A federal appeals court extended a block on the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan known as SAVE, which lowers monthly payments for millions and accelerates debt cancellation for some borrowers who had taken out smaller loans. Before it was put on hold, the SAVE program had already canceled $5.5 billion for over 400,000 borrowers.
The New York City Police Department adopted an emergency rule last week that will allow nonresidents to apply for concealed carry permits through the city, a move that could create a backdoor for out-of-state residents to carry their guns in the state.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed the changes into law last Tuesday, allowing for nonresidents to file carry applications in the city. Prior to the new order, NYPD rules did not contain formal procedures for applicants who do not live in New York or applicants who are primarily employed in New York City. The state also does not grant any form of reciprocity for individuals who hold a similar permit from another state.
In a major decision on Friday, the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that geofence warrants are “categorically prohibited by the Fourth Amendment.” Closely following arguments EFF has made in a numberofcases, the court found that geofence warrants constitute the sort of “general, exploratory rummaging” that the drafters of the Fourth Amendment intended to outlaw. EFF applauds this decision because it is essential that every person feels like they can simply take their cell phone out into the world without the fear that they might end up a criminal suspect because their location data was swept up in open-ended digital dragnet.
The new Fifth Circuit case, United States v. Smith, involved an armed robbery and assault of a US Postal Service worker at a post office in Mississippi in 2018. After several months of investigation, police had no identifiable suspects, so they obtained a geofence warrant covering a large geographic area around the post office for the hour surrounding the crime. Google responded to the warrant with information on several devices, ultimately leading police to the two defendants.
Florida Republicans, after years of historic gains and steady growth, now surpass registered Democrats by one million voters, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) announced over the weekend.
The Florida GOP announced the milestone, asserting that “Republican leadership cements Florida’s deep RED status” after years of elections with the status as a purple swing state. The press release attributed the historic achievement, in part, to “the strong leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis and key Republican officials,” including among those, “Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, House Speaker Paul Renner, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Senate President-designate Ben Albritton, and Speaker-designate Danny Perez.”
Evan Power, chairman of the RPOF, said the success of Florida Republicans goes far beyond voter registration numbers.
Two students, Holden Hughes and Aaron Hartley, have won $500K each from St. Francis High School, California. The two students were expelled after being accused of doing “blackface” when a social media post of the two men wearing acne crème went viral.
Krista Boughman, one of the students’ lawyers, said of the victory, “This case is significant not only for our clients but for its groundbreaking effect on all private high schools in California, which are now legally required to provide fair procedure to students before punishing or expelling them. The jury rightly confirmed that St. Francis High School’s procedures were unfair to our clients and that the school is not above the law.”
Two wrongly expelled high school students have won $1 million in compensation after they were falsely accused of wearing “blackface” and publicly smeared as “racist.”
The students filed a lawsuit after they were expelled from St. Francis High School in California.
The legal team leading the case has just announced that the court handed them a $1 million verdict in the fight over the wrongful expulsion.
The students, Holden Hughes and Aaron Hartley, will get $500,000 each from St. Francis High School.
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court today protected a Catholic school’s freedom to hire schoolteachers who uphold its religious beliefs. In Billard v. Diocese of Charlotte,a former substitute teacher sued the school and diocese for not calling him back to work as a substitute teacher after he entered a same-sex union and posted about it on Facebook. Today, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed the diocese’s freedom to choose teachers who will uphold and help pass on the faith to the next generation.
The Diocese of Charlotte has operated Catholic schools across western North Carolina for more than 50 years. Its 20 schools provide a top-notch education that also helps students grow in the Catholic faith, making the opportunity widely available to students of all backgrounds in part through generous financial aid. To ensure teachers are helping the diocese fulfill its mission, the diocese asks all of its teachers – Catholic and non-Catholic – to uphold the Catholic faith in word and deed.
“Many of our parents work long hours and make significant sacrifices so their children can attend our schools and receive a faithful Catholic education,” said Assistant Superintendent Allana Ramkissoon. “That’s because we inspire our students not only to harness the lessons and tools they need to thrive, but to cherish their faith as a precious gift from God.”
(LifeSiteNews) — Female sporting events remain one of the key conflicts in the transgender culture war touching nearly every aspect of public life.
On May 4, a trans-identified male won two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) events at the Liberty League track and field championships, the 400 meters in 55.07 seconds and the 200 meters in 24.14 seconds. Sadie Schreiner, a male who previously went by the name Camden, earlier in the season set the “women’s school record” in the 300 meters at Nazareth Alumni Opener Invitational with a time of 41.80 seconds.
Schreiner was representing the Rochester Institute of Technology. Both of his times would have put him dead last in the men’s events at the same meet but instead were women’s school records, with the 200 time becoming a Liberty League women’s record, exceeding only Schreiner’s previous time of 24.50 from this same season. Schreiner previously competed against fellow males.
Schreiner insists, however, that he has no advantage over female competitors, posting that “Out of all the hate that’s been shared of me ‘cheater’ is the most common word used… In my eyes, the discussion of trans inclusion in athletics shouldn’t even be a debate… As more research is done the more evident this becomes. There’s a reason I’m only as fast as I was in middle school, and the only variable that’s changed over my 9 years of running is my medication.”
BATON ROUGE, LA – A controversial bill that sought to restrict concealed carry of firearms within 100 feet of parade routes in Louisiana failed to pass in the Louisiana House on Monday, May 6. House Bill 627, introduced by Representative Mandie Landry, did not garner enough support, with 58 representatives voting against it and only 38 in favor.
The bill aimed to amend existing laws to prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns in the vicinity of parades or demonstrations that had obtained a governmental permit. This proposed amendment was part of an effort to enhance public safety at large public gatherings, which often see significant crowds.
HB 627 would have infringed on the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families, especially in places where the likelihood of encountering a threat could be higher due to large gatherings. The legislation would have done little to prevent criminals, who do not adhere to gun laws, from carrying firearms.
Andrew Dudum, the CEO of telehealth company Hims & Hers, is facing backlash after expressing his desire to hire students who protested against Israel on college campuses. In the immediate aftermath of his comments, the company’s stock value plunged, wiping out nearly $210 million in market value.
The controversy began when Dudum, in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), stated his willingness to employ students who participated in protests against Israel and faced disciplinary action from their universities. He framed the act as “moral courage” greater than a “college degree.” Encouraging protesters to continue their activism, Dudum said that there are many companies and CEOs eager to hire them, linking the post to the company’s job openings.
This caused outrage among many stakeholders, especially as protest actions were often linked to antisemitism and intimidation. The market quickly reacted. Hims & Hers stock fell 8% on May 3, as investors rushed to distance themselves from Dudum’s controversial comments. The company’s market value decreased from $2.62 billion to $2.41 billion in a matter of hours according to The New York Post.
A Western New York judge on Tuesday invalidated a ballot measure known as the Equal Rights Amendment that would have codified reproductive rights and protections against other discrimination into the state constitution.
State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Doyle, a Rochester-area Republican, ruled that the state Legislature did not follow correct procedure when it passed the measure last year.
“The constitution is the supreme will of the people,” he wrote. “Its amendment should be undertaken by strict adherence to the will of the people.”
The ruling deals a blow to Democrats’ attempt to bring the issues before voters and boost turnout in November, when New Yorkers will vote on a handful of competitive House seats that could determine control of the chamber.
