A good-government group is threatening to sue Oregon Gov. Kate Brown if she moves forward with her planned implementation of a vaccine verification system—commonly called a vaccine passport system—for residents of the state to enter a business without wearing a face mask. A vaccine passport is proof that an individual has tested negative for or been inoculated against certain infections, such as the CCP virus that causes the disease COVID-19. The passport can be digital, such as a smartphone app, or physical, such as a small paper card. Government officials and businesses can demand to see it before allowing an individual to go into an office; board an airplane; … Continue reading Group vows lawsuit against Oregon governor over ‘vaccine passport’ orders

The newly arrived radical leftist mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, the city with the worst murder rate in America, is committed to leaving her constituents at the mercy of violent criminals by defunding the local police department and shutting down one of the city’s two jails. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, a woke black Democrat, was sworn in in April after narrowly defeating Cara Spencer, a similarly woke leftist white woman. Jones’s campaign, which focused on “progressive” criminal justice reforms, was unabashedly racist. She said during a debate that Spencer wouldn’t be a good mayor because her skin was the wrong color. A … Continue reading St. Louis mayor guts the police: Tishaura Jones faithfully fulfills the leftist agenda

New Hampshire has no right to challenge Massachusetts’s allegedly unconstitutional pandemic-era policy of taxing out-of-state residents who work in their home state for employers located in Massachusetts, the Biden administration told the Supreme Court. Billions of dollars in income taxes paid by people who worked from home during the pandemic are at stake in this case, and conceivably in other states such as New York that tax nonresident income. The Biden administration was responding after the high court asked for its view of a lawsuit brought by New Hampshire last fall. Invoking the high court’s original jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes between the … Continue reading Biden administration says SCOTUS should not hear New Hampshire’s objection to nonresident taxes

  Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton accused Democrats of “blackmail” for threatening to pack the Supreme Court if it upholds a pro-life Mississippi law. Cotton’s single-word tweet consisting of the word “blackmail” came in response to an article in The Hill newspaper that quoted 4 Democratic U.S. senators vowing to expand the size of the Supreme Court in order to protect abortion rights should the court decide to uphold Mississippi’s H.B. 1510, the Gestational Age Act of 2018, which allows abortions after 15 weeks’ gestational age only in medical emergencies or for severe fetal abnormality. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), also weighed in on the article and its contents. … Continue reading Sen. Cotton accuses Democrats of ‘blackmail’ over Supreme Court packing threats

The District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against online retailing giant Amazon, accusing the Seattle-based company of using its market power to harm consumers. Amazon is the world’s largest online retail platform. As of May 25, the company had a market capitalization of $1.63 trillion, and according to The Wall Street Journal, was close to completing a deal to acquire MGM, the Hollywood movie-making studio. Amazon unlawfully uses price agreements to stifle competition, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Amazon has used its dominant position in the online retail market to win at … Continue reading District of Columbia sues Amazon for alleged antitrust violations

A parents’ group may proceed with its lawsuit claiming new admissions policies at an elite public high school in Fairfax County, Virginia, discriminate against Asian Americans, a federal judge ruled. The civil rights lawsuit, Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, was filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 10 by the Sacramento, California-based Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a national public interest law firm. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was rated the best public high school in the United States in April by U.S. News and World Report. The school houses 9th through 12th grades, with a total … Continue reading Federal judge allows racial discrimination suit against Virginia school board to go ahead

A white Florida farmer is challenging part of the recent COVID-19 stimulus law in federal court because it hands out federal benefits based on the color of a farmer’s skin. The civil rights lawsuit, Wynn v. Vilsack, was filed in federal court in Florida on May 18 by the Sacramento, California-based Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a national public interest law firm. Tom Vilsack is being sued in his official capacity as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The plaintiff, Scott Wynn, is a white man who has been producing sweet potatoes, corn, soybeans, peanuts, and cattle on his own farm in Jennings, Florida, since … Continue reading White farmer sues over ‘racially discriminatory’ stimulus program

Facing mounting legal pressure, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the Bay State will soon stop enforcing pandemic-related restrictions on civic life and businesses, including those that single out religious gatherings—months ahead of Baker’s previously stated reopening deadline of Aug. 1. Baker’s announcement came days after First Liberty Institute and the Massachusetts Family Institute filed a federal lawsuit challenging the restrictions on behalf of New Life South Coast in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) asked the Supreme Court to review a state court ruling that held the Republican governor’s restrictions didn’t violate its clients’ federal constitutional rights. The announcement also … Continue reading Mass. governor to end pandemic restrictions early

Two North Carolina counties that canceled cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) subsequently experienced an upsurge in violent crime, according to a new report. The report, by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), comes as left-wing lawmakers, led by Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, call for slashing funding for the so-called 287(g) program, which creates a framework for cooperation between local law enforcement officials and federal immigration authorities. Founded in 1986, IRLI is a public interest law firm that describes itself as being “dedicated to achieving responsible immigration policies that serve our national interest.” “Named after a section in … Continue reading Violent crime jumped in two counties that stopped cooperating with ICE, report finds

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a Mississippi case that could allow states to ban abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. The case will probably be heard in the fall of this year. It comes as Democrats and President Joe Biden intensify their push to expand the Supreme Court from its current nine members, in part to protect abortion rights. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves hailed the court’s decision, saying a review of the nation’s abortion laws was “long past due.” “The sanctity of life. The future of our children. Mississippi is at the forefront of protecting both. And that is what is at stake in … Continue reading Supreme Court to consider Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected Biden administration arguments in a case from Rhode Island that police should be allowed to enter homes without a warrant to seize handguns. The ruling in the case, Caniglia v. Strom, court file 20-157, came May 17. Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America and the affiliated Gun Owners Foundation, praised the decision. “The Supreme Court today smacked down the hopes of gun-grabbers across the nation,” he said. “The Michael Bloombergs of the world would have loved to see the Supreme Court grant police the authority to confiscate firearms without a warrant. … Continue reading Supreme Court unanimously rebuffs Biden administration on warrantless searches for handguns

A farming family is suing the federal government over its demand that they leave what the family argues is a mud puddle in the middle of their farm intact because it considers the ground to be a federally protected wetland. The legal complaint in the case, Foster v. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), was filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in South Dakota. The lawsuit was filed by the Sacramento, California-based Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a national public interest law firm. The puddle is about 0.8 acres in size and roughly eight inches deep. The family’s rights “are being violated … Continue reading Farmers sue over federal regulation of ‘mud puddle’ on their land

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced recently that she’s the first candidate nationwide to promise to fight action civics and critical race theory by signing the 1776 Pledge to Save Our Schools, a pledge drafted by a new patriotic education group. The pledge signed by the Republican governor is promoted by 1776 Action, a new 501(c)(4) nonprofit founded by Adam Waldeck, former aide to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Gingrich and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson support the group. All the major candidates in the recent contest for the Republican Party nomination for governor of Virginia also signed … Continue reading 1776 Action takes on anti-American education, critical race theory

A good-government group is taking to the Supreme Court its challenge of the constitutionality of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s 14-month-old pandemic-related state of emergency and its continuing restrictions on civic life and businesses. The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) filed a petition for certiorari, or review, with the Supreme Court asking the justices to review the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s December 2020 ruling that held the Republican governor’s restrictions didn’t violate the plaintiffs’ federal constitutional rights. In the case, the petitioners—individuals, business people, small businesses, and churches—argue that the current restrictions on their civil liberties violate their due process rights. Baker’s capacity limitations, curfews, and other restrictions … Continue reading Massachusetts governor’s pandemic restrictions challenged in Supreme Court

The Biden administration announced that it’s overturning a Trump-era Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule that excluded gender identity from sex discrimination protections in the Obamacare statute. The rule dealt with Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which made it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of “race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in certain health programs and activities.” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on May 10 that the decision was made in light of a landmark Supreme Court ruling on an unrelated topic. The June 15, 2020, ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County–that employees can’t … Continue reading Biden reversing HHS gender identity policy

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter implored the Supreme Court to hear a Mississippi case that could allow states to ban abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. Hunter’s remarks came after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, signed a so-called trigger bill April 27 that would automatically outlaw abortion in the state if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, which, in 1973, made abortion lawful throughout the United States. Hunter, also a Republican, said his office has an interest in getting involved when “wayward” courts get it wrong on vitally important policy issues, The Oklahoman reported May 9. “My role is to … Continue reading Oklahoma asks Supreme Court to take up abortion ban appeal

The City of Tallahassee, Florida, is challenging a state constitutional amendment that bolsters crime victims’ rights by curbing the state’s open-records laws. Florida’s First District Court of Appeal ruled on April 6 in the case that the amendment, which shields the identities of crime victims, covers police officers who are victims of crime. Tallahassee officials argue the ruling has the effect of interfering with the ability of the public to hold police accountable in a state renowned for its laws guaranteeing public access to government records. The appeal comes less than a month after the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to … Continue reading Tallahassee sues to reveal names of police officers involved in use-of-force incidents

A good-government group is suing Washington state after Gov. Jay Inslee signed a controversial capital gains tax into law that it says violates the U.S. and state constitutions. The lawsuit comes as President Joe Biden pushes for big increases in federal capital gains tax rates. Washington is one of a handful of U.S. states that doesn’t levy a personal or corporate state income tax. Inslee, a Democrat, called the measure an “economic justice legislative package,” when he signed it into law May 4. “This is a day where Washington state starts to make progress on making our upside-down tax system fairer and more … Continue reading Washington Gov. Inslee sued over new capital gains tax