Brief #136—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On September 18, 2020 Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of eighty-seven.
Civil Rights
Judge Issues Ruling On Use of Ballot Drop Boxes In Ohio’s Eighty – Eight Counties
Brief #135—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On September 15, 2020 Judge Richard A. Frey of the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Ohio issued an opinion in the case Ohio Democratic Party v. LaRose. That case was brought in response to the use of “ballot drop boxes” in each Ohio county.
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Sides With Florida Republican Lawmakers In Restoration of Vote To Felons Case
Brief #134—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
The Twenty – Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides in Section One:
History And The Law Are Against President Trump’s Proposal For Law Enforcement Officers At Polling Booths
Brief #133—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On August 20, 2020 President Donald J. Trump said in an interview that he would send law enforcement officials to polling stations around the country.
New Jersey Supreme Court Issues Opinion Seen As A Blow To Digital & Cellphone Privacy
Brief #132—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On August 10, 2020 the New Jersey Supreme Court decided the case New Jersey v. Andrews. The case is notable because of the decision by the court that criminal defendants can be compelled to turn over cell phone passcodes to law enforcement authorities to enable them access to the contents of a person’s cell phone.
Ban On Further Protest Activity By Arrested Protestors Likely Unconstitutional
Brief #131—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
For more than sixty consecutive days, protesters in Portland, Oregon have marched and protested throughout the city to protest against racism and police brutality.
Florida’s Vote Restoration For Felons Suffers Setback At Supreme Court
Brief #115—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On November 6, 2018 voters in the State of Florida approved the ballot initiative known as Amendment 4.
Supreme Court Likely Invoked Purcell Principle to Deny Expanded Access to Voting in Texas and Alabama
Brief #130—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
Over the last few weeks the U.S. Supreme Court issued two orders regarding voting rights, which could have an effect on the November 2020 election.
In Disappointing Decision Supreme Court Rules State Funds Can Be Used At Religious Schools
Brief #129—Economics
By Rod Maggay
On June 30, 2020 the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. In that case, Montana established a scholarship program where residents could gain a maximum $150 tax credit for donations they make to organizations that give scholarships that can be used for tuition at private schools.
Supreme Court Issues Landmark LGBTQ Decision But Leaves Other Issues For Future Cases
Brief #128—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On June 15, 2020 the United States Supreme Court handed down the decision Bostock v. Clayton County. The case consolidated a number of cases because of a similarity of fact patterns and issue at the heart of each case. In Bostock, a county employee was fired for “conduct unbecoming” when the county discovered that the plaintiff had joined a gay recreational softball league.
Big Tech Companies Announce Halt To Sales of Facial Recognition Technology
Brief #127—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
On June 10, 2020 Amazon.com announced that they would implement a one-year moratorium on providing Rekognition to law enforcement agencies. Rekognition is Amazon’s face recognition software that allows a user to scan a crowd of persons and quickly match a photo of a person’s face to a database of people’s face photos
The Qualified Immunity Doctrine Stands In The Way of Real Police Reform
Brief #129—Civil Rights
By Rod Maggay
In 1967 the United States Supreme Court decided the case Pierson v. Ray which decreed for the first time that police officers had “qualified immunity.”