AUSTIN - A voter suppression lawsuit filed against Waller County on behalf of Prairie View A&M students will continue even though the county made a chance to extend hours for for early voting. In late October, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund sued Waller County over limited early-voting opportunities for students at the historically black college. The county responded by extending hours for the second week of early voting.The NAACP fund’s deputy director of litigation, Leah Aden, said the suit is continuing because the county needs to be held accountable and admit not setting up early-voting locations during the first week restricted students’ access to the polls.“LDF is seeking long term relief on the plaintiffs’ behalf -- specifically an acknowledgement of harm and for community involvement in the creation of early voting plans going forward so they don’t have to go to court every time there is an election,” Aden said in an emailed … [Read more...] about Prairie View A&M voter-suppression lawsuit against Waller County still pending after Election Day
Lawsuit
Senate Democrats weigh lawsuit over Trump’s appointment of Whitaker
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats are considering legal action over President Donald Trump’s appointment of a new acting attorney general, congressional sources said on Friday, as some outside experts called Trump’s move unconstitutional. Trump on Wednesday named Matthew Whitaker to replace former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was forced out after months of being attacked by Trump for recusing himself from an ongoing probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The move made Whitaker supervisor of the investigation, which has hung over Trump’s presidency. Whitaker has criticized the probe in the past as too wide-ranging, a view that raised concerns among Democrats that Sessions’ ouster and Whitaker’s appointment might be a precursor to Trump moving to end it. Senate Democrats were pondering suing Trump, the sources said, on the grounds that, in naming Whitaker, the president ignored a statutory line of succession at the … [Read more...] about Senate Democrats weigh lawsuit over Trump’s appointment of Whitaker
Federal court asks how Sessions’ ouster impacts lawsuit challenging…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court that is weighing a legal challenge to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s authority said Friday it wanted to know whether the sudden ouster of Attorney General Jeff Sessions could impact or change the outcome of how it should rule. FILE PHOTO: Attorney General Jeff Sessions looks out towards Mexico as he stands by a secondary border fencer during visit to the U.S. Mexico border fence in San Diego, California, U.S. April 21, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo The court’s order directed each party in the case to file briefs by Nov. 19 outlining, “what, if any effect, the November 7, 2018 designation of an Acting Attorney General different from the official who appointed Special Counsel Mueller has on this case.” The order came one day after a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral arguments on whether Mueller was unlawfully appointed by Deputy Attorney … [Read more...] about Federal court asks how Sessions’ ouster impacts lawsuit challenging…
Lawsuit seeks $20 million over death of Missouri jail inmate
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A lawsuit says a Missouri sheriff used his knee to press on the neck of an inmate who later died, and when urged repeatedly to stop, responded: "No, I'm good." Tory Sanders of Nashville, Tennessee, died in May 2017, after being subdued by then-Sheriff Cory Hutcheson and others at the Mississippi County Jail. The Southeast Missourian reports that a federal lawsuit seeking at least $20 million was filed Monday in Cape Girardeau on behalf of Sanders' nine children and other relatives. The county's presiding commissioner, Carlin Bennett, declined to comment. Hutcheson was not criminally charged in Sanders' death, but was dismissed soon after. He was at the jail the night Sanders died even though his law enforcement license had been suspended over criminal allegations in unrelated cases . … [Read more...] about Lawsuit seeks $20 million over death of Missouri jail inmate
Judge to hear Arizona GOP lawsuit to limit mail-in ballots in tight Senate race
Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. SUBSCRIBE Nov. 9, 2018 / 2:00 PM GMT By Associated Press PHOENIX — As the Arizona Senate vote count starts to tip into Democratic terrain, a judge Friday will hear a lawsuit by the GOP seeking to limit the tally — or expand it in the state's conservative-leaning rural areas. Four local Republican parties filed a lawsuit Wednesday night challenging the state's two biggest counties for allowing voters to help resolve problems with their mail-in ballot signatures after Election Day. If the signature on the voter registration doesn't match that on the sealed envelope, both Maricopa and Pima County allow voters to help them fix, or "cure" it, up to five days after Election Day. Many other counties only allow voters to cure until polls close on Election Day. Only a few thousand votes would be affected by the suit, but every one counts in the … [Read more...] about Judge to hear Arizona GOP lawsuit to limit mail-in ballots in tight Senate race