Courts & Law

AIRC Update: the GOP files its brief in Harris v. AIRC

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Howard Fischer reports today that the lawyers/lobbyists for the GOP's secretive redistricting organization FAIR Trust, representing the Arizona GOP, have filed their brief requested by the U.S. District Court of Arizona in Harris v. AIRC on the question of the effects of Shelby County v. Holder on this case. GOP lawyer asks court to order new legislative districts for '14:

Arizona's 30 legislative districts need to be redrawn before the 2014
election, an attorney for Republican interests contends, citing the
U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that voided a key section of the
Voting Rights Act.

In legal papers filed in federal court late
Friday, attorney David Cantelme said the Independent Redistricting
Commission's data show that it overpopulated some of the districts and
underpopulated others.

he result was to politically disadvantage Republican candidates, he said.

Cantelme
also pointed out to the three-judge panel that the commission's key
legal argument for why it made those decisions was that it needed to
comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

Commissioners wanted to
ensure that the map it drew was "precleared" by the U.S. Justice
Department and didn't dilute the voting strength of minorities.

Howard Fischer's stenographic reporting for the the lawyers/lobbyists of the GOP's secretive redistricting organization FAIR Trust has been a persistent problem from day one. It is misleading and misinforms readers.

President Obama asks the pertinent question

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In all the media coverage of the George Zimmerman trial, I do not recall anyone posing the pertinent question: "What if Trayvon Martin had been carrying a firearm? Would he have been justified in using deadly force to 'stand his ground' when he was lawfully where he had a right to be and was accosted by George Zimmerman?"

In President Obama's remarks today on Trayvon Martin, he posed the pertinent question. Lawyers are like that.

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.