In recent months, the Trump administration has taken aim at workers’ rights, buttressing regressive Supreme Court decisions with an all-out attack on labor organizations and unionized federal employees. At the end of May, the President signed three executive orders that effectively gut protections for workers employed by the federal government. One … [Read more...]
Civil Case Allowed to Proceed Against Charlottesville White Supremacists
Charlottesville "Unite the Right" Rally (Photo Credit: Anthony Crider, Creative Commons 2.0) Unite the Right Rally Organizers Named in Class Action Suit A federal judge has ruled a lawsuit may proceed against dozens of organizers in last year’s violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, finding sufficient evidence … [Read more...]
Anti-Protest Bills Set the Stage for the Tragedy in Charlottesville
Ever since James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car through a sea of anti-fascist protesters in Charlottesville and after he injured 19 people and killed activist Heather Heyer, the US has not been quite the same. In the immediate aftermath, pundits sought explanations – they sought some way of understanding this atrocious act of violence, motivated in … [Read more...]
High School Football Player in California May Kneel in Protest
Ever since professional football player Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, the entire country has been knee deep in a debate about the meaning of such a gesture. Some have decried it as unpatriotic and disrespectful of soldiers; others have applauded the quarterback, who follows in the footsteps of Muhammed Ali, another … [Read more...]
South Dakota Passes Controversial “Religious Exemption” Law
Huffington Post reported that South Dakota passed a law earlier this year allowing religious adoption agencies to turn down LGBTQ and interfaith parents who wish to adopt. The law protects these agencies from liability for discrimination even in cases where parents simply don’t share the same beliefs. Of course, for the religious adoption agencies … [Read more...]
US District Judge Stays Texas’ Ban on Sanctuary Policies
On August 30th, a US District Judge in San Antonio ordered a preliminary injunction on certain provisions of a controversial bill banning sanctuary city policies in the state of Texas. The bill, known as SB 4, contains a number of restrictions limiting a city’s ability to impede federal immigration law enforcement. There are two provisions that … [Read more...]
Third Circuit Upholds First Amendment Right to Film Police Officers in Public
On July 7th, the Third Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled in favor of appellants who were prevented by Philadelphia Police officers from filming on-duty activities. The appeals court joined a slew of other federal court decisions that protected the First Amendment right to photograph or record the goings-on of public spaces. In his opinion, Circuit … [Read more...]
Lawmakers Leading Prayer Is an Unconstitutional Practice, Federal Court Rules
On July 14th, the Fourth Circuit US Court of Appeals found in favor of the North Carolina division of the ACLU which represented residents of Rowan County. The county residents sought to end a long-standing practice of politicians starting meetings with prayers that were “unmistakably Christian in content,” to use the words of the Appeals Court’s … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Will Consider Whether Partisan Gerrymandering Is Constitutional
The Supreme Court decided on June 19th that it would consider whether partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional, laying the groundwork for a potential overhaul of the electoral system in this country. The Court agreed to be briefed and hear arguments during the October term, adding that it would postpone the question of jurisdiction until the … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Stops Social Media Ban for Sex Offenders
On June 19th, the Supreme Court found that sexual offenders should not be barred from accessing social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The 8-0 ruling effectively struck down a North Carolina law that made it a felony for a registered sex offender "to access a commercial social networking Web site where the sex offender knows that the … [Read more...]
