CIVIL RIGHTS POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Civil Rights Posts
The Need for a Federal Statute To Combat Domestic Terrorism
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.
Secret Unit in U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agency Raises Freedom of the Press Issues
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.
The Future of Abortion Rights In The United States
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.
Supreme Court Passes On Chance To Modify The Qualified Immunity Doctrine
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.
Judge Pitman’s Abortion Ruling Illustrates Flaws of Texas Senate Bill 8
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.
How Redistricting In Oregon and Colorado Made The Case For State Independent Redistricting Commissions
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.
Supreme Court Inadvertently Supports Vigilante Justice In Texas Abortion Law Case
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.
Federal Court in Florida Bans Enforcement of Florida’s Anti – Riot Law;
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.
Instigators of Racially Targeted Robocalls Need To Be Held Accountable
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.