I am formally trained as an attorney, and with an updated perspective on public law, its nuances, and the ways in which law can be understood and perceived, I enjoy thinking about law and its meaning to individuals and institutions.  For example, discretion is built into the law, and given to officials throughout the legal process.  But, what is the effect on fairness in the legal process when a police officer has the discretion to ignore, warn, cite, or fully examine a traffic violator?  Alternatively, many people know that Brown v. Board of Education is famous for holding that separate but equal is no longer constitutional, but few realize that it was unanimously decided.  What effect do such unanimous decisions have on the law, and why might they be used strategically by the Supreme Court?  Finally, do the ideals of the military reflect the values of the society that it is sworn to protect, and is the Judiciary fostering a widening civil-military gap?  That is, what do cultural, demographic, policy-preference, and institutional gaps between the military and civilian society tell us about the nature of the military and its relationship with civilian society and authority?

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