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☆ ‘Big lie’ 2.0: How Trump’s false claims about noncitizens voting laid the groundwork to undermine the election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We could fit into a phone booth, those of us who cared about election integrity,” Mitchell has said. Mitchell volunteered as a legal adviser to Trump in Georgia during his effort to overturn the 2020 election results. In 2022, tax filings show the Election Integrity Network brought in more than $750,000, largely from the Conservative Partnership Institute. Mitchell testified at a House Judiciary hearing, an appearance the Election Integrity Network turned into an advertisement. The bill’s failure was a blow, but far from fatal for Only Citizens Vote and the cottage industry of national MAGA groups that rally under the “election integrity” banner.

Persons: Cleta Mitchell, Mitchell, ” Mitchell, Trump, Brad Raffensperger, “, Charlie Kirk, ”, —, that’s, Ken Cuccinelli, Leonard Leo, Trump’s, Pat Buchanan, Buchanan Organizations: Trump, Democratic Oklahoma, Interest Legal Foundation, Republican, Georgia, D.C, Network, Conservative Partnership Institute, Coalition, NBC News, American Legislative Exchange Council, Citizens, Safeguard, Judiciary, MAGA, Citizen, Initiative, Homeland Security, Capitol, Republican Party Locations: Georgia, Washington, Virginia, Texas

And they’ve kept up a drumbeat of dubious claims about voting, along with the lie that the election was stolen in 2020. Prosecutors allege that the Trump campaign used similarly aggressive tactics in Philadelphia to force confrontation with election officials, which Trump and his allies used to claim his supporters were denied access to observe the count. Election officials have been operating in an increasingly hostile environment as GOP skepticism of election administration has climbed. Among them: shifting numbers of noncitizens Trump allies claimed had voted in the 2020 election. In Georgia, state courts are reviewing new rules from the State Election Board that Democrats say give county election officials broad authority to delay certification of the results in search of purported election irregularities.

Persons: Donald Trump, They’ve, they’ve, ”, Sean Morales, Doyle, Brennan, ’ playbook, Jack Smith’s, Trump, Hannah Fried, Smith, Rebecca Cook, Brooks, Republican Al Schmidt, Schmidt, “, You’ve, Michael Whatley, Whatley, Zach Manifold, Joshua Lott, noncitizens Trump, hasn’t, Cleta Mitchell, –, “ I’ve, ” Lisa Posthumus Lyons, ” Posthumus Lyons, Jocelyn Benson, Patrick T, Fallon, Mike Pence, Pence, Trump’s, Smith’s, Adrian Fontes, ” Fontes, It’s, Morales, ” CNN’s Marshall Cohen, Fredreka Schouten Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Republican, Trump, GOP, TCF Center, Detroit’s TCF Center, Prosecutors, Republican National, RNC, Guadalupe, Washington Post, Getty, Republicans, America, Legal Foundation, United Sovereign Americans, Center, Fox News, Republican Party, Board, Arizona, Brennan Locations: Detroit , Michigan, Florida, Philadelphia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Gwinnett County , Georgia, ”, Gwinnett County, Guadalupe Mercado, Guadalupe , Arizona, Kent County , Michigan, Swing, Georgia , Michigan, Maricopa, AFP, Georgia, Arizona, Cochise County

☆ Attempts to purge voter rolls increase as election nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

As of Tuesday, at least three dozen cases related to voter rolls and their maintenance are pending in 19 states, according to the liberal-leaning Democracy Docket, which tracks election litigation. The right-wing effort to purge voter rolls has largely centered around claims that noncitizens are casting illegal votes in favor of Democrats. “There’s always been some litigation about voter rolls and list maintenance. Reviewing voter rolls is a regular practice for states, and despite the 90-day quiet period, the NVRA does allow individuals to ask to be taken off lists close to an election. The federal law exempts some states if they allow voter registration on Election Day at polling centers where federal elections are conducted.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris ’, Brennan, “ There’s, ”, Uzoma Nkwonta, Nkwonta, ” Justin Levitt, “, Meritless, Biden, Jason Frazier, Earl Ferguson, Wes Allen, Allen, State Francisco Aguilar, Aguilar, Levitt, J, Christian Adams, Daniel Dale, Fredreka Schouten Organizations: Washington CNN, Republican National Committee, Justice Department, Brennan Center for Justice, New, Loyola Law School, Biden White House, Republicans, NGPAF, Biden, Trump ., DOJ, CNN, Alabama Republican, RNC, Nevada Democratic, State, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Survey, Michigan Bureau, Interest Legal Foundation Locations: Georgia , Nevada , Michigan, Wisconsin, New Georgia, Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, Trump, Trump . Fulton County, Atlanta, Nevada, Michigan , North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan

☆ Endowment tax in focus: Here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEndowment tax in focus: Here's what to knowCNBC's Robert Frank, Natasha Sarin, Yale Law School and Yale School of Management professor and former Treasury Department official, and William Trachman, Mountain States Legal Foundation general counsel and former Trump education department appointee, join 'Squawk Box' to discuss JD Vance's plan to tax university endowments, how much revenue the tax would raise, and more.

Persons: CNBC's Robert Frank, Natasha Sarin, William Trachman, JD Organizations: Yale Law School, Yale School of Management, Treasury Department, States Legal Foundation, Trump Locations: States

While a pay-for-delete letter can save your credit score, it's a less-than-ideal option that comes with several pitfalls. What to include in a pay-for-delete letterOnce you decide to write a pay-for-delete letter, it's easy to end up staring at that blank page, unsure where to start. Additionally, even if a debt collector follows through on the pay-for-delete letter, your debt may reappear on your credit report. Pay-for-delete letter frequently asked questionsWhat if my debt collector doesn't honor a pay-for-delete letter? What is the difference between a pay-for-delete letter and a goodwill adjustment letter?

Persons: it's, Tiffany Cross, Lamine Zarrad, Rick Eicheldinger, Zarrad, Eicheldinger, isn't, Will Organizations: Fair

☆ Elon Musk drops suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this photo illustration, the logo of 'OpenAI' is displayed on a mobile phone screen in front of a computer screen displaying the photographs of Elon Musk and Sam Altman in Ankara, Turkiye on March 14, 2024. Elon Musk on Tuesday withdrew his lawsuit against OpenAI and two of the company's co-founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, in California state court. Musk's decision to file to dismiss the suit came just one day after he publicly criticized OpenAI and its new partnership with Apple. In February, Musk had filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman and Brockman — the current CEO and president of OpenAI, respectively — for breach of contract and fiduciary duty. Last year, Musk debuted his own AI startup and OpenAI competitor, xAI, which last month announced a $6 billion Series B funding round.

Persons: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, Musk, Altman, Brockman, It's, Kevin O'Brien, Ford O'Brien Landy, I'm, Andreessen Horowitz, X.AI, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Tuesday, Apple, CNBC, OpenAI, Microsoft, Elon, Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Musk Locations: Ankara, Turkiye, California, San Francisco

☆ A Trump judge and Biden’s Justice Department agree that a Texas map is illegal. But that doesn’t mean it will change
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —A county redistricting plan in Texas that a Donald Trump-appointed judge deemed “a clear violation” of the Voting Rights Act is back before a notoriously conservative appeals court. After the 2021 Census, the Republican-led county commission broke up that district, locking in four majority-white districts instead. Their opponents argue that Congress did not intend for multiple “classes” of minorities to be considered together when assessing a map’s Voting Rights Act compliance. Black and Latino voices ‘extinguished,’ judge saysThe 2021 map split up the long-established Precinct 3, spreading those minority voters across the four total commission precincts. “It would be devastating for minority voters as devastating as it was for Galveston’s Black and Latino voters.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden, Jeffrey Vincent Brown, –, ”, Valencia Richardson, Christian Adams, ‘, ” Brown, Brown, Mark Henry –, Henry, Robin Armstrong, Armstrong, Adams, Circuit “, Elena Kagan, …, ” Chad Ennis –, ” Ennis, Hilary Harris Klein Organizations: CNN, Republican, 5th, Campaign, “, Senate, Justice Department, Galveston Republicans, Interest Legal Foundation, Circuit, Southern Coalition for Social Justice Locations: Texas, Galveston’s County, Galveston County, White, Galveston, Louisiana, Mississippi, ”

☆ Opinion | Nixon, Trump and What Justice for All Means in America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Kevin Boyle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Of the four criminal cases that Donald Trump is facing, the one now unfolding in Manhattan is generally considered the weakest. Worst of all, it doesn’t speak to Mr. Trump’s actions as president, as the other cases do. As a historian who has written about the wrenching events of the 1960s and early 1970s, I can’t help seeing Mr. Trump’s legal troubles through the lens of an earlier Republican president. But unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Nixon never faced criminal charges himself. For that, justice suffered, and the nation suffered, too.

Persons: Donald Trump, Richard Nixon, Trump, Nixon, Juan Merchan’s Locations: Manhattan

☆ The city of Malibu is taking a family to the state supreme court to stop them from building a tiny home in their backyard for their elderly parent
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But a Malibu couple's struggle to build an ADU shows how local governments are standing in the way. Jason and Elizabeth Riddick have been trying to build an ADU in their backyard in the pricey coastal enclave since July 2020. So they applied for a permit from the city to build a small ADU and a minor addition to their existing house. So the Riddicks sued the city and in July 2022, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sided with the couple. Again, the city appealed the decision, this time to the state supreme court this month.

Persons: —, Elizabeth Riddick, Elizabeth, they've, Elizabeth said, Jason, David Deerson, Deerson, they're, ADUs Organizations: Service, Business, Malibu Times, Pacific Legal Foundation, New, New York City Locations: California, Los Angeles, LA County, New York

Last week, Musk sued OpenAI and co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman for breach of contract and fiduciary duty. "It's certainly a good advertisement for the benefit of Elon Musk," Kevin O'Brien, partner at Ford O'Brien Landy LLP and former assistant U.S. attorney, told CNBC. In the suit, Musk's lawyers say they want OpenAI to return to its work as a research lab and no longer exist for the "financial benefit" of Microsoft. Musk's attorneys didn't respond to a request for comment. Musk has an AI company of his own, X.AI, which introduced a competing chatbot called Grok in November after two months of training.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Beata Zawrzel, Elon, Musk, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, It's, Kevin O'Brien, Ford O'Brien Landy, I'm, O'Brien, isn't, Shannon Capone Kirk, Ropes & Gray, Chris Ratliffe, Kirk, —, X.AI, He's, bigwigs, Andrej Karpathy, Kyle Kosic, OpenAI's, Jason Kwon, Kwon Organizations: Nurphoto, Microsoft, Elon, CNBC, Ropes &, Ropes & Gray LLP, Bloomberg House, Economic, Bloomberg, Getty, The New York Times, SEC, Tesla, X.AI, OpenAI Locations: Krakow, Poland, Davos, Switzerland, OpenAI

☆ A defining week set to lay bare the choice in the 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But Trump and Biden’s turns in the spotlight this week will highlight their all-but-certain rematch, barring health crises or other surprise events. November’s election is already heaping pressure on political and electoral institutions, the Constitution and America’s fragile national unity. The move further delayed the ex-president’s federal criminal trial over election interference, which Trump – who is seeking to push off his trials past the 2024 election – touted as a win. Ahead of a likely general election clash, Trump’s appetite for testing the rule of law and the Constitution is undimmed. While leaders of both congressional chambers have reached a bipartisan spending deal, the tiny GOP House majority means any piece of legislation is a heavy lift.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden’s, Biden, Trump’s, he’s, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Nikki Haley, ”, . South Dakota Sen, John Thune, Mitch McConnell, he’ll, Haley, “, GOP Sen, Markwayne Mullin, CNN’s Dana, there’s, wilder, “ Biden, White, –, Mike Johnson Organizations: CNN, GOP, Colorado Supreme, Supreme, Super, Democratic, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Capitol, Republican, “, Oklahoma, Biden, American, The New York Times, Siena College, Times, Street Journal, Hamas, MAGA ” Republicans Locations: Idaho, Missouri, Washington ,, . South Dakota, South Carolina, “ State, Greensboro , North Carolina, United States of America, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Michigan

☆ How the fortune of one of America’s biggest pharmaceutical families has quietly funded conservative causes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Casey Tolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

From The Searle Freedom TrustThis year, the Searle trust is poised to play an even bigger role as it empties out its coffers. Researchers who study political nonprofits say that the Searle trust has had a major impact, even as the Searle family has stayed under the radar compared to more well-known conservative benefactors. The Searle trust is one of the most prolific funders of conservative groups among all private foundations, according to a CNN analysis of nonprofit tax data. The Searle trust has given millions to the Foundation for Government Accountability, which has worked behind the scenes to push conservative policies such as stricter voting laws. Dennis, the CEO of the Searle trust, is also the chair of DonorsTrust.

Persons: Searle, Daniel C, Trump, Donald Trump, ”, Galen Hall, who’s, Kimberly Dennis, ” Searle, “, Sarah Scaife, doesn’t, Michael B, Thomas, SPN, They’ve, ” Brendan Fischer, Brendan Fischer, “ They’ve, ” Hall, Caleb Rossiter, ” Galen Hall, movement’s MAGA, It’s, Mike Pence, that’s, Dennis, Henry Ford, John D, Rockefeller, ” Fischer, Gideon, Michael Searle, ” Dennis, “ We’re, Dan, Gideon Daniel Searle, Daniel Searle, Jonathan Eig, Jack Searle, Daniel Searle’s, Gregory Pincus, John Rock, Pincus, weren’t, –, Sue, Eig, Margaret Marsh, Enovid, misoprostol, Searle –, Pfizer –, ” Daniel Searle, Donald Rumsfeld, Searles, Biden, Wade, Dobbs, Kristen Batstone Organizations: CNN, Searle Freedom Trust, University of Michigan, Sarah Scaife Foundation, Searle, American Enterprise Institute, Reason Foundation, Tax Foundation, Manhattan Institute, Cato Institute, Foundation, Government, State Policy Network, American Legislative Exchange Council, Fair, Pacific Legal Foundation, Federalist Society, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Environment Research Center, CO2 Coalition, Heartland Institute, ”, CO2, Heartland, Republican Party, movement’s, America, Policy Institute, Trump, American Freedom Foundation, Everett, FDA, Rutgers University, Pfizer, Monsanto, Heritage Foundation, Reason, Affordable, New Civil Liberties Alliance, Public Policy Center, Claremont, National Women’s Health Network, Trust, IRS Locations: Missouri, St, Louis , Missouri, California, judgeships, ”, Omaha, Metamucil, Dramamine, Puerto, Brazil, Diet Coke, America

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Maine must release its voter list to a conservative-backed group that’s conducting independent audits, concluding that state restrictions on distributing the list violated the National Voter Registration Act. The Public Interest Legal Foundation sued Maine over its decision to prevent the wholesale release of voter registration lists without restrictions, such as prohibiting the information from being published online. Organization spokesperson Lauren Bowman said the group sued to ensure its researchers can compare voter rolls in one state against those in another and that it had no intention of publishing the rolls. State election officials and privacy advocates have raised alarms about a push by several conservative groups to access state voter rolls, fearing that the lists could be used to intimidate voters or cancel registrations. “We will do everything in our power in accordance with the law and court decision to protect voter information from abuse," Bellows said.

Persons: Lauren Bowman, J, Christian Adams, State Shenna Bellows, “, ”, Bellows Organizations: —, Legal Foundation, Maine, 1st U.S, Circuit, ”, State, Democrat, New York Citizens Audit, Interest Legal Foundation Locations: PORTLAND, Maine, Boston, ” Maine, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, State, New York, . Maine

☆ Man who stole and leaked Trump tax records sentenced to 5 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The man who stole and leaked former President Donald Trump and thousands of other’s tax records has been sentenced to five years in prison. In October, Charles Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosures of income tax returns. According to his plea agreement, he stole Trump’s tax returns along with the tax data of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people,” while working for a consulting firm with contracts with the Internal Revenue Service. Reyes was also critical of the Justice Department’s decision to only bring one count against Littlejohn. “I acted out of a sincere misguided belief,” Littlejohn said in court Monday, adding that he was serving the country and that people had a right to the tax information.

Persons: Donald Trump, Charles Littlejohn, Littlejohn, Judge Ana Reyes, ” Reyes, “, …, ”, Prosecutors, Reyes, Department’s, ” Littlejohn Organizations: CNN, Internal Revenue Service, US, Capitol, Apple, Prosecutors Locations: United States

☆ Lawsuit Challenging University of California’s D.E.I. Statements Is Tossed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Vimal Patel | More About Vimal Patel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Behind the LawsuitDiversity statements — also known as diversity, equity and inclusion, or D.E.I., statements — ask candidates seeking a faculty job or promotion to describe how they would contribute to campus diversity. In his lawsuit, John Haltigan, who has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology, said he would have applied to a position at U.C. The Pacific Legal Foundation, a libertarian group that filed the lawsuit for Dr. Haltigan, did not make him available for an interview. They also say the statements are another tool that the savvy can use to hit the right buzzwords, rewarding performative dishonesty. requirements for faculty hiring — or the system’s diversity and inclusion efforts more broadly — but it defangs for now what experts say was among the first legal challenges to these university statements.

Persons: —, John Haltigan, “, ”, Haltigan, ‘, ” Erwin Chemerinsky, Wilson Freeman Organizations: Pacific Legal Foundation, University of California, Berkeley, Chronicle, Higher Education, Universities Locations: U.C, Santa Cruz, North Dakota, Florida, Texas, Arizona

☆ UK home secretary warns uncontrolled migration poses 'existential challenge'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Addressing the American Enterprise Institute think-tank in Washington, Braverman said the United Nations refugee convention has expanded the definition of "persecution" and increased the number of people qualifying for refugee protection. Almost 24,000 people have been detected crossing the Channel this year, despite Sunak's promise to "stop the boats". In her speech, Braverman said asylum seekers should be obliged to make a claim in the first safe country they reach. "The vast majority have passed through multiple safe countries, and in some instances have resided in safe countries for several years," Braverman said. Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Peter Nicholls, Braverman, Rishi Sunak, Stewart McDonald, Andrew MacAskill, Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, American Enterprise Institute, United Nations, Conservative Party, Britain, Scottish National Party, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Washington, Rwanda, France

Paris CNN —France’s highest court on Thursday upheld the government’s ban on students in public schools from wearing the abaya, a long, robe-like garment often worn by Muslim women, in a decision that rights groups warn will lead to more discrimination. The ban has its legal foundation in a law passed in 2004 forbidding the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in French schools. Action Droits Des Musulmans (ADM), the Muslim rights group that filed the appeal, argued that the ban infringes on “fundamental rights,” such as the right to personal freedom. Macron said the ban was not “stigmatizing” anyone, but “people who push the abaya” are. Last year lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “conspicuous religious symbols” in sports competitions.

Persons: Musulmans, Vincent Brengarth, “, Gabriel Attal, ”, ” Attal, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, – Organizations: Paris CNN — France’s, ADM, Twitter, United Nations Human Rights Locations: Republic, France

CNN —Public schools in France have been turning away students for breaking a new national ban on the abaya, a long, robe-like garment often worn by Muslim women, as a rights group filed an appeal against the prohibition. A total of 67 girls returned home rather than remove their abayas, Education Minister Gabriel Attal told CNN affiliate BFMTV on Tuesday. The ban has its legal foundation in a law passed in 2004 banning the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in schools. “They say that the abaya is a religious dress, but it’s not at all, it’s not a religious dress, it’s a traditional dress, it’s a dress that all girls wear, both veiled and non-veiled, and so it’s a bit of a problem,” she said. French President Emmanuel Macron has defended the ban, saying it is not “stigmatizing” anyone but “people who push the abaya” are.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Attal, Musulmans, Vincent Brengarth, ”, Stephane Mahe, Brengarth, Nabil Boudi, it’s, Luke, Julie, Denis, Emmanuel Macron, Hugo Travers, Macron Organizations: CNN — Public, CNN, BFMTV, State Council, Reuters, ADM, Agence, France Presse Locations: France, France’s, Nantes, Villette, Lyon, Paris, Seine

☆ Conservative activist sues major law firms for providing diversity fellowships
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington, DC CNN —The conservative activist behind the Supreme Court case that struck down affirmative action in college admissions this year is suing two international law firms for providing diversity fellowships. Corporate diversity programs have come under fire lately from conservative politicians and activists. The group has also sued Target for allegedly destroying shareholder value through its Pride-themed clothing, and it has sued Kellogg for diversity programs. Yet studies have shown that DEI programs and initiatives have demonstrated cultural and economic benefits. Affirmative action and diversity program advocates fear that conservative action against those programs could block career opportunities for people of color.

Persons: Perkins Coie, Morrison, Foerster, Perkins, ”, “, ” Morrison, White, Edward Blum, Blum, Trump, Stephen Miller, Kellogg, Ron DeSantis Organizations: DC CNN, American Alliance for Equal Rights, CNN, Apple, Google, Starbucks, Procter, Gamble, American Medical Association, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census, Harvard College, University of North, Legal, National Center for Public, Research, Conservative, America, Legal Foundation, Amazon, Florida Gov Locations: Washington, Dallas, Miami, University of North Carolina, Spokane , Washington, Texas, Florida

The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen prior to the start of the court's 2022-2023 term in Washington, U.S. September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - A parents group backed by a conservative legal organization asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to consider whether an admissions policy aimed at diversifying an elite Virginia high school is racially discriminatory. But unlike the higher education cases, the admissions policy adopted in 2020 by Virginia's Fairfax County School Board for the state-chartered magnet high school was on its face race neutral. In February 2022, U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton sided with the parents' group lawyers at the libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation. Last year the Supreme Court declined an emergency request to block its policy, though three conservative justices dissented.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Thomas, Claude Hilton, Appeals, Nate Raymond, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Fairfax, Fairfax County School Board, TJ, Coalition, District, Pacific Legal Foundation, Circuit, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Virginia, Fairfax County, Alexandria, Constitution's, U.S, Richmond, Boston

In the latest challenge to the role race may play in school admissions, a legal activist group asked the Supreme Court on Monday to hear a case on how students are selected at one of the country’s top high schools, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in May that Thomas Jefferson, a public school in Alexandria, Va., did not discriminate in its admissions. The Pacific Legal Foundation, a libertarian law group, wants the Supreme Court to overturn that decision, arguing that the school’s new admissions policies disadvantaged Asian American applicants. At issue is the use of what the school board said were race-neutral criteria to achieve a diverse student body. “This is the next frontier,” Joshua P. Thompson, a lawyer with the Pacific Legal Foundation, has said of the litigation.

Persons: Thomas, Thomas Jefferson, Joshua P, Thompson Organizations: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science, Technology, U.S ., Appeals, Fourth Circuit, Pacific Legal Foundation, Harvard, University of North Locations: Alexandria, Va, University of North Carolina

☆ Microsoft, UK ask for two-month pause of appeal over Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), in April became the first major regulator to block the acquisition of the "Call of Duty" maker, citing concerns about the impact on competition in cloud gaming. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also opposed the tie-up, but suffered a major defeat last week when a federal court rejected the FTC's application to temporarily halt the deal. Companies cannot offer remedies after its publication and their only recourse is to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). But last week, less than an hour after a U.S. federal court ruled the deal could go ahead, the CMA said it could look again at a modified proposal. The judge also asked whether the FTC's initial defeat in the U.S. had been taken into consideration by the CMA.

Persons: Marcus Smith, Sam Tobin, Josie Kao Organizations: Microsoft, Monday, Activision Blizzard, Markets Authority, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, CMA, CAT, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, U.S

☆ Opinion | Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Examples of problematic participation of transgender athletes are extraordinarily rare. By one estimate, “out of 200,000 women in college sports at a given time, about 50 are transgender.”Nor is participation a given. In line with the Olympic framework, the N.C.A.A. follows a “sport by sport approach.” By evaluating testosterone levels and other factors, the N.C.A.A. aims to preserve “opportunity for transgender student-athletes while balancing fairness, inclusion and safety for all who compete.”The Biden administration’s proposed Title IX rule also allows schools to prohibit transgender athletes from competing if it would undermine fairness or create undue risks of injuries.

Persons: David French, ”, Biden administration’s Organizations: Women’s

☆ Opinion | The Legal Foundation of Women’s Sports Is Under Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

What is the legal foundation for women’s sports? After all, the most potent federal statute supporting parallel men’s and women’s sports leagues would appear — on its face — to also prohibit separate leagues. Race segregation in athletic programs is a legal and cultural taboo. Excluding a football player from a team simply because of his race is unlawful discrimination. Instead, Title IX has resulted in the expansion of women’s sports into an enormous, separate and parallel apparatus, where women by the millions compete against one another, winning women’s titles in women’s leagues.

Persons: “, ”, IX Organizations: Civil, Black Locations: United States

☆ James G. Watt, Interior Secretary Under Reagan, Dies at 85
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Robert D. Mcfadden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

James G. Watt, who as President Ronald Reagan’s first Interior secretary tilted environmental policies sharply toward commercial exploitation, touching off a national debate over the development or preservation of America’s public lands and resources, died on May 27 in Arizona. His son, Eric Watt, confirmed his death in a text message but declined to cite a cause. After taking office in 1981, Mr. Watt was asked at a hearing of the House Interior Committee if he favored preserving wilderness areas for future generations. “I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns,” he said. Mr. Watt, a born-again Christian and a lifelong Republican, saw himself as a servant of God and prayed with colleagues at work.

Persons: James G, Watt, Ronald Reagan’s, Eric Watt, Reagan, Critics, Lord, ”, God Organizations: Republican Locations: Arizona, Denver, “

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