Category Archives: Civil Rights
Administration Files Position Opposing Inclusion of Transgender Rights in Title VII of Civil Rights Act
In late October, the Trump administration took a huge step back in making progress in affording civil rights for everyone by filing a position with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing against the protection of transgender people against sex bias on the job under Title VII of the 1964 civil rights law. The case stems… Read More »
U.S. Appeals Court Points out That Sting Operations Primarily Target Blacks and Latinos
On October 15, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made it easier for defendants snagged in reverse sting operations to seek evidence indicating that the government engaged in serious civil rights concerns by specifically targeting blacks and Latinos in these operations. In doing so, the court painted a disturbing portrait of law enforcement… Read More »
Florida Is, Once Again, Accused of Felon Disenfranchisement. But Are Things Finally Changing?
Florida is, once again, in the national spotlight for a number of civil rights issues associated with its voting practices. The process requires that anyone who had a felony conviction wait five years before petitioning the state to regain the right to vote, which is then decided on a case-by-case basis by Governor Rick… Read More »
The Shameful Truth: Thousands of Veterans Have Also Lost Their Right to Vote in Florida
We’ve previously discussed Florida’s history of denying millions of ex-felons of the right to vote and the civil rights concerns that raises. Its history has its roots as an outright white-supremacist measure after the Civil War to explicitly prevent African-Americans from voting. The Miami New Times recently addressed this same issue within the context… Read More »
Kavanaugh’s Civil Rights Views Under Scrutiny
Affirmative action is an important civil rights issue that carries a goal of instilling admissions policies geared to provide equal access to education for groups that have historically been underrepresented or excluded—such as minorities and women—in higher educational institutions. While the U.S. Supreme Court has historically upheld university admissions policies that allow for race… Read More »
Florida Teachers Unions Sue over Violation of Constitutional Rights
On July 2nd, a group of Florida teachers and teacher organizations sued over a new union certification law that went into effect, arguing that it deprived them of their collective bargaining rights, as guaranteed in the Florida constitution. According to the teachers, their organizations were unfairly signaled out for these certification measures, while other… Read More »
Florida’s Fight to Restore Ex-Felons’ Civil Rights Moves to 11th Circuit
We have previously discussed how the right to vote is one of the most important fundamental civil rights that we as Americans have had, and how many in Florida have had this right stripped away due to past felony convictions, leading to a new civil rights movement to end Florida’s felon disenfranchisement law. There… Read More »
How Can We Weigh Civil Rights With Religious Rights?
We’ve previously discussed the importance of one particular civil rights case that was recently decided by the U.S. Supreme Court: Unfortunately, on June 4th, the Court made a decision that is arguably antithetical to the protection of civil rights when it decided that a cake shop owner who refused to bake a cake for… Read More »
Reports of Police Misconduct & Framing Minors out of Biscayne Park, Florida Police Department
On June 11th, a former Florida police chief and two officers were charged with framing a teenager with four burglaries in order to boost the police department’s arrest statistics. Specifically, the officers—former Chief Raimundo Atesiano and former officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez—were charged with “conspiracy to violate civil rights under color of law”… Read More »
Spring 2018 Civil Rights Update: Faith-Based Initiatives in the White House and Anti-Begging Laws Found to Violate Constitutional Rights
Below we discuss some recent, important developments concerning protected civil rights this spring: Trump’s Faith-Based Initiative Raises Civil Rights & Discrimination Concerns On May 3rd, President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to “protect religious liberty” into law, igniting concerns from civil rights advocates across the country. The order establishes a new office… Read More »
Racial Bias Leads to Arrest at Starbucks and Nationwide Protests
A racial profiling event that occurred at Starbucks has captured news headlines, and even led the chain closing down for two days in order to provide its employees with “racial-bias education.” Specifically, two black men were arrested while waiting at one of the coffee chain’s stores last week, after doing absolutely nothing. The chief… Read More »
Florida Man Arrested & Charged With Crime for Testifying
The Florida man who was arrested and sent to jail for simply speaking his mind at a city council meeting has captured news headlines, particularly as the U.S. Supreme Court hears his case on February 27th. The case will have implications for everyone regarding First Amendment protections of free speech. The case started in… Read More »
Police Seek Private Phone Data for Everyone near a Crime Scene within Last Year
In a move that has alarmed civil rights advocates all over the country, in mid-March, police officers in North Carolina served Google with approximately five search warrants, demanding that the company hand over cell phone data for every single person who “in the vicinity” of various crimes over the last year. Specifically, police were… Read More »
New Bill Sparks Civil Rights Debate on Criminalization of Youth
A new bill introduced in Congress—H.R. 4909, the “Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act of 2018—has many civil rights advocates concerned. Some have pointed out that it could exacerbate the school-to-prison crisis, further criminalize children, and increase the militarization and over-policing of communities of color, and have already started reaching out… Read More »
What Does It Mean to Say That a Criminal Defendant’s “Due Process Rights” Have Been Violated?
When it comes to criminal trials and appeals, sometimes criminal defense attorneys will find that a due process violation (and/or other trial misconduct) occurred. On February 12th, CNN featured an important piece discussing what due process is and is not in terms of criminal defendants and their rights. Below, we discuss this in more… Read More »
An Unusual Civil Rights Issue We Now Face: Police Officers Making False Arrests to Earn Overtime
On February 19th, the New York Times covered a story involving police officers who stand accused of making false arrests in order to increase their incomes (a practice known as “collars for dollars”). The implications of the federal trial brought against them could have far-reaching impacts on criminal defendants affected by these officers, as… Read More »
Key Voting Rights Law in Jeopardy
The right to vote is one of the most important fundamental civil rights in the United States of America. Sadly, it’s also one with a complicated history: thirty years ago, barely half of all eligible voters had cast a ballot in the presidential election. As a result, the National Voter Registration Act was drafted… Read More »
Problematic Legislation Turning Car Thief Victims into Criminals Introduced In Florida
In December, Florida House Bill 927—making it a crime to leave your keys in your car if that car is then stolen by a minor—made it to the Criminal Justice Subcommittee in the Florida House of Representatives. Below, we discuss major potential criminal defense and civil rights issues associated with the proposed bill, which… Read More »
Secret DNA Database Raises Civil Rights Concerns
We’ve previously written about the largest DNA crime lab in all of North America, and how instrumental it is in producing “evidence” in thousands of criminal cases every year. In December, police and crime lab officials faced tough questions about whether keeping an unregulated DNA database—which contains DNA from everyone, including innocent people—violates the… Read More »
Civil Rights Update
When it comes to how the police treat citizens, it is imperative that they practice constitutional policing. As a citizen, you are entitled to very specific rights. Below, we discuss some recent events and developments in addressing issues where those rights were violated: Man Bitten By Police K-9 Sues Deputies for Civil Rights Violation… Read More »
Is There Hope For Preventing Wrongful Convictions in America?
The United States has what you might call a fascination with the concept of wrongful conviction; especially at the moment, what with all of the various true crime series such as Serial, Making a Murderer, The Murder of Laci Peterson, and others. In our everyday real lives, however, wrongful conviction is a serious issue… Read More »
Civil Rights Concerns Exacerbated After Local Police Provided With Military-Grade Weapons
On August 28, President Trump signed an order mandating that the U.S. military provide access to grenade launchers, high-caliber weapons, and other military gear to local police departments, igniting concerns from civil rights groups when it comes to police officers violating the public’s constitutional rights. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has also been steadily increasing… Read More »
Plea Bargains & Your Sixth Amendment Rights: What You Need To Know
On August 21, Courthouse News Service covered an important story regarding the pervasive lack of counsel in some of the nation’s lowest courts, and what a significant issue this has become in terms of violating individuals’ Sixth Amendment right to counsel. In many of these courts, prosecutors negotiate with defendants who represent themselves and… Read More »
Restoring Ex-Felons’ Voting Rights in Florida
A new civil rights campaign is underway in Florida: An effort to end Florida’s felon disenfranchisement law by changing the state Constitution via a November 2018 ballot initiative. Florida is one of only three states where felony convictions permanent strip ex-felons of their voting rights, regardless of the crime and the time done. It… Read More »
Know Your Rights Regarding Police Brutality & Excessive Force
Police officers are supposed to protect and serve, but too often these days we hear about an officer who shot an unarmed victim, or an officer who was unnecessarily brutal with a suspect. Unfortunately, those officers are hardly ever reprimanded, and the incident is brushed under the rug to be forgotten about. For victims… Read More »
