Latest news with #14thAmendments
Fibre2Fashion
06-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
NRF sues to block New York's algorithmic pricing disclosure law
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Manhattan to block New York's Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which is set to take effect on July 8, 2025. The law mandates that retailers disclose the use of algorithms in pricing by labelling affected products with the statement, 'This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data'. 'This law interferes with retailers' ability to provide their customers with the highest value and best shopping experience they can,' said Stephanie Martz NRF chief administrative officer and general counsel. 'Algorithms are created by humans, not computers, and they are an extension of what retailers have done for decades, if not centuries, to use what they know about their customers to serve them better. It's just done at the scale of the modern economy. Stigmatising tools that drive prices down turns offering deals into a liability, and consumers will end up paying more.' The NRF argued that the law, introduced with minimal debate as part of the state's budget and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on May 9, is vague and riddled with arbitrary exemptions. The lawsuit claims it violates the First and 14th Amendments and asks the court for both preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop its enforcement. NRF has filed a lawsuit to block New York's Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, set to take effect on July 8, 2025. The law requires retailers to disclose algorithm-based pricing using customer data. It argued it misrepresents consumer-friendly practices, violates constitutional rights, and is based on unfounded fears. The case could shape future regulation of digital pricing technologies in retail. According to the complaint, retailers rely on data such as purchase history, online cart contents, and zip codes—voluntarily shared by customers—to optimise pricing. The NRF contends that this approach does not involve sensitive personal data and benefits shoppers through personalised offers and lower prices. The organisation stated, 'This act compels NRF's members to impugn their pro-consumer practices against their will.' It argued that requiring retailers to label such prices with what it calls a 'misleading and ominous warning' could confuse and deter consumers. 'Although the state is free to express its opinion that algorithmic pricing is dangerous, it cannot force businesses that disagree to do so,' the complaint added. The suit further criticised the law as being based on 'speculative fear' rather than concrete evidence of harm, pointing out that existing laws already address price discrimination or gouging. Traditional retail practices such as issuing coupons, loyalty rewards, or responding to competitor pricing have long existed, the NRF noted—algorithmic pricing simply applies these practices at a more advanced and larger scale. The case may set a precedent for how far state governments can go in regulating digital pricing strategies in retail, especially as technologies continue to transform the shopping experience. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chicago officials raise concerns over federal immigration raids in Pilsen
CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago public officials are raising concerns about whether warrants are being issued and due process is being followed after apparent federal immigration raids in Pilsen. The arresting video, viral on social media, captured what's believed to be federal law enforcement taking two people into custody Monday morning in Pilsen. On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson questioned the legality of the arrests and whether warrants had been issued before the raid. PREVIOUS: 'These incidents that are happening around the country, they're disturbing,' Johnson said. 'You know the 5th and 14th Amendments have laid out a due process, and I believe that it's important that we hold the constitutionality of our nation's laws.' Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) confirmed that the men detained are Mexican citizens and confirmed an online post on June 3 that when agents showed up in Little Village again on Tuesday, activists chased them away. 'We are right now investigating the reason why those neighbors have been detained without a warrant,' Sigcho-Lopez said. Addressing the incident, Beatrice Ponce de León, deputy mayor of immigrant, migrant, and refugee rights for the City of Chicago, said that due process is a right that all individuals have. 'We should be able to maintain that in this country,' Ponce de León said. The head of Chicago's immigrant rights office added that the intermittent raids are having a chilling effect on business and life in predominantly immigrant communities in Chicago, such as 26th Street in Little Village, which is among the top sales tax corridors in the city. 'This is bringing instability, bringing fear, uncertainty into communities, and people are starting to react and perhaps, go back into the shadows and not be able to go freely to work or send their children to school,' Ponce de León added. Johnson said he remains troubled by news of interactions, encounters, or alleged raids that do not adhere to the rule of law. 'That's not the type of nation that we've worked hard to secure,' the mayor said. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Illinois Congressman Jesus 'Chuy' García's office is now looking into Monday's arrests due to questions of warrants and due process. Congressman Garcia's office tells me it is not getting any cooperation from federal agencies about Monday's arrests. The city has established a website for individuals with questions regarding current immigration issues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill proposes repealing bans on fortune telling in Pennsylvania
(WHTM) — A bill circulated in the State House proposes repealing Pennsylvania's ban on fortune telling. The bill, circulated by Rep. Greg Scott (D-54), would lift three laws banning fortune telling in the Commonwealth. According to Rep. Scott's memo, fortune telling can result in a third-degree misdemeanor, which he says is putting the livelihoods of fortune tellers and tarot card readers at risk. The memo says the bill would repeal Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses), Section 7104 (Fortune Telling) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes so fortune tellers 'will be able to practice without fear of being targeted.' A 2023 incident made national headlines after a police chief approached The Serpent's Key Shoppe & Sanctuary, a fortune-telling shop in Hanover, York County, and warned the business's owner, Beck Lawrence, that selling tarot cards was against state law. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Four Pennsylvania laws that are just plain weird Hanover Police Chief Chad Martin posted the warning to social media, and Lawrence filed a federal lawsuit against the Borough of Hanover and Chief Martin, arguing the law violates the First and 14th Amendments. The lawsuit is currently ongoing. 'I pull my cards and study the symbols,' Mx. Lawrence told the New York Times. 'My job is to string these things together of what I am seeing. It is up to their free will. There is nothing set in stone. I am 26. I don't know the answers.' 'There's no reason for this law to still be here,' Lawrence's attorney, Alexa Gervasi, told abc27 in 2023. In March 2023, a Lebanon County woman was charged with misdemeanor 'fortune telling' after an investigation in Palmyra. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Luzerne County's post-primary adjudication begins Friday
May 23—The Luzerne County Election Board's public post-primary adjudication will begin Friday and have a different structure. Adjudication determines which flagged mail and provisional ballots are accepted or rejected and tallies write-in votes. Attempting to make the marathon adjudication sessions more efficient, the five-citizen board voted in March to activate an election staff canvassing board to handle the review and processing portion, adhering to past board practices. Canvassing boards are permitted by state law. Election board members will still have the opportunity to seek further information and have final say on which ballots are counted, officials said. Board member Rick Morelli had proposed the change, saying the volunteer election board has been spending weeks after every election performing work that should be completed by staff. Creation of the canvassing board was unanimously approved in March by the election board, which also includes Chairwoman Christine Boyle, Vice Chairwoman Alyssa Fusaro, Daniel Schramm and Albert Schlosser. Fusaro had voted against a subsequent motion outlining the operation of the canvassing board, saying she believed further discussion was warranted on the specifics. Three county election workers were appointed as the canvassing board members for the primary election: Election Director Emily Cook, Election Deputy Director Steve Hahn and Election Deputy Chief Clerk Amanda Latoski. According to the agenda for Friday's adjudication, the canvassing board and county law office will brief the board on their recommendations to accept or reject ballots in specific categories, such as those missing inner secrecy envelopes and outer envelope dates and signatures. Paper provisional ballots cast at polling places also must be checked to verify voters were properly registered and did not already cast a mail ballot. A count of flagged mail ballots and provisional ballots was not available Thursday. The results of those accepted will be added to the online results. Because there has been no court ruling saying otherwise, the county must count primary election ballots missing handwritten dates on the outer envelope, county Assistant Solicitor Gene Molino said Thursday. A federal court ruling by District Judge Susan Baxter, an appointee of President Donald Trump in his first term, determined the rejection of undated or wrongly dated ballots violated the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. An appeal is pending, but the decision stands at this time because a stay was not granted, Molino said. As a precaution, the county election bureau had segregated these ballots — the number is unclear — in case the appeal court ruled otherwise by the election. Voters are instructed to sign and date the outer envelope where indicated. The date refers to when the ballot was filled out, not a birth date. Critics have argued the date is unnecessary because the election bureau time-stamps the ballots upon receipt and cannot count those that arrive after 8 p.m. on Election Day. Friday's adjudication starts at 9 a.m. in third-floor Courtroom A of the county's Penn Place Building, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre. County Democratic Chairman Thomas Shubilla said Audrey Serniak will serve as the party's observer at the adjudication. County Republican Chairwoman LeeAnn McDermott said she assigned Frank Wojtash as the party's observer. Adjudication will continue next week as needed to process write-in votes and ballots held for processing because the voters selected more than the allowable number of candidates or made "ambiguous marks," such as using lines instead of shading in the bubbles. After this work is completed, the county must complete an audit and reconciliation report of ballot counts required before the board votes on certifying the election results. Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parent groups sue Colorado officials over transgender rights expansion of anti-discrimination law
Rep. Lorena Garcia speaks on the Colorado House floor during the last day of the 2025 legislative session, May 7, 2025 at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) A coalition of groups that reject transgender rights sued Colorado officials Monday over a newly signed law that put protections for transgender people, and how they are addressed, into Colorado's anti-discrimination law. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, alleges that House Bill 25-1312 violates the First and 14th Amendments . 'The purpose of H.B. 25-1312 is clear. The law punishes those who refuse to speak using chosen names and pronouns, and it does so in order to suppress traditional beliefs about sex and gender. In other words, the law openly discriminates based on viewpoint,' lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The lawsuit was brought by the Virginia-based conservative group Defending Education, the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, Protect Kids Colorado, a health group called Do No Harm, and Grand Junction dermatologist Dr. Travis Morrell. CPAN and PKC are both parental-rights groups that advocate against 'gender ideology' topics in schools, often from a far-right perspective. It names Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, and the members of Colorado's Civil Rights Division as defendants. HB-1312, also known as the Kelly Loving Act after a transgender woman who died in the 2022 Club Q shooting, expands Colorado's anti-discrimination laws to include a person's chosen name and pronouns. Those laws apply to workplaces, schools and other places of public accommodation. The law also includes provisions to make it easier for transgender people to change their name and gender markers on birth certificates, drivers licenses and marriage documents. It was sponsored by Rep. Lorena Garcia of Adams County, Rep. Rebekah Stewart of Lakewood, Sen. Faith Winter of Broomfield and Sen. Chris Kolker of Centennial. It passed with entirely Democratic support, and Gov. Jared Polis signed it on May 16. The bill was amended to remove several controversial provisions during the legislative process and faced stiff opposition from Republicans and conservative groups, including the parties in the new lawsuit. They allege in the filing that the law could impact their ability to hold public advocacy events, publish materials and do other work. CPAN and PKC use 'biologically accurate pronouns and birth names' for transgender people, a practice also known as misgendering and deadnaming. The groups worry that continuing to use those names and pronouns will result in an investigation from the state's civil rights commission and individual lawsuits. They argue that recent legal decisions — including 303 Creative v. Elenis, where a Colorado website designer did not want to create a hypothetical website for a gay couple — support the claim that HB-1312 unconstitutionally compels speech, in this case forcing them to refer to a transgender person by their name. The lawsuit repeatedly misgenders and deadnames state Rep. Brianna Titone, former state legislative candidate Vivian Smotherman and transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. 'When CPAN and (Executive Director) Ms. Gimelshteyn use birth names and biologically accurate pronouns, they are not doing so to be malicious or hurtful. They do so because this expression reflects their deeply held beliefs that sex is fixed in each person from the moment of conception and cannot be changed,' the lawsuit says. If they cannot use that language, their impact will be 'greatly diminished.' Morrell, the dermatologist, contended in the lawsuit that using someone's 'biological pronouns' is necessary for clear communication, as a person's sex assigned at birth could be important when determining proper treatment. Representatives from the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the attorney general's office were unable to comment on the litigation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
