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☆ Ginni Thomas told the January 6 committee it was 'laughable' for anyone who knew Clarence Thomas to believe she'd be able to 'influence his jurisprudence'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ginni Thomas affirmed that she did not speak with Clarence Thomas about 2020 election challenges. Thomas during her interview was unable to point to any specific instances of voter fraud in 2020. "Let me also add, it's laughable for anyone who knows my husband to think I could influence his jurisprudence. Ginni Thomas during her January 6 committee interview admitted that while she had concerns about voter fraud in the 2020 election, she couldn't pinpoint specific cases of such malfeasance. After the 2020 election, Thomas also emailed a range of GOP legislators in Arizona and Wisconsin — two key swing states where Biden narrowly outpaced Trump — where she also pushed them to help overturn Biden's victory.

☆ Ginni Thomas told the Jan. 6 committee she 'regret' texting Mark Meadows about a 'coup' and pushing Sidney Powell's 'Kraken' plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Virginia "Ginni" Thomas she regrets her text messages and posts sent in the wake of the 2020 election. "I regret all of these texts," Thomas, who goes by Ginni, told the panel during a closed-door deposition in September. The closest Ginni Thomas came to acknowledging any political conversation with Justice Thomas was a reference to her "best friend" bucking her up on November 24th. "I wish I could remember, but I have no memory of the specifics," Thomas told the panel of the conversation with her husband. The Washington Post and CBS' publication of Ginni Thomas' texts with Meadows in March caused a public firestorm, especially among Democrats.

Both would be setbacks for the Biden administration. In another immigration-related case, the court has yet to rule on the Biden administration’s attempt to implement its immigration enforcement priorities. For Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration’s top advocate at the court, arguing before such a conservative court is a constant uphill battle. The government similarly failed to convince the conservative majority not to expand gun rights in another major ruling issued that month. The Biden administration can point to some hard-fought victories.

☆ FDA changes Plan B packaging to clarify that it is not an abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Food and Drug Administration is changing the informational packaging of the emergency contraceptive pill, Plan B One-Step, to clarify that it is not an abortion pill, the federal agency announced Friday. Plan B is an over-the-counter drug that can be taken as a backup method of birth control to reduce the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex. "Plan B One-Step will not work if a person is already pregnant, meaning it will not affect an existing pregnancy," the FDA said in a release. Until now, packaging for Plan B and generic versions of the drug have erroneously claimed that taking the pill might be able to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. The FDA said since Plan B prevents pregnancy by acting on ovulation, "well before implantation," it does not cause abortions.

☆ The Biggest Debates and Opinions in 2022 - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +30 min

Opinion The 22 Debates That Made Us Rage, Roll Our Eyes, and Change Our Minds in 2022Debating is what we do here at Times Opinion. To many, she was an icon: She ruled for 70 years, presided over the transition from empire to commonwealth and served as a living link to the generation that won World War II. (Though Ben Bernanke, a former Fed chairman himself, wrote in The Times that that wasn’t going to happen.) The United States and its European allies poured weapons and aid into Ukraine, but how was this going to end? As 2022 draws to a close, the fighting continues and peace talks look as distant as ever — which probably means that the debates will continue.

☆ Key things to watch out for in the Jan. 6 report beyond Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Michael Conway | Michael Conway Was Counsel For The House Judiciary Committee In The Impeachment Inquiry Of President Richard Nixon In In That Role | He Assisted In Drafting The Committee'S Final Report To The House In Support Of The Three Articles Of Impeachment Adopted The Committee. Conway Is A Graduate Of Yale Law School | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The expected recommendation that former President Donald Trump be prosecuted would be a political thunderbolt. For initial news reporting, journalists will gravitate to it rather than the report itself, and so will the general public. The expected recommendation that former President Donald Trump be prosecuted would be a political thunderbolt. On Thursday, House Democrats introduced legislation to bar Trump from holding federal office in the future. For prosecutors who have subpoenaed key witnesses to testify to a federal grand jury, this would create a unique advantage.

The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, named for the son of a federal judge who was fatally shot in 2020, was attached to the annual must-pass defense policy bill that the Senate endorsed 83-11. The defense bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature. The judicial security measure, which the federal judiciary backed, had long languished in Congress before its supporters were able to tack it on to the National Defense Authorization Act. The measure remained in the 4,000-plus page defense bill despite criticism from public interest groups who say it could chill free speech and undermine efforts to scrutinize judges' conflicts of interest. Sponsors of the bill, including Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, say it is narrowly tailored to protect judges.

☆ Tech groups ask Supreme Court to rule on hot-button Texas social media law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Two technology industry groups asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to review a hotly debated Texas law restricting social media platforms’ ability to moderate content, potentially opening the door to a sweeping reinterpretation of First Amendment precedent. The challenged state law, known as HB 20, would allow for lawsuits against tech companies accused of suppressing user posts or accounts. But Thursday’s petition brings the law back before the Court, this time for a possible ruling on the merits. That is why Texas’ law is unconstitutional, according to the trade organizations petitioning the Court on Thursday. Multiple Supreme Court justices have expressed interest in hearing cases that deal with content moderation, citing the enormous role that social media now plays in democratic discourse.

☆ What to know about a judicial privacy bill Congress is passing with a major defense package
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But the legislation is also rankling court watchdogs who contend the bill could complicate efforts to scrutinize the judicial branch for ethics issues. The bill does not displace the ethical disclosure requirements judges already face, the congressional aide noted to CNN. And it extends the threat-monitoring programs that are being offered to Article III judges to administrative judges as well. Now that the bill has been added to the National Defense Authorization Act, a massive defense package that Congress passes annually, Paul’s options for scuttling it are limited. “Because, if I am sued, someone is going to be bringing it to a federal judge.

President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in a ceremony at the White House. Biden also quoted directly from a 2012 interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" in which he came out in public support of same-sex marriage ahead of then-President Barack Obama. The legislation Biden signed was drafted by a bipartisan group led by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday. The amendment included language saying that religious organizations would not be required to perform same-sex marriages and that the federal government would not be required to protect polygamous marriages.

And now, this law requires an interracial marriage and same-sex marriage must be recognized as legal in every state in the nation.”Video Ad Feedback Don Lemon and fiancé react to Biden signing same-sex marriage into law 02:24 - Source: CNNThe new law officially voids the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. It mandates that states honor the validity of out-of-state marriage licenses, including same-sex and interracial unions. The bill signing Tuesday amounted to the culmination of his transformation on the issue. It’s about – it’s about marriage – same-sex marriage. Among the guests invited to the bill signing at the White House Tuesday were prominent members of the LGBTQ community and activists.

☆ Biden signs bill protecting same-sex and interracial marriage months after Supreme Court raised doubts about marriage and contraception decisions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and requires states to recognize marriages performed in other states. The bill emerged after the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade threw precedents into doubt. The new law, designed to protect same-sex and interracial marriage, formally repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defined marriage at the federal level as being solely between a man and a woman. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a previously outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, notably never spoke out against the bill.

☆ Biden signs bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It specifies that states must recognize same-sex marriages across state lines and that same-sex couples have the same federal benefits as any married couple. The Respect for Marriage Act does not codify same-sex marriage, though. She noted the Respect for Marriage Act will be one of the last bills she will sign as she ends her second stretch as speaker. Biden's views, like those of many Americans, shifted to support same-sex marriage over his lifetime. But in 2012 then-Vice President Biden announced his support for same-sex marriage on NBC's Meet the Press, backing the measure even before Obama did.

☆ House Oversight Committee to host Club Q shooting survivors in hearing on anti-LGBTQ threats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ali-Vitali-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Ali Vitali | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Less than a month after a deadly shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, the House Oversight Committee will host survivors for a hearing on violence and threats against LGBTQ people, NBC News has learned. The Dec. 14 hearing will include testimony from bartender Michael Anderson and from James Slaugh, both of whom survived the Club Q shooting, as well as the club’s founding partner and co-owner Matthew Haynes, the committee told NBC News. The panel will also hear from Brandon Wolf, who survived the 2016 shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, where a gunman killed 49 people. In November, a gunman opened fire at Club Q with a semiautomatic rifle, killing five people and injuring 17 others. “These attacks, like the one at Club Q, are designed to scare us from living authentically and honestly," he said.

WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Thursday that enshrines federal protections for marriages of same-sex and interracial couples. Thirty-nine House Republicans supported the legislation Thursday and one voted present. The revisions to the bill meant the House had to vote again after passing an earlier version in July. It reflects the rapidly growing U.S. public support for legal same-sex marriage, which hit a new high of 71% in June, according to Gallup tracking polls — up from 27% in 1996. In the Senate, 12 Republicans voted with unanimous Democrats to pass the bill, which sent it back to the House.

☆ House passes landmark bill to protect same-sex marriages, sending it to Biden's desk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The House passed a landmark bill Thursday enshrining federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriage, sending it to President Joe Biden, who has said he looks forward to signing it into law. The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Democratic-led House in a 258-169-1 vote, as 39 Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting it. It also won bipartisan support in the Democratic-controlled Senate in late November: 12 GOP senators crossed party lines to vote for the legislation. During the summer, an earlier version of the bill won the support of 47 Republicans in the House. The version passed on Thursday contained an amendment providing additional protections for religious liberty and faith-based nonprofits, something Republicans had backed.

☆ A Republican congresswoman broke down in tears begging her colleagues to vote against a same-sex marriage bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A GOP congresswoman cried as she spoke out against the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act on Thursday. Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri begged members of the House to vote against the bill. "I hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill," Hartzler said through tears. "I hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill," Hartzler said through tears. Following his opinion and the Supreme Court's reversal of the nation's abortion protections granted in the famous Roe v. Wade case, Democrats labored to enshrine same-sex marriage protections in law.

☆ US House passes a bill to protect same-sex marriage for the second time, this time with less Republican support
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The House passed a bill to protect same-sex marriage for the second time after senators amended it. Less Republicans voted for it this time than in July, despite amendments made by GOP senators. 39 House Republicans voted for the bill, less than the 47 who voted for the original version of the bill in July. Dozens of House Republicans, representing a broad and diverse swath of the conference, supported the bill when it first passed the chamber in July. Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, was also among the dozens of House Republicans who voted for the bill in July.

Another state court then replaced that map with one drawn by a bipartisan group of experts. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts wondered whether such broadly worded provisions provide proper "standards and guidelines" for state courts to apply. The Republican lawmakers argued that the state court usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority under that provision to regulate federal elections. Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized the "historical practice" that "nearly all state constitutions regulate federal elections in some way." David Thompson, arguing for the North Carolina lawmakers, said the Constitution "requires state legislatures specifically to perform the federal function of prescribing regulations for federal elections.

The position of others including Chief Justice John Roberts was harder to read, raising the possibility of a ruling less broad than the Republican state lawmakers pursuing the appeal seek. The Republican lawmakers are asking the Supreme Court to embrace a once-marginal legal theory that has gained favor among some conservatives called the "independent state legislature" doctrine. The Republican lawmakers have argued that the state court unconstitutionally usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority to regulate federal elections. Thompson also argued that state constitutions cannot impose substantive limits on the actions of legislatures on federal elections. A lower state court subsequently rejected the legislature's redrawn map and adopted one drawn by a bipartisan group of experts.

☆ Supreme Court justices grapple with a Republican challenge that could upend how elections are run: 'This is a theory with big consequences'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Supreme Court heard three hours of oral arguments on a GOP-led challenge from North Carolina. Barrett said adopting the North Carolina Republicans' approach would mean judges would have "notoriously difficult lines to draw." The state supreme court ruled that the map was a partisan gerrymander that favored Republicans, deeming it a violation of the state constitution. Alito noted that in some places, like North Carolina, state supreme court judges are elected by voters. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the case by June.

☆ Same-sex couples wary despite federal marriage rights bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

That prompted Democrats to act quickly to protect same-sex marriage while the party still holds the majority in both chambers of Congress. The Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act last week with support from 12 Republicans; it’s expected to easily win approval in the House before being signed by President Joe Biden. Ten years later, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a federal appeals court ruling that declared the state ban unconstitutional. The legislation wouldn’t codify, or enshrine into law, the Supreme Court decision requiring states to issue same-sex marriage licenses. “Is the Respect for Marriage Act good enough?

Under this doctrine, they contend that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures, and not other entities such as state courts, power over election rules and electoral district maps. The Republican lawmakers have argued that the state court unconstitutionally usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority to regulate federal elections. 'CONFUSION AND CHAOS'Jason Snead, a conservative elections expert who embraces the doctrine, said the North Carolina case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to "shut down a lot of the confusion and chaos" occurring around elections. The North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the map on Feb. 4, finding the districts were crafted to dilute the "fundamental right to equal voting power" of Democrats. A lower state court then rejected a redrawn map by Republican lawmakers and adopted one devised by a bipartisan group of experts.

☆ Supreme Court hears case of Colorado wedding website refusing gay marriage work
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a case involving a Colorado web design company whose desire to avoid doing work for same-sex weddings runs afoul of the state's public accommodation anti-discrimination law. Conservative justices appeared sympathetic to First Amendment arguments made by a lawyer for the design company's owner. The court will likely decide the case by next spring or early summer. Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Kristen Waggoner, the lawyer for company owner Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian opposed to gay marriage. asked Sotomayor, a liberal, as she sat feet away from conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, a Black man who is married to a white woman.

It would not bar states from blocking same-sex or interracial marriages if the Supreme Court allowed them to do so. A similar, but not identical, bill passed the House of Representatives earlier this year with support from 47 Republicans and all Democrats. The House would need to approve the Senate version before it is sent to President Joe Biden to sign into law. In June, the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to an abortion, undoing 50 years of precedent. In a concurring opinion, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the court should consider reversing other decisions protecting individual freedoms, including the 2015 ruling on gay marriage.

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