(Photo Credit: Fibonacci Blue, CC 2.0) Since he took office, courts across the country have been preventing President Trump from enforcing most of his more aggressive immigration and asylum restrictions. Until now. But the Trump administration was handed a partial win this month from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. President Trump’s most … [Read more...]
Judge Orders ORR to Identify Separated Children Within Six Months
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is fighting the United States Government in Court in an effort to put a stop to the separation of children and their families at the US-Mexico border and to reunite separated families. The judge in that case (Ms. L., et al. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al, 18CV0428) issued an order last … [Read more...]
“Fetal Heartbeat” Law Unconstitutional, Rules Iowa Judge
In a recent controversial decision in Iowa, Polk County District Judge Michael Huppert ruled that Iowa’s fetal heartbeat law, which is the most restrictive abortion limit in the country, violates the Iowa Constitution and cannot be legally enforced. Citing the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling in 2018 related to a different abortion restriction, the … [Read more...]
Foster Agency Requires Parents be White, Straight, and Christian
You may not get to a foster a child in South Carolina anytime soon if you’re anything but a White, heterosexual, Christian couple after the Donald Trump administration recently granted a federally funded foster care agency in the Palmetto State the right to freely discriminate against potential foster parents who are LGBTQ, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, … [Read more...]
Judge Overturns Health Coverage Ban ‘Unhinged from Reality’
Student and Employee Win Lawsuit Challenging Wisconsin State Transgender Health Coverage Ban Alina Boyden, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Shannon Andrews, an employee at the University have won a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on their behalf challenging Wisconsin’s ban on insurance … [Read more...]
Prominent Voter Suppression Measures In 2018
In the run-up to a midterm election that is one of the most important in recent memory and which will be decided by turnout, it's worth reviewing some of the voter suppression efforts that have taken place in the last year. Here are some of the most notable and egregious suppression measures affecting the 2018 midterms: Georgia Here are two … [Read more...]
Chicago Struggles to Implement Consent Decree
Massive Police Department Reforms Opposed by Federal Government, Police Unions On October 20, 2014, a 17-year-old African American named Laquan McDonald was fatally shot by Chicago Police Office Jason Van Dyke. Initially, the police department claimed the shooting was justified because the teen had been erratically brandishing a knife. However, … [Read more...]
Bail Hearings Must Be Open, Says Lawsuit in Dallas County
In courtrooms all over the country, bail hearings are open to the public, but that is not the case in Dallas County, Texas where a class action lawsuit has been filed, and a district court judge has been compelled to order the release of video footage of some of the court’s past bail hearings. The idea of having a bail hearing in open court is … [Read more...]
In Depth: Trump Wants to Lengthen Detainment of Immigrant Minors
Move by DHS and HHS Could Increase Confinement Times for Migrant Children The Trump administration recently signaled its intention to expand federal detention facilities and increase custody times for migrant children. In the process, a decades-old settlement regarding the treatment of unaccompanied immigrant minors could be eliminated. What … [Read more...]
Hispanics Being Accused of False Birth Certificates
Unlike Caucasian Americans, Hispanics living on American soil face many challenges today. One challenge that may surprise you is having to face accusations that their birth certificates were falsified. Unfortunately, this is not new. In fact, accusing Hispanics of having falsified birth records has been going on since the George W. Bush … [Read more...]
