From the Left
/Politics
The Deadly and Tragic Costs of Pretrial Detention
Lashawn Thompson died late last year while being detained pretrial in Atlanta's Fulton County jail. He was incarcerated there -- and died -- because he could not afford $2,500 in bail for a misdemeanor charge. An autopsy confirms that his death was a homicide caused by neglect, malnourishment and the fact that his body was literally eaten by ...Read more
Back-to-School Basics: Public Schools Are Not Sunday Schools
As public school students return to classrooms for the new school year, some could face an unexpected test: religious indoctrination.
Thanks to various state laws enacted during the 2023 legislative session, some schools could try to impose official prayer, proselytizing or other religious messages on students. But even if state law purports ...Read more
How Mastercard Is Endangering Sex Workers
Back in 2021, Mastercard developed a new policy for adult content websites using its credit card or payment options. The policy imposed requirements such as preapproval of all content before publication, forbidding certain search terms and keeping records of age and identity verification for all performers. These restrictions not only restrict ...Read more
How Artificial Intelligence Might Prevent You From Getting Hired
If you applied for a new job in the last few years, chances are an artificial intelligence tool was used to make decisions impacting whether or not you got the job. Long before ChatGPT and generative AI ushered in a flood of public discussion about the dangers of AI, private companies and government agencies had already incorporated AI tools ...Read more
Hotel Accessibility Reaches the Supreme Court
As a wheelchair user with multiple disabilities, travel is unpredictable at best and completely inaccessible at worst. In order to book my trips, I have to trust the accuracy of the websites run by hotels, airlines, car rental companies and more to learn whether I can use their services (i.e., have the honor of paying them my hard-earned money...Read more
Idaho Wants To Jail Professors for Teaching About Abortion
At Idaho's public universities, professors who teach, discuss or write about abortion may now face up to 14 years of imprisonment under Idaho's abortion censorship law, the No Public Funds for Abortion Act (NPFAA). The law, which prohibits the use of any public funds to "promote" or "counsel in favor of abortion," has shut down academic ...Read more
Arkansas Wants To Unconstitutionally 'Card' People Before They Use Social Media
From banning books to restricting classroom discussions about race and gender, politicians across the country have been busy censoring speech in the name of "protecting the children." Now they also have their eyes on limiting access to social media.
Arkansas recently passed the Social Media Safety Act, which requires every person to verify ...Read more
A Religious Public Charter School in Oklahoma? Not on Our Watch.
A religious school can't be a public school, and a public school can't be religious. These fundamental legal tenets have long protected both the integrity of our public education system, which serves all students, and the right of private religious schools to indoctrinate students in accordance with a particular faith. In approving a ...Read more
The Illinois Supreme Court Cash Bail Ruling Explained
Under a landmark court ruling issued this week, Illinois will become the first state in the nation to abolish cash bail. The state Supreme Court upheld the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, which abolishes cash bail and specifies procedures judges must use to impose pretrial detention. Here's what you need to know and what happens next.
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How the States Can Protect Native Children
Last month, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Haaland v. Brackeen, delivering a landmark victory for tribal sovereignty, Native children, Native families and the future of Native people. In a 7-2 decision by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the Court rejected all of the constitutional challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act -- some on the ...Read more