LetMyPeopleVote
LetMyPeopleVote's JournalACLU launches 'Let People Vote' campaign
I attended one of these meetings last night https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/10/1/1701842/-ACLU-launches-Let-People-Vote-campaign
The American Civil Liberties Union aims to change all that.
Coming less than a week after #NationalVoterRegistrationDay (not that we should limit that to a day, a week, a month, or a year), the ACLU is launching its own nationwide events to promote and expand voting rights and increase voting participation. The events are being started in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, since voting rules are established at the state level.
Oct. 1 marks the start of the ACLU “Let People Vote” campaign. Ground Zero is in Lawrence, Kansas, right in Kobach’s backyard, since he’s been one of the driving forces of voter suppression.
The ACLU is trying to build a non-partisan grass roots organization to address issues. In March, the first call to action was to get people to go to visit local city and county leaders to encourage sanctuary city type programs and there were some success.
This program has 51 different state calls to action for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The ACLU is working hard to get a ballot initiative on the 2018 general election ballot to restore the vote of felons who have served their sentence in Florida. This could result in the restoration of voting rights 1.5 million citizens.
Martin Shkreli jailed after Facebook post about Hillary Clinton
Source: Washington Post
A federal judge on Wednesday revoked the $5 million bail of Martin Shkreli, the infamous former hedge fund manager convicted of defrauding investors, after prosecutors complained that his out-of-court antics posed a danger to the community.
While awaiting sentencing, Shkreli has harassed women online, prosecutors argued, and even offered his Facebook followers $5,000 to grab a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair during her book tour. Shkreli, who faces up to 20 years in prison, apologized saying that he did not expect anyone to take his online comments seriously.
“He does not need to apologize to me. He should have apologized to the government, the Secret Service, and Hillary Clinton,” said U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, in revoking his bond.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/09/13/martin-shkreli-apologizes-for-facebook-post-about-hillary-clinton/?pushid=59b9b0285ea55a1d00000030&tid=notifi_push_breaking-news&utm_term=.67ec1ae7ab92
Court rejects Trump administration attempt to include extended family in travel ban
Source: Politico
An appeals court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to deny grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins of Americans an exemption from President Donald Trump’s travel ban executive order.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously declined to overturn a district court judge’s ruling that the administration was taking too narrow a view of an exception the Supreme Court carved out from the travel ban in June.
The appeals court panel also cleared the way for a greater flow of refugees, declining to disturb a lower court order that those already assigned to resettlement agencies can enter the U.S. despite Trump’s order.
The revised travel ban Trump issued in March suspends issuance of U.S. visas to residents of six majority-Muslim countries and halts admission of refugees from across the globe. The Supreme Court has set arguments on the ban’s legality for October 10.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/07/court-rejects-trump-administration-attempt-to-include-extended-family-in-travel-ban-242461
Trump loses another court ruling. The SCOTUS had previously made clear that the grandparent issue and now the 9th Circuit cleared the way for persons with visas who have been assigned to a relief organization to enter the United States
PPP polling discussed on Rachel Maddow tonight
https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/900166587126136832https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/900167012122370049
https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/900167284001357824
George and Amal Clooney donate $1 million to Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is doing great work https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-amal-clooney-give-one-million-grant-to-combat-hate-groups/
Through their Clooney Foundation for Justice, the couple is donating $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit organization that tracks hate groups and extremists in the U.S.
In a statement to CBS News, George Clooney said: "Amal and I wanted to add our voice (and financial assistance) to the ongoing fight for equality. There are no two sides to bigotry and hate."
"What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate," the couple said in a statement.
Texas Democratic Party trying to get Joaquin Castro to run for governor
the Texas Democratic Party has arranged a number of call to actions for voters to meet Joaquin Castro and to try to encourage him to run. The Meyerland Democrats had an event this afternoon and tonight the Katy Democrats had an event where we had over 140 attendees. There was a great deal of love shown to Congressman Castro. 140+ attendees for this event was a major accomplishment. I was very pleased with the event.
There is another event at the Harris County Democratic Party headquarters tomorrow morning at 10 AM. http://www.harrisdemocrats.com/joaquincastroaug2017 If you are in Houston, go meet Congressman Castro. He would give Greg Abbott a good run and could win if Greg and Patrick continue to push things like bathroom bills and the sanctuary city silliness
Texas Appeals 3-Judge Court Ruling on Congressional Redistricting to Supreme Court
Texas has the option of letting the court redraw the boundaries or having the Texas legislature redo the boundaries. Texas is going for a third option of appealing to the SCOTUS. https://electionlawblog.org/?p=94354
On the merits, the ruling is pretty good for Texas compared to what the Court might have done, and the Supreme Court may not choose to get involved in this aspect of the case. (There are other meaty issues, including the findings on discriminatory intent, and possible order to put Texas back under federal supervision for voting which I expect the Court would fully review).
The court will hold hearings on Sept 5 to 8 unless enjoined or stayed by the SCOTUS. I think that there is a decent chance that the SCOTUS will let the court draw new boundaries pending determination of appeal
Organizers of white nationalist rally in Virginia, driver sued for $3 million
The Southern Poverty Law Center bankrupted the KKK in the South and the Aryan Nation in Idaho by suing these organizations for the acts of their members. This tactic was very effective with respect to the KKK and the Aryan Nation. Now this tactic is being used against the idiots in the alt right http://www.politicususa.com/2017/08/15/organizers-white-nationalist-rally-virginia-driver-sued-3-million.html
Tadrint Washington and Micah Washington said in papers filed in Charlottesville circuit court that they had been among the people hurt when James Alex Fields drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one.
They had been driving home and their car was struck by Fields car, and some of his pedestrian victims were also hurled onto their vehicle, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit names Fields, “Unite the Right” rally organizer Jason Kessler and about two dozen alt-right leaders and organizations as defendants.
“There was no doubt that violence was intended at this rally,” the pair said in the lawsuit, noting that participants came bearing shields and weapons.
Kessler has denied that the event was intended to provoke violence, contending that the counter-protesters sparked the fighting and blaming police for failing to protect his group. He could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
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