6/25/2019 -
Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 1438, legalizing recreational marijuana in Illinois. Recreational marijuana is now legal in 11 states and DC.
6/25/2019 -
The US Supreme Court ruled on June 21, 2019 that an undocumented immigrant has to be aware of their immigration status in order to be convicted of “possessing firearms as an alien unlawfully in the United States.”
6/18/2019 -
New York joins states including California, Hawaii, and Washington in issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, though New York’s law has an added emphasis on privacy.
6/17/2019 -
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill on June 14, 2019 that adds more medical conditions to the list of patients allowed to obtain cannabidiol containing up to .5% THC from a state-licensed dispensary.
6/14/2019 -
Amid a measles outbreak in the state, New York has become the fifth state to eliminate the religious vaccine exemption, allowing only medical exemptions for public school children. All 50 states allow for medical exemptions and 15 allow for personal or philosophical exemptions.
6/13/2019 -
Ecuador became the 32nd country to legalize gay marriage on June 12, 2019 when the country’s top court ruled in favor of two same-sex couples who requested permission to marry.
6/12/2019 -
The United States and Mexico signed a joint deal on June 7, 2019 declaring in part that Mexico will increase immigration enforcement throughout the country and in particular along Mexico’s southern border.
6/12/2019 -
On June 12, 2019, Maine legalized physician-assisted suicide, joining eight other states and DC.
5/30/2019 -
New Hampshire legislators overrode the Governor’s veto to abolish the death penalty.
5/30/2019 -
Nevada restored the vote to former felons upon completion of their prison sentence, parole, and probation.
5/24/2019 -
Explore the debate with quotes from Lane Wright, Director of Policy Analysis at Education Post (Pro), actor Matt Damon (Con), the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board (Pro), and Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart (Con), among others.
5/23/2019 -
Explore this debate with quotes from Professor Barry Latzer (pro), news organization The Marshall Project (con), Professor John Lott (pro), Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo (con), Center for Immigration Studies Research Director Steven Camarota (pro), and Professor Aaron J. Chalfin (con).
5/20/2019 -
US Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reignited this debate last month. Find quotes from Sanders (pro), as well as Professor John Lott, Jr. (con), New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie (pro), and the Boston Herald Editorial Board (con), among others.
5/17/2019 -
The law will go into effect on May 24, 2019 and follows a 2017 Supreme Court ruling declaring a gay marriage ban unconstitutional.
5/1/2019 -
ProCon.org’s newest lesson plan features the philosophical chairs debate, a method that gets students out of their chairs and allows them to change their minds mid-debate while keeping an open mind about controversial issues.
