The first Black person to be elected to a countywide position in Gwinnett County, Georgia, was sworn in as a state court judge on Thursday, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Ronda Colvin-Leary made history when she won the seat in May. Previously, Black judges had been only appointed in the county to serve on the
Students in Missouri could face criminal charges for bullying thanks to a new law that makes the infliction of “emotional distress” a felony. According to The Washington Post, the law is part of the state’s broader overhaul of its criminal code, but could pull police and courts into incidents that are usually considered school disciplinary
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill that tightened gun rules in the state. On Friday, Senate Bill 7026—or the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act— became law in Florida which raises the legal age of firearm purchases to 21. The bill is the first significant piece of gun control legislation passed after 17 people
The Wire was one of the grittiest television series to hit in 2002. It was real, raw and told from the perspective of the drug dealers and law enforcement in the streets of Baltimore. The HBO series, which premiered for five seasons and spawned talent such as Idris Elba, Mack Wilds, Michael B. Jordan and
Although he has an array of honors to his credit, Bryan Stevenson isn’t your typical public interest lawyer; he’s a “genius.” No, seriously. In 1995, the southern Delaware native was awarded the coveted MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award Prize, a no-strings-attached grant recognizing individuals for their exceptional “originality, insight and potential.” The hefty financial award is
A Republican senator is preparing a bill that would create a new crime of “economic terrorism” that would allow felony prosecution of protesters, WJW reports. The bill targets those who block streets, cause property damage, threaten jobs and put public safety at risk. “I respect the right to protest, but when it endangers people’s lives and property,
Whether or not discipline was meted out on the police officer who placed Eric Garner in a lethal chokehold may never be known, due to a law that protects New York City cops in such situations. Outgoing NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Bill deBlasio said this week that a state civil rights law makes
You may think that you should be able to leave your home at any time without fear of being stopped and questioned by law enforcement officials for no reason. Maybe you believe the Fourth Amendment protects you from being stopped and searched without cause. Apparently, the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t believe so. The high court ruled that if
Discriminatory laws against marginalized communities are nothing new in America. It doesn't matter if such laws mean to put people who are already at a societal disadvantage at well, an even more pressing position of disadvantage, the result is still the same. This week's example of lawmakers making decisions that severely impact people of color
Authorities confirmed on Thursday that 35 pounds, or roughly $2 million, worth of cocaine was found last week in the mail center of the United Nations headquarters based in Manhattan. Stuffed inside a group of hollowed-out books inside a mailbag stamped with a fake UN logo, the package came via DHL from Mexico after it
The first Black person to be elected to a countywide position in Gwinnett County, Georgia, was sworn in as a state court judge on Thursday, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Ronda Colvin-Leary made history when she won the seat in May. Previously, Black judges had been only appointed in the county to serve on the
Students in Missouri could face criminal charges for bullying thanks to a new law that makes the infliction of “emotional distress” a felony. According to The Washington Post, the law is part of the state’s broader overhaul of its criminal code, but could pull police and courts into incidents that are usually considered school disciplinary
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill that tightened gun rules in the state. On Friday, Senate Bill 7026—or the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act— became law in Florida which raises the legal age of firearm purchases to 21. The bill is the first significant piece of gun control legislation passed after 17 people
The Wire was one of the grittiest television series to hit in 2002. It was real, raw and told from the perspective of the drug dealers and law enforcement in the streets of Baltimore. The HBO series, which premiered for five seasons and spawned talent such as Idris Elba, Mack Wilds, Michael B. Jordan and
Although he has an array of honors to his credit, Bryan Stevenson isn’t your typical public interest lawyer; he’s a “genius.” No, seriously. In 1995, the southern Delaware native was awarded the coveted MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award Prize, a no-strings-attached grant recognizing individuals for their exceptional “originality, insight and potential.” The hefty financial award is
A Republican senator is preparing a bill that would create a new crime of “economic terrorism” that would allow felony prosecution of protesters, WJW reports. The bill targets those who block streets, cause property damage, threaten jobs and put public safety at risk. “I respect the right to protest, but when it endangers people’s lives and property,
Whether or not discipline was meted out on the police officer who placed Eric Garner in a lethal chokehold may never be known, due to a law that protects New York City cops in such situations. Outgoing NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Bill deBlasio said this week that a state civil rights law makes
You may think that you should be able to leave your home at any time without fear of being stopped and questioned by law enforcement officials for no reason. Maybe you believe the Fourth Amendment protects you from being stopped and searched without cause. Apparently, the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t believe so. The high court ruled that if
Discriminatory laws against marginalized communities are nothing new in America. It doesn't matter if such laws mean to put people who are already at a societal disadvantage at well, an even more pressing position of disadvantage, the result is still the same. This week's example of lawmakers making decisions that severely impact people of color
Authorities confirmed on Thursday that 35 pounds, or roughly $2 million, worth of cocaine was found last week in the mail center of the United Nations headquarters based in Manhattan. Stuffed inside a group of hollowed-out books inside a mailbag stamped with a fake UN logo, the package came via DHL from Mexico after it