Charles J. Russo, University of Dayton A simmering, difficult, and timely question returns to the Supreme Court this fall: What happens when freedom of speech and civil rights collide? The court took up similar questions four years ago in the famous “gay wedding cake” case, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado …

Barbara Rodriguez This story originally appeared at The 19th The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a petition over whether to add a constitutional amendment expanding abortion rights must be on the ballot this fall. In a 5-2 decision, the state’s high court directed an election board to certify a …

Jacob Fischler, Georgia Recorder President Joe Biden in a Thursday night speech to a crowd of party faithful promoted legislation passed by the Democratic Congress and attacked supporters of former President Donald Trump for defending rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “Extreme MAGA Republicans just don’t …

Civil libertarians on Friday applauded as a federal judge blocked enforcement of an Arizona law restricting how people can film police officers after agreeing that the legislation is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge John Tuchi granted a preliminary injunction sought by the ACLU of Arizona and media outlets on the grounds …

A federal judge in Florida dismissed a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump that blamed Hillary Clinton and others for conspiring to malign his character. In a ruling on Thursday night, the judge said the suit was not an effort to seek “redress for any legal harm,” but was …

Nadra Nittle, The 19th For 36 hours in September 1915, Los Angeles Councilmember Estelle Lawton Lindsey served as the city’s acting mayor when the sitting mayor and city council president left town — the first woman to ever do so. One hundred and seven years later, Los Angeles has yet to …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams New food insecurity data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday provided the latest evidence that the enhanced child tax credit and other relief programs passed in the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic significantly helped millions of Americans to support their families …

Jacob Fischler, Louisiana Illuminator The U.S. Justice Department will appeal a Florida federal judge’s ruling this week appointing an independent arbiter to review thousands of sensitive materials the FBI seized from former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach residence, the department notified the court Thursday. Government prosecutors are also asking U.S. …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams A state court for the first time on Tuesday ruled that the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was an insurrection, ordering a county-level official in New Mexico to step down due to his participation in the attack and thus handing a victory to …

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, has died at 96. She reigned for 70 years. Her eldest son, Charles, 73, has succeeded as king, according to centuries of protocol. The royal family – King Charles, grandsons William and Harry and their families – have gathered at her Balmoral retreat in …

Ariana Figueroa, Virginia Mercury Amid K-12 teacher shortages, book bans and attacks over critical race theory, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday stressed the need for higher salaries to attract prospective educators to the profession. Cardona also touted the Biden administration’s recent student debt relief announcement in late …

On Wednesday, the White House unveiled a second set of official Obama portraits in an event hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden and attended by the Obamas. In keeping with tradition, the former president and first lady chose the artists who would paint them — Robert …

Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch The U.S. Senate is on track to vote on a bill codifying marriage equality as soon as next week with negotiators increasingly confident it could become law. Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday they’re close to getting at …

Erik Gunn, Wisconsin Examiner Under bright sunshine at Milwaukee’s first official Labor Day celebration since 2019, President Joe Biden rallied 6,000 union members in a speech that lived up to the holiday’s unofficial role: kicking off the final stretch of the fall election campaign season. Biden’s speech, delivered at Laborfest …

Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury COVID-19 booster shots are on track to become as frequent as the annual flu shot, though high-risk people may need more than one dose per year, Biden administration officials said Tuesday. “For a large majority of Americans, we are moving to a point where a single …