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☆ 2022 in gender equality: Share of female Fortune 500 CEOs hits all-time high, but other progress stalls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Women continue to face a significant wage gap that has hardly budged over the last 15 years, with women of color bearing the brunt of the disparity. The year "2022 really is a mixed bag when it comes to gender equality," says Melissa Boteach, the vice president for income security and child care/early learning at the National Women's Law Center. Aside from that victory, there has been little progress in closing the gender wage gap over the past decade. This year, the wage gap narrowed by one penny. The wage gap Black women face narrowed by about four cents in one year, while Latinas' wage gap didn't budge at all.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Schumer reflects on how Senate Democrats went from infighting to big policy wins and a larger majority
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The 50-50 majority, which has been unkind to Senate leaders in the past, seemed to be slipping from his grasp. “Everyone said Democrats are gonna lose a whole ton of seats,” Schumer said during a wide-ranging interview in his Capitol Hill office. Democrats may have held the Senate, but they narrowly lost the House majority to Republicans, which could spell the end of the party’s biggest legislative goals. And despite Schumer’s confidence that he’ll hold the Senate majority again in 2024, the map presents enormous challenges. Schumer said he isn’t giving up on working with moderate House Republicans, including some who won swing districts in his home state of New York.

☆ Biden and Senate Democrats set to close out historic two years in judicial confirmations, pledging more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Phil Mattingly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Biden and Senate Democrats, even while holding the barest of majorities, confirmed 97 Article III judges over the last two years, including a Supreme Court justice, 28 circuit court judges and 68 district court judges, according to White House data obtained by CNN. “You can be sure that judges will remain a top priority in the Congress to come,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. For Biden and other Democrats, the filling of federal judicial openings took on a new level of significance in the wake of the historically successful push by former President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans. While a Senate rule change easing the pathway to confirmation rapidly accelerated McConnell’s efforts in Trump’s final two years, the pace Biden and Senate Democrats have maintained make clear what officials continue to pledge will be followed by action: that judicial nominations will remain a top priority. Biden’s senior team and counsel’s office tightly coordinated with their Senate counterparts throughout first two years to prioritize the efforts.

As the director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, Terrell, 53, leads a team that is the president’s collective eyes and ears in Congress. In fact, when we sat down for our conversation in the White House Executive Office Building, she said it was her first television interview – ever. And I think that kind of credibility on the Hill has been very important to move things.”Deep relationships matter too, she said. Courtesy Louisa TerrellTerrell’s lifelong relationship with the Biden family means she brings a unique perspective to her work in the White House. “There are folks in our shop, and again, folks here in the White House, who have some of those relationships.

☆ Elon Musk praises Kyrsten Sinema for leaving the Democratic Party: 'I hope more of our elected leaders act independently'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk praised Sen. Krysten Sinema for leaving the Democratic Party. "I hope more of our elected leaders act independently ...," Musk wrote on Twitter. Elon Musk wrote on Twitter. Musk wrote on Twitter. Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Terán blasted Sinema as someone who "has shown she answers to corporations and billionaires, not Arizonans."

The Supreme Court's eventual decision, due by the end of June, could apply to 2024 elections including the U.S. presidential race. The Republican lawmakers have argued that the state court unconstitutionally usurped the North Carolina General Assembly's authority to regulate federal elections. Kagan noted that in a series of cases over the years the Supreme Court expressed that state courts had a role to play in this area. A lower state court subsequently rejected the legislature's redrawn map and adopted a new map drawn by a bipartisan group of experts. The Supreme Court in March declined a Republican request to put those lower court actions on hold.

☆ 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.

☆ Supreme Court case on same-sex marriage could allow LGBTQ discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Caroline Mala Corbin | Caroline Mala Corbin Is A Professor Of Law | Dean S Distinguished Scholar At The University Of Miami School Of Law. She Is A First Amendment Expert Who Has | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Does a website design company have a First Amendment right to discriminate against same-sex couples? But the Supreme Court reached no conclusion on the free speech claim and instead ruled in favor of the bakery on narrow religious grounds. The challenge here is how to classify 303 Creative’s making or refusing to make a website for same-sex couples. If so, it does not trigger, never mind violate, the free speech clause. It would extend to companies that oppose it for nonreligious reasons but can argue that providing their speech-based services to same-sex couples compelled them to express a message of support for that marriage.

☆ Justice Alito weirdly jokes that 'You do see a lot of Black children in Ku Klux Klan outfits all the time' while debating a free speech case and talking about Santa photos
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Justice Samuel Alito made a weird joke during oral arguments in a free speech case Monday. "You do see a lot of Black children in Ku Klux Klan outfits, right? Jackson's scenario was about a photography business not wanting to take photos of a mall Santa Claus with children who are not white. "No, because Ku Klux Klan outfits are not protected characteristics under public accommodation laws," Colorado Solicitor General Eric Olsen responded. "You do see a lot of Black children in Ku Klux Klan outfits, right?"

A Missouri inmate convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed for the death of his younger brother was executed Tuesday, officials said. Kevin Johnson, 37, was put to death by lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre. The execution began at 7:29 p.m., and Johnson was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m., said Karen Pojmann, spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections. “We miss Bill every day of our lives.”Khorry Ramey with her father, Kevin Johnson, and her son, Kiaus. via ACLUOn July 5, 2005, police were searching for Johnson, who was on probation for assaulting his girlfriend.

REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday struggled over a bid by President Joe Biden's administration to implement guidelines - challenged by two conservative-leaning states - shifting immigration enforcement toward countering public safety threats. The justices voted 5-4 vote in July not to block Tipton's ruling halting the guidelines, announced last year by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. When the Supreme Court also declined to stay Tipton's ruling, conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson in dissent. Prelogar called the states' claims of indirect harms insufficient to allow them to sue and urged the Supreme Court to limit the ability of states more generally to challenge federal policies in court. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Andrew Chung in Washington; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The court on a 5-4 vote declined in July to put U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton's ruling hold. On Tuesday, some of the conservative justices who were in the majority in that decision signaled that they were likely to rule against the administration again. Republican state attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana sued to block the guidelines after Republican-led legal challenges successfully thwarted other Biden administration attempts to ease enforcement. When the Supreme Court declined to stay Tipton's ruling, conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson in dissent. Prelogar called those indirect harms insufficient and urged the Supreme Court to limit the ability of states more generally to challenge federal policies.

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to consider whether President Joe Biden's administration can implement guidelines - challenged by two conservative-leaning states - shifting immigration enforcement toward public safety threats in a case testing executive branch power to set enforcement priorities. Biden campaigned on a more humane approach to immigration but has been faced with large numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Republican state attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana sued to block the guidelines after Republican-led legal challenges successfully thwarted other Biden administration attempts to ease enforcement. Circuit Court of Appeals in July declined to put that ruling on hold, Biden's administration turned to the Supreme Court. The administration also told the justices that the guidelines do not violate federal immigration law and that the mandatory language of those statutes does not supersede the longstanding principle of law enforcement discretion.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday questioned whether an ex-aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was lawfully convicted on a bribery charge as it considered narrowing the scope of a federal law aimed at curbing public corruption. Percoco says that because he was not working for the government at the time, he had no duty to provide honest services. The court on Monday is also hearing a second case arising from the same New York corruption investigation. Several others targeted in the investigation, including Aiello, have their own appeals pending at the Supreme Court.

☆ Results: Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski defeated Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska's Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Hanna Kang | Bartie Scott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Lisa Murkowski ran against fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka and Democrat Patricia Chesbro, but the battle was largely between the two Republicans. Tshibaka was endorsed by Donald Trump, while Murkowski had the endorsements of several high-profile Democrats, including Sen. Joe Manchin. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski defeated Democrat Patricia Chesbro and fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska to represent the state in the US Senate. Her Republican challenger, Tshibaka, raised $4.8 million, spent $4.2 million, and had $692,428 cash on hand, as of October 19. Murkowski benefitted from most of that spending, including a $6.1 million boost from the Senate Leadership Fund, a national Republican super PAC.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won re-election in Alaska, NBC News projected Wednesday, dealing former President Donald Trump another loss in what has largely been a miserable midterm cycle for his hand-picked candidates in competitive Senate races. Murkowski, one of only seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial, survived a challenge from Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner. Murkowski, Tshibaka, Democrat Patricia Chesbro and Republican Buzz Kelley all advanced from a nonpartisan August primary. The Alaska Republican Party censured her and Trump began calling her the “disaster from Alaska,” ultimately backing Tshibaka to challenge her. Murkowski also is known for her moderate profile in the Senate and for her willingness to work with Democrats.

“Senate Democrats have been committed to restoring balance to the federal judiciary with professionally and personally diverse judges,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told NBC News on Saturday night. Senate Republican leaders told NBC News before the election that if they took the majority, they would use their power over the floor to compel Biden to send more centrist judges that GOP senators could support. He said Democrats keeping control means that if a Supreme Court vacancy were to open up, Biden’s nominee would be assured a vote. While the current 50-member Democratic caucus has been unified behind Biden’s judicial nominees, a 51st seat for the party could further embolden it. As a practical matter, that means Democrats currently need Republican sign-off to confirm judges in red states.

The Alaska Senate race is headed to a ranked choice runoff, as no candidate on the ballot, including the top two vote-getters, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and GOP challenger Kelly Tshibaka, will reach 50%, according to NBC News. In ranked-choice elections, voters identify first choices on their ballots, then rank the other candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes on the first count, the election moves to an instant runoff. In 2020, Alaska voters approved a move to nonpartisan primaries that send the top four vote-getters to ranked choice general elections. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when Alaska voters approved a move to nonpartisan primaries and ranked choice general elections.

☆ Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski faces off against Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka and Democrat Patricia Chesbro in Alaska's US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is running against fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka and Democrat Patricia Chesbro to represent Alaska in the US Senate. Tshibaka is endorsed by Donald Trump, while Murkowski has the endorsements of several high-profile Democrats, including Sen. Joe Manchin. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski faces off against Democrat Patricia Chesbro and fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka in Alaska to represent the state in the US Senate. Her Republican challenger, Tshibaka, has raised $4.8 million, spent $4.2 million, and has $692,428 cash on hand, as of October 19. Murkowski has benefitted from most of that spending, including a $6.1 million boost from the Senate Leadership Fund, a national Republican super PAC.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday wrote her first opinion since taking office over the summer, objecting to the Supreme Court’s decision not side with an Ohio death row inmate’s claim. Chinn's lawyers argued that prosecutors had withheld evidence that a key witness, Marvin Washington, was severely mentally disabled, with an IQ of 48. Jackson wrote in an opinion dissenting from the court’s decision to reject Chinn’s claim that there was “no dispute” that the state had suppressed evidence that would have undermined Washington’s credibility as a witness. Under a 1963 Supreme Court ruling called Brady v. Maryland, such conduct can constitute a due process violation. Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was appointed by President Joe Biden to replace fellow liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, who retired over the summer.

[1/2] The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, U.S., June 26, 2022. The Senate has the authority to confirm a president's nominees to the federal judiciary including the Supreme Court. Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump put a major emphasis on getting judicial nominations confirmed as he worked to move the judiciary rightward. If Democrats retain control, Biden has a chance to match or surpass Trump's mark of having 234 judicial nominees confirmed over four years. Circuit courts are the regional federal appellate courts one step below the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on Monday wades into the decadeslong legal fight over affirmative action in cases challenging policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University, with the conservative majority expected to be open to ending the practice. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, will hear back-to-back oral arguments in the UNC and Harvard cases; the session is likely to last several hours. The arguments against affirmative action are being brought by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, led by conservative activist Ed Blum. The court shifted to the right following former President Donald Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices. If affirmative action is ended, those defending the practice say, race-neutral policies aimed at achieving diversity will often fail, leading to a decline in Black and Hispanic enrollment.

☆ College use of race in admissions challenged at Supreme Court in arguments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Racial classifications are wrong," the attorney Patrick Strawbridge said in his opening argument on behalf of the group Students for Fair Admissions. The Supreme Court began hearing arguments Monday in two cases that challenge the use of race-based considerations to determine who gets admitted to American colleges. Conservatives hold a 6-3 super-majority on the Supreme Court and are expected to be open to the arguments for ending affirmative action. The cases being argued are Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard, case No. 20-1199, and Students for Fair Admissions v. the University of North Carolina, case No.

☆ Supreme Court's conservative majority seems open to eliminating affirmative action in university admissions process: 'Why do you have these boxes?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Supreme Court heard two high-profile challenges to race-conscious university admissions processes. The court's conservatives appeared open to ending race as a factor in university admissions. Thomas, the second Black person to ever serve on the bench, has long been critical of race-conscious admissions policies. They cannot adopt race-conscious admissions and sit back reflexively and let that play out forever into the future," Prelogar said. "At present, it's not possible to achieve that diversity without race-conscious admissions, including at the nation's service academies."

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