Courts & Law

President Obama: ‘Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Making a surprise appearance in the White House press room today, President Obama discussed his views on the Trayvon Martin verdict in a remarkably personal manner, speaking extemporaneously, and described how it feels as an African-American to have these "inescapable" experiences.  "I think it's important to recognize that the African-American community
is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history
that — that doesn't go away," he said. Video below the fold. Full transcript (excerpt):

The reason I actually wanted to come out today is not to take
questions, but to speak to an issue that obviously has gotten a lot of
attention over the course of the last week, the issue of the Trayvon
Martin ruling. I gave an — a preliminary statement right after the
ruling on Sunday, but watching the debate over the course of the last
week I thought it might be useful for me to expand on my thoughts a
little bit.

First of all, you know, I — I want to make sure that,
once again, I send my thoughts and prayers, as well as Michelle’s, to
the family of Trayvon Martin, and to remark on the incredible grace and
dignity with which they’ve dealt with the entire situation. I can only
imagine what they’re going through, and it’s — it’s remarkable how
they’ve handled it.

The second thing I want to say is to reiterate
what I said on Sunday, which is there are going to be a lot of
arguments about the legal — legal issues in the case. I’ll let all the
legal analysts and talking heads address those issues.

The judge
conducted the trial in a professional manner. The prosecution and the
defense made their arguments. The juries were properly instructed that
in a — in a case such as this, reasonable doubt was relevant, and they
rendered a verdict. And once the jury’s spoken, that’s how our system
works.

Arizona GOP all-in on ‘states’ rights’ voter suppression

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

AZConfederacyWell isn't this special. Governor Jan Brewer, who supported the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, nevertheless is still smarting from that same court striking down Arizona's Prop. 200 proof of citizenship requirement to register to vote in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona.

While it is a certainty that Governor Brewer does not support amendments to the Voting Rights Act which would reinvigorate its preclearance provisions, she does support an amendment to federal law to require proof of citizenship to register to vote for all Americans, not just Arizonans. Arizona's GOP voter suppression knows no limits. Brewer
backs Salmon’s voter-ID bill:

Gov. Jan Brewer wants Congress to allow states to require citizenship
documents from all prospective voters before they can cast a ballot.

Brewer sent a letter Wednesday to U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.,
expressing support for a bill the Mesa congressman introduced in
response to a recent Supreme Court decision on the issue. The court
ruled Arizona could demand proof of citizenship from would-be voters
only when they register using state registration forms, not federal
ones.

“The responsibility of state and local governments to protect the
integrity of the voting process is essential to maintaining the
democratic process and protecting the freedom and power of every
citizens’ vote,” Brewer wrote. “I commend your efforts to improve federal law so that only United States citizens are voting. … As a
Governor, I particularly appreciate the respect for states’ rights
inherent in this legislation.”

Where is FAUX News outrage over GOP voter suppression?

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Posted  by AzBlueMeanie:

Remember during the 2012 election, Colin Small, who worked for Pinpoint Stafffing, hired by the Republican Party of Virginia to register voters, was arrested for throwing away voter registration forms? Small previously worked for an Arizona firm called Strategic Allied Consulting — run by a man named Nathan Sproul — which was paid $1.3 million by the RNC
to do voter registration work this cycle [2012]. The RNC fired the firm after
reports came out that it had submitted hundreds of suspicious
registration forms in Florida.*

Well, it turns out that Colin Small has been allowed to walk by the court in Virginia. WTF?
Republican Who Tossed Voter Registration Forms Let Off The Hook:

The young Republican who grabbed national headlines after being arrested for throwing voter registration forms into a dumpster before the 2012 election won't be facing any legal consequences.

A judge in Virginia dropped
several misdemeanor charges against Colin Small on Wednesday, meaning
the 23-year-old will not face any penalties for discarding a number of
voter registration forms. Felony charges were dropped back in April, but Small was still facing five misdemeanor counts until this week.

It’s lawsuit season against our lawless legislature

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

GavelI don't know whether a study has ever been done to determine which state legislature gets sued the most often for violating its state constitution and laws, but I have to imagine that Arizona's lawless legislature ranks high on the list. Back in May, the Arizona Republic reported on how much this is costing taxpayers. Controversial Arizona laws rack up big legal fees. More often than not, Arizona loses these cases.

Now that the legislative session is over, it's lawsuit season, that time of year when our lawless legislature gets sued for violating Arizona's constitution and laws in pursuit of the Tea-Publican far-right ideological agenda. This comes from the authoritarianism mindset of movement conservatism. Like the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, these Tea-Publican radicals believe "I am the state." Or if you prefer, Judge Dredd , "I am the law."

Just in the past week, three lawsuits have already been filed against our lawless legislature.

Voter ID on trial in Pennsylvania

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The attempt by Pennsylvania Republicans to use voter ID to suppress Democratic voter turnout in the 2012 election was thwarted by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which enjoined the new voter ID rules for the 2012 election. The case has now proceeded to trial on the merits.

The Huffington Post has a reporter, Saki Knafo, covering the trial. Voter ID Trial Opens In Pennsylvania – Huffington Post:

On the first day of a
voter
ID trial in Pennsylvania on Monday, the liberal-leaning
plaintiffs got a boost from an improbable ally — a voter who called
former Republican presidential candidate John McCain "my man"
and noted she herself had twice been elected to a local office on the
Republican ticket.

Marian Baker was one of two witnesses who offered videotaped
testimony to start
a trial that will determine the constitutionality of
Pennsylvania's voter ID law, a subject of controversy since it was
passed last spring by a Republican legislature and governor. The law,
blocked by the state Supreme Court until the trial reviews its
constitutionality, requires voters to present photo identification at
the polls.

A grandmother of eight who lives in Reading, Pa., Baker testified
that the law caused her to recently miss an election for the first
time since 1960. Under the new law, she said, she would have to get a
special state-approved photo ID at a drivers' license center, where
lines often stretch down the block. (Her driver’s license recently
expired.)

"I'm never going to be able to go there and stand," she
said, alluding to medical complications that have impaired her
ability to get around.