YouTube channel restored for big tech, pandemic coverage critic Naomi Wolf

YouTube has abruptly restored liberal skeptic Naomi Wolf’s DailyClout video channel, after an article in The Epoch Times drew attention to its sudden deletion last week. Wolf, a co-founder of the DailyClout website, is a widely published journalist and bestselling author of books such as “The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women” (1990) and “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” (2007). She was an adviser to then-President Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign and to then-Vice President Al Gore, both Democrats. Earlier this summer, Twitter banned Wolf, who has been critical of vaccine passports … Continue reading YouTube channel restored for big tech, pandemic coverage critic Naomi Wolf

Idaho supreme court invalidates ballot initiative law

The Supreme Court of the State of Idaho unanimously ruled this week that the state’s new statute governing citizen-initiated ballot initiatives is unconstitutional because it infringes on the public’s right to enact laws without the participation of the state Legislature. The decision came Aug. 23 in the case known as Reclaim Idaho v. Denney, dockets 48784 and 48760. Lawerence Denney is Idaho’s Republican secretary of state. Reclaim Idaho is a left-wing political action committee that led a successful Medicaid expansion initiative in 2018 and supports boosting funding in kindergarten through 12th-grade education by increasing Idaho’s corporate tax rate and taxes on individuals … Continue reading Idaho supreme court invalidates ballot initiative law

YouTube bans forced-vaccination, big-tech critic Naomi Wolf

Liberal author Naomi Wolf’s DailyClout channel was abruptly deleted by YouTube after she posted an interview with a prominent critic of mandatory masking policies in schools. “This censorship highlights the extreme clampdown on free speech and public discourse prevailing in the United States,” Wolf said in an Aug. 24 statement after the channel was eliminated. Wolf, a co-founder of the DailyClout website, is a widely published journalist and bestselling author of books such as “The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women” (1990) and “The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” (2007). She was an adviser to then-President … Continue reading YouTube bans forced-vaccination, big-tech critic Naomi Wolf

The era of ‘Zuckbucks’ in Florida election administration ends

The last of the three Florida counties that took grant monies from a left-wing activist group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to help administer the 2020 elections has returned the remaining funds to the group after a new state law banned such grants, according to the Public Interest Legal Foundation. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, supporters of President Joe Biden and Democratic Party candidates, grabbed headlines during the last election cycle by giving as much as $400 million to the Chicago-based Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL). CTCL in turn then distributed the money in the form of grants to jurisdictions … Continue reading The era of ‘Zuckbucks’ in Florida election administration ends

Supreme Court to consider whether detained illegal aliens have right to bail hearing

The Supreme Court agreed on Aug. 23 to consider whether two illegal aliens in immigration detention for more than six months are entitled to a bond hearing. The noncitizens entered the United States unlawfully and have reportedly been deemed by federal authorities to have a well-founded fear of persecution in their native countries. The decision to hear the two cases came after the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 on June 29 that previously deported illegal aliens again facing deportation who claim a fear of persecution if they are removed to their country of origin may be indefinitely detained by the government. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the court’s opinion in the case, … Continue reading Supreme Court to consider whether detained illegal aliens have right to bail hearing

Landlords ask 5th Circuit Court to stay CDC eviction moratorium

Landlords in Louisiana are asking a federal appeals court to block the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s legally dubious nationwide eviction moratorium while that court considers an appeal from the landlords. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended the moratorium earlier this month after President Joe Biden acknowledged doing so would be illegal and after Congress opted not to extend it. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed an order Aug. 3 determining that allowing tenants to be evicted for failing to make rent or housing payments could harm public health control measures aimed at slowing the spread of the CCP virus, also known … Continue reading Landlords ask 5th Circuit Court to stay CDC eviction moratorium

Arizona supreme court gives partial victory to opponents of high-earner tax increase for education

The Supreme Court of the State of Arizona refused to block Proposition 208, which authorizes a new income tax for high earners approved by voters last year that would provide direct funding to schools, but at the same time, the court found that the mechanism for distributing the extra revenue to schools violates the state constitution. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican opposed to the tax increase that was expected to generate upwards of $800 million per year for K–12 schools, was jubilant after the ruling. “The Supreme Court has said it plainly and clearly: Prop 208 is, in their … Continue reading Arizona supreme court gives partial victory to opponents of high-earner tax increase for education

Nearly 15 million mail-in-ballots unaccounted for in 2020 election, report says

In the November 2020 general election, whose chaotic results have been vigorously disputed, almost 15 million mail-in ballots went unaccounted for, according to a good-government group that focuses on electoral integrity. The research brief by the Indianapolis-based Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) notes that as the nation dealt last year with the CCP virus (which causes COVID-19), various U.S. states “hastily pushed traditionally in-person voters to mail ballots while, at the same time, trying to learn how to even administer such a scenario.” PILF describes itself as “the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity,” existing “to assist states and others to … Continue reading Nearly 15 million mail-in-ballots unaccounted for in 2020 election, report says

Alabama Board of Education bans teaching critical race theory

The Alabama Board of Education has decided to ban public schools in the state from teaching the Marxist-invented critical race theory, which critics say holds that white people and the nation itself are inherently racist. The move comes as public resistance to critical race theory (CRT) grows and intensifies among parents in communities across the nation who are fighting back by protesting and taking over local school boards. In 26 state legislatures, bills have been introduced or other steps have been taken to prevent CRT from being taught, Education Week reported. Critical race theory spreads a false and hateful narrative about U.S. history … Continue reading Alabama Board of Education bans teaching critical race theory

Bayer takes Roundup case to Supreme Court

Chemicals giant Bayer AG announced on Aug. 16 it would ask the Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court ruling that upheld damages to a customer blaming his cancer on Roundup, a glyphosate-based weed-killer that has been on the market since the 1970s, in a move aimed at stemming a potential wave of cancer-related lawsuits against it. Bayer reached a settlement deal in principle with plaintiffs last year but failed to secure court approval for a separate agreement on how to handle future cases, Reuters reports. The petition in the case known as Monsanto Company v. Hardeman was filed with the Supreme Court … Continue reading Bayer takes Roundup case to Supreme Court

Washington state supreme court rules in favor of Seattle man living in his truck

Depriving someone of his truck when it serves as his home constitutes an excessive fine that is forbidden by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled. The case is City of Seattle v. Long, court file 98824-2; it was decided on Aug. 12. In 2016, Steven Gregory Long, at the time a 56-year-old member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, parked his truck for more than 72 hours on land owned by Seattle, a violation of the Seattle Municipal Code. Long worked as a general tradesman and stored work tools along with personal effects … Continue reading Washington state supreme court rules in favor of Seattle man living in his truck

California truckers take fight against anti-gig law to Supreme Court

Independent truckers in California are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate an unusually restrictive and possibly unconstitutional state law that virtually outlaws independent contracting. Independent truckers say the California law known as AB5, which took effect Jan. 1, 2020, will kill their industry by preventing companies from hiring them. The law was temporarily enjoined as to motor carriers by U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez of the Southern District of California the day before it took effect, as The Epoch Times previously reported. That injunction has been left in place temporarily by a federal appeals court. The statute, which was pushed by organized … Continue reading California truckers take fight against anti-gig law to Supreme Court

Antique dealers challenge New York’s ivory overreach

Antique dealers are challenging a law that makes it nearly impossible to market some of their wares in New York state that are otherwise legal to sell in the United States. The case is Art and Antique Dealers League of America Inc. v. Seggos, pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Basil Seggos is the commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Also listed as defendants–appellees in the case are the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The plaintiffs–appellants are … Continue reading Antique dealers challenge New York’s ivory overreach

Seattle mission asks Supreme Court to uphold right to hire co-religionists

A Christian mission in Seattle is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Washington Supreme Court ruled it doesn’t have the right to refuse to hire someone who disagrees with its beliefs. “Churches and religious organizations have the First Amendment right to hire those who share their beliefs without being punished by the government,” said John Bursch, a former Michigan solicitor general who is now senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy with the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a public interest law firm that’s representing the mission. “Courts have consistently recognized that a religious organization’s purpose will be undermined if … Continue reading Seattle mission asks Supreme Court to uphold right to hire co-religionists

Minnesota Supreme Court upholds state’s gun-carrying law

The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that a state law requiring individuals to possess a permit to carry a handgun in public is constitutional and doesn’t contravene the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ruling comes as President Joe Biden presses for a ban on so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and for more background checks, as Biden’s controversial nomination of anti-gun activist David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives flounders in the U.S. Senate. On Aug. 7, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) implored Biden to withdraw the nomination, saying the Senate “has spent quite … Continue reading Minnesota Supreme Court upholds state’s gun-carrying law

Minnesota public interest law firm takes on critical race theory

A public interest law firm in Minnesota has filed a series of lawsuits on behalf of victims of critical race theory-based discrimination and retaliation as the grassroots movement against the ideology continues to grow. “Our clients are bravely confronting CRT-inspired bullying, indoctrination, and retaliation, which is not ‘training’ or persuasion,” Doug Seaton, president of Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC), said in a statement. “They have been insulted, lied about, threatened, demoted, and fired, simply for refusing to submit to this ideology. But the U.S. Constitution, the federal Civil Rights laws, and their Minnesota counterparts don’t permit this race-based discrimination, retaliation, compelled speech, and invasion … Continue reading Minnesota public interest law firm takes on critical race theory

Appeals court upholds federal ban on illegal aliens having guns

The categorical ban that prevents illegal aliens from possessing firearms doesn’t violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court held. The ruling by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit came July 29 in United States v. Perez, court file 19-620-cr. Cam Edwards writes at Bearing Arms that the ruling is “an odd decision, in that the judges didn’t actually rule on whether or not the Second Amendment protects the rights of illegal aliens to possess a firearm.” In the case, the defendant, Javier Perez, appealed from a conviction for possessing a firearm and ammunition while unlawfully present in the United States. … Continue reading Appeals court upholds federal ban on illegal aliens having guns

Fight social media censorship by suing for discrimination, think tank head urges

The best way to fight social media censorship is to promote model state legislation all across the country that gives users the right to sue when a tech platform engages in discrimination, John Hinderaker, president of Minnesota’s Center for the American Experiment, told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview. In a July 30 column at the Power Line blog, Hinderaker contends that creating a private cause of action allowing users to sue when a social media platform practices viewpoint discrimination, instead of diving deep into the minutiae of Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act (CDA) as many conservatives favor, could help restore free … Continue reading Fight social media censorship by suing for discrimination, think tank head urges

Group seeks to compel Education Department to require procedural safeguards in alleged sex offenses

Three groups are asking the Supreme Court to allow them to intervene in litigation aimed at making the Biden administration adhere to a Trump administration rule that guarantees students accused of sexual improprieties procedural safeguards in administrative proceedings. The case, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) v. Victim Rights Law Center, was docketed on July 21. The petitioners are three nonprofit organizations that promote free speech and due process on college campuses: FIRE; Independent Women’s Law Center; and Speech First Inc. Among the governmental respondents are Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and the Department of Education. The other respondents are … Continue reading Group seeks to compel Education Department to require procedural safeguards in alleged sex offenses