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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
ACLU files federal lawsuit against Chambers County Board of Education
The Chambers County Courthouse as seen on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023 in Lafayette, Ala. ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the Chambers County Board of Education on behalf of two teachers who were wrongfully arrested in 2023.(Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alabama filed a federal lawsuit in May against the Chambers County Board of Education on behalf of two teachers who were wrongfully arrested in 2023. According to the lawsuit, Yolanda Ratchford and Tytianna Smith held letter-size papers at a Chambers County Board of Education meeting picturing John Lewis reading 'Good Trouble.' 'Silently holding pieces of paper is not a crime. What happened to Ms. Ratchford and Ms. Smith is a clear and shocking abuse of power,' said Alison Mollman, legal director at the ACLU of Alabama. 'These women were exercising their most basic constitutional rights—freedom of speech and peaceful protest—and they were punished for it.' According to a May press release, the complaint includes claims under the First and Fourth Amendments, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Alabama common law. The litigation, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, is to get Ratchford and Smith compensated for the harm they endured while in police custody. She said Ratchford is wheelchair bound and was not given access to a toilet while in police custody. A judge ruled the two teachers were not guilty of disorderly conduct. Messages seeking comment from Chambers County Board of Education and the Valley Police Department were left Tuesday. As of Tuesday, the defendants have not responded to the lawsuit through the court. According to a press release, the silent protest was part of ongoing community opposition to the school board's plan to consolidate the county's two public high schools into a new facility located in Valley, a predominantly white city, which would displace Black students and educators from LaFayette. Mollman said the merging of the two schools would cause issues with commuting for Black students that live in spread out county and they would get a different education in the city. 'When you're going a few miles down county roads, it's much different than going down I 65 or 85 you know, at 80 miles an hour. And so that's part of the issue,' Mollman said in an interview in May. The merging of the two schools, Mollman said, would put the Black students at a disadvantage because they would no longer be with their teachers. 'Many of those teachers were black, and so it's not just the bussing times. It's also where those students are going to be placed, who they're going to be taught by, and how that's going to be different, how they're going to be differently situated than from their white peers.' 'A judge determined that they were not guilty of those offenses, and made comments to the effect that if anyone was disorderly in the incident, it was law enforcement,' she said. For the past 50 years, the Chambers County School District has been under a federal desegregation order. A federal judge ruled that both Valley and Lafayette high schools must be combined into one Chambers County High School. A new consolidated high school is set to be built this year, according to WTVM.
Daily Record
29-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Rare Scottish Golden Eagle spotted as majestic bird seen soaring south to England
Conservationists and environment lovers have something to cheer about as a rare Golden Eagle was spotted in England After vanishing from England more than a century ago, golden eagles are making a remarkable comeback, soaring south from Scotland in a revival that has thrilled conservationists and bird lovers alike. Among the majestic birds spotted across the border this year is a young male named Talla, who recently turned heads in Northumberland National Park, much to the amazement of wildlife enthusiast Ian Glendinning. 'It was the end of March and I was driving in a remote corner of the national park with a couple of friends and the rear passenger suddenly shouted out 'what on earth is that?'' he told the BBC. 'I looked over to my right and about 30 metres away there he was, sitting on a rocky outcrop." Talla is one of around 50 golden eagles now thriving in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, an extraordinary rise from just a handful in the region less than a decade ago. Their resurgence is thanks to the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP), launched in 2018 in a bid to boost dwindling numbers. Since then, the project has successfully relocated 28 juvenile golden eagles, collected from the Highlands at six to eight weeks of age, along with 15 older birds aged between four months and three years. 'Thanks to our satellite tagging, we can confirm that some are beginning to venture into Northumberland and further afield and these sightings reaffirm the importance of us extending our groundbreaking work,' said Michael Clarke, chair of SSGEP. The golden eagles have now been tracked far beyond the Borders, gliding over the North Pennines, the Lake District, and even as far south as the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire and Nidderdale in Yorkshire. 'While it is too early to say if they are settling in these areas, it is a potentially exciting and significant milestone,' Mr Clarke added. Once wiped out across England and Wales by the mid-1800s due to persecution by gamekeepers and landowners, golden eagles only made a fleeting return following the First and Second World Wars, when driven shoots temporarily ceased. The last known English resident disappeared from the Lake District in 2015. Now, the golden eagle, the UK's second-largest bird of prey after the white-tailed sea eagle, may finally be reclaiming its lost territory. These powerful raptors are known for their incredible hunting skills and wide-ranging territories, with pairs covering up to 150 square kilometres. They favour remote, undisturbed landscapes and are most commonly found in the Scottish Highlands and islands, where they glide silently above open moorland and craggy cliffs. They feed on a variety of prey, from rabbits and red grouse to squirrels, smaller birds and even fish. They also scavenge carrion, playing a vital role in recycling nutrients through the ecosystem. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Dwarf birch and downy willow trees once offered ideal nesting spots in Scotland's uplands, but widespread overgrazing by deer and sheep has devastated these habitats. Nonetheless, golden eagles continue to adapt, building vast nests in the most secluded spots, from rocky cliffs to towering trees, and returning to them year after year. The birds mate for life and build multiple nests within their territory, selecting their preferred site depending on the season and weather. The largest golden eagle nest on record measured an incredible 4.5 metres deep. Most golden eagles live between 15 and 20 years, though some have been known to reach 30.
New York Post
15-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Elon Musk's PAC stiffed swing state petition signers, lawsuit claims
Tech billionaire Elon Musk's America PAC has been accused of reneging on a promise to pay scores of swing state voters who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments, a new lawsuit has alleged. During the 2024 campaign, Musk promised to dole out $47 payments to registered voters who signed the petition in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — before eventually upping the amount to $100 per person. Now, three voters from Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania are pursuing a national class action suit on behalf of signatories who claim they participated, but weren't paid. 'Plaintiffs are in communication with numerous others who referred voters to sign the America PAC petition, who are likewise frustrated that they did not receive full payments for their referrals,' the lawsuit, filed last week in Philadelphia federal court. Federal law bars paying people to register to vote, but Musk's America PAC worked around that by mandating that signatories already be registered. 3 Elon Musk had spent hundreds of millions of dollars seeking to help President Trump win the 2024 election. REUTERS One of the plaintiffs, Steve Reid, claimed to be a canvasser for America PAC in Georgia and Michigan, in theory making him eligible for additional rewards. 'Despite multiple attempts to receive payment, Plaintiff Steven Reid was also not paid the full promised amounts for these referrals. He estimates that he has not been paid at least several thousand dollars he is owed for his referrals,' the suit alleged. A separate complaint filed last month raised similar concerns about Pennsylvania residents who claimed that they had been bilked of the prize money as well. An America PAC spokesperson told CNN about that suit that the group 'is committed to paying for every legitimate petition signer, which is evidenced by the fact that we have paid tens of millions of dollars to canvassers for their hard work in support of our mission.' 3 Elon Musk emerged as a prominent figure early on in the Trump administration's cost-cutting efforts. Getty Images Musk spent some $300 million during the 2024 election in support of Trump, who won all seven key states. The world's richest man later landed a role as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His status as a special government employee ends later this month and the tech guru has already taken steps to wind down his DOGE responsibilities. 3 The America PAC also previously faced litigation over the $1 million prizes. REUTERS Musk had repeatedly promoted the America PAC's petition on social media, with some of his posts garnering tens of millions of views. In addition to the $100 prize money for signing the petition, his PAC also vowed to give $1 million daily to randomly selected signatories. Musk personally handed out oversized checks to some of the winners at pro-Trump rallies. Another suit filed last year alleged that those sweepstakes were fraudulent and the winners had been predetermined. The Post contacted America PAC for comment.
The Intercept
15-04-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Pitt's Suspension of Pro-Palestine Student Group Violates First Amendment, Says ACLU Lawsuit
The University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Nov. 26, 2020. Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP The University of Pittsburgh violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments when it suspended the school's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine last month, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday against the school. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The complaint alleges that the University of Pittsburgh violated the Constitution's prohibitions on restricting free speech when it placed the SJP chapter on an indefinite suspension last month, after the group organized a letter condemning what it said was the university's harassment of SJP. 'The First Amendment requires that public universities respect students' right to engage in vigorous debate about important issues of the day. Pitt's suspension of the club's status and other interference with peaceful advocacy is unconstitutional retaliation,' ACLU of Pennsylvania legal director Witold Walczak said in a press release. 'Pitt cannot constitutionally put its thumb on one side of the debate by harassing and chilling the pro-Palestinian students' side of that important discussion.' The lawsuit is one of a wave of similar actions taken by student protesters and their allies in response to university crackdowns on speech on Palestine. The University of Pittsburgh did not immediately respond to a request for comment. WAIT! BEFORE YOU GO on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadn't done it? Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters weren't on the beat? The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. We don't have ads, so we depend on our members to help us hold the powerful to account. Joining is simple and doesn't need to cost a lot: You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month. That's all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Join The Conversation
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Elon Musk hands out $1 million payments after Wisconsin Supreme Court declines request to stop him
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Elon Musk gave out $1 million checks on Sunday to two Wisconsin voters, declaring them spokespeople for his political group, ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election that the tech billionaire cast as critical to President Donald Trump's agenda and 'the future of civilization.' 'It's a super big deal,' he told a roughly 2,000-person crowd in Green Bay on Sunday night, taking the stage in a yellow cheesehead hat. 'I'm not phoning it in. I'm here in person.' Musk and groups he supports have spent more than $20 million to help conservative favorite Brad Schimel in Tuesday's race, which will determine the ideological makeup of a court likely to decide key issues in a perennial battleground state. Musk has increasingly become the center of the contest, with liberal favorite Susan Crawford and her allies protesting Musk and what they say is the influence he wants to have on the court. 'I think this will be important for the future of civilization,' he said. 'It's that's significant.' He noted that the state high court may well take up redistricting of congressional districts, which could ultimately affect which party controls the U.S. House. 'And if the (Wisconsin) Supreme Court is able to redraw the districts, they will gerrymander the district and deprive Wisconsin of two seats on the Republican side,' Musk said. 'Then they will try to stop all the government reforms we are getting done for you, the American people.' A unanimous state Supreme Court on Sunday refused to hear a last-minute attempt by the state's Democratic attorney general to stop Musk from handing over the checks to two voters, a ruling that came just minutes before the planned start of the rally. Two lower courts had already rejected the legal challenge by Democrat Josh Kaul, who argues that Musk's offer violates a state law. 'Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value to induce anyone to vote,' Kaul argued in his filing. 'Yet, Elon Musk did just that.' But the state Supreme Court, which is currently controlled 4-3 by liberal justices, declined to take the case as an original action. The court gave no rationale for its decision. Kaul had no immediate comment on the court's order. Musk's attorneys argued in filings with the court that Musk was exercising his free speech rights with the giveaways and any attempt to restrict that would violate both the Wisconsin and U.S. constitutions. The payments are 'intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate,' Musk's attorneys argued in court filings. Musk's political action committee used a nearly identical tactic before the presidential election last year, offering to pay $1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second amendments. A judge in Pennsylvania said prosecutors failed to show the effort was an illegal lottery and allowed it to continue through Election Day. Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority on the court. All four liberal justices have endorsed Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, the Democratic-backed candidate. Musk's attorneys, about four hours before the rally was to begin, asked that two liberal justices who have campaigned for Crawford — Jill Karofsky and Rebecca Dallet — recuse themselves from the case. His attorneys argued their work for Crawford creates 'the specter of inappropriate bias.' If they did recuse, that would leave the court with a 3-2 conservative majority. Both justices rejected the request and said they would spell out their reasons why at a later date. One of the court's conservative justices has endorsed Schimel, who wore a 'Make America Great Again' hat while campaigning Sunday. Schimel said in a national television interview that he does not control 'any of the spending from any outside group, whether it's Elon Musk or anyone else' and that all Trump asked was whether he would 'reject activist judges' and follow the law. 'That's exactly what I've committed to anybody, whether it's President Trump, Elon Musk or any donors and donors or supporters or voters in Wisconsin. That's my commitment,' Schimel told 'Fox News Sunday.' The contest has shattered national spending records for a judicial election, with more than $81 million in spending. It comes as Wisconsin's highest court is expected to rule on abortion rights , congressional redistricting , union power and voting rules that could affect the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election in the state. ___ Associated Press writer Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
