Tag: Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped shape the modern era of women’s rights – even before she went on the Supreme Court
by Jonathan Entin, Case Western Reserve University Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday, the Supreme Court announced. Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement that “Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature.”…
DOJ moves to take over Trump’s defense in suit filed by rape accuser
AG Barr Slammed for Acting as ‘Personal Henchman’ of Trump “By putting the DOJ to work defending him over conduct that has nothing to do with his official capacity, Trump has taken another giant step toward…
Sanders warns nation: Trump is laying groundwork for election result mayhem
“Trump is now using his lies and misinformation to sow confusion and chaos in the election process and undermine American democracy,” says the Vermont senator. by Jon Queally, staff writer Sunday, September 6 Warning of the…
California bill to help prisoner firefighters find work after release awaits Governor’s signature
As the Golden State burns amid a firefighter shortage, AB 2147 would expedite criminal record expungements so ex-inmates can apply for EMT licenses. by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Monday, August 31 As dozens of major…
Amid violence in Portland, Biden and progressive critics emphasize that continued chaos is result of ‘Trump’s America’
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has consistently called for peaceful protests and condemned violence, but still faces accusations that he’s allowed Trump to claim the “law and order” mantle. by Julia Conley, staff writer Sunday, August…
Tennessee to strip right to vote from protesters
‘If our votes didn’t matter they wouldn’t work so hard to silence us.’ ‘This is the Opposite of What Americans Fought a Revolution For’ by Common Dreams staff Sunday, August 23, 2020 Tennessee protesters will face…
Change is Messy
by Wade Rathke Little Rock One takeaway from the memorials to civil rights leader and organizer, Congressman John Lewis, has been the repeated invocation of the violence that was the handmaiden of the struggle. Martin…
As the coronavirus rages in prisons, ethical issues of crime and punishment become more compelling
A 1970 image of prisoners in cell blocks at Rikers Island Prison. Bettmann / Contributor/Bettmann via Getty Images by Austin Sarat, Amherst College Thursday, August 6 Across the United States, prisons and jails have become hot…
Supreme Court rules jail does not have to provide basic protections to inmates
As Prisons Across US Report Surge in Covid-19 Cases “There is no legal principle justifying this stay. The only ‘principle’ animating it is the belief of the Republican appointees to the Court that prisoners are subhuman.”…
County judge orders journalists to turn over footage to Seattle police
‘Disturbing—and Dangerous’ “This turns journalists into an arm of the government. We are not here to do surveillance for police.” by Eoin Higgins, staff writer Friday, July 24 Journalists and civil liberties advocates alike condemned a…
Trump and Barr to deploy more Federal Agents to US cities – Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico,
‘Abuse of Power’ “In case you were wondering, this is precisely what fascism looks like.” by Eoin Higgins, staff writer Wednesday, July 22 President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr announced Wednesday afternoon that the…
The Federal Invasion of Portland, Oregon
[Cuccinelli] is no freedom fighter or protector of any American rights. A zealot with access to a type of police in a time when funding for the police and their military tactics is part of the…
Domestic terror in the age of Trump
A new database of domestic terror incidents shows attacks by far-right extremists have become far more lethal since Donald Trump became president. By David Neiwert Thursday, July 9, 2020 This article was reported in partnership with…
Holding US Government to its Treaty promises: Supreme Court rules nearly half of Oklahoma still Native American Territory
“The big news at the Supreme Court today will be Trump’s taxes,” said Cherokee writer Rebecca Nagle. “But for Indians in Oklahoma, we’ll be talking about today for decades.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Thursday, July…
Trump gets no special protections because he’s president and must release financial records, Supreme Court rules
“[N]o citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority opinion. Follow the money. Investigators are…
Stone Mountain, Georgia: The flashpoint now at center of Confederate monument removals
The mountain, known for its massive Confederate memorial carving, was the location of the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915. by Common Dreams staff Sunday, July 5 The planet’s largest Confederate monument—Stone Mountain outside…
Cuban asylum seeker describes vicious pepper spray attack on hunger strikers at ICE detention facility
More than 2,000 migrants and refugees in U.S. detention facilities have contracted Covid-19 as advocates demand their release. by Julia Conley, staff writer Saturday, July 4 A Cuban asylum-seeker on Thursday described a “shocking” pepper spray…
Thinking outside the box for worker power
by Wade Rathke Pearl River In organizing unions, captive audience meetings are the scourge of organizing drives. The employers have the right to make the meetings mandatory in order to deliver their anti-union screeds, but…
Alabama just doesn’t like its people it seems
by Wade Rathke Little Rock There’s nothing new about states, particularly blood-red states, trying to suppress the vote. The Republican strategy continues to be not to change one iota in their far right, white grievance,…
Reparations qualifications and confusion
by Wade Rathke New Orleans As a Nikole Hannah-Jones fan, I followed her arguments carefully and approvingly in a recent piece in the New York Times as she demolished one quick fix after another that…
Judge orders release of children held by ICE
Advocates are calling on the agency to also immediately release parents. by Eoin Higgins, staff writer Saturday, June 27 A federal judge ruled Friday evening that immigrant children held in ICE detention must be released by…
Police condemned for charging peaceful environmentalists with ‘Terrorizing’ in Louisiana
“This is a clear instance of the law and law enforcement being used to protect corporations, profit, and property over people.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Friday, June 26 At least 40 U.S. climate and…
Betraying ‘bedrock principle’ of due process, Supreme Court allows fast-tracked deportations
“This decision means that some people facing flawed deportation orders can be forcibly removed with no judicial oversight, putting their lives in grave danger.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Thursday, June 25 The ACLU warned Thursday…
ACLU demands lawmakers act after Michigan man wrongfully arrested ‘Because face recognition can’t tell black people apart’
“It’s past time for lawmakers to prevent the continued use of this technology. What happened to the Williams family should never happen again.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Wednesday, June 24 The ACLU on Wednesday urged…