Civil Rights Archives - Page 90 of 92

Louisiana, Missouri Exemplify America’s Public Defender Funding Crisis

Staff - September 6, 2015

Neither a state-level funding crisis, nor the restriction of public defender services are issues reserved for Louisiana and Missouri alone. Like Missouri, Florida’s Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the state’s public defenders’ offices can apply to refuse appointments based on overwhelming caseloads. At the time, Miami’s public defenders were averaging about 400 felony cases apiece, including up to 50 cases set for trial per week. Lawmakers in Tennessee are considering a bill to repeal a law in place since 1992 that mandates that public defenders receive a 75 percent match of every dollar of increased funding for prosecutors in the state.

California Joins Solitary Confinement Prison Reform Trend

Staff - September 3, 2015

As per terms of the agreement, those who have been in solitary due to gang-affiliations will have to undergo a two-year program that allows for some privileges before entering the general population. The agreement also calls for restructuring of the SHU facilities for those who are deemed too dangerous to return to the general population. These include prisoners with histories of extreme violence including murder, narcotics possession, attempted escape, and those with severe mental health problems.

Appeals Court Rules Supreme Court Plaza off-Limits for Demonstrations

Staff - August 31, 2015

The appeals ruling involved the civil rights of protestor Harold Hodge of Southern Maryland. In January 2011 after ignoring three warnings by Supreme Court police, Hodge was arrested while wearing a sign inside of the plaza near the front of the Court’s entrance that read, “The U.S. Gov. Allows Police to Illegally Murder and Brutalize African Americans and Hispanic People.”

9th Circuit to Debate California’s Death Penalty

Staff - August 30, 2015

The hearing also comes as California begins resuming executions this fall, introducing a new single-drug lethal injection procedure. The state had issued a defacto suspension of executions since 2006, joining many states’ concerns over the effectiveness and pain level of the established injection substances. It also comes just weeks after Connecticut’s Supreme Court commuted all of its condemned prisoners’ death sentences to life without parole. Voters in that state abolished the death penalty in 2012; however the law that was adopted only abolished it for future crimes, not for those already sentenced.

Appeals Court issues ‘Catch-22’ Ruling for NSA Spying Lawsuit

Staff - August 30, 2015

The 2-1 panel ruling did not dismiss the case outright, kicking the case back to lower federal court for further deliberation. The ruling, however, severely weakens the validity of the lawsuit and likely for similar cases of privacy invasion by the spying program in the future.

Judge Orders Release of Detained Immigrant Children

Staff - August 24, 2015

Gee had already found DHS in violation of the agreement in July, with the most recent ruling being a stern rebuttal of the government’s request to reconsider the ruling. DHS has argued that complying with the agreement would lead to a large influx of illegal immigrants crossing the border; however Gee called the argument “repackaged and reheated,” saying it was “speculative,” and equating it to “fearmongering.”

Civil Rights Founding Father Julian Bond Dies at 75

Staff - August 16, 2015

In a statement on Sunday President Obama called Bond “a hero and, I’m privileged to say, a friend.” Citing Bond’s long resume, Obama continued, “Julian Bond helped change this country for the better. And what better way to be remembered than that.”

Illinois Passes Large-Scale Police Conduct Reform

Staff - August 15, 2015

Rauner, a Republican, worked alongside the bill’s primary sponsor, Chicago Democratic State Senator Kwame Raoul, as well as with police unions throughout the state to turn the reform into law. Rauner praised the bipartisan effort, saying in a statement, “As a society, we must ensure the safety of both the public and law enforcement. SB 1304 establishes new and important guidelines and training for police departments and their officers, while protecting the public by prohibiting officers from using excessive force.

Connecticut High-Court Rules against Death Penalty

Staff - August 14, 2015

The Connecticut legislature voted in 2012 to abolish the death penalty, however, that measure only affected future crimes committed in the state. Calling it unconstitutional, Associate Justice Richard Palmer wrote the majority opinion, stating that the death penalty “no longer comports with contemporary standards of decency and no longer serves any legitimate penological purpose.”

How has Ferguson Changed a Year after Michael Brown’s Death?

Staff - August 9, 2015

On Saturday, Michael Brown Sr. led a group of about 100 marchers during a peaceful five-mile journey through the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, accompanied by a state-police escort. The peaceful march was intended to not only commemorate the anniversary of the controversial killing of his son by police officer Darren Wilson a year ago Sunday,

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