An Alabama grand jury indicted Marshae Jones, a 27-year old black woman, with manslaughter for allegedly starting and getting into a fight for which she was shot. The gunshot resulted in the death of her unborn baby. Alabama prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine if they should pursue the charges. Every prosecutor’s office has discretion to determine which cases are brought and charged—regardless of a grand jury indictment. The fact remains that a prosecutor went before a grand jury seeking the charges, in the first place. Alabama recently passed restrictive abortion laws which subject a woman to jail time for receiving an abortion and doctors up to 99 years in jail for performing an abortion. Ultimately, the law or similar ones recently passed in other states may end up at the Supreme Court. America – are you listening? Alabama’s barbaric abortion law should be a wake -up call with sirens blasting for every woman and every man who has a wife, mother, sister, daughter or … [Read more...] about Alabama’s Abortion Laws Have No Place in America
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Women’s History Month and the Supreme Court
As we wind down Women’s History month, the role women played in Supreme Court cases is pivotal in understanding the huge impact of women on the laws of this country. For centuries, women advanced the law in cases involving civil rights, women’s right, marriage equality, health care and a myriad of other issues. For all that remains to be done in the area of women’s rights, we have largely come from the second class status barring women from practicing professions, attending schools and marrying the person of their choosing without infringement of the government. Beginning in 1869, Myra Bradwell applied for admission to the Illinois bar in accordance with a state statute that permitted any adult of good character and with sufficient training to be admitted to the practice of law. Because she was a woman, however, the Illinois Supreme Court denied her admission, noting that the "strife" of the bar would surely destroy femininity. Chief Justice Charles B. Lawrence of the … [Read more...] about Women’s History Month and the Supreme Court
Gun Violence, Gun Control and Gutless GOP Politicians
A week following the Orlando Pulse nightclub mass shooting and killing of 49 persons, it’s business as usual for many of our GOP politicians. Despite four Senate bills advanced by both parties, no gun control law passed this week. A homegrown terrorist living in the U.S. may still buy an assault weapon and hundreds of cartridges to kill innocent Americans. And many of our Republican lawmakers lack the guts to pass any common sense laws to protect innocent lives from being taken at the hands of a mentally ill or homegrown terrorist. Inaction means more lives will be taken. The bills voted down on Monday ranged from the tepid GOP bill to ban potential terrorists from buying a gun but here’s the caveat—only if, a judge found probable cause to determine the person is actually involved in terrorist activity. Of course, by then, the alleged terrorist would have sufficient time to buy guns and take multiple lives. Our lawmakers couldn’t even agree to bar persons already suspected of … [Read more...] about Gun Violence, Gun Control and Gutless GOP Politicians
States Seek to Strengthen Rape Reporting on College Campuses
Laws to strengthen reporting of sexual assaults on college campuses are being considered in several states. So far, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have introduced bills which would require in some instances that police be notified of campus rapes and sexual assaults. Virginia’s bill HB 1343 would require that once a victim reports a sexual assault to campus or local law enforcement that the local Commonwealth’s Attorney be notified in 48 hours of the incident. The bill, according to those in support of it, has everything to do with ensuring tighter collaboration between sexual assault victims on colleges, college security, police and prosecutors. On many college campuses in Virginia and elsewhere in the U.S., often times, sexual assaults are not reported to the police by the victim or campus police. A report by the Department of Justice found that of college rape and sexual assault cases only 20% of students report rapes and sexual assaults to the … [Read more...] about States Seek to Strengthen Rape Reporting on College Campuses