DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Voting rule changes: Republicans push ballot measures in key battleground states
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Republican lawmakers and activists in several presidential battlegrounds are pushing ballot measures to change how elections are run in their states. And in Arizona, a so-called ballot referral moving through the Republican-controlled Legislature would upend the state’s widely used, no-excuse vote-by-mail system. Constitutional amendments in Wisconsin and ballot referenda in Arizona are not subject to the approval of governors in those states. “Wisconsin’s status as a swing state makes election integrity measures important locally, nationally and internationally.”If approved, the Wisconsin measures would be in effect for this year’s elections. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a raft of legislation – ranging from efforts to get rid of red-light cameras to prohibiting ranked-choice voting in the state’s elections.

Persons: ”, Jay Heck, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Sen, Eric Wimberger, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Zuckerberg, Tony Evers, Will Flanders, –, who’s, Debra Cronmiller, Katie Hobbs, Hobbs ’, Alex Gulotta, “, Wendy Rogers, Rogers, Wisconsin’s, noncitizens Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, Silver State, Tuesday ., White House, Center for Tech, Republicans, Democratic, National Conference of State Legislatures, Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty, Badger State, League of Women Voters of, Phoenix New Times, Phoenix, Clark County Republican Party, Wisconsin, New, New York City Locations: Wisconsin, Nevada, Silver, Arizona, Tuesday . Arizona, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Maricopa County, ” Arizona, Clark, New York City, York, New York

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin voters are set to decide next month whether to make it unconstitutional to accept private grant money to help administer state elections, one of two Republican-backed ballot measures that Democrats say are meant to make it harder to conduct elections in the presidential battleground state. The Wisconsin measures are supported by Republicans and conservative groups and opposed by an array of government watchdog and liberal groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause Wisconsin, Wisconsin Conservation Voters and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Three courts and the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission rejected complaints challenging the legality of the grant money. It’s unclear how adoption of the amendment would change current practice, other than place requirements currently in state law into the constitution. Federal law already requires U.S. citizenship to vote in national elections and no state constitutions explicitly allow noncitizens to vote in state or local elections.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Sen, Eric Wimberger, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Biden, Zuckerbucks ”, ” Kyle Koenen, Zuckerberg, Chan, Tony Evers, Evers, noncitizens Organizations: —, Republicans, American Civil Liberties Union, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, League of Women Voters of, Democratic, Center for Tech, Facebook, “, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Democratic Gov, Wisconsin, Bureau Locations: MADISON, Wis, — Wisconsin, Wisconsin, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has ordered a 55-year-old U.S. agency that caters to minority-owned businesses to serve people regardless of race, siding with white business owners who claimed the program discriminated against them. The agency, which helps minority-owned businesses obtain financing and government contracts, now operates in 33 states and Puerto Rico. Justice Department lawyers representing Minority Business Development Agency declined to comment on the ruling, which can be appealed to the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. John F. Robinson, president of the National Minority Business Council, said the ruling is “a blow against minority owned businesses," and does nothing to help majority-owned businesses because they already enjoy access to federal resources through the Small Business Administration. "It has the potential of damaging the whole minority business sector because there will be less service available to minority-owned businesses,” Robinson said.

Persons: Mark T, Pittman, Donald Trump, Nixon, Biden, ” Pittman, Dan Lennington, ” Lennington, John F, Robinson, ” Robinson, Arian Simone, Alphonso David, David, Stanley Goldfarb, ”, “, —, David Glasgow, Graham Lee Brewer, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: —, U.S, Northern, Northern District of, U.S . Commerce Department, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Black, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Justice Department, Business, Agency, Circuit, National Minority Business Council, Small Business Administration, Economic, Pfizer, The, Appeals, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Meltzer Center for Diversity, New York University’s School of Law, Supreme, AP Locations: Texas, Northern District, Northern District of Texas, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Tennessee, Atlanta, The New York, Florida, New

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans urged the state Supreme Court on Thursday to ignore a report from redistricting consultants that determined GOP-proposed legislative maps were unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in December that the current Republican-drawn legislative maps were unconstitutional because not all the districts were contiguous. The court ordered the parties involved in the lawsuit to submit new maps that a pair of consultants then reviewed. While those talks continue, the Supreme Court accepted responses Thursday from Republicans and Democrats to the consultants report. Attorneys for the Legislature argued in their court filing Thursday that the consultants' report was about finding a political remedy to redistricting, not addressing the continuity issue.

Persons: Tony Evers, Evers, Tyler August, Janet Protasiewicz, “, ” Organizations: — Wisconsin Republicans, GOP, Republicans, Assembly, Republican, Democratic Gov, Democrats, U.S, Supreme, Democratic, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin

☆ As diversity, equity and inclusion comes under legal attack, companies quietly alter their programs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

But others have targeted decades-old diversity programs that anti-affirmative action advocates have long tried to dismantle. said Danner-Okotie, who received $10,000 from a separate Fearless Fund grant. The Fearless Fund, Danner-Okotie said, grasped her mission of designing clothes for American women looking to celebrate their African heritage. The outcome of the case could be a bellwether for similar diversity programs. But some have made changes to diversity programs to try to protect them from legal scrutiny.

Persons: Sophia Danner, Okotie's, Fearless, Claudine Gay, Harvard Universitys, Erin Clark, Christopher Rufo, Harvard's, Rufo, George Floyd's, Danner, Okotie, Edward Blum, Morrison Foerster, Perkins Coie, Reagan, Dan Lennington, Lennington Organizations: Harvard, Harvard University, Boston Globe, Twitter, Black, Latina, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Disney, Pfizer, Comcast, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Wisconsin Institute, U.S . Department, Business Enterprise Locations: America, Atlanta, India, Nigeria

“We are seeing more litigation in 2022 relating to elections and election administration and the like than we have ever seen before,” Elias said. Consovoy McCarthy, a 20-lawyer Washington law firm that represented Trump in lawsuits over congressional subpoenas, is playing an especially active role on the Republican side. The lawyers' real test may come after election day, when close or contested results are likely to spark fresh lawsuits, attorneys said. Whatever shape those cases take, "you have to be ready,” said Adam Bonin, an election lawyer who has represented Democrats in Pennsylvania. Opinion polls show Republicans are set to win back control of the House of Representatives and perhaps also the Senate at the midterm elections.

Here is a summary of significant cases filed ahead of the Nov. 8 election and where they stand. The case is now before the Nevada Supreme Court, which earlier this month blocked officials from livestreaming the count ahead of election day. And in North Carolina, Republicans lost a bid to shorten the deadline for election officials to receive mail ballots from Nov. 14 to Nov. 11. Another lawsuit in Illinois, challenging the counting of mail ballots up to two weeks after election day, is pending. In Texas, the Justice Department and civil-rights groups are challenging a wide-ranging 2021 state law that criminalizes many voter outreach efforts.

Here is a summary of significant cases filed ahead of the Nov. 8 election and where they stand. County election officials halted the hand count in response to a ruling by the Nevada Supreme Court late Thursday, the ACLU said. And in North Carolina, Republicans lost a bid to shorten the deadline for election officials to receive mail ballots from Nov. 14 to Nov. 11. Another lawsuit in Illinois, challenging the counting of mail ballots up to two weeks after election day, is pending. In Texas, the Justice Department and civil-rights groups are challenging a wide-ranging 2021 state law that criminalizes many voter outreach efforts.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the student loan forgiveness program from an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2022. U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey in St. Louis said that while the six Republican-led states had raised "important and significant challenges to the debt relief plan," they lacked the necessary legal standing to be able to pursue the case. Autrey ruled an hour after Barrett denied without explanation an emergency request to put the debt relief plan on hold in the challenge brought by the Brown County Taxpayers Association. The plaintiffs in the case are represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative legal group. Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently refused the group's request to block the debt relief program pending an appeal.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday denied a request by a Wisconsin taxpayers group to halt the implementation of President Joe Biden’s federal student loan forgiveness program. She did not provide an explanation for rejecting the emergency request, which is not uncommon. The taxpayers group had argued in a 29-page filing to the Supreme Court that Biden’s program would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion and that it bypasses Congress, which oversees federal spending. Biden's student debt relief program would provide up to $10,000 in debt cancellation for borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year and couples who file taxes jointly and earn less than $250,000 annually. Pell Grant recipients, who comprise the majority of borrowers, would be eligible for an additional $10,000 in debt relief.

☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness could be delayed as lawsuits mount. Here's where 6 major cases stand.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Biden's student-loan forgiveness is facing at least six lawsuits from conservative groups. The administration faces at least six major lawsuits seeking to halt Biden's debt relief plan. For now, borrowers can still continue applying for debt relief on the studentaid.gov website that will close in December 2023. On September 27, the Pacific Legal Foundation — a conservative nonprofit legal organization — helmed the first major lawsuit against Biden's debt relief. On October 19, WILL asked the Supreme Court to halt Biden's debt relief will waiting for a decision on its appeal.

☆ A conservative group just asked the Supreme Court to block Biden's student-loan forgiveness, saying it is 'critical' the relief is halted this week
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Wisconsin conservative group is asking SCOTUS to block Biden's student-debt relief. The group argued that the loan forgiveness has an "improper racial motive" and is unconstitutional. It said Biden exceeded his constitutional power by enacting the loan relief without congressional approval. While that decision is being appealed, the group is now escalating the issue to the Supreme Court in an effort to block Biden's plan from taking effect. The HEROES Act has been widely debated even before Biden announced debt relief.

Search resuls for: "Wisconsin Institute"

12 mentions found