by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today April 20, 2022 Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Local resources include the Mississippi Department of Mental Health DMH Helpline at 1-877-210-8513 and the NAMI …
Read More »DOJ Appeals Federal Ruling That Overturned Travel Mask Mandate
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to proceed with its appeal of a ruling issued by a Florida judge on Monday, which tossed out the Biden administration’s travel mask mandate. “To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced …
Read More »Biden Administration May Appeal Ruling On Travel Mask Mandate
The Biden administration will appeal a federal judge’s order striking down a mask mandate for air travel and public transit, subject to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Tuesday night statement. The CDC has yet to conclude that the …
Read More »DOJ, Civil Rights Groups Reach Settlement On Lafayette Square Protests
The Justice Department said Wednesday that settlements have been reached in four civil cases after protesters were removed from D.C.’s Lafayette Square during civil rights demonstrations in June 2020. As part of the settlements, the United States Park Police and Secret Service will “update and clarify” policies on demonstrations “within …
Read More »Congressional Black Caucus Urges DOJ To Act To Protect Voting Rights
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, and Congressman Mondaire Jones led over 40 Congressional Black Caucus members in calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to aggressively protect voting rights and fight against disenfranchisement, gerrymandering, voter purges, and other forms of voter suppression, vote dilution, and election subversion. “These …
Read More »AG Garland Announces DOJ Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking
On Monday, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland released the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking. Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released in December, the Justice Department’s National Strategy is …
Read More »DOJ Closes Cold Case Re-Investigation of Murder of Emmett Till
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi announced Monday that it had closed its investigation into a witness’s alleged recantation of her account of the events leading up to the murder of Emmett Till. The investigation was …
Read More »DOJ Files Lawsuit Against the State of Texas Over Redistricting Plans
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that it has filed a lawsuit under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act against the State of Texas and the Texas Secretary of State, challenging the State’s redistricting plans for the Texas congressional delegation and the Texas House of Representatives. …
Read More »Florida Man Convicted For Making Threatening Calls To Members Of Congress
A Florida man is facing prison time after making threatening phone calls to several members of Congress, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. According to evidence presented at trial, Frank Anthony Pezzuto (73, Venice) made three threatening phone calls from his home in Venice, Florida to certain congressional offices in …
Read More »Supreme Court Seems Skeptical About Texas Abortion Law
A majority on the US Supreme Court appeared to be leaning Monday towards blocking a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks. The court fast-tracked two separate but related cases (Whole Women’s Health v. Jackson and United States v. Texas) to be heard Monday, and spent about three hours …
Read More »Justice Department Announces New Initiative to Combat Redlining
The Justice Department has announced the launch of a new initiative to combat redlining. Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. The new Initiative represents …
Read More »House Select Committee Subpoenas Former DOJ Official Jeffrey Clark
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection has announced that they have issued a subpoena to Jeffrey Clark, a former Department of Justice official reportedly involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and interrupt the peaceful transfer of power. The subpoena seeks deposition testimony and records …
Read More »Navy Nuclear Engineer, Wife Arrested; Accused of Selling Submarine Secrets
A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been arrested for trying to sell secret information about the design of nuclear-powered warships to someone they thought was representing a foreign power, but was actually an undercover FBI agent, according to the United States Department of Justice. 42-year-old Jonathan Toebbe and …
Read More »DOJ To Address Threats Of Violence Against School Board Members
Citing an increase in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nation’s public schools, Monday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland directed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to meet in the next 30 days with federal, state, Tribal, territorial and local law …
Read More »24 Attorney’s General Support Biden’s Efforts To Block Texas’ Abortion Ban
24 Attorney’s General filed an amicus brief supporting President Joe Biden‘s attempt to block Texas’ controversial six-week abortion ban. “Today, virtually no one can obtain an abortion in Texas,” the brief reads. “In order to obtain abortion care, patients now have to travel out-of-state, which makes abortion for many people …
Read More »