Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr on Friday, bringing his investigation to a close and finding collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 election could not be proven. On the same day, Barr sent a letter to both the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary, informing them of the [...]
In a vote of 68-22, the Tennessee House passed a bill Thursday preventing state and local agencies from discriminating against a business entity’s internal policies. The legislation seeks to prevent universities, counties, and local agencies from implementing nondiscrimination policies against companies that have their own internal policies. These internal policies include discrimination against LGBTQ populations. LGBTQ [...]
A Wisconsin state judge on Thursday granted a temporary injunction on laws passed during a special session of the legislature last December that sought to limit powers of the state’s incoming governor. State Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess issued the injunction by concluding that the special session of the legislature was unlawful and therefore void. By [...]
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to promote transparency and diverse dialogue at public universities. The President’s order primarily focuses on financial transparency so that students are aware of their financial risks if they were to borrow money for their education as well as repayment plans upon graduation. However, the executive order also includes [...]
As part of a settlement, Michigan agreed Friday that state-contracted adoption agencies must follow non-discrimination requirements and allow LGBT couples to adopt or foster children. The case was brought in September 2017 by two same-sex couples who wished to adopt against the state of Michigan and St. Vincent Catholic Charities (an intervenor defendant). “The American Civil Liberties Union filed [...]
The US Department of the Treasury sanctioned three senior officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday. The sanctions were permitted by an executive order signed by former president George W. Bush that authorizes sanctions on “Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Corneille Yobeluo Nangaa, Norbert Basengezi Katintima and Marcellin Basengezi [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Media Justice (CMJ) filed a complaint on Thursday accusing the FBI of “improperly withholding” information sought in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the organizations in October regarding surveillance of black activists. The organizations sought to obtain information related to the surveillance of black [...]
A judge in the Western District of Kentucky on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order barring state officials from enforcing, or otherwise requiring compliance with House Bill 5 (HB5), which bans abortions based on sex, race or disability. The TRO was sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. HB5 imposes limits on [...]
The American Bar Association Commission on Immigration on Wednesday published an update to their 2010 report that made recommendations on reforming the immigration system. The 2019 update focused on recommendations for improvement in six key areas involved in the immigration adjudication process: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Immigration Judges and Immigration Courts; the Board of Immigration [...]
Mississippi’s governor, Phil Bryant, signed SB 2116 on Thursday, which bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The bill was approved by the Mississippi Senate on Tuesday. A physician who performs an abortion after detecting a heartbeat in the fetus, or before checking for a heartbeat, can have their license revoked or suspended. The [...]
