Dome:
Law, Legislation & Policy

Housed at Boston University School of Law, Dome is a valuable resource for news, analysis, and opinion on legislation and public policy. Dome is staffed by students of BU Law’s various legislation clinics. Dome features work contributed by staff members, scholars, practitioners, and law students interested in legislation and public policy.

The Movement to Repeal a Colonial-Era Sodomy Law in Namibia

By Rose Collins
July 28th, 2022 in Africa, Analysis, Legislation Abroad.

Namibia, located in Southern Africa, is, in terms of public opinion, one of the most LGBTQ+ tolerant countries on the continent. However, sodomy is still criminalized under Roman-Dutch common law, discrimination of LGBTQ+ people is legal, and same-sex marriages are not recognized by the courts. While all of these issues... More

Voter Suppression Laws in the Wake of Democratic Control of the Presidency and Senate

By Amelia Melas
February 25th, 2022 in Analysis, Election Law, Federal Legislation, State Legislation.

Georgia gained national attention in the 2020 election when the predominantly red state broke its 24-year streak of voting for Republican candidates in U.S. Presidential Elections. It went on to make history in early 2021 when the electorate flipped the U.S. Senate and elected Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff... More

Archegos Capital Management and Family Office Regulation Reform

By Michael Murphy
February 25th, 2022 in Administrative Law, Analysis, Federal Legislation, Financial Law.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), who has been at the vanguard of the movement to eradicate preferential treatment for the rich, may soon score a win for that cause. In July 2021, the congresswoman introduced H.R. 4620, the Family Office Regulation Act of 2021. The bill, if enacted, would curb the... More

Decriminalize Everything? Oregon’s New Drug Laws

By Alexander Gatter
February 25th, 2022 in Analysis, Criminal Law, Health Law, State Legislation.

In November 2020, Oregon voters overwhelmingly decided to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of almost all hard drugs. Measure 110 went into effect on February 1, 2021. The legislation took a groundbreaking, albeit controversial step by reclassifying the possession of hard drugs. Offenses that were formally criminal misdemeanors, subjecting... More

Emergency Opportunity: Legislating Away Roe v. Wade During the Coronavirus Pandemic

By Julia Novick
February 24th, 2022 in Administrative Law, Analysis, Health Law, Legislation in Court, State Legislation.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted American life, challenging mental health, physical health and the economic infrastructure of the country. Though a pandemic inherently creates adversity, one struggle that we may not have anticipated to escalate so dramatically during this time is the fight for reproductive rights. Just before the pandemic, More