Civil Rights

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on Wednesday a bill that not only bans abortions in the state before many women know they are pregnant, but, in a unique twist, gives private citizens the right to... Read More

The ACLU of Illinois held a media availability this week with Christine Finnigan, who continued to receive her 'medically, necessary physician-prescribed methadone treatment' in DuPage County Jail following a lawsuit brought against the DuPage Sheriff's Office by the American Civil... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — In agreeing to hear a potentially groundbreaking abortion case, the Supreme Court has energized activists on both sides of the long-running debate who are now girding to make abortion access a major issue in next year's midterm... Read More

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Protests over George Floyd's killing at the hands of Minneapolis police were raging across the country last June when a Democratic lawmaker took to the floor of the Pennsylvania Senate to argue for greater protections against... Read More

The Biden Administration announced Monday it will interpret federal non-discrimination provisions as protecting the LGBTQ community against discrimination in health care.   The move, which was announced through the Department of Health and Human Services, means the Office for Civil Rights... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would help combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a bipartisan denunciation of such violence during the coronavirus pandemic and a modest step... Read More

WASHINGTON DC — For Michigan State Sen. Stephanie Chang it has been hard to find words to explain the violence and senseless killings of the last several months to her mixed-race six-year-old daughter.  “She’s Asian and Black and I want... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senator Ed Markey remembers growing up and playing in his neighborhood about four blocks from the Malden River in Massachusetts. He would get near, but never in the river; he was taught not to swim in it from... Read More

The G7 issued a statement expressing concern over human rights abuses in Tigray at the end of last week. Since then, Eritrean forces have begun to withdraw from Tigray, according to information from the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, as reported by... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Wednesday swept away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military, issuing new rules that offer them wider access to medical care and assistance with gender transition. The new department... Read More

At the Coalition for the Sahel Ministerial on Friday, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale announced American commitments of more than $80 million for relief to the crisis in the central Sahel. Of the $80 million in... Read More

NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a new racial justice commission Tuesday, which he said will be tasked with targeting and dismantling structural and institutional racism across the city. At the same time the new... Read More

WASHINGTON - AARP has endorsed bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would strengthen protections against age discrimination in the workplace. The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is intended to reverse a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The day before actor Daniel Dae Kim testified to Congress Thursday about hate crimes against Asian Americans, he talked about an attack on his sister while he was being interviewed on CNN. “She was running in her own... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order on Monday directing the Department of Education to review policies implemented by Donald Trump's administration, including changes to Title IX regulations that prohibit sex discrimination in federally... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on Wednesday by a margin of 220 in favor and 212 opposed.  The bill was named after the Minneapolis man killed during an arrest in May... Read More

WASHINGTON - Thirty years ago today, on March 3, 1991, a Los Angeles motorist named Rodney King was severely beaten by four White police officers wielding metal batons, an event that would ultimately seal his place in recent civil rights history.  This... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-led House passed a bill Thursday that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation's labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate.The... Read More

WASHINGTON- A report from the Office of the Inspector General recommended that America make safeguarding women's rights in Afghanistan a top priority, describing the fragile nature of gains in equality in the region. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Witnesses at a congressional hearing Wednesday said the African American community should receive reparations for the inequality and bigotry that started with slavery but continues now. They were speaking in support of a recently reintroduced bill that would... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Less than two months after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man by a Columbus police officer, the City Council last week passed a comprehensive police reform policy it hopes will reduce the number of police-involved... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to issue an executive order to reverse a Pentagon policy that largely bars transgender individuals from joining the military, dumping a ban ordered by President Donald Trump in a tweet during his... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — National lawmakers introduced a joint resolution Wednesday aimed at striking language from the U.S. Constitution that enshrines a form of slavery in America’s foundational documents. The resolution, spearheaded and supported by Democratic members of the House... Read More

WASHINGTON — Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of NAACP, was the special guest this week at the Meridian International Center, a non-partisan center for diplomacy and global leadership. He shared his perspective on recent general election results including their impact... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday set aside an appeals court ruling by a panel of conservative judges that held an injured police officer could sue and win damages from the leader of a Black Lives Matter protest rally. The case had raised alarms... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A nationwide coalition of prosecutors is pledging not to enforce anti-abortion laws as protests spread against a Supreme Court nominee who is a staunch abortion opponent. They issued their “Joint Statement from Elected Prosecutors” last week during Supreme... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House passed the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act (EIEA), legislation on Wednesday that will restore students’ and parents’ right to hold schools accountable for racial discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A congressional resolution that started Monday as a condemnation of hate crimes against Asians quickly turned into a dispute over who should be blamed for the devastation caused by coronavirus. Democrats blamed President Donald Trump for mishandling the... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Conference of Mayors and a coalition of leaders from smaller municipalities are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold protections against discrimination in the delivery of government services. The court is currently scheduled to hear the... Read More

OAKLAND, Calif.– Four plaintiffs in a recently-filed California lawsuit allege they endured verbal harassment and discrimination by their supervisors at Mitsubishi Electric U.S., Inc. LeiRoi Bowie, Gabriel Ross, Lavell Roberson and Craig Martin, all plaintiffs in the suit, were consistently... Read More