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In It to Win It
In It to Win It's Journal
In It to Win It's Journal
May 9, 2022
(Virginia) State Supreme Court vacancies remain unfilled during political standoff
Virginia MercuryTwo vacant seats in the Virginia Supreme Court hang in the balance in the political standoff in the Virginia Assembly.
State lawmakers said in interviews this week that their negotiations over the justices continue but indicated they are no closer to resolution.
We do not have an agreement on how to proceed with the Senate, Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, chair of the House Courts of Justice committee, told the Mercury. Bell declined to comment further on the specifics of the negotiations.
At issue are two of the seven seats in the state Supreme Court. The two seats opened in the last year after Chief Justice Donald Lemons and Justice William Mims announced their retirements.
Selecting justices is a constitutional duty of the General Assembly, which elects the justices by a majority vote. Once elected, a justice can serve for a 12-year term. In recent history Republican legislatures have elected justices as a matter of course. But this year, the appointments are one of many political deadlocks in the current divided legislature.
Weve been talking about this since January but there are a couple things that get hung up in it, Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, co-chair of Senate judiciary committee, told the Mercury.
Deeds said the obvious solution would be to give House Republicans one choice and Senate Democrats another choice. But even if they could agree on those appointments, there are other cascading effects, like if a justice is elevated from the appeals court and has to be replaced.
The solutions are within grasp, we are still talking, still being civil with one another, but the discussions continue, Deeds said. And right now I dont know if there is anything we can do to force the situation ahead.
Republicans have less incentive to negotiate because if lawmakers adjourn without an agreement, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has authority to put his own judges on the bench without the legislatures involvement.
Those justices could serve until the end of the year but would have to be confirmed by the legislature when it reconvenes in January.
State lawmakers said in interviews this week that their negotiations over the justices continue but indicated they are no closer to resolution.
We do not have an agreement on how to proceed with the Senate, Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, chair of the House Courts of Justice committee, told the Mercury. Bell declined to comment further on the specifics of the negotiations.
At issue are two of the seven seats in the state Supreme Court. The two seats opened in the last year after Chief Justice Donald Lemons and Justice William Mims announced their retirements.
Selecting justices is a constitutional duty of the General Assembly, which elects the justices by a majority vote. Once elected, a justice can serve for a 12-year term. In recent history Republican legislatures have elected justices as a matter of course. But this year, the appointments are one of many political deadlocks in the current divided legislature.
Weve been talking about this since January but there are a couple things that get hung up in it, Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, co-chair of Senate judiciary committee, told the Mercury.
Deeds said the obvious solution would be to give House Republicans one choice and Senate Democrats another choice. But even if they could agree on those appointments, there are other cascading effects, like if a justice is elevated from the appeals court and has to be replaced.
The solutions are within grasp, we are still talking, still being civil with one another, but the discussions continue, Deeds said. And right now I dont know if there is anything we can do to force the situation ahead.
Republicans have less incentive to negotiate because if lawmakers adjourn without an agreement, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has authority to put his own judges on the bench without the legislatures involvement.
Those justices could serve until the end of the year but would have to be confirmed by the legislature when it reconvenes in January.
May 9, 2022
Camila Cabello Launches 'Protect Our Kids' Fund to Fight Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
Billboard via Yahoo News Camila Cabello spent Mothers Day (May 8) hosting a benefit concert to support the emergency Protect Our Kids fund. The singer has teamed with Lambda Legal and Equality Florida to help protect LGBTQ+ students and their families from Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay or Trans bill, which bars public school teachers in Cabellos home state from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
I am sooo honored to have spent Mothers Day supporting @lambdalegal and @equalityfl in launching the Protect Our Kids Fund which supports litigation against the hateful Dont Say Gay or Trans law in FL, Cabello wrote alongside a series of pictures from the event. Whats happening in my home state is unacceptable and is harming LGBTQ+ youth and families. Some of the most special people in my life are in this community and it breaks my heart to see their identities try to be erased. We have to demand equal rights and respect for all.
I am sooo honored to have spent Mothers Day supporting @lambdalegal and @equalityfl in launching the Protect Our Kids Fund which supports litigation against the hateful Dont Say Gay or Trans law in FL, Cabello wrote alongside a series of pictures from the event. Whats happening in my home state is unacceptable and is harming LGBTQ+ youth and families. Some of the most special people in my life are in this community and it breaks my heart to see their identities try to be erased. We have to demand equal rights and respect for all.
May 9, 2022
Senators aim for quick passage of bill providing security for family members of Supreme Court justic
NBC News via Yahoo News WASHINGTON Two senators are hoping to pass bipartisan legislation this week that would extend security protections to immediate family members of Supreme Court justices amid heightened tensions over a forthcoming abortion ruling.
Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, aim to pass the Supreme Court Police Parity Act through an expedited process as soon as Monday or Tuesday, an aide to Coons confirmed to NBC News.
The bill, which was introduced last week, would provide security in line with protections for family members of certain executive and legislative branch officials.
Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, aim to pass the Supreme Court Police Parity Act through an expedited process as soon as Monday or Tuesday, an aide to Coons confirmed to NBC News.
The bill, which was introduced last week, would provide security in line with protections for family members of certain executive and legislative branch officials.
May 9, 2022
DeSantis signs legislation establishing 'Victims of Communism Day' in Florida
WFTV 9Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation establishing the day during a news conference at the Freedom Tower in Miami on Monday.
DeSantis said the legislation requires the states public schools to observe the day and educate students on the evils of communism.
During the news conference, DeSantis also approved $25 million to support repairs and renovations to the Freedom Tower and the renaming of three roads for Cubans who fought against Fidel Castro in Cuba.
DeSantis said the legislation requires the states public schools to observe the day and educate students on the evils of communism.
During the news conference, DeSantis also approved $25 million to support repairs and renovations to the Freedom Tower and the renaming of three roads for Cubans who fought against Fidel Castro in Cuba.
May 9, 2022
Stacey Abrams Lands $1M Donation From George Soros
The Root via Yahoo News Stacey Abramss campaign for Georgia governor is in line for a seven-figure fundraising boost, but it has to wait a bit for the check to clear.
George Soros, the billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, is donating $1 million to Abrams campaign, but she wont be able to spend any of the money until shes officially crowned as the Democratic nominee for the seat, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The hold-up is because of a new law that Georgias GOP-controlled General Assembly passed last year that was designed to put current Governor Brian Kemp at an early fundraising advantage, but because of lawsuits from Abrams and Kemps Republican primary challengers, hasnt quite worked out that way.
The new law allows candidates for certain offices in Georgia to set up so-called leadership committees, which are a special kind of political organization allowed to skirt the usual campaign fundraising limits and collect unlimited amounts from donors. As originally written, Kemp could immediately begin using his leadership because hes the gubernatorial incumbent. Abrams and others, including Kemps top GOP challenger, David Perdue, would have to wait until they officially won their partys primaries. The primary contests are scheduled for May 24.
George Soros, the billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, is donating $1 million to Abrams campaign, but she wont be able to spend any of the money until shes officially crowned as the Democratic nominee for the seat, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The hold-up is because of a new law that Georgias GOP-controlled General Assembly passed last year that was designed to put current Governor Brian Kemp at an early fundraising advantage, but because of lawsuits from Abrams and Kemps Republican primary challengers, hasnt quite worked out that way.
The new law allows candidates for certain offices in Georgia to set up so-called leadership committees, which are a special kind of political organization allowed to skirt the usual campaign fundraising limits and collect unlimited amounts from donors. As originally written, Kemp could immediately begin using his leadership because hes the gubernatorial incumbent. Abrams and others, including Kemps top GOP challenger, David Perdue, would have to wait until they officially won their partys primaries. The primary contests are scheduled for May 24.
May 9, 2022
"Originalism" is for people who choose not to think
to borrow a phrase from our unesteemed Associate Justice Thomas
May 9, 2022
https://twitter.com/CAKitchener/status/1522909109292523522
What's the rationale here? Plan B and IUDs
https://twitter.com/ProfMMurray/status/1523386559449354240https://twitter.com/CAKitchener/status/1522909109292523522
May 8, 2022
So they want people to have all these babies and
Not support affordable childcare
Not support family leave
Divert funds from public schools
Not support free school lunch programs
Not support equal pay
Not support affordable medical care
Since the SCOTUS draft opinion leaked, Ive read articles of Republican legislators pushing bills banning or putting impractical restrictions on abortion and also banning contraception, and yet, they are offering no support.
May 7, 2022
Business Insider via Yahoo News
Tesla is paying for employees to get abortions out of state as the Supreme Court looks likely to ove
Tesla is paying for employees to get abortions out of state as the Supreme Court looks likely to overturn Roe v. WadeBusiness Insider via Yahoo News
Tesla, the electric vehicle company owned by billionaire and soon-to-be Twitter owner Elon Musk, is paying for employees to get out-of-state abortions.
According to the company's 2021 Impact Report, Tesla began providing an "expanded Safety Net program and health insurance offering" last year, which includes "travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state."
That came after the company relocated to Texas, where abortion was outlawed after the six-week mark in August 2021.
That policy places Tesla among a growing list of companies that are helping employees access abortion care in the wake of new restrictions passed at the state level, as well as fresh concerns that Roe v. Wade could be overturned next month following the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion doing just that.
And it puts Musk who's otherwise become a hero among conservatives following his purchase of Twitter last month at odds with some of his cheerleaders.
According to the company's 2021 Impact Report, Tesla began providing an "expanded Safety Net program and health insurance offering" last year, which includes "travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state."
That came after the company relocated to Texas, where abortion was outlawed after the six-week mark in August 2021.
That policy places Tesla among a growing list of companies that are helping employees access abortion care in the wake of new restrictions passed at the state level, as well as fresh concerns that Roe v. Wade could be overturned next month following the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion doing just that.
And it puts Musk who's otherwise become a hero among conservatives following his purchase of Twitter last month at odds with some of his cheerleaders.
May 6, 2022
Louisiana lawmakers advance bill that would classify abortion as homicide
NBC News via Yahoo NewsA bill advanced Wednesday by Louisiana legislators would classify abortion as a homicide, potentially allowing authorities to charge women and girls with murder and criminalize in vitro fertilization, critics said.
The bill, dubbed the Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act, passed 7-2 out of a state House subcommittee two days after Politico published a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting that the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The bill will now move to a full House vote. The legislation would still need support from the Senate and the governor before it could become law.
The bill, dubbed the Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act, passed 7-2 out of a state House subcommittee two days after Politico published a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting that the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The bill will now move to a full House vote. The legislation would still need support from the Senate and the governor before it could become law.
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