erred in finding that the government rebutted the future-threat presumption. The court explained that it was the government's burden to prove either condition that rebuts the presumption, and the record did not support a finding that it did. Therefore, the court vacated the denial of withholding of removal and remanded for the agency to grant relief on this claim. The court affirmed the district court's denial of petitioner's CAT application, because the record supported the Board's finding that petitioner did not meet the burden of proof. In this case, a reasonable adjudicator would not be compelled to find that petitioner proved that there is more than a fifty-percent chance that petitioner's former partner would torture her and that Honduran law enforcement would turn a blind eye.

Shinaberry v. Saul

Docket: 18-2096

Opinion Date: February 26, 2020

Judge: Traxler

Areas of Law: Public Benefits

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of Social Security disability benefits to plaintiff, who claims that she has been unable to engage in any substantial gainful employment since November 2013, due to a combination of her back and shoulder impairments and a lifelong learning disorder. The court held that the ALJ's findings and the mental limitation included in the residual functional capacity (RFC) are sufficiently explained and supported by substantial evidence in the record. In this case, the ALJ addressed plaintiff's lifelong, borderline intellectual disability, including her moderate limitations in concentration, persistence, or pace; explained why the psychological evidence and plaintiff's statements support a mental limitation to simple, routine, and repetitive tasks; and included the mental limitation in the hypothetical question posed to the vocational expert. The court also held that the ALJ's finding that plaintiff can perform light work despite her physical limitations was supported by substantial evidence in the record.