On Thursday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas to challenge the state’s new law, SB 8, which prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, effectively banning all abortion in the state. “The Act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement. “The United States has […]
Georgia AG Asks DOJ to Lead Investigation into Handling of Ahmaud Arbery Murder
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has formally requested that the Department of Justice helm the investigation into the handling of the Ahmaud Arbery case. Arbery is an African American man who was murdered by a white father and son while out jogging on February 23 near Brunswick, GA. “We are committed to a complete and […]
Immigration Courts to Stay Open During Coronavirus Pandemic
The Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review declared “operations as usual” for proceedings involving non-detained immigrants on Sunday night. The decision comes after Seattle’s immigration court was shut down last week after a report of second-hand exposure to coronavirus; it will remain shut until April 10. The order states that master calendar dates, […]
Four Democratic Congresswomen Call Trump’s Racist Tweets a Distraction
Yesterday, four democratic congresswomen of color held a joint press conference to address a series of racist tweets made by President Trump in which he called for the women to “go back” to the countries they came from. The four women, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib, condemned his words as […]
Acosta Resigns as Labor Secretary After Criticism Over Lenient Epstein Plea Deal
Today, Alex Acosta formally resigned as labor secretary amid controversy stemming from a lenient plea deal he offered as US Attorney to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted last week on charges of sex trafficking and abuse. During Acosta’s announcement, Trump emphasized to reporters that the resignation was solely Acosta’s decision. Yesterday, House Democrats called […]
Shannon Goessling Nominated to Head the Office of Violence Against Women
On March 5, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Shannon Lee Goessling, Trump’s pick to head the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Department of Justice. Women’s rights and anti-violence activists have raised serious concerns over the nominee’s anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-racial justice history, noting that combating intimate partner violence requires an intersectional perspective that understands the vulnerability of respective communities.
Trump Administration To Attack Protections for Transgender Individuals
“The Trump Administration is once again doing everything in its power to carry out a mean-spirited attack on transgender individuals who deserve and need civil rights protections,” read a statement by the Feminist Majority Foundation. “This overt attack on trans lives is at odds with scientific fact, multiple federal court rulings, and the lived experiences of millions of Americans.”
Trump Administration Attacks Affirmative Action Admission Policies
The Trump administration will encourage schools to implement race-blind admissions policies, a reversal from an Obama-era guidance. Under the Obama Administration, the Education Department’s civil rights division issued seven guidance documents urging schools to consider race during admissions when attempting to diversify student bodies. The Justice Department plans to scrap these guidance efforts.
Title VII Covers Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation Says Court
On Monday, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that sexual orientation is protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination against employees based on sex.
DOJ Says LGBT People Not Protected from Employment Discrimination Under Title VII
The friend-of-the-court brief will be considered when the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals hears the case of Zarda v. Altitude Express, in which the plaintiff alleges that he was fired from his job in 2010 because he is gay.
Another Civil Rights Opponent Nominated for Job in Justice Department
President Trump has nominated attorney Eric Dreiband, a man who has spent his career opposing equality movements, to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The role of the Civil Rights Division is to hold corporations and states accountable for compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
Police Reform for Baltimore Despite Sessions’ Attempts to Block
Last week a federal judge in Baltimore finalized a reform agreement, known as a consent decree, between the local police department and the Department of Justice (DOJ) despite condemnation and disapproval by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
US Attorneys Ordered to Resign by Trump Administration
Contention began this past weekend when Preet Bharara, former US attorney for the Southern District of New York, was fired after refusing to submit his resignation.
Justice Department Withdraws Objection to Texas’ Voter ID Law
On Monday, the Justice Department withdrew its Obama era objection to Texas’ draconian voter ID law, claiming that the Department, now under President Trump and Attorney General Sessions, no longer believes the law was passed with discriminatory intent.
Trump Rescinds Obama Administration Protections for Transgender Students
In a joint letter from the Department of Justice and Department of Education, the Trump administration claimed that the Obama administration had not sought proper legal analysis or provided appropriate explanation for why these protections were guaranteed under Title IX.
Roundup of First Day of Sessions’ Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General
For over eight hours, Sessions answered questions about his prosecutorial and Senatorial record, as well as over controversial comments he has made, as Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sought to unearth if Sessions would be able to enforce laws that he actively opposed.
Sexual Assault Survivors Protest Jeff Sessions
This morning a group of sexual assault survivors, advocates and activists, led by national women’s advocacy group UltraViolet, went to Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) Capitol Hill Senate Office to present him with the Department of Justice’s definition of sexual assault and demand that he take violence against women seriously.
Thousands of North Carolina Voters Removed from Registration Rolls
Voting rights protectors including the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP filed a lawsuit this week in federal court alleging that three North Carolina counties—Moore, Beaufort and Cumberland—illegally purged thousands of voters from the registration rolls, a disproportionate number of whom are African American.
Justice Department Announces New Database for Tracking Fatalities in Police Custody
The Justice Department announced Thursday that it would start tracking nationwide data on fatal police shootings and other violent encounters between law enforcement and civilians, including natural deaths or suicides that occur while someone is in police custody.
Department of Justice to End Privately Run Federal Prisons
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that it will end the use of private prisons to house federal inmates, following the inspector general’s report that private facilities are significantly less safe and more costly than Bureau of Prison (BOP) run institutions.