Latest news with #LadyJustice
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Binghamton's Lady Justice gets her scales back
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Lady Justice atop the Broome County Courthouse is getting her scales back. KB Services, a local commercial and residential roofing company, is reattaching the scales to the statue of Lady Justice that is on top of the domed courthouse in downtown Binghamton. The scales fell off sometime ago, and had to be repaired and strengthened before being put back. KB also had to find a boom large enough to lift its workers up to the statue. Lady Justice has long been a symbol of the law, typically holding a scale to represent the weighing of evidence and a sword for the power to enforce justice. However, most images of Lady Justice show her blindfolded to indicate impartiality, but this Lady Justice does not wear one. The statue dates back to the construction of the courthouse in 1898. New Yorkers push back on disappeared federal sanctuary list Binghamton's Lady Justice gets her scales back Speaker Johnson calls Musk criticism of Trump agenda bill 'terribly wrong' DC mayor concerned about parade tanks' impact on streets White House downplays Musk criticism of budget bill Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Prison Guards Illegally Recorded Hundreds of Women Strip-Searched: Lawsuit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) officials are names as defendants in a new $500 million lawsuit alleging that prison guards recorded body camera footage of naked women at a detention facility. Why It Matters Detroit-based Flood Law attorneys Todd Flood, Allexa Otto and Katherine Kobiljak are representing 500-plus women who were allegedly recorded, which litigators claim constitutes a felony as a violation of a Michigan law (MCL 750.539j) in addition to violating other fundamental constitutional rights. Michigan, according to Flood and his team, is currently the only state that has a policy to videotape strip-searches. A statue of Lady Justice, inspired by the Roman goddess Justitia, a symbol of law and fairness, stands at the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta on March 6, 2025. A statue of Lady Justice, inspired by the Roman goddess Justitia, a symbol of law and fairness, stands at the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta on March 6, 2025. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images What To Know The 164-page lawsuit, filed this week in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, alleges "a grotesque and deliberate abuse of power" at Michigan's only women's prison, Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV) in Ypsilanti. Plaintiffs claim that between January and March, MDOC officers "forced hundreds of women"—including a vast majority who are rape survivors—to submit to video recording while completely nude during strip-searches, while showering, using toilets and in other states of undress. Lawyers said that "officials deliberately implemented and aggressively defended a policy that sanctioned state-sponsored voyeurism while cynically claiming security concerns," adding that it "represents a brazen and calculated violation of fundamental constitutional rights to privacy, bodily integrity, and human dignity." The suit names the MDOC, Whitmer, MDOC Director Heidi Washington, Deputy Director Jeremy Bush, Warden Jeremy Howard, Assistant Deputy Warden Steve Horton and multiple other officials. Newsweek reached out to Whitmer's office and the MDOC for comment. The lawsuit alleges multiple violations including: Invasion of privacy (intrusion upon seclusion). Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Sex-based discrimination under Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Violations of Michigan's constitutional rights. Flood told Newsweek on Wednesday that a colleague brought the case to him, sparking an arduous process involving interviews with more than 500 women that led to a circuit court filing and ultimately this broader litigation. "If you take a vulnerable victim, the majority of these women—close to 90 percent—have been subjected to some sort of sexual assault, rape or domestic violence," Flood said about the amount sought by plaintiffs. "If you look at comparable cases out there—one lady, we see $55 million for a peeping Tom videotaping her taking a shower naked. "We did a lot of work with experts, financial experts and economists to come up with a number that deals with the damages. These women have all suffered at some point in time of trauma. Now they're in a lesser position." Flood previously represented victims of former U.S. gymnastics Dr. Larry Nassar, as well as more than a dozen students at Eastern Michigan University who claimed they were sexually assaulted earlier this decade. Whitmer's inclusion in the suit is because of her broader governance over the state, Flood added. "The Department of Corrections, the appointments, and the Department of Corrections' leader is the governor," Flood said. "The buck stops at the top, so she's ultimately the one that's in charge of our state's Department of Corrections and making sure that it's ran within the confines of the law and regulations. "Do I think the governor knew about this? Realistically not. But she's in charge and she's the one that stood in the shoes of making sure that our women and men that are incarcerated in the state and held within the public entity of the state are protected." The victims, many of whom were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder prior to the alleged recording incidents, are now, according to Flood, experiencing "devasting" effects, including severe psychological distress, debilitating panic attacks, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress and exacerbation of preexisting conditions. Several have withdrawn from visitation with family members, resigned from prison jobs and abandoned educational programs, he added. "Put yourself in the confines of a prison and how you're treated," he said. "Obviously, it is a totally different place and totally different way. Then, you have to succumb to being strip-searched and the trauma. "The triggers that take place with these women are visceral. Some of the women said, 'I will only see you once because I don't want to come see my lawyers. I don't wanna see anybody because I'm going to be videotaped,' and they will have a physical reaction of either shakes, sweats, sick, sleepless nights vomiting where they don't want to leave their cell." What People Are Saying Attorney Todd Flood told Newsweek: "My lawsuit brought notice and light underneath the hood here to what's going on. And it would have continued to take place, but for us doing this lawsuit." What Happens Next The women represented by Flood and his colleagues are collectively seeking injunctive relief, destruction of all recordings made during the illegal period, mandatory training for MDOC staff and monetary damages for the harm endured.
The Sun
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Scales of justice weigh heavily in favour of illegal migrants – but here's how Starmer can fix it immediately
THE statue of Lady Justice, who stands over the Old Bailey, well- balanced scales in one hand and a sword in the other, is the perfect metaphor for what Britain's judges should aspire to be: Tough, even-handed and unswayed by prejudice. But in the case of immigration tribunals something seems to have gone terribly wrong. 4 4 4 The scales seem increasingly to be weighed down heavily on one side, the side that favours illegal migrants. Research by the Conservative party has revealed that several judges who oversee asylum cases are also working as barristers representing asylum seekers. Worse, some are involved with campaign groups that advocate on behalf of migrants. One of them, Rebecca Chapman, manages to combine three roles. As well as sitting as an immigration judge, she works as a barrister on migration cases at Garden Court Chambers, a group of barristers renowned for representing left-wing interests in court. But on top of that she also works for a charity called Refugee Legal Support, which is actively encouraging asylum seekers to make claims in Britain. Its website declares that it 'works in solidarity with people seeking sanctuary in the UK'. Hijacked by clever lawyers It organises what it calls its Family Routes Project, offering advice and practical support to migrants in Northern France who are seeking to cross the Channel to make asylum claims in Britain — in spite of already residing in a safe country. Everyone is entitled to their views, of course, and campaign groups are free to make the case for easier migration if they really want to — just as opponents of mass migration are entitled to make their case, too. But is it really acceptable to have people sitting as judges on asylum cases when they have so openly nailed their colours to the mast on the issue? Ms Chapman is not the only judge in this position. One of her barrister colleagues, Greg O Ceallaigh, also sits as a judge on immigration tribunal cases. In March he reposted on his LinkedIn page a message from the pro-migrant charity Asylum Aid which demanded repeal of the Conservatives' Illegal Migration Act. Killer Albanian terrorist FREE to roam UK streets in human rights fiasco because he'd be hunted by mobsters if he's deported Again, perfectly reasonable people can disagree with the Conservatives' Rwanda scheme, but to take a public position on an issue on which you are supposed to be acting as an impartial judge undermines the very principles of our legal system. No one should be acting as judge and advocate at the same time. Indeed, judges are supposed to be under a duty to recuse themselves from cases in which an outside observer would conclude there is a danger they would be biased. Surely that should apply to any judge who has taken a public position on migration, or who works for any campaigning organisation which does so. If you want to campaign for open migration you should not be allowed to sit as a judge on an immigration tribunal, it is as simple as that. 4 You can imagine the outrage if an immigration judge turned out to be standing as a candidate for Reform UK, handing out leaflets saying 'Stop the boats'. They would, rightly, be suspected of harbouring a prejudice on the issue. So why is it any more acceptable to have judges who hold strong pro-migration opinions? Small wonder then that immigration tribunals so often seem to be biased in favour of migrants and against the interests of the general public. In one particularly outrageous recent case — which didn't involve either Chapman or O Ceallaigh sitting as judge — a Sri Lankan paedophile who was jailed in Britain for molesting three boys has been allowed to stay here following his release on the grounds that he might face persecution back home on account of his homosexuality. For goodness sake, does the safety of British children come into it at all? Following that outrage, the Government hastily announced that in future foreign sex offenders will not be allowed to claim refugee status. Change promised by the Government might not come to mean very much at all — especially if activist judges are still allowed to sit on migration cases. Ross Clark Critics, however, have pointed out that lawyers will still be able to make representations on behalf of foreign sex offenders, arguing that it would infringe their human rights to send them home. In other words, the change promised by the Government might not come to mean very much at all — especially if activist judges are still allowed to sit on migration cases. In another infamous recent case, it was revealed that an Albanian criminal was allowed to stay in Britain on the grounds that his son didn't like the chicken nuggets on offer in Albania. That case, at least, was overturned on appeal and sent back to a lower tribunal for reconsideration, but the 'right to a family life' has been used by many criminals to avoid deportation. The lawyers and others who drafted the European Convention on Human Rights in the 1950s would be appalled to know how their high-minded principles have been hijacked by clever lawyers working for low-lifers. Keir Starmer, of course, has a background as a human rights lawyer. He is someone who always likes to live by the book. But to judge by his recent pronouncements, the growing one-sided nature of the immigration courts is becoming too much even for him. A good start would be to root out activist judges who have formed strong left- liberal opinions on migration and who are therefore in no position to dispense balanced justice.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit investigating alleged military base killing
A special unit that began as a cold case task force recently helped secure a murder indictment against an active-duty airman accused of killing a missing Native American woman. Quinterius Chappelle, 24, an aircraft inspection journeyman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for the alleged murder of 21-year-old Sahela "Shy" Toka Win Sangrait, who friends and family told Fox News Digital was his girlfriend of about one year. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU) became involved in the case March 10, when a state lab confirmed a DNA sample from the body matched Sangrait, a registered tribal member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. "At that point in time, our criminal investigators were notified and were brought online with it," MMU Regional Agent In Charge Robert Schoeberl told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. Active-duty Us Airman Charged In Killing Of Missing Woman On Military Base The unit originated as a cold case task force, part of operation "Lady Justice," a multi-agency initiative established by the Trump administration in 2019 to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system and address the staggering number of missing and murdered Native Americans in tribal communities, according to Schoeberl. Read On The Fox News App In February, the BIA announced the Office of Justice Services launched "Operation Spirit Return" in conjunction with MMU. Homicide was among the top three most frequent causes of death among American Indian and Alaska Native females aged 15 to 24, as of 2019, according to data provided by the National Congress of American Indians. More than four in five indigenous women experience sexual violence in their lifetime. The Not Invisible Act was also passed by Congress during Trump's first term in 2020, aimed at addressing the rampant number of missing persons and murder and trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. "President Trump is the president of law and order, and he is always working to deliver justice for victims of violent crime," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. According to a redacted indictment, Chappelle, an airman basic who has been in the service since 2019, allegedly "unlawfully, and with premeditation and with malice aforethought" killed Sangrait at Ellsworth Air Force Base on or about Aug. 11, 2024. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office said Sangrait, of Box Elder, was reported missing Aug. 10, just one day prior to when authorities claim she was killed. Isabela Arroyo, Sangrait's sister, told Fox News Digital Chappelle was verbally abusive toward Sangrait, who had a one-way plane ticket to move in with Arroyo and her husband in Colorado Sept. 6. Sangrait told Chappelle she was going to go to Colorado for the birth of Arroyo's son Sept. 27, her sister said. However, it is unclear if Chappelle found out about her plan to remain in Colorado. "She never got on the plane," Arroyo said. "It was really hard. I had assumed that she had just chosen not to come anymore, and, unfortunately, that wasn't the case." Sangrait's body, discarded in a wooded area near the Pennington and Custer County line, was discovered by a hiker March 4, about seven months after her disappearance. The sheriff's office said the body was "badly decomposed" and there was "no identifying information available." The cause of death has not yet been released. Chilling Google Searches Lead Police To Arrest Active-duty Marine In Alleged Murder Of Escort Tayagonique McGloghlon, who met Sangrait in 2021 while participating in a program for young adults who recently aged out of foster care, told Fox News Digital the prospective nurse would call her every week, but, similar to Arroyo, the last she heard from Sangrait was Aug. 10. "The last message I got from her was on Aug. 10, and she asked me if I was OK," McGloghlon said. "The day before that, I called her about three times. The third time I called, it went straight to voicemail — like her phone had been turned off for me, which I thought was really weird. … It put me off in a weird way." McGloghlon said she tried sending Sangrait messages on social media, thinking maybe she had been blocked. "I was like, 'That's not like her, especially when she always kept in contact with me,'" she said. McGloghlon, who met Chappelle while he was dating one of her friends prior to Sangrait, said she always found him "a little bit weird" and "never liked him," but Sangrait only told her good things. "I was devastated [when her remains were found]," McGloghlon said. "Honestly, I've never been more heartbroken. She's the light in this world. She didn't deserve that. … She was very spirited and such a good friend. She was a kind soul, just beautiful. I miss her so much. She was one of my best friends." Cassidy Wimble, another one of Sangrait's friends, told Fox News Digital she had yet to meet Chappelle in person, but he was one of the first people she reached out to after the disappearance. "He told me, 'I don't know anything. I wish we [could] find her,'" Wimble said. "He said the same thing to a few people." MMU investigators collaborate with the federal National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database and Othram, a Texas-based company that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy, to identify human remains. "It's more advanced forensic testing, which a lot of the evidence from this case will run through," Schoeberl said."[Othram] tests relatives, basically identifying you through your family members' DNA. It's been very beneficial in solving and helping solve cases recently." Family Of Murdered Fort Hood Soldier Vanessa Guillen Files $35M Lawsuit Against Army As part of the Sangrait investigation, the unit also interviewed witnesses, conducted searches and notified family of the death. The MMU's Victim Services Program continues to provide the family with daily updates as the investigation continues, and the unit remains in close contact with the FBI and other agencies assisting with the case. U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota Alison J. Ramsdell said prosecutors will pursue justice "relentlessly." "The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota will now proceed with the prosecution of this tragic case and relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of the victim," Ramsdell wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. Wife Convicted Of Murdering Army Soldier Husband At Home On Military Base Arroyo said it helps to know her sister will get justice and Chappelle is now in custody, unable to harm anyone else. "It's just how long he was able to walk around like nothing happened," Arroyo said. "He has already denied even knowing my sister. When they initially arrested him, he didn't say a word. He didn't even ask why he was being arrested." Chappelle is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service at the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City, South Dakota. Fox News Digital obtained a scheduling and case management order signed by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler, noting a jury trial is set for May 27. Attorney Gina Ruggieri, who filed a notice stating she would be representing Chappelle instead of his previously appointed public defender, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fort Ellsworth said it is working closely with area law enforcement agencies. "First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Sahela," Col. Derek Oakley, 28th Bomb Wing commander, previously told Fox News Digital when Chappelle was initially charged with second-degree murder in a federal criminal complaint. "We hold Airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished." After the indictment, Fort Ellsworth officials, in response to a request for comment, referred Fox News Digital to the U.S. Attorney's Office of South Dakota, citing the jurisdiction change. Wimble, who said she spoke with Sangrait every day, described her as one of the strongest people she knew. "She was one of the most resilient people that I knew," Wimble said. "You could knock her down, and like bowling pins, she'd stand up every single time. … She was very strong, and she knew herself more than anybody. She was the kindest person I knew. Especially with all the things that she's gone through. … She's everything to me. … She really deserved a life." The Air Force and Pennington County Sheriff's Office declined Fox News Digital's requests for comment. The FBI and U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News article source: Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit investigating alleged military base killing
Fox News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit investigating alleged military base killing
A special unit that began as a cold case task force recently helped secure a murder indictment against an active-duty airman accused of killing a missing Native American woman. Quinterius Chappelle, 24, an aircraft inspection journeyman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday for the alleged murder of 21-year-old Sahela "Shy" Toka Win Sangrait, who friends and family told Fox News Digital was his girlfriend of about one year. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU) became involved in the case March 10, when a state lab confirmed a DNA sample from the body matched Sangrait, a registered tribal member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. "At that point in time, our criminal investigators were notified and were brought online with it," MMU Regional Agent In Charge Robert Schoeberl told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. The unit originated as a cold case task force, part of operation "Lady Justice," a multi-agency initiative established by the Trump administration in 2019 to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system and address the staggering number of missing and murdered Native Americans in tribal communities, according to Schoeberl. In February, the BIA announced the Office of Justice Services launched "Operation Spirit Return" in conjunction with MMU. Homicide was among the top three most frequent causes of death among American Indian and Alaska Native females aged 15 to 24, as of 2019, according to data provided by the National Congress of American Indians. More than four in five indigenous women experience sexual violence in their lifetime. The Not Invisible Act was also passed by Congress during Trump's first term in 2020, aimed at addressing the rampant number of missing persons and murder and trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. "President Trump is the president of law and order, and he is always working to deliver justice for victims of violent crime," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. According to a redacted indictment, Chappelle, an airman basic who has been in the service since 2019, allegedly "unlawfully, and with premeditation and with malice aforethought" killed Sangrait at Ellsworth Air Force Base on or about Aug. 11, 2024. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office said Sangrait, of Box Elder, was reported missing Aug. 10, just one day prior to when authorities claim she was killed. Isabela Arroyo, Sangrait's sister, told Fox News Digital Chappelle was verbally abusive toward Sangrait, who had a one-way plane ticket to move in with Arroyo and her husband in Colorado Sept. 6. Sangrait told Chappelle she was going to go to Colorado for the birth of Arroyo's son Sept. 27, her sister said. However, it is unclear if Chappelle found out about her plan to remain in Colorado. "She never got on the plane," Arroyo said. "It was really hard. I had assumed that she had just chosen not to come anymore, and, unfortunately, that wasn't the case." Sangrait's body, discarded in a wooded area near the Pennington and Custer County line, was discovered by a hiker March 4, about seven months after her disappearance. The sheriff's office said the body was "badly decomposed" and there was "no identifying information available." The cause of death has not yet been released. Tayagonique McGloghlon, who met Sangrait in 2021 while participating in a program for young adults who recently aged out of foster care, told Fox News Digital the prospective nurse would call her every week, but, similar to Arroyo, the last she heard from Sangrait was Aug. 10. "The last message I got from her was on Aug. 10, and she asked me if I was OK," McGloghlon said. "The day before that, I called her about three times. The third time I called, it went straight to voicemail — like her phone had been turned off for me, which I thought was really weird. … It put me off in a weird way." McGloghlon said she tried sending Sangrait messages on social media, thinking maybe she had been blocked. "I was like, 'That's not like her, especially when she always kept in contact with me,'" she said. McGloghlon, who met Chappelle while he was dating one of her friends prior to Sangrait, said she always found him "a little bit weird" and "never liked him," but Sangrait only told her good things. "I was devastated [when her remains were found]," McGloghlon said. "Honestly, I've never been more heartbroken. She's the light in this world. She didn't deserve that. … She was very spirited and such a good friend. She was a kind soul, just beautiful. I miss her so much. She was one of my best friends." Cassidy Wimble, another one of Sangrait's friends, told Fox News Digital she had yet to meet Chappelle in person, but he was one of the first people she reached out to after the disappearance. "He told me, 'I don't know anything. I wish we [could] find her,'" Wimble said. "He said the same thing to a few people." MMU investigators collaborate with the federal National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database and Othram, a Texas-based company that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy, to identify human remains. "It's more advanced forensic testing, which a lot of the evidence from this case will run through," Schoeberl said."[Othram] tests relatives, basically identifying you through your family members' DNA. It's been very beneficial in solving and helping solve cases recently." As part of the Sangrait investigation, the unit also interviewed witnesses, conducted searches and notified family of the death. The MMU's Victim Services Program continues to provide the family with daily updates as the investigation continues, and the unit remains in close contact with the FBI and other agencies assisting with the case. U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota Alison J. Ramsdell said prosecutors will pursue justice "relentlessly." "The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota will now proceed with the prosecution of this tragic case and relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of the victim," Ramsdell wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. Arroyo said it helps to know her sister will get justice and Chappelle is now in custody, unable to harm anyone else. "It's just how long he was able to walk around like nothing happened," Arroyo said. "He has already denied even knowing my sister. When they initially arrested him, he didn't say a word. He didn't even ask why he was being arrested." Chappelle is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service at the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City, South Dakota. Fox News Digital obtained a scheduling and case management order signed by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler, noting a jury trial is set for May 27. Attorney Gina Ruggieri, who filed a notice stating she would be representing Chappelle instead of his previously appointed public defender, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fort Ellsworth said it is working closely with area law enforcement agencies. "First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Sahela," Col. Derek Oakley, 28th Bomb Wing commander, previously told Fox News Digital when Chappelle was initially charged with second-degree murder in a federal criminal complaint. "We hold Airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished." After the indictment, Fort Ellsworth officials, in response to a request for comment, referred Fox News Digital to the U.S. Attorney's Office of South Dakota, citing the jurisdiction change. Wimble, who said she spoke with Sangrait every day, described her as one of the strongest people she knew. "She was one of the most resilient people that I knew," Wimble said. "You could knock her down, and like bowling pins, she'd stand up every single time. … She was very strong, and she knew herself more than anybody. She was the kindest person I knew. Especially with all the things that she's gone through. … She's everything to me. … She really deserved a life." The Air Force and Pennington County Sheriff's Office declined Fox News Digital's requests for comment. The FBI and U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
