Original Draft of "The 2010s and beyond"

Below is the complete and original draft of the article titled "The 2010s and beyond" that I wrote for the Michigan Bar Journal as part of a series celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Michigan Bar Journal. I also wrote the accompanying timeline and the companion article titled "The continuing role of lawyers in today’s ever-changing world." All three pieces were subject to editorial changes, but this piece was subject to the most edits, mostly due to the length of the original draft. Below is my original version.

Throughout this past year, we have reflected on the past 100 years of history, which have included many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, positives and negatives. The past 100 years have included war, historical accomplishments and achievements, national celebrations and tragedies, and otherwise memorable and defining events. The 2010s and early 2020s have been full of too many significant events to chronicle them all here. Much like those events that occurred in the previously covered decades, some were sad, some were horrifying, some were exciting, and some will shape the course of history for years to come.

Beginning with sports, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908, Tiger Woods won his first major championship in 11 years, and Michael Phelps set the record for number of Olympic medals. Sadly, the world of sports also saw many scandals from concussions, to cheating scandals, to domestic violence, to Larry Nassar and other cases of sexual assault.

In the world of entertainment, there were many eye-opening documentaries, box office hits, superstars rising and falling, the rise of social media as a serious platform, trends coming and going, and records and barriers alike being broken. Much like the world of sports, the entertainment industry was also rocked by sexual assault scandals, including Harvey Weinstein.

Tragically, there has also been a number of terrorist attacks, including the Boston Marathon bombing and the attack on the embassy in Benghazi. There have also been a tragic number of mass shootings, including many at schools.

On the world stage, some armed conflicts drew to a close, while others unfortunately began. In addition to the Iraq war, which ended in 2011 (although the U.S. has since become re-involved), the war in Afghanistan officially ended in 2021 as the last remaining U.S. forces withdrew. However, the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan did not go as planned and the Taliban ended up retaking the country, which was a huge setback for human rights. Tragically, as some wars ended, others began. Perhaps most notably, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, and then subsequently began a war with Ukraine in 2022.

This period also saw the passing of many world leaders and historical figures. Some of these individuals will long be remembered for their positive impact on the world, while some will be remembered for their horrific actions. While this list is by no way exhaustive, this list includes Osama bin Laden, Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela, sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Kim Jong-Il, and numerous other important figures and celebrities.

There have been numerous legal changes during this time as well. This includes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (and the subsequent challenges and changes to it), the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, and numerous SCOTUS opinions that have altered American Jurisprudence. Additionally, across the nation there have been many rules and laws regarding sexual assault, including changes to statutes of limitations. Additionally, due in large part to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in NCAA v. Alston, college athletes are now able to be paid and profit from their likenesses.

Recently, SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In addition to holding that there is no federal constitutional right to have an abortion, this decision also throws some other precedents and rights into a state of limbo.

This period also saw the retirement of three U.S. Supreme Court Justices and the swearing-in of several new ones, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is the first African American women to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Many important legal changes have occurred in Michigan as well. This includes a series of reforms that were designed to improve Michigan’s No-Fault system, the legalization of recreational marijuana (making Michigan the first state in the Midwest, and the tenth state overall, to do so), and the creation of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

There have been numerous noteworthy political and social events as well. Too many to note here. One example is that Edward Snowden revealed to the world that the NSA was running a mass surveillance program, including collecting and storing large amounts of data of American citizens. Additionally, President Trump was impeached twice during his term in office and was acquitted both times. This is the first time in American History that a president was impeached twice, and only the third and fourth times ever that a president was impeached.

After the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, nationwide - and even some worldwide – protests and conversations would take place regarding policing and racial justice. Additionally, there were elections, Occupy Wall Street, Kony 2012, multiple scandals, protests over the Keystone XL Pipeline, and much, much more.

As we are all well aware, society has faced many difficulties and changes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic brought, and continues to bring, many issues, including social, legal, public health, and economic. We have had to reevaluate how our society operates, including where and when we work, how we gather, and how we interact with each other. The full effects of this pandemic and how they will alter our society remain to be seen.

One example is that in response to COVID-19, courts, which have traditionally conducted even the most routine of business in person, had to take their proceedings onto Zoom. As we are slowly emerging from the pandemic, courts are re-evaluating what business should be done in-person, and what can be done over Zoom. While some courts are completely (or almost completely) back in-person, some courts are currently conducting all but the most important of business (such as trials, final settlement conferences, and certain motions) over Zoom, and many are evaluating whether to make that a permanent feature. (In fact, for many young litigators who became attorneys during the pandemic, the once routine job of going to a courthouse for status conferences or a motion call is a foreign concept to them, and many have only been to a courthouse a few times as an attorney, if at all).

Regarding the Michigan Bar Journal, last year a redesign was rolled out that is meant to give the Journal a more modern look. Additionally, the online version was updated in order to make it more user friendly and easier to read on mobile devices. Even the Michigan Bar Exam is changing, as Michigan is switching from a state specific bar exam to the UBE, beginning with the February 2023 administration of the bar exam.

In conclusion, this decade, much like those that preceded it, was full of ups and downs and a plethora of historic and defining events. Only time will tell what the next decade will have in store!