President Donald Trump has offered to pardon officials who break the law to complete his proposed border wall. Trump ordered officials to fast-track contracts, violate environmental rules and seize private land to get the wall done by 2020. According to Business Insider, Trump's plan to build a wall along the Mexican border is stalled in … [Read more...]
DOJ Looking at Replacing Translators for Immigration Hearings
Business Insider reports the Department of Justice is planning to replace human interpreters at immigration court hearings. The translators will be replaced with informative videos briefing migrants facing deportation on their rights. The "cost-saving" measure was introduced nationally by the DOJ last month. It could be put into place as … [Read more...]
Alabama Prisons Are Killing Fields Rampant With Crime, Report Claims
Aliceville Correctional Facility (Photo Credit: Prison Insight, CC 2.0) Rape. Murder. Drug possession. Drug manufacturing. Drug trafficking. Assault. Weapons possession. Extortion. Menacing. Armed robbery. These are the crimes that can land you in a prison, but in Alabama, these are the crimes that happen on a daily basis in the state’s … [Read more...]
NJ Governor Signs Bill Allowing Terminally Ill to End Their Lives
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is signing bills and taking names. While Democrats are thrilled with some of his recent gubernatorial decisions, there are some Republicans who have become frustrated with the pace of change. One of his recent decisions was to expand family leave provisions for residents of the Garden State, and now he’s making it … [Read more...]
80 Years Later, How the Fair Labor Standards Act Protects You
Going into effect October 24, 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act is one of the most important legacies of FDR's New Deal. The FLSA establishes regulations that govern the treatment of both full-time and part-time workers, and it has proven to be one of labor's most important shields since its passage. In this year, on the 80th anniversary of the … [Read more...]
Can Civil Litigation Help Curb Human Sex Trafficking?
Human sex trafficking has the dubious distinction of being one of the fastest growing crimes in the world – as well as one of the hardest to stop. But a new, somewhat unusual legal strategy is showing great promise in fighting a terrible industry. Instead of focusing on criminal prosecution, victims are filing civil lawsuits. How can civil … [Read more...]
Sexual Abuse in Nursing Homes
In 2015, George Kpingbah pled guilty to third degree criminal sexual assault with a mentally impaired or helpless victim. Kpingbah was a nursing assistant at the Walker Methodist Health Center in 2014 when another caregiver witnessed him raping 83-year-old Sonja Fischer in her room. This particular case was the first time Kpingbah was caught, … [Read more...]
Trump Administration Seeks To Make It Easier To Detain Migrant Children
The Trump administration plans to make it easier to detain minors during immigration proceedings. The US said it will withdraw from a federal court agreement that limits authorities' ability to detain children. Reuters reports the administration released the regulation on Thursday. It will allow the government to detain children in facilities … [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...]
Illinois Becomes 37th State to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, state legislatures have been abuzz about the Equal Rights Amendment, a measure that was introduced in Congress in the 1920s but that has not yet been ratified. The ERA provides that the equality of rights “shall not be denied by the U.S. or any state on account of sex.” In order for the Amendment to have been … [Read more...]