Poli Alert Political & Civics

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams On the heels of Maine officials confirming that the shooter who killed 18 people in Lewiston earlier this week was found dead, shootings in Florida, Illinois, and Indianapolis early Sunday fueled further calls for action by U.S. lawmakers to reduce gun violence. Around midnight, one person …

Jon King, Michigan Advance U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) has fired back against a censure resolution introduced by Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene, in remarks on the House floor Thursday. accused Tlaib, among other things, of “antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations, and leading an insurrection at …

AnnMarie Hilton, Maine Morning Star The 40-year-old Bowdoin man suspected of murdering 18 people in Lewiston was found dead Friday night after a two-day search. “I stand here tonight to simply report that Maine State Police have located the body of Robert Card,” said Gov. Janet Mills at a 10 …

Amanda Hernández, Stateline When Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his presidential campaign in May, he proudly told the nation that Florida’s crime rate in 2021 had reached a 50-year low. But really, DeSantis couldn’t say for sure. That’s because fewer than 1 in 10 law enforcement agencies in his …

Evan Popp, Stateline Following a mass shooting in Lewiston on Wednesday night in which 18 people were killed and 13 were wounded, proponents of gun policy reform pointed out that it remains far too easy to obtain a firearm in Maine and called for stricter safety laws. As Mainers grappled …

Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder A federal court judge has struck down Georgia’s political maps and blocked the state from using the maps for future elections. District Court Judge Steve C. Jones issued his ruling Thursday after holding a nearly two-week trial last month. Jones concluded that the GOP-drawn maps violate …

Amanda Becker Originally published by The 19th Before the newly elected U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was in public office, the Louisiana Republican’s restrictive stances on gender identity, abortion and sexuality were honed at the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, where he served as a senior spokesperson and …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix As fitting for a case of this magnitude, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal will put on a rare show during oral arguments in voting-rights groups’ challenge to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ congressional districting map — specifically, its elimination of a Black-opportunity district in North Florida. All …

  Former President Donald Trump faced a $10,000 fine on Wednesday and was summoned to the witness stand in his civil fraud trial after being accused of violating a gag order. This marks the second time within a week that Trump has been penalized for his out-of-court comments. The judge, …

Jacob Fischler, Louisiana Illuminator Before a relatively short time in elected office, new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was a constitutional lawyer deeply involved in religious causes. Prior to a short stint in the Louisiana Legislature, Johnson spent two decades as a public interest lawyer mainly representing clients …

House Republicans on Wednesday voted for Louisiana’s Mike Johnson as speaker in a chamber that has been frozen for more than three weeks after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted. In a 220-209 party-line vote, all Republicans present backed Johnson, 51, a strongly conservative lawyer who represents northwest Louisiana’s 4th …

Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder Attention has shifted back to the Fulton County courthouse after the Georgia Supreme Court rejected an argument that state lawmakers should have to pass abortion restrictions in the post-Roe world. A group of health care providers and abortion rights advocates had argued that parts of the …

  More than 30 states have joined together to file a federal lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The legal action alleges that Meta’s social media platforms are intentionally designed to be addictive and that they harm children’s mental health. The lawsuit, signed by 33 state …

Ariana Figueroa, Indiana Capital Chronicle U.S. House Republicans Tuesday voted to tap Minnesota’s Tom Emmer as speaker following five rounds of ballots — but Emmer quit the race just four hours later, after he was attacked by the GOP’s most powerful figure, former President Donald Trump. After beating six candidates, …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for the Trump campaign in the 2020 presidential election, expressed regret on Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court after pleading guilty to making false statements about widespread voting fraud at a Georgia legislative hearing held several weeks after the 2020 election. …