In addition to continuing their refusal to hold a hearing for President Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee, Merrick Garland, Senate Republicans yesterday also blocked floor votes to confirm eleven federal district court judge nominees.
Federal Court Orders Recount of Vote on Anti-Abortion Tennessee Ballot Measure
A federal court on Friday ordered Tennessee election officials to recount the votes cast during the 2014 election on Amendment 1, an anti-abortion state constitutional amendment.
56 People of Color Testify Against Abortion Ban Built on Racist and Sexist Stereotypes
Declaring, “we will not sit silently while we are exploited for the passage of yet another abortion restriction,” 56 people of color submitted written testimony to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice in opposition to the so-called Prenatal Discrimination Act (PRENDA).
House Panel Continues Hearings Targeting Abortion Providers & Medical Researchers
The House Select Investigative Panel yesterday held another round of politically-motivated hearings used to attack abortion providers and medical research.
House Considers Bill that Stigmatizes Women of Color In Order To Restrict Abortion Access
The House Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, chaired by Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ), is holding hearings today on the so-called Prenatal Discrimination Act (PRENDA), a underhanded attempt to restrict access to abortion for women of color.
Equal Pay Day Highlights Persistent U.S. Race/Gender Wage Gap
President Obama today issued a proclamation marking Equal Pay Day—the day to which women, on average, have to work to be paid as much as their white, male counterparts were paid by the close of last year.
Judge Strikes Down Wisconsin’s Right-To-Work Law
In a win for labor unions, a Wisconsin state judge on Friday struck down the state’s so-called “right-to-work” law, ruling that private unions can collect fees from non-members for the services the union provides for these workers.
PayPal Cancels Plans to Expand into North Carolina Citing New Discriminatory Law
PayPal CEO Dan Schulman announced on Tuesday that the company made a “clear and unambiguous” decision to cancel plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte, North Carolina, stating that HB2 “violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture.”
National Abortion Federation Finds Dramatic Spike in Threats & Violence After Deceptive CMP Videos
A new report by the National Abortion Federation (NAF) shows a dramatic escalation in threats and violence against abortion providers after the release of several highly-edited, deceptive videos created by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress (CMP).
Tennessee Voters Challenge Anti-Abortion Constitutional Amendment in Federal Court
Voters in Tennessee have mounted a legal challenge to a 2014 state constitutional amendment — known as Amendment 1 — declaring that there is no right to abortion in Tennessee, even in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
House Select Investigative Panel Issues New Subpoenas Despite Ongoing Safety Concerns
In a move that has been heavily criticized by scientists, doctors, and advocates, the House Select Investigative Panel – formed to investigate abortion providers – issued 12 new subpoenas last week to force healthcare providers, universities, and others to disclose the names of doctors, medical students, researchers, staff, and administrators.
California Legislature Passes First Statewide Bill to Raise Minimum Wage to $15/Hour
The California state legislature poised its state to become the first in the nation to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, a move that California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León called “historic.” Both the California state Assembly and the state Senate voted along party lines yesterday to approve a bill that will raise the minimum […]
U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Players File Wage Discrimination Complaint
Five members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) filed a federal complaint today against the U.S. Soccer Federation for wage discrimination.
FDA Expands Access to Medication Abortion
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made mifepristone (the early option of abortion by pills, or medication abortion) more accessible to women, but still kept in place unnecessary regulations.
Report Finds 3 of the Largest School Districts Hire More Security Officers than School Counselors
A new report finds that three of the five largest school districts in the country have more security officers on payroll than school counselors. In each of these districts, students of color make up the majority of the student body.
Governor McAuliffe Vetoes Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed a measure today that would have defunded Planned Parenthood in the state.
Supreme Court Decision Undermines Ploy to Weaken Public Unions
Public sector unions had a win today when the US Supreme Court split 4-4 in a closely watched case that threatened to undermine the collective bargaining process.
Lawsuit Challenges North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Law
Civil liberties groups joined with two transgender people and a law school professor today to file a federal suit challenging North Carolina’s new anti-LGBT law.
Federal Court Permanently Strikes Down Alabama TRAP Law
In a decision issued three weeks after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments against a similar Texas TRAP law, a federal judge on Friday permanently blocked a provision in an Alabama law that would close almost all of the state’s abortion clinics by unnecessarily requiring providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Tennessee Fetal Assault Law Will Expire in July
In a win for reproductive justice advocates, a Tennessee bill that would have permanently extended the state’s dangerous “Fetal Assault Law” was defeated in a 3-3 committee vote on Tuesday. The law will now sunset on July 1st.