Month: May 2021

The TX Tribune: “Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that public schools can no longer require masks on their campuses starting June 5. The decision was part of a new executive order that bans government entities in Texas — like cities and counties — from mandating masks in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Starting Friday, any government entity that…

Mother Jones: “In a private meeting last month with big-money donors, the head of a top conservative group boasted that her outfit had crafted the new voter suppression law in Georgia and was doing the same with similar bills for Republican state legislators across the country. “In some cases, we actually draft them for them,” she said, “or we…

NC Policy Watch: “In September 2014, I was sitting with Henry McCollum at the moment a judge ordered his release from death row for a crime he did not commit. Many folks in the courtroom clapped in celebration. Others embraced out of relief. It had been 30 years since Henry and his brother Leon Brown…

NY Times: “As Republicans in the Texas Legislature run roughshod over corporate opposition, public protests and Democratic objections to advance a voting restrictions bill to the brink of passage, State Representative Jessica González, a two-term Democrat from near Dallas, has been at the forefront of the fight. Ms. González, the vice chair of the House…

AR Times: “Not that Rep. Robin Lundstrum or any of the other self-proclaimed experts in the Arkansas legislature will read it or care, but here’s an excellent article explaining why the news Arkansas law prohibiting medical care for transgender minors is not only cruel and unhealthy for children but unconstitutional. Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr., a University of Alabma…

NY Times: “A former confidant of Representative Matt Gaetz admitted in court papers on Friday to an array of federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations. The plea deal by Joel Greenberg, the onetime associate of Mr. Gaetz who had served as a…

MS Today: “The Mississippi Supreme Court on Friday issued a much-anticipated ruling that strikes down the Medical marijuana program enshrined in the state constitution by voters in November. The ruling also voids — for now — the state’s ballot initiative process that allows voters to take matters in hand and pass constitutional amendments. The court…

Politico: “Pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood’s bid to bring “chaos” to South Carolina’s GOP was halted on Saturday when he failed to unseat the party’s chairman after baselessly accusing the incumbent of voter fraud and a host of other slurs. Chairman Drew McKissick’s reelection was not in doubt among knowledgeable Republicans who say the party delegate rules favor…

Politico: “McConaughey has been quietly making calls to influential people in Texas political circles, including a deep-pocketed moderate Republican and energy CEO, to take their temperature on the race and to talk about seriously throwing his hat in the ring, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations. Most political strategists say they doubt McConaughey,…

The Fayetteville Observer: “A criminal court summons was issued Friday for a state Appeals Court judge after a Fayetteville woman swore before a Cumberland County magistrate that he nearly hit her with his SUV. Once served, the summons orders Judge John M. Tyson to appear in a Cumberland County courtroom next month to answer to…