the Assembly: “No members of the state’s Rules Review Commission—all appointed by the Republican-led General Assembly—flagged it before signing off on the voter ID rules on March 27, 2024, according to meeting minutes. (Senate leader Phil Berger’s daughter, Ashley Snyder, heads the commission’s staff.) Lawyers for the state and national GOP hadn’t mentioned the exemption in a January…
Month: January 2025
“Antiabortion advocates look for men to report their partners’ abortions”
WaPo: “As antiabortion advocates launch legal efforts to stop abortion pills from reaching women in states with bans, they are increasingly turning to one group with uniquely intimate and specific informationto help them find cases: male sex partners of women who decided to end their pregnancies. The strategy propelled a first-of-its-kind lawsuit filed last month by…
“Alabama’s anti-DEI law violates Constitution, UA professors and UAB students claim in lawsuit”
AL.com: “Professors at the University of Alabama and students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham filed a federal lawsuit today challenging a new Alabama law that they described as a censorship bill that prevents them from learning, teaching, and engaging in classes and programs on diverse viewpoints and topics. The Alabama State Conference of the NAACP…
“Michael Whatley Re-Elected RNC Chair”
Political Wire: “The Republican National Committee on Friday reelected Michael Whatley as chair, continuing the tenure of President-elect Donald Trump’s second hand-picked leader for the GOP, Politico reports.”
“DeSantis Picks Florida’s Attorney General to Replace Rubio”
NY Times: “Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Thursday named Ashley Moody, the Republican state attorney general, to replace Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate, elevating a close ally to Mr. Rubio’s seat after he is confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s secretary of state. … Ms. Moody, like Mr. DeSantis, was elected to statewide…
Dems and GOP Lawmakers Joint Together to Elect TX Speaker of the House
Hoodline: “In a significant political development in the Lone Star State, Republican Dustin Burrows of Lubbock secured the position of Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Gaining support from a mix of both his party colleagues and Democrats, Burrows clinched the role on a second ballot with 85 votes, narrowly surpassing Rep. David Cook’s…
Incendiary GA Senator Arrested After Violating Ban from Legislative Floor in Place Until He Apologizes for Insulting Deceased Lawmaker During Memorial Service
ABC News: A Georgia state senator who was previously banned from the state House chamber was arrested Thursday when he tried to enter the chamber for the governor’s state of the state speech and got into a shoving match with House employees. State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, is among the chamber’s most…
“Republicans in North Carolina Are Treading a Terrifying Path”
NY Times: “Nothing should be shocking after Jan. 6, 2021, when an American president’s scheming to overturn the legitimate results of a fair election culminated in the bloody breaching of the Capitol. Still, I’m aghast at the audacity of what Republicans here in North Carolina are up to. They are following in their leader’s footsteps…
“Justices Hear Case on Age Verification Laws for Porn”
Political Wire: “With online access to pornography and other sexually explicit content easier than ever before, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will take a fresh look at government efforts to impose new safeguards for children by requiring adult websites to conduct electronic age verification,” ABC News reports. “The case, brought by an adult entertainment industry trade…
“Advocates rally for investigation into Red Onion State prison, press for reforms”
VA Mercury: “Roughly two months after Virginia’s Department of Corrections confirmed that six inmates at Red Onion State Prison had burned themselves by tampering with electrical outlets, advocates renewed calls for an overhaul of the facility on Wednesday outside of Virginia’s Capitol, as lawmakers prepare legislation to address some of the concerns shared by people incarcerated at…