DACA in the Courts: Part 2

Last fall, I created this little book explaining the litigation surrounding DACA at the time, including most prominently a case before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the attempted rescission of DACA. Here is that little book:

Recently, the Supreme Court decided the case. The administration’s attempt to end DACA was improper and could not stand. Here are some very rough collaged pages that illustrate the very basics of that decision.

Quarantine Powers Comic on Graphic Medicine Site

The graphic medicine site is a collection of all things related to comics and medicine. Dr. Ian Williams coined the term, which he defines as “use of comics in medical education and patient care.” Needless to say, I’m a fan.

The site is full of information and comics or visuals related to the world of medicine. Lately, they’ve added a new section, “Covid-19 Comics,” which links to all kinds of comics that people have made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Check it out!

Although the site is most focused on the world of medicine, they now have a teensy bit of law-related content because they’ve included my Quarantine Powers explainer comic in their list of educational Covid-19 comics!

Thanks, Graphic Medicine!

Lake No Longer in Limbo

Hey look at that! The lake that was in limbo is now officially Bde Maka Ska! Or, as written in the Minnesota Supreme Court’s opinion, “Under Minnesota law, the body of water that was Lake Calhoun is now Bde Maka Ska.”

It’s fun to see where my analysis in Lake in Limbo overlaps with the court’s opinion. It definitely has some differences. For example, I see no “soothing blobs” in the opinion…

Federal Quarantine Powers (In Pictures)

In this little explainer, influenced by the current pandemic state of affairs, I decided to explore the law around the “federal quarantine powers,” as people like to call them.

Sources (law reviews don’t use drawings so these drawings aren’t using Bluebook format…keeping things fair over here):

Constitution: Commerce Clause, Article 1, Section 9 of U.S. Constitution
Federal Law: Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act, aka 42 USC 264.

Federal Regulations:
42 CFR 70.1-70.18 (Interstate Quarantine)
42 CFR 71.1-71.63 (Foreign Quarantine)

Secondary sources:
CDC website (original source appears to have been deleted, perhaps in 2025 by new admin).

And, if you’re curious about some fascinating history of yellow fever shotgun quarantines in the late 1800s American South, check out “Epidemics, Outsiders, and Local Protection: Federalism Theater in the era of the Shotgun Quarantine” by Polly J. Price. If you’re not into legal analysis, just read the beginning.

Impeachment Basics: Part II

In part II, I share the text of the Constitution that concerns impeachment. I explain a little and show the parts that are confusing and require more context and other sources to understand.

Impeachment Basics: Part I

Although it may soon come to an end, the topic of impeachment is everywhere right now. We may know some buzzwords and have a vague sense of the concept, but I find that it’s so easy to not know the basics behind impeachment. So, here’s Part I of my attempt to do some explaining of the impeachment process in general.

Minnesota Daily Coverage →

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Minnesota Daily reporter Ksenia Gorinshteyn about my illustrations and how I came to drawing legal concepts. What fun to see the lovely story in print!

You can find the full article online here.

Lake in Limbo in Hennepin Lawyer

I’m excited to share that some of my Lake in Limbo illustrations are in the January/February issue of Hennepin Lawyer! Here’s a snapshot!

DACA in the Courts

For years, members of Congress have been attempting to pass a DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for the group of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. These individuals have grown up in U.S. schools but continue to live outside the system, unable to work or participate legally in the society that raised them. The Obama administration, unable to fully solve this problem without a DREAM Act going forward in Congress, developed a stop-gap response from within the Executive branch. This stop-gap was DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which was an official policy decision by the administration to deprioritize enforcement efforts (or “defer action”) on undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, fit certain criteria, and applied for DACA status. In a sense, receiving DACA status was a way of ensuring that your immigration file would be at the bottom of the pile and set aside for the time being. This little book is about what has happened since the Trump administration announced it planned to end DACA.

Law Vocab 101

I know some of you out there will scoff, but I can’t have been alone in pausing over and over again to ask myself “what which is plaintiff and which is defendant?” in the first few months of law school. This flashcard is a cheat sheet for any new 1Ls working through the basics of the language of law. The way those cases are written certainly won’t do you any favors, but you can at least get a handle on the basics.