Black Lives Matter Coverage

The New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit Monday against the New York Police Department (NYPD) and Mayor Bill de Blasio over police violence against protesters following the murder of George Floyd. The suit names de Blasio, along with the City of New York,… Read more »

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill Thursday dismissed a third-degree murder charge against Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd. The Minnesota judge denied the motion to dismiss the second-degree murder and murder counts against him and three other officers for aiding and abetting. The defense advanced the… Read more »

Several environmental nonprofit organizations brought a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Wednesday, alleging the agency broke environmental laws by suppressing protests in Portland, Oregon with tear gas and other chemical munitions without first measuring the chemicals’ impacts on human health and the environment. The Northwest Center… Read more »

The Ontario Court of Justice acquitted Canadian police constable Daniel Montsion Tuesday of all charges, including manslaughter and assault, in the death of a mentally ill Black man who was arrested in Ottawa in 2016. Abdirahman Abdi, a Somali-Canadian man, led police on a foot chase that culminated in his arrest.… Read more »

A Kentucky court on Tuesday ordered the release of new records from the grand jury investigation into the officers who killed Breonna Taylor and gave permission to the grand jurors to speak freely about what occurred during the controversial proceeding. An anonymous juror sued Kentucky late last month, seeking the… Read more »

Kentucky’s attorney general announced on Wednesday that a grand jury returned an indictment against only one of the three officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor earlier this year, not for her killing but on charges of wanton endangerment. Breonna Taylor was asleep in her apartment with her boyfriend,… Read more »

Six months after Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed by police in her home, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, has agreed to pay her family a historic $12 million settlement. Introduced Tuesday, the settlement also contains a promise from the city to adopt police reforms, including… Read more »

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville said Friday that video footage of Jacob Blake being shot by police in the US suggested excessive force and a subsequent Wisconsin shooting demonstrated a need for stricter gun control. Kenosha, Wisconsin, has witnessed multiple days of unrest after… Read more »

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against federal officers for excessive force and unlawful arrests in Portland, Oregon. The suit was filed Wednesday on behalf of multiple veterans and several demonstrators who were protesting against police brutality. The defendants named include the Trump administration,… Read more »

A US district court judge on Thursday added federal agents to the list of state personnel who cannot assault or arrest journalists and legal observers who observe the arrests and violence accompanying the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in Portland and prohibiting federal agents from removing members of the press… Read more »

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released new guidelines on Tuesday saying that his office would not prosecute protesters arrested for offenses that do not involve deliberate property damage, theft or the use of force against another person. The new policy states that the DA’s office will not pursue criminal… Read more »

The Washington DC Police Union filed suit Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against the city, seeking to block part of an emergency police reform bill passed in July. The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 was approved by the… Read more »

A US federal judge in Mississippi has granted a police officer qualified immunity for damage caused to a black man’s vehicle during an extended traffic stop while calling for the Supreme Court to overturn the doctrine, a goal of Black Lives Matter protesters. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued his opinion… Read more »

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Multnomah County Circuit Court against the City of Portland in connection with the Portland Police Bureau’s use of livestreaming demonstrations in downtown Portland. Following the death of George Floyd, thousands of individuals have protested in Portland.… Read more »

Oregon Governor Kate Brown and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that there will be a phased withdrawal of federal law enforcement from Portland. Federal law enforcement agents entered Portland following recent protests and riots over the killing of George Floyd and threats to federal property, including… Read more »

Breonna Taylor’s killing is not only a tragedy, but a great injustice. The Kentucky Attorney General, despite having the power to contribute to repairing this unconscionable wrong, has failed. The Kentucky attorney general announced that no criminal charges will be filed for Breonna Taylor’s death against the individual officers who… Read more »

The nation has watched aghast as, over and over again, police have killed or maimed unarmed persons of color. Each time, the police have acted with impunity under a quiescent criminal justice system. The charges filed against officers involved in the death of George Floyd are the exception, not the… Read more »

The wanton endangerment charges did not do justice for your murder. We all know that and, from beyond the grave, we know you and all the ancestors know that. Your death is considered by the state to be unworthy of state interest. This endemic dysfunctionalism is evidenced by both federal… Read more »

El dicho, “El elefante en la habitación,” es comúnmente utilizado para referirse a un gran problema que dos o más personas son conscientes de, pero el cual se sienten incómodos de discutir. Por eso, ellos escogen ignorar el elefante. ¡Una cosa que nuestra nación finalmente se ha dado cuenta es… Read more »

“The elephant in the room” is a saying that is commonly used when referring to a huge issue that two or more people are aware of, but feel uncomfortable addressing. Hence, they simply choose to ignore it. One thing that our nation today seems to have finally realized is that… Read more »

En Irvine, enclavada en el corazón del rico condado de Orange, California, y escondido en un parque empresarial con jardines y paisajes cuidados y vibrantes, existe una cárcel vacía. La cárcel James A. Musick, manejado por el Departamento del Sheriff del condado de Orange, un departamento conocido por sus escándalos,… Read more »

In Irvine, nestled in the heart of wealthy Orange County, California, hidden within a technology business park replete with vibrant, meticulously manicured landscaping, sits an empty jail. The unnecessary James A. Musick Facility, operated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, a department known for scandal, violence, and negligence, is slated… Read more »

Here we go again. Some men looking all virile in camo and wearing masks or in black outfits it seems are grabbing people off the street and hauling them into vans. In Portland and in Columbus, Ohio. And these camo men are apparently on their way to Chicago. Everyone is… Read more »

The names Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd have been spoken in virtually every American household during 2020. As the Black Lives Matter movement gains unprecedented growth and media attention, many White sympathizers are asking themselves (some for the first time): “how can I help effectuate real change?” That… Read more »

Multiple jurisdictions have made the decision to switch to remote bar exams in October, in lieu of in-person exams in July and September. This is a laudable interim decision because it eliminates for so many the primary concern with this year’s bar exam cycle: exposure to COVID-19. For countless examinees,… Read more »