Yoga has been banned in Alabama schools since 1993 when conservative groups convinced the Alabama Board of Education that yoga should not be allowed in schools because of its Hindu roots. The language of the regulation said that “The State Board of Education specifically prohibits the use of hypnosis and... Read More »
Buckhead, a neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its mansions and classy malls. But when a woman pulled into her driveway after work one night, two men were at her car door. One threw her to the ground, put a weapon to her head, and said he was going... Read More »
On day one of Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd, new information was introduced. Instead of the 8 minutes, 46 seconds the world had assumed was the duration that Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck, prosecutors say it was actually 9 minutes, 29 seconds — 43 seconds... Read More »
When Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation, he was also approving about $40 billion in funds for higher education. Provisions were included for student loan forgiveness and financial aid. The provisions were targeted at schools with small endowments and large quantities of Pell Grant recipients. Funds are intended... Read More »
The Trump administration had issued a rule that penalized lawful immigrants for seeking public assistance. Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed several pending appeals over that rule pursuant to joint requests filed by the Biden administration and plaintiffs that challenged that policy. Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the justices... Read More »
Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd has been beset with challenges from the beginning. The first obstacle seemed to be empaneling a jury with the ability to be unbiased. Then there was the addition of the third-degree murder charge. Finally, just before the weekend, Minneapolis agreed to... Read More »
George Floyd took his last breath while pinned to the ground beneath a Minneapolis police officer’s knee. Millions of people watched. Tens of thousands have protested the killing of Black men like Floyd, chanting some of Floyd’s final words, “I can’t breathe.” Now lawyers must find 12-16 people in and... Read More »
On Monday, March 8, 2021, International Women’s Day, President Biden began his effort to take apart the Trump-era rules on sexual misconduct that favored students accused of assault. He ordered the Education Department to review all policies on violence, sex, and gender discrimination in schools. Biden directed the agency to... Read More »
Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd got off to a non-start on Monday, March 8, 2021, when prosecutors filed for a three-month delay. They cited the pandemic and time required to have people vaccinated to reduce health risks as reasons for the delay. They also requested the... Read More »
On March 4, 2021, the Biden administration requested that the Supreme Court dismiss three pending appeals about Trump’s efforts to withhold law enforcement funds from cities and states that refused to cooperate with immigration authorities during the Trump administration. The Supreme Court dismissed the cases. Lawyers for the jurisdictions challenging... Read More »
As of Thursday, March 4, 2021, noncitizens with criminal records who are hoping to avoid deportation must prove that their crimes aren’t among those that Congress has decreed require mandatory removal from the U.S. Federal laws are often ambiguous, which compounds the problem. Some immigration provisions require the deportation of... Read More »
Last year, nearly 85,000 people came forward as potential sexual abuse victims of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). This large quantity of lawsuits was filed after California, New Jersey, New York and other states expanded the options for childhood abuse victims to file suit. In February of 2020, BSA... Read More »
Two Arizona laws were brought before the Supreme Court for oral argument to decide if they violate the Voting Rights Act. Those laws are 1) a bar against counting ballots that were cast at the wrong precinct, and 2) a prohibition on absentee ballots being collected by voter-turnout groups (a... Read More »
A Labor Department rule keeps many retirement plans from including socially-focused funds. Money managers want to change that. The Trump-era rule, which was announced in October, limited what can and can’t be offered as 401(k) funds through one’s company. One of the sequellae of this rule is that funds without... Read More »
Fred Eshelman, North Carolina financier, saw Trump’s supposed lead in battleground states disappear overnight. The day after the election, he and his advisers contacted a conservative Texas nonprofit group that was trying to expose voter fraud. After a 20-minute conversation with True the Vote’s president, Eshelman donated $2 million. He... Read More »
