MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Written by Marjaneh Maroufi
Chair

After a hiatus of some months, the Criminal Law Journal is back with a host of articles and essays designed to inform and hopefully intrigue our membership.

This edition begins with a tribute to Marshall Schulman, a long-time member of the Executive Committee after whom this Section’s Student Writing Competition has been named. Recently, the Committee was pleased to notify the most recent winners of the Competition: First Prize, Adrian Jungblut (UCLA Law School), and Honorable Mentions, Justice Kelley (University of Oregon Law School), Grace Sullivan (Fordham University School of Law) and Alison Hunter (Loyola Law School). Their fascinating and varied articles will be featured in upcoming editions.

In this edition, we feature a dissertation on hate crimes legislation that was spawned from racist activity stemming from COVID-19 paranoia. Next, there is a thought-provoking article that raises the question of whether deadly force should be allowed in response to harm to pets in the same manner that it is allowed for humans. Finally, we present an interview with the Honorable Maria Lucy Armendariz, who describes her life from her early years as a foster child to her current role as a supervising judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.