Fifteen states on Tuesday held 20 ballot initiatives related to voting and elections, including statewide measures for new redistributing systems, voting requirements and ballot access, voting rights of felons, and campaign finance initiatives. Voting rights activists saw expansion to voting access, including Florida restoring voting access to felons who have served their sentences and “motor [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in two cases: the first concerning alternative methods of capital punishment for an inmate suffering from a rare illness, and the second concerning employment taxes under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA). The first, Bucklew v. Precythe, asks the court to consider whether a Missouri death row [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) applies to both state and local government, regardless of how many people they employ. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion for an 8-0 court in answering the question, of whether the “ADEA’s specification (20 or more employees) applies to ‘a [...]
Ten District of Columbia residents on Monday flied a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking full voting rights in both chambers of Congress. The plaintiffs claim that the denial of their voting rights violates the constitutional guarantees of equal protection, due process, and the constitutional right of association. The [...]
Facebook admitted Monday that they “weren’t doing enough to help prevent our platform from being used to foment division and incite offline violence” in Myanmar. Facebook said that it had commissioned a nonprofit, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), to look into whether its platform had allowed for violent rhetoric, and that the organization’s findings concluded [...]
A federal judge ruled Sunday that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) can no longer permit the killing of American red wolves unless they prove harmful to human or livestock safety. The lawsuit was brought by the Defenders of Wildlife, who cited over 110,000 comments to the USFWS in support of the American red [...]
The supreme court heard oral arguments in two cases Monday concerning a Virginia uranium mining ban and authority over Alaskan national parks. In Virginia Uranium v. John Warren, Virginia Uranium is arguing that Virginia’s state law banning uranium mining in the state is preempted by the Atomic Energy Act. In addition to hearing oral arguments [...]
The US Department of Justice announced on Monday its plan for the upcoming Election Day. The Civil Rights Division plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws by deploying personnel to 35 jurisdictions across 19 states. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the efforts are aimed “to protect the rights of millions of Americans to [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Second Amendment challenge to California’s concealed carry law. The original case stems from James Rothery and Andrea Hoffman being denied concealed carry permits by their local sheriff. Under California law, the carrying of firearms loaded or unloaded guns is generally prohibited in public places, but [...]
The US State Department announced Monday that it would reimpose sanctions upon Iran previously lifted by the Obama administration’s nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). “Starting today, all nuclear cooperation with Iran, except for the limited activities for which waivers are being granted, will be sanctionable,” reads the State Department’s press release. [...]
