On June 26, 2017, in a separation of church and state case, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer. In a 7 – 2 decision, the court ruled that the “express policy of denying grants to any applicant owned or controlled by a church, sect or other religious entity violated…
On June 16, 2017, the United States Commission on Civil Rights stated its concern with the Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts to civil rights offices throughout the Federal Government. As a result, the Commission unanimously approved a two-year comprehensive…
On May 10, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions put forth the “Department Charging and Sentencing Policy” for all federal prosecutors. The memorandum instructs all federal prosecutors to [1] charge and pursue the most serious readily provable offense and [2] disclose to the sentencing…
Last year, in April 2016, Members of Congress asked the United States Census Bureau to include “sexual orientation and gender identity” as a subject that Americans can be asked to be categorized as in the upcoming 2020 Census. Nearly a year later…
On May 10, 2017, the House of Representatives of the Texas State Legislature approved House Bill 3859, popularly known as “The Freedom To Serve Children Act.” The bill provides a defense for state-funded faith-based private adoption agencies that will insulate them from potential lawsuits for their…
On May 4, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.” Section 2 of the order ensures that the “Department of the Treasury [will] not take any adverse action against any individual, house of worship…
On April 28, 2017, the National Security Agency (NSA) announced that they would “stop certain foreign intelligence collection under Section 702” of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This law provided the legal basis for the NSA to collect phone…
On April 4, 2017, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced in the U.S. Congress the “Protecting Data At The Border Act.” The bill is aimed at protecting the privacy rights…
In the United States Congress, a joint resolution was introduced that seeks to overrule a prior regulation promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). On January 3, 2017, the “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband…
In the Florida Legislature, a Senate bill was introduced and recently approved by the Appropriations Subcommittee on Civil & Criminal Justice that proposes that certain crimes committed by unlawfully present aliens in the State of Florida be charged differently from all other persons in the state. Illegal immigrants charged with…
Proposed Legislation from various states Proposed in January/February 2017 Summary Ever since the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump numerous states have introduced bills that have the potential to curb mass protests and demonstrations. The bills aim to toughen...
Proposed Texas State Legislation Introduced February 22, 2017 Summary The Texas state legislature recently revealed voter ID legislation amendments that aim to satisfy recent court rulings that determined that its current voter ID law had a discriminatory effect...