Brief #181 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
In February 2016, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell later issued a statement stating that there would be no hearing or vote on a nominee submitted by President Barack Obama and that the choice should be left to the next President after the upcoming 2016 presidential election.
Brief #180 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On January 11, 2022 Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that he has decided to create a new specialized domestic terrorism unit “to augment our existing approach” and “to ensure that these cases are properly handled and effectively coordinated” across the country. Previously, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Security Division (NSD) did not have a group or unit dedicated to only domestic terrorism cases.
Brief #179 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On December 11, 2001 investigative journalist Jana Winter published an explosive article on Yahoo News that exposed a secret unit within the Counter Network Division of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agency. At the heart of the disturbing story is that a CBP employee staffed to the secret unit was authorized to investigate a national security journalist named Ali Watkins with regards to her confidential sources for the source of her work.
Brief #178 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
In 1973 the United States Supreme Court decided the landmark case Roe v. Wade. That case ruled that a woman’s choice to have an abortion is protected by the U.S. Constitution. The basis of the ruling by the Court was that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides a “right to privacy” which includes the choice to have an abortion. The case then laid out a balancing test that focused on each of the three trimesters of a woman’s pregnancy.
Brief #177 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
In Rivas – Villegas v. Cortesluna, Officer Daniel Rivas – Villegas responded to the scene of a 911 call. Upon arriving at the home he found a mother and her two daughters barricaded in a room trying to hide from the mother’s boyfriend. Ramon Cortesluna, the mother’s boyfriend, was in possession of a chainsaw and was destroying items in the house.
Brief #176 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8) bans abortions approximately six weeks after pregnancy. Under the new law any person may sue a Texas health care provider to prevent them from performing an abortion and gives those persons who bring a lawsuit money damages of $10,000 if they are successful in their lawsuit against the health care provider.
Brief #175 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On September 27, 2021 Oregon became the first state in the union to pass congressional and state legislative redistricting maps after the 2020 Census. Soon thereafter one of Colorado’s two independent redistricting commissions approved a state map for Colorado’s congressional state map.
Brief #174 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On September 1, 2021 the United States Supreme Court issued its order in the case Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson. The case began on July 13, 2021 when a lawsuit was filed in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas. The case was brought on behalf of a number of abortion providers in the State of Texas. The plaintiffs were seeking to prevent enforcement of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8) before it took effect on September 1, 2021.
Brief #173 – Federal Court in Florida Bans Enforcement of Florida’s Anti – Riot Law
By Rodney A. Maggay
On September 9, 2021 Chief United States District Judge Mark E. Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida issued a preliminary injunction order in the case Dream Defenders v. DeSantis. The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund of Florida, Inc., the ACLU of Florida and Community Justice Project brought a lawsuit on behalf of Dream Defenders and other Black – led organizations.
Brief #172 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On August 24, 2021 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a $5,134,500 fine against John M. Burkman, Jacob A. Wohl and J.M. Burkman and Associates, LLC. Mr. Burkman and Mr. Wohl are political consultants based in Virginia. And J.M. Burkman and Associates, LLC is a political lobbying firm registered in Virginia.
Brief #171 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On July 31, 2021 David Brody and Sara Collins of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law sent a letter to the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on behalf of their group and twenty-three other national advocacy organizations. This collection of organizations is calling on the FTC to address online discrimination, exploitation of personal data and abusive practices.
Brief #170 – Civil Rights
By Rodney A. Maggay
On July 16, 2021 both of New Jersey’s Senators – Bob Menendez and Cory Booker – introduced The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 in the U.S. Senate. Four additional Senators co – sponsored the bill – Dick Durbin (D-IL), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Kennedy (R-LA). A companion bill was simultaneously introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).