Category: Voting rights

February 13, 2024

Supreme Court All But Ignores January 6 During Trump Disqualification Argument

Only Sonia Sotomayor appears willing to obey the command of the Disqualification Clause of the 14th Amendment. Nearly 24 years ago, five right-wing members of the Supreme Court handed the presidency to George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore. Despite the conservatives’ hypocritical deference to the states on gun control, tobacco “rights,” disability rights and violence against women, the… Read more »

November 10, 2023

UN Report Details Rampant US Human Rights Violations at Home and Abroad

Two-thirds of U.S. breaches of the civil and political rights covenant involve racial discrimination. AUnited Nations body has issued a damning report blasting the United States for its rampant violations of a major human rights treaty that it ratified in 1992. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) enshrines the rights to life,… Read more »

October 2, 2023

Right-Dominated Supreme Court Is Poised to Do Grave Harm in Upcoming Term

Voting rights and the protection of workers, consumers, health, safety and the environment are on the court’s docket. The 2023-2024 Supreme Court term will begin on Monday, October 2. Dominated by six right-wingers, the court has agreed to review cases in which voting rights, consumer protection, and the regulation of health and safety, workers’ rights… Read more »

September 15, 2023

Colorado Lawsuit’s Strategy for Keeping Trump Off Ballot Is Starting to Spread

The lawsuits cite the 14th Amendment, which says former officials who engage in insurrection may not serve as president. The lawsuit filed earlier this month by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) on behalf of six Colorado voters provides a template that can and will be used in other states to keep Donald Trump off… Read more »

August 22, 2023

Georgia RICO Charge Against Trump Is Broader Than Federal January 6 Indictment

Trump and/or his cronies are charged with 161 predicate acts in their criminal enterprise to overturn the election. Of the 91 criminal charges former President Donald Trump is facing, the most consequential is Count 1 of his fourth indictment, which was filed by Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis on August 14, 2023. It alleges Trump… Read more »

August 10, 2023

Donald Trump’s Trials Should Not Be Televised

Trump is no mere apprentice when it comes to manipulating the media in his favor. Two days after a federal grand jury charged Donald Trump with three conspiracies for his attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, culminating in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, 38 Democratic members of Congress urged the U.S Judicial Conference to… Read more »

July 2, 2023

Here’s What “Moore v. Harper” Means for Voting Rights Going Forward

The rejection of the “independent state legislature” doctrine means fights against gerrymanders and racist laws can proceed. Chief Justice John Roberts has historically not decided cases in a way that protects voting rights. In 2013, he authored Shelby v. Holder, which drove a stake through the heart of the Voting Rights Act. And in 2021, he… Read more »

June 14, 2023

The Voting Rights Act Dodged a Bullet — for Now

Five House seats may well shift to Democrats in the wake of “Allen v. Milligan.” After leading the charge for years to eviscerate the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Chief Justice John Roberts did a stunning about-face and spearheaded its preservation in Allen v. Milligan. The 5-4 majority opinion, written by Roberts, held that Alabama’s congressional map… Read more »