Latest news with #DepartmentofLaw
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Restore her services': Haryana Teachers' body terms varsity professor's termination ‘illegal'
An indefinite dharna by Professor Monika Malik, former dean of the Department of Law, Central University of Haryana (CUH), Mahendragarh district, against the university authorities since October 16 last year over issues related to her seniority and selection process, among others, entered the 229th day on Sunday. Amidst this academic conflict between Malik and the CUH, the authorities dismissed her on May 7 and another professor, alleging their selection process was a 'procedural and regulatory violation'. Referring to a resolution of its executive council, the CUH issued a notification on May 7, saying it had 'processed further after hearing out both the employees in question and giving them the opportunity to represent their cases before the vice-chancellor/ executive council'. Discontinuing their services, the university claimed 'the eligibility criteria was not uniformly or lawfully applied across the candidates'. On Friday, a delegation of the Haryana Federation of University and College Teachers' Organization (HFUCTO) visited the CUH and submitted a memorandum to CUH Vice-Chancellor Tankeshwar Kumar, seeking the restoration of Malik's services. Claiming that the CUH authorities terminated her services 'illegally' without any basis or an enquiry rather than redressing Malik's grievances, the HFUCTO said: 'Professor Monika (Malik) had been serving in the CUH since December 27, 2019. She was promoted to the Professor post with effect from December 27, 2022. She is a confirmed employee, and her services can only be terminated by following the procedure laid down under Section 14 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, applicable to the employee of the CUH… First, there is no basis or ground to terminate her services. Second, no enquiry has been conducted as contemplated in the CCS (CCA) Rules.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska's attorney general flew to South Africa and France. A corporate-funded group paid.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor poses for a photo in his office last month. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal) In the state of Alaska's published travel report for top administration officials, the Department of Law disclosed spending $650 to send Attorney General Treg Taylor to a two-day conference in Colorado last year. Not mentioned in that report, however: at least $20,000 that a corporate-funded group spent on a trip for Taylor and his wife, Jodi, to the Normandy region of France last summer. Attendees stayed at a five-star hotel favored by Hollywood stars and polo players and dined at Le Côté Royal, where patrons can spend 38 euros on braised pork cheeks, according to a schedule obtained by a watchdog group. Roughly half of the country's attorneys general participated, according to the Associated Press. Their schedule called for four hours of business meetings and more than two days of ceremonies and sightseeing, including guided tours of World War II battlegrounds and a centuries-old abbey. Taylor ultimately did report that trip in an unpublished financial disclosure he filed in March that's only released from state regulators upon request. The disclosure also reported a 2023 trip to South Africa, where attorneys general were scheduled to take an 'educational tour' of wine estates and a daylong trip to a game reserve that offers viewing of lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo. Participants were accompanied by corporate officials from firms like Uber, TikTok and Albertsons, the parent company of the Safeway grocery store chain, according to reporting by CNN. Taylor's participation underscores watchdogs' growing concerns about the group that paid for the trips, the Attorney General Alliance, or AGA, which has raised millions of dollars from corporations — including some that have had legal disputes with states. Taylor recently assumed the alliance's chairmanship, his department announced earlier this year, and he is holding a cybersecurity-focused meeting for the group in Alaska in August. The alliance, created in 2019, has come under increasing criticism, including from the former head of the century-old National Association of Attorneys General, who said in his retirement letter that the alliance, a competing group, is 'overwhelmingly dependent on corporate and lobbyist money' and creates pathways for attorneys general to have their travel paid by entities they are 'investigating or suing.' 'The simple fact is they are a lobbyist access group with some programming to cover for it,' said Tom Jones, head of the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative group that's used public records requests to expose some of the alliance's corporate links and sponsored trips. Taylor's office describes the alliance as a nonpartisan forum where attorneys general 'work in cooperation to share ideas, educate on emerging issues, build relationships and foster enforcement through meetings, panels, working groups, and social activities.' In an interview at his downtown Anchorage office, Taylor said he took vacation time for his trips to South Africa and France, on which he flew business class. And he vehemently defended AGA's value. In addition to trips, he said, it also provides trainings for state attorneys on subjects like organized retail crime, online gaming and artificial intelligence. Taylor said that AGA-sponsored trips contain substantive panels and discussions — such as, in South Africa, sessions on intellectual property rights and cybersecurity. And he added that the relationships he's developed with experts and corporate officials on trips have helped him and other attorneys general resolve problems without the need for 'long, nasty and expensive' litigation. But he also rejected the idea that those relationships make it more difficult for attorneys general to hold corporations accountable: He noted that states have sued and litigated against major sponsors of AGA like Amazon and Pfizer. 'The only benefit they have is that I do know who they are. And they do know who I am, and they can reach out,' he said. 'But that doesn't stop us from doing our jobs as AGs, as we've proven over and over again.' Taylor is a former top attorney for a large, Indigenous-owned oil and gas contracting business, and he began his tenure in state government in 2018 as deputy attorney general in charge of the civil division at the Alaska Department of Law. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed him attorney general in 2021. The AGA was created in 2019 by a group of Western attorneys general and has grown to include more than 40 states and territories, according to its website. Alaska pays some $10,000 in yearly membership fees. But Taylor acknowledged that a 'very, very low percentage' of the AGA's budget comes from those dues and that the rest comes from sponsors. CNN reported that the group collected nearly $27 million in sponsorships between 2019 and 2023 — and allows companies, depending upon the size of their contributions, to suggest 'speakers, panelists, working groups, white papers and events.' Jones, from the conservative advocacy group, said one problem with the corporate participation in the trips to foreign countries is that 'the other side of that conversation' is not happening there. People who would advocate for tougher legal scrutiny of corporations, he said, 'don't have the tens of thousands of dollars a year to pay into associations to buy time in Normandy with the attorneys general.' Taylor said he understands criticism that traveling internationally for AGA programming isn't necessary in the Zoom era, which, he added, 'is why I take personal time for those trips.' He also said that he paid for his six children and one of their spouses to accompany him on the trip to Normandy, which they followed with a weeklong stay at an Airbnb on southern France's Mediterranean coast to explore the Pyrenees, 'since I'm already there.' Amid a spate of negative press coverage and public records requests about the alliance, though, Taylor acknowledged that the group has room for improvement and will consider potential changes. 'AGA is a worthless organization if AGs can't take advantage of the things that they offer,' he said. 'And if they can't take advantage of the things that they offer because of the types of trips that are occurring, then we need to change those types of trips.' Detailed documentation of Taylor's alliance-paid trips — including travel confirmations and receipts for plane tickets — is not public because expenses covered by a third party do not need to be recorded, said Alan Birnbaum, a state attorney and public records specialist who handled a Northern Journal request to the Department of Law. [Read the Department of Law's response to Northern Journal's records request] Birnbaum cited a state administrative manual that says that if travel is 'immaterial' to an agency travel budget, related transactions don't need to be 'recorded as an expenditure and a revenue.' At Taylor's direction, Birnbaum later released some general itineraries for the trips, though more detailed documentation was still withheld. Taylor said he did not know whether he'd deleted the requested records, but, he added: 'I cull my email all the time.' He also said that state law aims to define what he described as 'the limits of a public record.' 'Any time we start to diminish what a public record is, that's something that I worry about, because that is a slippery slope: 'Well, you did it in this case. Why, now, won't you release the memo that you wrote the governor on this issue? Do you have something to hide?'' Taylor said. 'That's just one of those roads that I've just made a policy decision, we're not going to go around.' Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@ or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Applications invited for LLM programme
The Department of Law at Kerala University has invited applications for its two-year LLM programme in Public Law and Intellectual Property Rights. The deadline to submit online applications is Saturday. The programme is designed to equip law graduates with expertise in areas such as Indian Constitution, patents, copyrights and trademarks. The curriculum focuses on legal research, analytical thinking and practical legal skills to prepare students for careers in government, corporate legal departments, intellectual property institutions and international organisations. Applications must be submitted online at Further information can be obtained by contacting 99478 41574.
Chicago Tribune
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to Trump threat to revoke federal aid for sanctuary cities
Mayor Brandon Johnson sought to reassure Chicagoans on Tuesday that his administration would defend itself against President Donald Trump's latest threat to strip cities with sanctuary policies for immigrants of federal aid. In a statement, the mayor's spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said the city 'complies with all federal and state laws,' while suggesting any attempt to jeopardize the roughly $3.5 billion Chicago receives in federal grant dollars would be unconstitutional. 'Mayor Johnson's administration will vigorously defend Chicagoans from any unconstitutional or unlawful attempts to strip residents of the funding and services that they are entitled to,' Mendoza wrote. 'The Department of Law will continue to assess any correspondence from the Trump administration that may impact Chicagoans in any way.' Earlier Thursday morning, the president posted on TruthSocial that he is working to 'withhold all Federal Funding' for sanctuary cities, without naming which ones. It's the latest salvo in the White House's crackdown on immigration that has Chicago and other Democratic-led cities in its crosshairs, though it lacked details on implementation. The Trump administration has made similar threats in the past, which are red meat to his conservative base. 'No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,' Trump's post said. 'They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!' Johnson's 2025 budget contains $2.72 billion in federal funds, and Chicago Public Schools receives $1.3 billion. The Red Line Extension project is expecting $1.9 billion in federal grants. The Trump administration has moved to strip federal funding from blue states and cities throughout his two terms but found itself mired in lawsuits. A federal judge has blocked the White House's sweeping January directive freezing trillions of dollars in aid, and during his first term Trump's Justice Department tried to withhold funds to Chicago and other sanctuary cities but similarly lost in court. Should the president make good on his latest threat, he will likely also face legal challenges. Still, the rightward shift of the federal court system over the past decade and the 6-3 conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court means Trump's funding crackdown over the issue of immigration remains a concern. Johnson, a freshman mayor with a host of challenges back home, has tried to position himself as the progressive antidote to Trump in order to shore up his own popularity midway into a difficult first term. In one February text exchange between Johnson and his ally Ald. Walter Burnett, obtained by the Tribune via a public records request, that line of thinking was on full display as Burnett messaged: 'He is going to bring us together more.' Burnett followed up the next day, 'I'm was [sic] referring to trump,' to which Johnson responded with an exclamation point reaction. 'I was referring to trump bringing everyone closer together,' Burnett repeated. But how exactly to respond to the Trump administration has been a thorny question for Johnson and other Democratic politicians, as the president's second term has shown a more unfettered and retributory side that leaves some Chicagoans pondering whether it makes sense to further antagonize him. At the same time, Trump has shown himself to be adept at flinging around controversial ideas to dominate news cycle but not following through. Last week, Johnson's office walked back one of his starkest retorts of Trump yet, over the president's threats to revoke funds from school districts that promote diversity, equity and inclusion practices. 'We're gonna sue,' Johnson told reporters when asked how he would respond. 'We're not going to be intimidated by these threats. It's just that simple. So whatever it is that this tyrant is trying to do to this city, we're going to fight back.' Later that afternoon, the mayor's press office sought to tamp down his comments in a statement that said, 'Mayor Johnson was not announcing a specific legal action about this particular memo but rather, was speaking more broadly about the importance of fighting back against federal overreach.' Johnson himself is being sued by the Trump administration over immigration. The mayor, Gov. JB Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle are named in the White House's legal challenge against their sanctuary policies that limit the powers of state and local police to help federal law enforcement with deportations. Chicago's sanctuary city ordinance, in place since the 1980s, bans official cooperation between local law enforcement and federal deportation authorities, while ensuring immigrants living without legal permission can use city services. Johnson joined three other Democratic mayors at the U.S. Capitol last month during a marathon GOP-led congressional hearing in which he sparred with Republicans over that exact policy.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska elections experts are uncertain about Trump order's effects
President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order dealing with federal elections, but because the U.S. Constitution reserves many electoral powers for the states, experts across the country and here in Alaska say they're not certain what effects Trump's action will have. 'The Division of Elections is reviewing the executive order and will collaborate with the Department of Law on any potential changes to policies or procedures,' said Carol Beecher, director of the Division of Elections, in a written statement. Multiple attorneys with expertise in Alaska elections law declined comment on the order, citing uncertainty about its applicability. Trump's order comes just as the Alaska Legislature is considering proposals to rewrite state elections law. A bill in the House and a similar bill in the Senate would each make a variety of changes, including to the state's absentee ballot process. Many states, including Alaska, count some absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day. Trump's order seeks to change that by stating that all ballots must reach elections officials on or before Election Day. 'I don't know that he can legally change that just with an executive order,' said Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage and one of several senators leading the push for the Senate bill. 'In fact,' Wielechowski said, 'I highly doubt that he can, and I'm not even sure that Congress can, quite frankly, because under the Constitution, the states have very strong abilities to run their own elections.' Earlier this year, Wielechowski requested a legal opinion asking whether existing caselaw requires Alaska to abide by an Election Day deadline for absentee ballots. No, said a legislative attorney. The Trump order also states that voters who register to vote via a national mail voter registration form must present a U.S. Passport, military ID or other document that shows the voter's citizenship. Most voters register to vote via state forms, rather than federal forms, so the impact of the new ID requirements isn't clear. One section of the Trump order says that states may lose federal elections funding if they don't mirror the new ID requirements in their own states. Alaska received $1 million in federal elections funding last year, budget records show. Wielechowski said he has already requested that legislative attorneys perform a detailed analysis of the elections executive order. 'I think the further they encroach, the more questionable what they do becomes,' Wielechowski said of the Trump administration's actions on elections. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
