HHS Office for Civil Rights Proposes Changes to ACA's Section 1557  The National Law ReviewDepartment of Health and Human Services HHS Office for Civil Rights announced proposed changes to regulations issued under Section 1557 Affordable Act ...

Civil rights groups sue Florida over 'poll tax' law to restore felon voter rights  NBC NewsA group of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida Friday after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would require felons to pay ...

Title IX Made the USWNT Win Possible—and Launched a Movement that Plays Sports  Ms. MagazinePlayers on the U.S. Women's National Team have earned their stardom. Drawing 20 million viewers and inspiring Nike's highest-selling soccer jersey are just ...

Florida Prosecutors Fight GOP Voter Suppression  The InterceptThe GOP legislature is trying to take the vote away from people with past legal woes — and some prosecutors are looking for ways around a new restriction.

Florida Law Throws Voter Rights Restoration into Chaos  brennancenter.orgThe new law makes it impossible for returning citizens to know whether they are eligible to vote.

Voting Rights Group Raising Money To Pay Former Convicts’ Fees  CBS MiamiORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) – A voting rights group is raising money to help former Florida felons pay their outstanding fees and fines that could prevent them ...

Why the ACLU Is Suing Florida For Its New Poll Tax  ACLUOn November 6, 2018, nearly 65 percent of Florida voters—more than 5 million people—resoundingly approved Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to over a ...

Florida civil rights groups file suit claiming new felons voting law is 'racially discriminatory'  Orlando WeeklyShortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an omnibus elections bill Friday, a coalition of voting-rights and civil-rights groups announced they had filed a federal ...

The Complicated Collision of Criminal Justice Reform and Gun Rights  The TraceIdeological lines get tangled when reforming the system means people once barred from owning firearms can get them back.

Republican attack on voting rights restoration amendment faces lawsuit  The South Florida TimesGAINESVILLE, Fla. — The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Brennan Center for Justice at ...

“Religious Freedom” Laws Are Unraveling Civil Rights as We Know It  Truthout"Moral convictions" and individual conscience are being used as a form of assimilation and control.

Tampa State Attorney's Proposed 'Rocket Docket' Would Help Ex-offenders Get Voting Rights Back  Juvenile Justice Information ExchangeLast November, Florida voters passed an amendment to the state constitution that automatically restores the right to vote to people convicted of felonies (except ...

Florida makes the restoration of voting rights contingent on criminal debt payments  NationofChangeFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure approved by state lawmakers that makes the restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies ...

Rights Groups Sue After Florida Gov. Signs Bill Curbing Voter-Mandated Felon Re-enfranchisement  Democracy Now!Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday requiring formerly incarcerated people with felony convictions to repay all fines and fees to ...

Felon Voter Registration Continues As Advocacy Group Raises Money To Pay Fees And Fines  WFSUThousands of felons throughout the state are now eligible to vote, thanks to Amendment 4 and Governor Ron DeSantis signing the implementing bill into law.

In Knick v. Township of Scott, a restoration for civil liberty  Washington ExaminerIn the famous 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, “The very essence of civil liberty certainly consists in the right of every ...

Some felons have two options to regain voting rights  Glasgow Daily TimesEditor's note: This is the second in a two-part series. The first report was about removal of voting rights for felons, and this one is about how that right can.

Federal judge recuses himself from felon voting case — and takes a shot at Broward elections supervisor  Sun SentinelThe federal judge overseeing a legal challenge to the new Florida law on felon voting rights recused himself from the case – and said Broward Supervisor of ...

How to fight the spread of voter suppression | TheHill  The HillThe Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby v. Holder decision gutted the Voting Rights Act, the most effective tool to prevent racial discrimination in our elections that the ...

I regret to inform you that Trump’s lawyers are right about a crucial civil rights case  ThinkProgressOn Friday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to take up a case involving Muslim men who were allegedly harassed and intimidated by FBI ...

Can Leasing Historic Properties Help Fund Repairs at National Parks?  The Pew Charitable TrustsImagine living in the middle of a national park and steps from where one of history's greatest civil rights leaders was born and raised. Both are realities for ...

Ukraine fury as Russia gets back Council of Europe voting rights  BBC NewsFive years after Russia had its voting rights removed because of the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly has ...

Fed Courthouse Open to Claimants in Knick v. Scott  The National Law ReviewOn June 21 2019 the U.S. Supreme Court in a majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts restored takings claims to the full-fledged constitutional ...

Near or far, Nina's legacy is available worldwide - The Tryon Daily Bulletin  Tryon Daily BulletinTRYON—The Town of Tryon is lucky to have been the birthplace of internationally renowned artist and civil rights activist, Nina Simone (born Eunice Waymon).

Birmingham Celebrates Historic A.G. Gaston Motel Anniversary  WBHMReverend Martin Luther King Jr. often planned strategy for the civil rights movement in room 30 at the A.G. Gaston Motel. For others, it was a place for wedding.

House Takes Up Bill to Quash Religious-Motivated Bias  Courthouse News ServiceWASHINGTON (CN) – Pushing for the government to stop protecting those who wield their faiths to hurt others, a civil rights lawyer urged House lawmakers ...

New elections law 'a throwback to Jim Crow-era policies,' say voting rights advocates  Orlando WeeklyChief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker held an initial telephone hearing Friday in what could be a drawn-out legal battle over a portion of the new elections law ...

Equifax $700 Million Settlement: FTC To Help People File Claims To Get Back Money  CBS New YorkWASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — Consumers in the Tri-State Area may be receiving money from claims about credit monitoring or identity theft protection as ...

Old windows shine light on Stevenson Hall restoration challenge  KCAWPosted by Nina Sparling | Jun 25, 2019. Stevenson Hall The Sitka Summer Music Festival first started using Stevenson Hall in 1972. The Festival finally ...

Amendment 4 exposes state's 'broken' data system, implementation law's architect says  Tallahassee.comA Florida-based civil rights group has launched an effort to help felons navigate the Amendment 4 voter registration process and implementation law. But one of ...

Descendants of slaves and slave owners discover legacy of Maryland’s Sotterley Plantation  The Washington PostFor years, tour guides at Sotterley Plantation would show the manor house and skip over the slave cabin on the property. Tour groups were not told that as many ...

2 Jacksonville women join voting rights federal lawsuit  WJXT News4JAX Two Jacksonville women are part of a federal lawsuit challenging a new state law.

'God put him there': Nicaragua's defiant leader clings to power  The Irish TimesRevolutionary hero Daniel Ortega has become a controversial leader.

A revolution gone wrong: Daniel Ortega’s government stands accused of repression and worse  The Irish TimesNicaragua's opposition remains defiant as Daniel Ortega comes under pressure to restore civil liberties.

Chairman Scott Issues Statement at Hearing on Religious Freedom Restoration Act  Insurance News NetThe Education and Labor Committee issued the following statement by Chairman Robert C. Scott, D- Virginia, at a hearing entitled Do No Harm: Examining the ...

So-Called “Religious Exemption” Will Harm Children and Families and Violate Religious Freedom  People For the American WayOn February 14, People For the American Way and PFAW's African American Ministers In Action urged the Department of Health and Human Services to ...

CJP for restoration of legal profession’s nobility  DAWN.comISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa has stressed the need for launching a movement for restoration of nobility of the legal profession.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is opening a new exhibit honoring the legacy of AG Gaston on July 2  Bham NowOpening reception for the new exhibition “A.G. Gaston: The Man and His Legacy" is June 30, 3:00PM at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Public Notice FEMA–4442–DR–MN  Thief River Falls Northern WatchPUBLIC NOTICE FEMA–4442–DR–MN June 26, 2019 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hereby gives notice to the public of its intent to ...

Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver Claims the “Q” in LGBTQ Stand for Pedophilia  World Religion NewsConservative Christian radio show, Crosstalk, had Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver on to speak about a non-binding resolution which was passed by the California ...

Democrat-controlled House panel debates whether to weaken landmark religious freedom law  The Christian PostA House of Representatives committee held a meeting with two expert panels to debate whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act should be limited in its ...

Hong Kong police launch tear gas in latest mass protest  WCYBHONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police launched tear gas at protesters Sunday after a massive pro-democracy march continued late into the evening.

Virginia governor’s civil rights restoration efforts are underwhelming, activists say  ThinkProgressAs Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) struggles to recover from the backlash to a racist yearbook photo that resurfaced earlier this month, he is touting his work ...

Tales of City Hall: The ‘racist mural controversy’  St Pete CatalystThe mural "Picnicking at Pass-a-Grille" hung for nearly 20 years at St. Petersburg City Hall, until it became the center of a racial controversy.

US day of mourning to commemorate 20 million black lives lost to abortion  LifesiteThe event draws attention to abortion giant Planned Parenthood's targeting of black babies under what organizers call a 'plan of extermination.'

City and State Officials to Commemorate 65th Anniversary of A.G. Gaston Motel July 1  Birmingham TimesOn Monday, July 1, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin and Alabama Sen. Doug Jones will lead the commemoration of the 65th anniversary since the ...

For a second time, Florida has taken away Bonnie Raysor’s vote. She’s fighting to get it back.  ThinkProgressBonnie Raysor had her heart set on voting next year, a decade after losing her right to participate in the most cherished ritual of the American democratic ...

How the Hobby Lobby ruling helped and hurt religious freedom  Deseret NewsThe high-profile case on the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate altered public perception of religious freedom protections.

Amendment 4: Florida House passes bill requiring ex-felons pay civil judgments before rights restored  Orlando SentinelIn one of the most-divisive issues of the 2019 legislative session, the House on Wednesday approved a plan for carrying out a constitutional amendment ...

Civil Rights Advocates Consider Litigation Over Voting Rights Restoration Bills | Daily Business Review  Law.comProposed legislation in the Florida House and Senate have some gearing up for potential lawsuits over the right of ex-felons' voting rights.

The Q in LGBTQ Means Protecting People Who Want to Have Sex with Minors, Says Mat Staver  Right Wing WatchLiberty Counsel's Mat Staver appeared on conservative Christian radio show Crosstalk last week to continue the Religious Right's dishonest drumbeat against a ...

John Legend, Issa Rae And More Seek To Preserve Nina Simone’s Legacy  BETThe group of celebrities have begun a crowdfunding campaign to restore her childhood home.

Most Kentucky felons would have voting rights restored under new bill  Courier JournalMost convicted felons in Kentucky would have their voting rights automatically restored after completing their sentences, parole and probation under a bill filed ...

SC rejects review petition seeking restoration of job  Business RecorderISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Monday rejected a review petition filed by former lower court employee Ahtisham-ul-Haq seeking restoration of job.

Politics cloud felon voting rights restoration in Florida  ReutersTAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Elections officials across Florida say they expect former felons to flock to their offices to register to vote next month when a newly passed ...

Nina Simone's Childhood Home Gets Celebrity Support  BPR / Blue Ridge Public RadioAn update on a story we've been following since the spring of 2017 when four New York artists purchased Nina Simone's childhood home in Tryon.

9 states where the rules for voting have been changed or challenged ahead of 2020  NBC NewsThe race for 2020 begins with determining who is allowed to vote. Rules in several states, including the presidential battleground of Florida, have changed.

Florida Amendment 4 results: ex-felon voting rights restored via ballot initiative  Vox.comFlorida voters during Tuesday's midterm elections approved Amendment 4, automatically restoring voting rights in the state for people previously convicted of ...

Is it a poll tax if felons have to pay court costs and fees to regain voting rights?  Miami HeraldRepublicans in the Florida Legislature advanced a bill that would require felons to pay back all court fees and costs before being eligible to vote, even if those ...

Civil rights groups join lawsuit to fight Kentucky's felon voter ban  Courier JournalKentucky has some of the nation's highest rates of residents who can't vote because of felony convictions — but a recent federal lawsuit is seeking to change ...

James Island's Mosquito Beach Likely to Get National Register Designation; Other Entities Receive Grant Funding  charlestonchronicle.netBy Barney Blakeney. Advocates for the preservation and restoration of Mosquito Beach on James Island are confident the waterfront property that was an ...

Florida Felons Once Denied Rights Begin Registering to Vote  The New York TimesTuesday marked the first day for former felons in Florida to register in vote, following a historic ballot measure that restored their rights.

Florida Felons Want Their Voting Rights Restored  The AtlanticA ballot amendment in the November election could restore voting rights to 1.5 million felons in Florida, one of just three states that permanently bars felons from ...

Amendment 4 in Florida restored voting rights to felons. Now that's back in doubt.  NBCNews.comOn Thursday, Florida lawmakers voted along party lines to advance a bill that could bar from the ballot box many of the estimated 1.5 million convicted felons ...

Northam announces voting rights restoration to 10K convicted felons  WHSVMore than 10000 people have had their right to vote restored since Gov. Ralph Northam took office, the governor announced Tuesday.

Here's what you haven't heard about restoring ex-felons' voting rights: Analysis  Orlando SentinelThe analysis "Civil Rights Restoration in Florida and Amendment 4" addresses some of the glaring gaps in the public discourse on ex-felons' rights and more.

The Fight for Voting Rights in Florida Isn’t Over  The New YorkerDaniel A. Gross writes about Amendment 4, which restored the voting rights of Florida residents with felony convictions, and Senate Bill 7066, which Florida's ...

Florida House passes bill that would require ex-felons pay all fees before exercising voting rights  CNNThe Republican-controlled Florida House passed a bill Wednesday that would restore voting rights for ex-felons on the condition that they first pay all fees, fines ...

Confusion clouds restoration of Florida felons' voting rights  Tampa Bay TimesSARASOTA — Florida voters spoke clearly four weeks ago: They restored the right to vote to most convicted felons who complete their sentences. When it ...

Why the restoration of felons’ voting rights in Florida is a big deal  The EconomistAmendment 4 is a boon for democracy in the Sunshine State.

Will Florida’s Ex-Felons Finally Regain the Right to Vote?  The New York TimesA referendum on the November ballot in Florida would re-enfranchise 1.5 million citizens — and could change the state's electorate.

Restoration of Birmingham's AG Gaston Motel, a "sacred" civil rights landmark, is underway  Bham NowToday, the city of Birmingham announced it is restoring one of the civil rights movement's most treasured landmarks - the A.G. Gaston Motel.

‘A joyous day’ ahead as 1.4 million Florida ex-felons have voting rights restored  Washington PostSARASOTA — One of the largest enfranchisements of U.S. citizens in the past century begins Tuesday in Florida, and many of the more than 1.4 million ...

Fines and fees provisions at odds with the language and intent of Amendment 4 | Commentary  Orlando SentinelThe debate over whether voting rights should be restored after fines and fees are paid misses the original intent of Florida's Amendment 4.

Doing more time: Ex-felons face long odds, long wait to restore voting rights  Cronkite NewsThe years paying off their debt to society is just the starr for ex-felons who are trying to regain their votiing rights - they face more years and hurdles in Arizona, ...

Florida GOP could limit Amendment 4’s expansion of voting rights  Vox.comLast year, Amendment 4 restored voting rights to more than 1 million people with felony records. The Florida House passed a bill requiring them to pay all court ...

Florida Republicans limit Amendment 4’s expansion of voting rights  Vox.comAfter weeks of debate and over the objection of several voting and civil rights groups, the Florida Legislature has passed a measure requiring people with felony ...

Groups protest 'anti-civil rights' bills in Florida House  Miami HeraldAbout a dozen groups protesting “anti-civil rights” bills on topics from immigration to school vouchers to the restoration of felons voting rights exploded into ...

Felony convictions block too many from voting and jobs access, federal civil rights report finds  Tampa Bay TimesFelony convictions have too much of an impact on access to voting rights, employment and social services, but Florida shows a promising change, according to ...

Orlando's Desmond Meade honored by TIME magazine for his efforts to restore the voting rights of Florida felons  Orlando WeeklyTIME Magazine released its annual list of "The 100 Most Influential People in The World," and Desmond Meade, the Orlando-based executive director of the ...

People pushed for a museum on Miami’s Virginia Key. Now there’s a fund to run it  Miami HeraldCity of Miami steps up and creates a fund to operate a historic civil rights museum on Virginia Key, site of Miami's first blacks-only beach. The move unlocked ...

Amendment to restore Virginia felons’ voting rights dies along party lines  WTKR News 3For now, Virginia will remain among a trio of states -- joining only Kentucky and Iowa -- with a lifetime ban on voting rights for people convicted of a felony.

Florida Legislature Proposes Limits On Restoring Felon Voting Rights  NPRFlorida voters passed a referendum to restore voting rights to felons. The Republican-led legislature is considering bills that would place limits on who would be ...

His gun rights were restored in Virginia after serving a sentence. Now he can't buy a gun in Wisconsin  Milwaukee Journal SentinelA former Virginia resident's felony conviction there prohibits him from having a gun in Wisconsin despite having that right restored in Virginia, the Court of ...

Governor Northam Continues McAuliffe's Felon Voting Rights Restoration  Community Idea StationsGovernor Ralph Northam has restored voting rights to ex-felons at a slower clip than his predecessor, a shift his office attributes to a clearing out of old requests ...

AOC proposal calls for environmentally safer military cleanup efforts in Vieques, Puerto Rico  NBC NewsThe House passed an amendment introduced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that would limit the use of open-air detonation in Vieques, a former Navy site and ...

Restoration of Voting Rights Could Cost Florida Felons  GoverningBy Tampa Bay Times. If you ask former Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Stanford Blake, the hundreds of dollars in court fees convicted felons have to pay are not part ...

Tennessee considers easing felon voting rights restoration  WREG NewsChannel 3Tennessee lawmakers are considering a move to make it easier for some felons to get their voting rights restored.

Colorado could restore voting rights to 9,000 felons this year  The Colorado IndependentColorado isn't planning to let people vote from prison any time soon, but about 9,000 convicted felons could win back their right to vote in time for the 2019 ...

Florida Legislature can still get Amendment 4 right | Opinion  Tallahassee.comWhat began in reaction to Florida's highly restrictive civil rights restoration process for ex-offenders ultimately became Amendment 4.

Tennessee felon voting rights restoration bill advances  NewsChannel5.comNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee push to make it easier for some felons to get their voting rights restored has cleared its first legislative hurdle. A House ...

Florida’s Amendment 4 Would Restore Voting Rights to 1.4 Million People  The InterceptOn Tuesday voters will decide whether to pass Amendment 4, which would restore voting rights to 1.4 million of Florida's 1.68 million convicted felons.

Bill to automatically restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated touted by Assembly speaker  The Nevada IndependentSponsored by Democratic Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, AB431 would end the state's byzantine legal structure for the restoration of voting rights for ...

The Florida GOP's Assault on Democracy  The NationLast fall, voters overwhelmingly passed a referendum giving the vote back to felons who complete their sentences. Now the legislature is trying to block it.

Free, weekly legal defense clinics give convicted felons a second chance  Arizona Daily StarThe Pima County Public Defender's Office is hosting free, weekly legal defense clinics, giving convicted felons a second chance at a *fresh* start.

Trying to Restore the Vote to Prisoners Hurts More Than It Helps  SlateThere is also already momentum for change on this issue.

40 Florida Ex-Felons Get Civil Rights Restored At Clemency Board Meeting  WUFTForty ex-felons had their civil rights restored at Florida's Executive Clemency Board meeting Thursday. It was the first Executive Clemency Board meeting to ...

What is Amendment 4 on Florida ballot? It affects restoration of felons’ voting rights  Bradenton HeraldAmendment 4 on the Election 2018 ballot in Florida would restore voting rights to former felons who have completed their sentences. It would not apply to people ...

Nevada passes bill to automatically restore felons' voting rights upon release from prison  Reno Gazette JournalBill advances despite loud concerns from state Senate Republicans.

OPINION EXCHANGE | Earlier restoration of felons' right to vote would be wrong  Star TribuneA push to let such offenders regain the right while still on parole or probation focuses more on what is seen as good for them than on the rights of law-abiding ...