The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which supporters say would reestablish critical sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that recent Supreme Court decisions have overturned. The vote was 219-212 among party lines, with not a single Republican voting for …
Read More »Federal Judge Leaves CDC’s Reinstated Eviction Moratorium In Place
A federal judge has denied a request by a group of landlords to block the CDC’s recently reinstated eviction moratorium. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that despite her belief the CDC does not have the authority to enact the ban, her hands were tied based on a previous ruling from an …
Read More »Supreme Court Rejects Bid To Block Indiana University’s Vaccine Mandate
The Supreme Court late Thursday denied a request to block Indiana University’s requirement that all students and staff get the Covid-19 vaccine before coming back to campus this fall. Justice Amy Coney Barrett – who has jurisdiction over the Seventh Circuit, which includes Indiana – rejected the emergency petition brought …
Read More »President Biden Wants Congress To Extend Eviction Moratorium
President Joe Biden wants Congress to extend the eviction moratorium. The ban, which stops landlords from evicting tenants that are behind on rent, ends on Saturday. The President is also calling for the United States Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs to extend their eviction ban …
Read More »Mississippi Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Roe v. Wade Decision
In a brief filed last week, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that ruled that the Constitution protects a pregnant person’s right to have an abortion. In the brief, Fitch called Roe and further abortion-related rulings, most notably …
Read More »Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Controversial Abortion Bill
A federal judge blocked Arkansas’ controversial abortion bill on Tuesday. The Court wants to consider the challenge to its constitutionality. The bill would have been effective starting Friday. “Since the record at this stage of the proceedings indicates that women seeking abortions in Arkansas face an imminent threat to their …
Read More »Justice Stephen Breyer Hasn’t Decided Whether To Retire
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer told CNN in an interview that there are only two factors that will dictate whether he retires — health and the court. Justice Breyer, the oldest member of the Court, says that he feels no pressure and has no plans to step down. The eighty-three-year-old …
Read More »House Democrats Introduce ‘Inclusive Elections Act of 2021’
Congressmen Mondaire Jones of New York and Ruben Gallego of Arizona have introduced the Inclusive Elections Act of 2021, legislation to restore Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bars states and localities from adopting election laws that disparately burden the voting rights of people of color and linguistic minorities. The …
Read More »Supreme Court Upholds Two Restrictive Voting Laws In Arizona
On Thursday, in a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of two restrictive voting laws in Arizona that can directly impact the voting process for minorities. In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that “mere inconvenience cannot be enough to demonstrate a violation.” The justice acknowledged that …
Read More »Clarence Thomas says federal marijuana laws may no longer be needed
Federal regulations on marijuana may “no longer be necessary” as individual states enact their own laws on its use and sale, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in an opinion Monday. Thomas, one of the high court’s most conservative justices, cited what he called the federal government’s “half-in, half-out” approach …
Read More »Texas Governor Sued Over Defunding Of Legislature
Texas House Democrats are asking the state’s Supreme Court to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of a budget provision that funds the Legislature, charging that his action was unconstitutional. The suit argues that Abbott’s veto, which could lead to about 2,000 legislative staffers not being paid for two years, violates …
Read More »SCOTUS rules unanimously in LGBTQ+ rights vs. religious liberty case
The Supreme Court said Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it cut ties with a Catholic group that discriminated against LGBTQ+ couples. Kate Sosin Originally published by The 19th In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment’s protections for free exercise of religion …
Read More »Education Department says LGBTQ Students Are Protected By Title IX
The Department of Education announced on Wednesday that LGBTQ students are protected from discrimination at school by Title IX. “Today, the Department makes clear that all students – including LGBTQ+ students – deserve the opportunity to learn and thrive in schools that are free from discrimination,” Miguel Cardona, Education Secretary, …
Read More »McConnell: GOP-Controlled Senate Would Block Supreme Court Nominee
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested that should Republicans regain control of the Senate after the 2022 midterms, they would not confirm Supreme Court nominee if a vacancy were to become available. “I think it’s highly unlikely — in fact, no, I don’t think either party, if it were different from …
Read More »President Biden Nominated More Minority And Women Judges In Four Months Than Trump Did In Four Years
President Joe Biden has selected more minority and women judges than former President Donald Trump did in four years. Fifteen of his nineteen nominees are women, and eleven of the women are from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. “This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest …
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