Senator votes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nine justices of the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling Friday, made clear their views on abortion, with the conservative majority overturning the Roe v. Wade decision from 1973 and stripping away women’s constitutional protections for abortion. The vote was 6-3 to uphold Mississippi’s law banning most abortions after 15 weeks, but Chief Justice John Roberts didn’t join his five fellow conservatives in overturning Roe. He wrote that there was no need to overturn the broad precedents to rule in Mississippi’s favor. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed the right to abortion, were wrong had and to be overturned. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — the diminished liberal wing of the court — were in dissent. Every high court nominee, in one form or another, was asked during Senate hearings about his or her views of Roe. A look at how the Republican-nominated justices … [Read more...] about What GOP-named justices had said about Roe to Senate panel

An abortion rights protest devolved into chaos in Rhode Island on Friday, after a state Senate candidate was apparently punched in the face by her Republican opponent. “I’m a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent—a police officer—violently attacked me,” Democrat candidate Jennifer Rourke tweeted on Saturday morning. The alleged assailant, Jeann Lugo, is an officer in the Providence Police Department. The department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, also tweeted on Saturday that it is “criminally investigating the behavior of an off duty officer last evening during a protest where a female was assaulted.” The officer was placed on paid administrative leave. V ideo of the incident appeared to show Rourke being punched after a scuffle broke out when an apparent counter-protester was punched by another individual. Rourke had been pushing for the man to … [Read more...] about Democrat Senate Candidate Allegedly Punched by Opponent at Abortion Rally

WASHINGTON — The Senate failed to advance a Democratic-led bill Wednesday that would enshrine broad protections for legal abortion nationwide, a vote triggered by a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that indicates Roe v. Wade is likely to be overturned. The Women's Health Protection Act , which has passed the House , won 49 votes, falling far short of the 60 senators needed to break a filibuster. All 50 Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., voted against proceeding to debate. The vote was 49-51. Moments before the vote, a group of House members appeared at the Senate side of the Capitol and chanted "my body, my decision!" as they walked along the halls outside the chamber. Kamala Harris slams GOP after vote to protect abortion rights fails in Senate May 11, 2022 03:03 Democratic leaders saw the vote as an opportunity to lay down a marker ahead of midterm elections in November as their party faces fierce headwinds, … [Read more...] about Senate Democrats’ bill to keep abortion legal nationwide falls to GOP-led filibuster

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 WASHINGTON (AP) — The end of Roe v. Wade started in the Senate. It was the Senate Republican partnership with President Donald Trump to confirm conservative judges, and transform the federal judiciary, that paved the way for the Supreme Court's landmark ruling to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell set the strategy in motion, engineering the Supreme Court's makeover by blocking President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland and changing the Senate's rules to easily confirm Trump's picks. It was a long game that sought to lock in a conservative court majority for decades to come. Trump and McConnell couldn't have accomplished it alone, needing the backing of almost all Republican senators to reshape the bench. Now, Republicans are heading into a November midterm election that is poised to … [Read more...] about Senate confirmed justices to end Roe. How will voters react?

An off-duty Rhode Island police officer who was running for state Senate was arrested on an assault charge after allegedly attacking his female opponent during an abortion rights protest Friday night. Providence police patrolman Jeann Lugo, 35, was arrested on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct, state police said Saturday. Lugo turned himself in, was arraigned and released, it said. Jennifer Rourke, who is running for the state's 29th District, said she had finished speaking at a rally outside the state house in Providence on Friday when she was attacked by Lugo. The assault was partially captured on video by journalist Bill Bartholomew with the Bartholomewtown Podcast. "I’m a reproductive rights organizer & State Senate candidate. Last night, after speaking at our Roe rally, my Republican opponent — a police officer — violently attacked me," Rourke wrote in a Twitter post that included the video. "This is what it is to be a Black woman … [Read more...] about Rhode Island officer arrested in alleged assault of Senate opponent at abortion rally

Police fired tear gas to disperse anti-abortion demonstrators from outside the Arizona Capitol Friday night, forcing lawmakers to huddle briefly in a basement inside the building as they rushed to complete their 2022 session. Thousands of protesters had gathered earlier on the Capitol grounds in Phoenix, divided into groups both supporting and condemning the US Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade. SWAT team members with the Department of Public Safety fired tear gas from second floor of the old Capitol building to disperse protesters in the mall between the current House and Senate buildings. KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the Senate building. Authorities said there were no injuries or arrests. The incident sent Senate lawmakers into the basement for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Sen. Martin Quezada. Stinging tear gas wafted through the building afterward, forcing the Senate to … [Read more...] about US Abortion Ruling: Police at Arizona Capitol Fire Tear Gas, Disperse Protesters

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. Supreme Court's abortion decision is expected to make Florida an epicenter of the state-by-state fight over the issue in the coming months, raising the stakes for abortion rights advocates in the November election and complicating effortsw by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to manage both his statewide and national political fortunes. Within hours of the court's decision, access to abortion emerged as a major fault line in America's divisive cultural battles. Thirteen conservative states with "trigger bans" will outlaw abortion within 30 days - and the procedure could soon be prohibited in several others. Lawmakers in heavily Democratic northern and western states are promising to become safe havens for women who want an abortion but are banned from receiving one at home. But in Florida, where residents in a half-dozen relatively liberal urban counties are continually locked in political duels with the conservatives who dominate much of the rest of … [Read more...] about Florida emerges as key battleground in state-by-state abortion fight

Protests continued in cities across the country Saturday after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States. As states began to enact abortion bans and clinics stopped offering the procedure, large crowds gathered in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, some jubilant, others dismayed at the decision that stripped away women’s constitutional right to abortion. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue. Key highlights: President Joe Biden called it a “sad day” for the U.S. and said it would be up to voters in November to select candidates who would protect a host of rights — not just abortion but also marriage equality and the right to contraception. Centrist Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, suggested they were misled by Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, two key votes in the decision to overturn Roe. SEE NEW … [Read more...] about Protests and celebrations as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: Live updates

Two of the leading Democratic senators in the reproductive rights space are urging President Joe Biden to declare a public health emergency as nearly two dozen states move to ban the procedure following Roe v. Wade’s official repeal Friday. In an op-ed published by The New York Times Saturday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota said the emergency declaration would help "protect abortion access for all Americans" and unlock "critical resources and authority that states and the federal government can use to meet the surge in demand for reproductive health services." Ending the constitutional right to abortion has brought the nation to “a perilous time that threatens millions of women,” Warren and Smith wrote in the op-ed, adding that now "the government — not the person who is pregnant — will make the critical decision about whether to continue a pregnancy." Both senators also proposed changing the court’s composition, reforming … [Read more...] about Sens. Warren, Smith urge Biden to declare public health emergency following abortion ruling

Danger loomed on Jan. 6 for Mike Pence and his family, as the vice president stayed the course to fulfill what the Constitution required him to do in certifying the 2020 election. Our democratic institutions held because Pence refused to go along with Trump’s pressure campaign, and for that he deserves to be called a “hero.” But now he’s putting Jan. 6 in the rearview mirror , calling it “a tragic day ” that Democrats are using “to distract attention” from their failed policies. Pence’s brief foray into heroism took real courage. He held steadfast as Trump-incited rioters stormed the Capitol, throughout a day that went into the wee hours, before Congress finally completed its work and certified Joe Biden as the next president. Pence, under siege, refused a Secret Service demand that he get into a car that would take him away from the Capitol. He knew if he left it would halt the certification process and prompt a constitutional crisis. Pence deserves full credit … [Read more...] about Pence Was a Jan. 6 Hero, but He’s Still a Big Lie Coward