Georgia Court Blocks Racially Gerrymandered Cobb County School Board Map
The U.S. District Court has blocked the use of a racially gerrymandered map by the Cobb County School Board in an upcoming election.
The injunction was granted in response to a lawsuit alleging that the map violated the Fourteenth Amendment and diminished the voting power of Black and Latinx voters. [ more ]
Georgia Court Blocks Racially Gerrymandered Cobb County School Board Map
The U.S. District Court has blocked the use of a racially gerrymandered map by the Cobb County School Board in an upcoming election.
The injunction was granted in response to a lawsuit alleging that the map violated the Fourteenth Amendment and diminished the voting power of Black and Latinx voters. [ more ]
MAGA Influencers Forced to Cough Up Over a Million Bucks in Settlement With New York AG Over Robocalls Targeting Black Voters
The NY Attorney General reached a $1.25 million settlement with Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman for their robocall scheme targeting Black voters during the 2020 election.
Wohl and Burkman faced legal consequences for transmitting false and threatening messages to discourage voting. [ more ]
Trump & Mike Johnson hold bizarre press conference to introduce a law that already exists
President Trump defends Christian Nationalist Speaker Johnson by proposing a bill to ban non-citizens from voting, despite it being already banned by federal law. [ more ]
At least 11 states have enacted restrictive voting laws this year, new report finds
At least 11 states have enacted 13 restrictive voting laws this year, according to a new analysis from the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's law school.The Brennan Center said the 13 restrictive laws enacted so far this year is greater than the number of restrictive laws enacted in any year in the last decade with an exception to 2021 in which at least 14 states, during about the same time frame, had passed 22 restrictive laws following the 2020 election.
SCSJ Condemns Voting Omnibus Bill as Blatant Disenfranchisement
RALEIGH, NC - Southern Coalition for Social Justice condemns North Carolina Republicans' sweeping omnibus elections bill as a coordinated attack on our state's voting system that will make it harder for all North Carolinians to vote, and leave many North Carolinians unable to vote at all.Senate Bill 747 is an attempt to undermine our democracy through technicalities and needless complications, constructing a multitude of unnecessary burdens on the right to vote and mandating that our hardworking elections officials implement these changes in a condensed time frame with zero additional support.
Minnesota governor signs bills further enshrining abortion, gender-affirming care into law
Minnesota's Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Thursday that further enshrines the right to abortion and gender-affirming care into law and another that bans so-called conversion therapy.The new legislation enhances existing state law that makes access to abortion and gender-affirming care legal and opposes conversion therapy.
Travis County celebrated teaching Black history, despite attempts to ban it - Austin Monitor
Thursday, March 30, 2023 by Seth Smalley The Travis County Commissioners Court officially proclaimed February 2023 as Black History Month in a unanimous vote last month.The proclamation was made in conjunction with the Austin Independent School District's celebration of African American heritage.Commissioners drew attention to the fact that the proclamation stood in stark contrast to efforts to ban the teaching of the history of how minorities were treated in America.
Speaker Mike Johnson Tells GOP Lawmakers in Louisiana to Ignore Court Order to Draw Black District
Black voters compose a majority in just one of the state's six districts, despite making up a third of the population.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is urging GOP legislators in Louisiana to continue fighting against a federal court ruling that the state's congressional maps are unconstitutional and violate the voting rights of Black residents. [ more ]
AOC: "January 6 Was a Dress Rehearsal" For GOP's Nationwide Campaign to Expel Democrats
The attack was just one of the first steps of Republicans' fascist takeover, Ocasio-Cortez said.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez listens during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on December 13, 2022, in Washington, D.C.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Republicans across the country are waging a movement to remove and censure Democratic lawmakers simply for speaking out against the GOP - a movement that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) is saying is the next natural step after the GOP-backed attempted coup on January 6, 2021.
Supreme Court Rules Against Racist Gerrymandering in Alabama, Upholds Voting Rights Act
Alabama will have to redraw its maps to allocate one additional majority-Black district.The Supreme Court of the United States on Capitol Hill, photographed on February 21, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images In a decision that surprised legal experts across the country, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Thursday against congressional maps drawn in Alabama, asserting that they were the product of racist gerrymandering.
SCSJ Celebrates Historic Victory in Allen v. Milligan
ALABAMA - The U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the continued importance of the Voting Rights Act today in Allen v. Milligan by upholding a lower court's unanimous decision that Alabama's state congressional map discriminated against Black voters.In 2021, the Alabama state legislature produced new congressional maps which only allowed one Black majority district within the state's Black Belt, an 18-county region marked by historic discrimination and socioeconomic struggles.
2024 Election Has More Restrictions to Voting Than in 2020
Voting rights organizations are working to preserve voting rights amidst restrictive voting laws in several states.
Grassroots organizations like Black Voters Matter and Fair Fight are focused on increasing voter turnout and minimizing barriers to voting in core states. [ more ]
Democrats Set Ambitious Spending Plan for State Legislative Races
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (D.L.C.C) is planning to allocate its largest campaign budget ever in an effort to flip five chambers in swing states and defend three recently earned majorities.
State legislatures have become increasingly important, as they have the power to govern issues such as abortion access and voting rights. [ more ]
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act reintroduced by Senate Democrats and civil rights leaders to protect voters from discrimination and strengthen democracy.
Ryan Roberson emphasizes the significance of the Act in ensuring equal access to the ballot box and addressing erosion of voting rights in communities of color in the South. [ more ]
SCSJ saddened following passing of League of Women Voters US President
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice mourns the loss of Dr. Deborah Turner, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States.
Dr. Turner was a fierce defender of democracy and voting rights, and her legacy will continue as the fight for equal access to the ballot box continues. [ more ]
Georgia Court Blocks Racially Gerrymandered Cobb County School Board Map
The U.S. District Court has blocked the use of a racially gerrymandered map by the Cobb County School Board in an upcoming election.
The injunction was granted in response to a lawsuit alleging that the map violated the Fourteenth Amendment and diminished the voting power of Black and Latinx voters. [ more ]
SF re-examines its procurement process after business ban on 30 states backfires
San Francisco's ban on doing business with 30 states that had laws undermining LGBTQ and voting rights as well as blocking abortion access ended up hurting the city more than those states.
The ban resulted in higher costs for San Francisco, such as paying $1.7 million for a public toilet instead of a cheaper option from a company in Nevada. [ more ]
Joseph Hayden, Who Fought for Voting Rights for Ex-Felons, Dies at 82
Joseph Hayden, a former Harlem drug gang member, turned his life around to become an activist for criminal justice reform and a well-known figure in Harlem.
Hayden filed a class-action lawsuit in 2000 to restore voting rights to prisoners and parolees, which ultimately failed but helped jump-start a powerful movement to win voting rights for released felons. [ more ]
Rishi Sunak defends voter ID laws after backlash from Jacob Rees-Mogg
Rishi Sunak has defended new voter ID laws after former Tory minister Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed they were a backfired attempt to improve the Conservatives' electoral chances.The prime minister also insisted the vote is a privilege that should not be extended to 16-year-olds and settled EU citizens as Labour considers extending the right.
Rishi Sunak defends voter ID laws and ballot box integrity'
Rishi Sunak has defended new voter ID laws after a former Tory minister Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed they were a backfired attempt to improve the Conservatives' electoral chances.The Prime Minister also insisted the vote is a privilege that should not be extended to 16-year-olds and settled EU citizens as Labour considers extending the right.
Republican National Committee backs effort to block mail-in ballots received after Election Day
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is supporting an appeal in a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn an Illinois law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted up to 14 days after Election Day.
This comes as the RNC is promoting a 'bank the vote' program to encourage Republicans to vote by mail. [ more ]
Civil rights groups ask Supreme Court to provide relief for Black, Latino Galveston County voters
The Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the Texas Civil Rights Project are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to address a racially gerrymandered map in Galveston County.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has granted an en banc review of the redistricting case in question.
The decision to delay the review jeopardizes the ability of Black and Latino residents in Galveston County to elect their preferred candidates. [ more ]
It has to be done': can Reconstruction-era laws hold Trump and allies accountable?
Laws from the Reconstruction era are being used in lawsuits to hold Trump and his allies accountable for election subversion.
These laws are also being utilized to enforce voting rights and prevent discrimination in modern-era elections.
Section 3 of the 14th amendment is being used to keep Trump off the 2024 ballot and there is a novel approach to protecting the voting rights of people with felonies. [ more ]
Federal Court Guts Enforcement of Voting Rights Act in "Catastrophic" Ruling
A conservative three-judge panel on the US federal court struck down the primary enforcement mechanism of the Voting Rights Act, which experts believe will be catastrophic for voting rights.
The ruling limits the ability of private litigants, like voting and civil rights groups, to bring lawsuits challenging discriminatory practices in redistricting and election administration under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The decision leaves the Justice Department as the main entity with the ability to bring lawsuits when electoral maps or changes to election administration rules have discriminatory effects on voters. [ more ]
Federal Court Guts Enforcement of Voting Rights Act in "Catastrophic" Ruling
A conservative three-judge panel on the US federal court struck down the primary enforcement mechanism of the Voting Rights Act, which experts believe will be catastrophic for voting rights.
The ruling limits the ability of private litigants, like voting and civil rights groups, to bring lawsuits challenging discriminatory practices in redistricting and election administration under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
The decision leaves the Justice Department as the main entity with the ability to bring lawsuits when electoral maps or changes to election administration rules have discriminatory effects on voters. [ more ]
An appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act
A federal appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act, potentially limiting its protections for people of color.
The dispute centers around who is allowed to sue to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, with the lower court ruling that only the U.S. attorney general can bring such lawsuits.
This ruling may set up a Supreme Court fight and could further limit the reach of the Voting Rights Act's protections for people of color. [ more ]
SCSJ Calls for End of Voting Law That Criminalizes Mistakes by Individuals with Felony Convictions
DURHAM - A group of pro-democracy plaintiffs have asked a federal court in the MiddleDistrict of North Carolina to block a longstanding racist law that makes it a felony for a NorthCarolinian to vote while on parole, probation, or post-release supervision for a felony conviction,even if they mistakenly believe or are told in error by election workers or their parole officersthat they are eligible to vote.
Ministers move ahead with plans to restrict EU voting rights
Ministers are moving ahead with plans to remove the right of EU citizens to vote and stand in elections in England and Northern Ireland.Seven years after the UK voted for Brexit, the Government confirmed plans to remove the automatic right of EU citizens to vote and stand in local elections.Levelling Up minister Dehenna Davison, in a written ministerial statement, told MPs that the Government had published draft secondary legislation to bring forward the change.
Minnesota becomes 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed a bill into law on Tuesday legalizing recreational marijuana use in the state.With Walz's signature, Minnesota becomes the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the third Midwestern state to do so.What we know right now is prohibition does not work.
Chief Justice John Roberts seeks to assure the public about the Supreme Court's ethics
Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday night that he wants to assure the public that the Supreme Court is committed to adhering to the highest standards of conduct, appearing to direct his remarks at critics of the high court amid recent ethics controversies.We are continuing to look at things we can do to give practical effect to that commitment, and I am confident that there are ways to do that that are consistent with our status as an independent branch of government under the separation of powers, Roberts told an audience gathered in Washington, DC, for an event hosted by the American Law Institute, where he received a medal honoring the late Judge Henry J. Friendly.
What are Labour's plans for giving foreign nationals the right to vote?
Keir Starmer's plan to extend the right to vote in a general election to foreign nationals has been politically polarising.Many see it is a fundamental democratic right; others have seized on it as a leftwing plot to reverse Brexit.The Conservative party chair, Greg Hands, accused the Labour leader of a plot to rig the electorate, while his predecessor in the role, Nadhim Zahawi, claimed it was a move to soften the nation to get the UK back into the EU.
Wrong things can be changed': Justice Sotomayor speaks on disillusionment
Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday took a break from the middle of a contentious Supreme Court term to console a law student disillusioned with the American justice system.Wrong things can be changed, Sotomayor told the student, Lauren Burgess, adding: So don't give up, OK? Sotomayor addressed the audience at Fordham Law School in New York by video from a conference room at the Supreme Court building in Washington, where the justices had met behind closed doors for their regular conference an hour before.
This year's Board Election begins June 20th, and voter eligibility cut-off is June 15th.You should have received an email with instructions and you need to affirm your voting rights before June 15th in order to participate in this year's Board Election.Email will be from "psf@psfmember.org <Python Software Foundation>" with subject "[Action Required] Affirm your PSF Membership voting status" Why you are being asked to do this: Section 4.2 of the PSF Bylaws requires that "Members of any membership class with voting rights must affirm each year to the corporation in writing that such member intends to be a voting member for such year."
Supreme Court justice ties lessons from reality show Survivor' into commencement address
When Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson delivered her commencement address to American University law students on Saturday, she leaned on an unexpected source for life advice: The reality television show Survivor.I am a Survivor' superfan, Jackson told graduates of the American University Washington College of Law in her first commencement speech since her elevation to the high court.
GOLDSBORO, NC - Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) praises the work of residents of Goldsboro, who pushed back Tuesday against potential plans to change the way in which they elect their City Council and Mayor.The City Council held a Special Meeting on March 14 to receive input on amending the City Charter's election method.
Richard Joseph: Nigeria's electoral democracy seeks to find its footing after contentious election
President Joe Biden, in his March 5 visit to Selma, Alabama, reaffirmed his administration's commitment to supporting democracy and protecting voting rights.This commitment echoed loudly in Africa's largest democracy, which experienced a contentious presidential election on Feb. 25.In response to an avalanche of criticism, the government postponed for one week the voting for state governors and assemblies.
New Mexico voting rights bill heads to governor for signature
A New Mexico voting rights bill that would expand voting access in the state, including restoring the rights of felons to vote upon release from incarceration, is headed to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign after final passage from the state legislature this week.The bill, which Lujan Grisham is expected to sign, is a part of a broad package in the Democratic-controlled legislature to expand voting rights in New Mexico.
Good Afternoon, News: Emergency Weather Shelters Opening, Bill to Let People Vote in Prison, and Environmental Catastrophe in Ohio
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day-but your help is essential.If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us.Thanks for your support!Good afternoon, Portland!It's time to brace yourself-not just for this possible snow, but also for... THE NEWS.
Minnesota governor signs bill expanding voting rights for ex-felons
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday signed a bill that will restore the voting rights of thousands of convicted felons in the state this summer once they leave prison, instead of after they complete parole.Today, I signed a bill into law restoring voting rights for over 55,000 formerly incarcerated people the largest expansion of voting rights in Minnesota in half a century.
International Women's Day 2023: What is it and how can I get involved?
The event honours women of the past, present, and future generations who have fought for change in gender equality and funding female-focused charities.Under a new annual theme, organisers invite men and women to partake in campaign efforts to raise awareness.Here's what International Women's Day is about and how you can get involved in this year's event.
Google Doodle Celebrates Mutual Support for International Women's Day
Meaningful achievements in life are often built on the encouragement of supporters who inspire and motivate.The fellowship and support that women give one another is in Google's spotlight on Wednesday as we mark International Women's Day.The annual holiday is focused on the achievements of women and on raising awareness about gender inequality.