Podcasts about voting rights project

In 1963, a time of heightened suppression of Black Americans to their civil rights, President Kennedy invited 244 lawyers to the White House, calling on them to use their expertise and influence to move the civil rights struggle from the streets into the courts. That call to action launched The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonprofit that for 63 years has tackled discrimination against people of color and championed the right to full participation in civic life. In this episode of Power Station, I am honored to feature Rob Weiner, Director of the Committee's Voting Rights Project. which challenges efforts at the state and national levels to disenfranchise voters of color. It is notable and moving that until recently Rob was Senior Counsel at the Voting Rights Division at the US Department of Justice. He explains that under the Trump administration, the DOJ has abandoned its mission to protect the right to vote and is instead trafficking in disproven claims of voting scams and election fraud. Rob and his colleagues at the Lawyers Committee are boldly pushing back against executive orders, redistricting schemes and narratives that seek to weaken hard-won civil rights. And they are winning. Hear him!      

In this episode of The Electorette, host Jen Taylor-Skinner is joined by Sophia Lin Lakin, Director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, to discuss the organization's leading legal challenge against a dangerous new executive order from Donald Trump. While the SAVE Act has stalled in the Senate, this executive order picks up where it left off—imposing a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration and threatening to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. Lakin breaks down the overlapping threats, including mass voter roll purges and the decertification of voting machines that could throw election systems into chaos. This conversation is a critical look at how the ACLU is working to defend voting rights and prevent the erosion of our democratic institutions. Episode Chapters (00:00) Disenfranchisement Through Voting Restrictions Discussion of ACLU lawsuit against Trump's executive order on voter registration, potential disenfranchisement, and impact on voting machines. (12:36) Challenging Voter Registration Provisions A court has issued an injunction against an executive order changing voter registration, impacting organizations and upcoming elections. (25:49) Protecting Voter Rights and Elections Establishing safeguards and rules to protect voters and democracy in the face of polarization and erosion of norms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigative journalist, blogger, and broadcaster Brad Friedman's investigative interviews, analysis and commentary, as ripped from the pages of The BRAD BLOG (BradBlog.com), today's current events (if they matter) and the rest of the stuff we have to live with.

Investigative journalist, blogger, and broadcaster Brad Friedman's investigative interviews, analysis and commentary, as ripped from the pages of The BRAD BLOG (BradBlog.com), today's current events (if they matter) and the rest of the stuff we have to live with.

In the Public Interest is excited to continue its second annual miniseries examining notable decisions recently issued by the US Supreme Court. In this episode, co-host Felicia Ellsworth is joined by Deputy Director for the ACLU's Voting Rights Project and former WilmerHale Litigation Counsel Adriel Cepeda Derieux to discuss the recent decision in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP. This decision concerns the constitutionality of South Carolina's new congressional map and analyzes whether race was the predominant factor that motivated the state legislature's decision to move voters within or without a particular district. Ellsworth and Cepeda Derieux share background on the case and how South Carolina specifically demonstrated hallmarks of racial gerrymandering. They also discuss how the Supreme Court's decision could make it difficult going forward to successfully prosecute cases of gerrymandering in regions with high rates of racial polarization. Cepeda Derieux also gives his thoughts on the current state of voting rights and what other developments we could expect to see on the topic of redistricting from the Supreme Court.

(Airdate 11/22) “A More Perfect Union" Hour 1 with Nii-Quartelai Quartey | @drniiquartelai| Podcast Hosted by changemaker, journalist, educator, and KBLA Talk 1580 Chief National Political Analyst Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey, “A More Perfect Union” promises to deliver national news of consequence, informed opinion, and analysis beyond the headlines. Help me welcome Pooja Chaudhuri, Counsel for the Voting Rights Project at Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. Listen to how the latest 8th Circuit Federal Court decision on voting rights diminishes our democracy, what we can do about it, and more.

On Tuesday, people across the country took to the polls and made one thing crystal clear: abortion rights matter to voters. In Ohio, voters passed an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, making it the seventh state to protect abortion access through the ballot box. In Virginia, voters elected a full pro-abortion rights majority in their state General Assembly, and in Pennsylvania, voters maintained a pro-abortion majority in their state supreme court. As we look to 2024, abortion rights will continue to be on the ballot, meaning that anti-abortion opponents may continue to chip away at voting rights as a mechanism to block the will of voters, using tactics like racial gerrymandering and voter intimidation. All voters deserve an equal opportunity to exercise their rights and participate in democracy. Today, we'll get an election results update from Jessica Arons, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, who has been working to secure victories for reproductive freedom at the ballot box. Then, we'll speak with Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, to talk about how her team is using a recent voting rights victory at the Supreme Court to fight battles all across the country.

The U.S. is the only developed democracy that strips voting rights from its people on the basis of a criminal conviction. An estimated 4.6 million Americans across the country are barred from casting ballots. Now to give a sense of scope — this number is larger than the voting-eligible population of New Jersey. At the ACLU, we believe that when we suppress the voting rights of any group of people, our democracy weakens. In order to live up the full ideal of a constitutional democracy, everyone must be given the right and access to vote. The good news is that many states are starting to agree with us. In the last 10 years, we've seen states slowly improve access to those formerly or currently incarcerated and all of these movements, are victories worthy of celebration. That's why today, we are taking a moment to recognize a big victory in Minnesota where the state passed the Restore the Vote bill just about a month ago, giving 55,000 Minnesotans the power to cast their vote in the next local, state, or federal election after they serve their time but before they finish their parole or probation. We are joined by Jennifer Schroeder, an advocate and plaintiff in an ACLU and ACLU of Minnesota lawsuit that challenged the previous voting restriction, and Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, to discuss how this change has a meaningful positive impact on everyone.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by Marcia Johnson-Blanco, Co-Director of the Lawyers' Committee's Voting Rights Project. They discuss the organization's important work, specifically what they're doing to help ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote, including in the Midterm elections. The website for the Lawyers' Committee is lawyerscommittee.org and their Twitter handle is @LawyersComm. Marcia's handle is @mfjblanco. Additionally, the Lawyers' Committee powers '866-OUR-VOTE,' which is working 365 days a year to advance and defend your right to vote. You can call 866-OUR-VOTE with your voting questions and issues. Their website is 866OURVOTE.org. Brad is then joined by Dr. Robert Shapiro, Chairman of Sonecon, an economic advisory firm and a Senior Fellow of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He is an internationally-known economist who has advised, among others, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Jr., British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and then U.S. Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He was Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs in the Clinton Administration. Brad talks with Dr. Shapiro about his new blog, titled, "C'mon, Democrats, Tout Your Economic Record: It's a Very Good Story." (link here: https://www.sonecon.com/cmon-democrats-tout-your-economic-record-its-a-very-good-story/) His website is Sonecon.com and his Twitter handle is @RobShapiro. Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His Twitter handle is @BradBannon. You can watch this episode in the following places: Twitter - https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1DXxyvzVnryKM YouTube - https://youtu.be/ClWZOWX26GI Facebook - https://fb.watch/gx4i8ogMe5/

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case this term that could upend the very foundation of our democracy: free and fair elections. In the case of Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court will decide whether the North Carolina Supreme Court has the power to strike down the legislature's gerrymandered congressional map for violating the state's Constitution. The North Carolina legislators are arguing for an interpretation of the U.S. Constitution — known as the "independent state legislature theory” — that would render the state's other branches of government and their checks and balances powerless in matters relating to federal elections, giving full power to partisan-majority state legislatures to determine how votes are cast and counted. While this all may sound a little weedy, the stakes loom large. If the court sides with the North Carolina State legislature, Moore v. Harper, could change the face of our national elections and the rules that govern them. Joining us today to help break it all down are the ACLU's National Legal Director David Cole and Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, Ari Savitzky, who also happened to write the ACLU's amicus brief for the case.

On October 4th, the Supreme Court is set to hear Milligan v. Merrill, a case that would undermine Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. At question is Alabama's new congressional map, a map that underwent what is called racial gerrymandering or racial redistricting, diluting Black Alabamans' voting power. The case's outcome will determine the future of voting rights in America. Joining us today, our plaintiff in the case Shalela Dowdy, Organizer, Veteran, law student and resident of Mobile and Davin Rosborough, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project who is on the litigation team for the case.

Dylan Matthews and Jerusalem Demsas talk with Emily Rong Zhang, a PhD candidate in political science at Stanford and a former Skadden Fellow at the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, about the recent attempts in Congress to pass voting rights legislation. And, a white paper about voter ID laws, written by Emily herself! References: Recapping Congress's failed voting rights push Why some Dem strategists were skeptical of the effort The case for fixing the Electoral Count Act What happens after the voting rights fights White Paper: “What the Debate over Voter ID Laws' Effects Teaches about Asking the Right Questions” Hosts: Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox Jerusalem Demsas (@jerusalemdemsas), policy reporter, Vox Credits: Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer Libby Nelson, editorial adviser Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter  Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The assault on the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021 represents perhaps the starkest manifestation of a US democracy in crisis. But the strains on democracy have been evident elsewhere - from a plethora of bills being put forward across state legislatures that critics warn undermine voting rights, to a series of controversies surrounding the make-up and even legitimacy of the US Supreme Court, itself a vital component of the US democratic apparatus.  Assessing the issues are: Sarah Turberville, Director of the Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight Sophia Lin Lakin, Deputy Director of the Voting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union Professor Paul Smith, Professor From Practice at Georgetown Law and Vice President for Litigation and Strategy at the Campaign Legal Center Fred Davis, former Co-Chair of the IBA Business Crime Committee and a lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School

A Supreme Court brain trust gathers for this year's Amicus Breakfast Table. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Melissa Murray, professor at NYU School of Law and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny; Jeffrey Fisher, Stanford Law School professor and co-director of Stanford's Supreme Court Litigation clinic; Perry Grossman, senior staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project; and of course, Slate's own Mark Joseph Stern. Together, they analyze the shape of the court and the ramification of its decisions at the end of the 2020 term.  Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Supreme Court brain trust gathers for this year's Amicus Breakfast Table. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Melissa Murray, professor at NYU School of Law and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny; Jeffrey Fisher, Stanford Law School professor and co-director of Stanford's Supreme Court Litigation clinic; Perry Grossman, senior staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project; and of course, Slate's own Mark Joseph Stern. Together, they analyze the shape of the court and the ramification of its decisions at the end of the 2020 term.  Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the latest episode of the Public Affairs Podcast, KG and Uncle Funky chat with Ryan Snow - Associate Counsel, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He talks about the Census Bureau's release of apportionment data and the resulting redistribution of congressional seats across our nation's districts. This highly anticipated release is a crucial moment that sets the political landscape for the next decade and launches the race to redraw congressional and legislative lines across the nation. Also joining the guys is Christine Holland, CEO/Executive Director of Rebuilding Together shares with how to prepare for the 2021 hurricane season, and gives us the catastrophic winter storm recap. She also talks about the Revitalization Celebration in 2nd Ward and how you can volunteer and donate.► LISTEN LIVE: https://myhoustonmajic.com ► LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/myhoustonmajic ► FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/majic1021 ► FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/majic1021 For over 40 years, Majic 102.1 has served Houston as The People's Station! From community events, wellness, celebrity interviews and more! Check out interviews from the Sweet Talker Kandi Eastman, AV, Uncle Funky Larry Jones, Sky Houston and KG Smooth!

In early March, the Democratically controlled U.S. House passed an expansive voting reform bill. Called the For the People Act, it would make major changes to laws that govern campaigns and voting. It has little hope of passing the split Senate, thanks to the filibuster. But that hasn’t stopped both sides from crying foul. Republicans have attacked the bill — also known as HR1 in its House form and S1 in the Senate — as a partisan power grab that will damage democracy. Democrats argue the bill is the only way to preserve democracy in the face of widespread Republican efforts to restrict voting access and spread disinformation claiming that voter fraud cost former President Donald Trump the 2020 election.  The bill is massive — more than 800 pages. So Monday, MPR News host Kerri Miller dove in, with the help of two guests who are experts in voter rights, and examined what it really does. Will this proposal federalize elections and take too much power away from the states? Or is an overhaul necessary to stop some states from suppressing the vote? Guests: Marcia Johnson-Blanco is the co-director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.   Ari Berman is a journalist and author of “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.” To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS

There’s one political prediction that always comes true: record turnout in one election will be followed by a tidal wave of voter suppression efforts before the next one. So it’s not surprising that, after 2020 had record turnout, 2021 is seeing voting rights under attack nationwide by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Georgia has taken the lead—and Georgia is being challenged in court by the ACLU, along with the LDF (the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund) and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Dale Ho comments: he’s Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, and supervises the ACLU’s voting rights litigation nationwide. Also: Joe Biden and Congress should end our forever wars--and they can--by starting with three key steps: Karen Greenberg explains. She is director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School and author, most recently, of Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State. Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

The U.S. Constitution is clear: every person counts. But in a country with a sordid history of voter suppression, tinkering with the decennial census has become the latest trick for undermining majority rule. And the usually mundane rite of enumeration was politicized like never before when President Trump tried to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census. Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, explains why that’s detrimental to the proper functioning of government. And illegal.

The Governor roll backs restrictions on mask wearing and gatherings while advocating vaccinations.Then, the long-promised teacher pay raise sits in legislative limbo. We look at how and if the raise will come this year.Plus, after a Southern Remedy Health Minute, we examine how yesterday's Supreme Court hearing could affect voting rights in Mississippi. Segment 1:Mississippians will no longer be required to wear a mask in public. Yesterday, Governor Tate Reeves announced he is rolling back many of restrictions designed to combat transmission of the coronavirus. Reeves said with a steep decline in hospitalizations and deaths, it is time for Mississippi to open up.While government orders requiring masks and limiting gatherings are going away, public health guidance still places heavy reliance on those mitigation strategies. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs is strongly encouraging those who have not yet been vaccinated to continue safe practices.Segment 2:For the second year in a row, members of the Mississippi Senate are including a teacher pay raise on their list of top priorities. This session, the Senate passed a stand-alone bill that included a raise and lifted the salary floor for new teachers. That bill had until yesterday to clear House committees. MPB's Ashley Norwood caught up with Senate Education Chair Dennis Debar on Deadline Day.Segment 3:Southern Remedy Health MinuteSegment 4:A recent Supreme Court hearing could go a long way in deciding how new voting restrictions will be judged under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The high court heard arguments in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee yesterday. Following the last year's general election, Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country are offering up new voting laws that could limit the ability to vote and create additional barriers to the ballot box. Ezra Rosenberg, co-director of the Voting Rights Project, shares more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The 2020 elections hinged, in dramatic ways, on widely varying state laws and state election procedures. Major changes were made in light of the pandemic, to expand options for mail-in and early voting and to Election Day itself. These changes engendered strong support and strong opposition, and were one reason for the record turnout of 160 million voters. Now, state legislatures are in session all around the country. Will the changes adopted in 2020 be made permanent? Will voting options be expanded further? Or will states seek to roll back voting opportunities as a result? On Thursday, February 18th, the Ash Center hosted a discussion titled Moving Forward or Moving Backward: Election Legislation in the States with leading state election experts and state legislators to see where things stand, and where they might go.  Tune into the discussion featuring: Dale Ho, Director of the Voting Rights Project, ACLUNan Grogan Orrock, State Senator, GeorgiaWendy Underhill, Director of Elections and Redistricting, National Conference of State LegislaturesMiles Rapoport (Moderator), Senior Practice Fellow of American Democracy, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationThe transcript for this episode is online here. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter.

On Wednesday, pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying the electoral college decision to elect Vice President Biden to be the next President of the United States. At the ACLU, we watched aghast like many of you at home. What we saw was a dangerous attack on American democracy. We know that we will be dealing with the consequences of the events that took place for quite some time, but we wanted to come together to respond to the moment: particularly focusing on moving forward with electoral integrity and a deeper commitment to racial justice. On this special episode of At Liberty, you’ll hear experts from the ACLU in conversation: Monica Hopkins, the Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, who will also act as moderator, Jeffrey Robinson, ACLU’s Deputy Legal Director and Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality, and Dale Ho, Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.

With the end of 2020 (finally) nigh, Karen and Steve talk about some of their goals for 2021 and some of the worst (and best) professional advice they've received before chatting with Dale Ho, Director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, to discuss the challenges of parenting as a traveling trial lawyer; his appearance in the award-winning documentary The Fight; his terrible Civil Procedure TA in law school; and much more.

We close out 2020 with a return visit from my friend Perry Grossman of the New York Civil Liberties Union. He is the Senior Staff Attorney for the Voting Rights Project and is involved with many different election cases including school districts, reapportionment, and the census. He is also one of the top advocates for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act of NY. We have a great discussion about these cases and what is next in NY elections.

Nov. 23, 2020 - Perry Grossman, a senior staff attorney in the Voting Rights Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union, explains how attorneys for campaigns get involved in the absentee ballot counting process in contested races. These attorneys slow down counting by the local boards of elections and often raise "frivolous" objections in an attempt to throw out votes they believe will benefit the opposing campaign.

Both campaigns are readying their teams of lawyers, planning to take this election from the vote-counters to the courts depending on how close it is. Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, talks about impending and pending legal battles around vote counting.

We're so grateful to be Bitch Talking with Dale Ho, Director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, just in time for the election! We follow up on the status of his cases across the country, how he's preparing for potential problems on election day, and resources for people who want to know their rights as a voter. He also shares a new case he's arguing in the Supreme Court in defense of immigrants being represented in the census. While we might not know the results on Election Day, we know for sure that Dale Ho is a national treasure! And it isn't all doom and gloom, we celebrate the documentary he stars in, The Fight, receiving a Critics Choice Documentary Awards nomination!If you have any problems voting on Election Day, call 866-OUR-VOTEBe well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask.--Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Ahead of this year’s election, we have seen an unprecedented amount of election litigation between both political parties. The Republican National Committee, at the direction of President Trump, has amassed a $20 million war chest for voting rights cases across the country. In every case, they are working to suppress votes. The litigation ahead of the election is setting the stage for how votes are cast and counted on Election Day. But this isn't the only concern. Once Election Day comes to pass, many are worried that litigation will follow and that the results and final decision will go all the way to the Supreme Court. Joining us to discuss are Dale Ho, Director of ACLU's Voting Rights Project, and Leah Litman, a law professor and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast. They break down what's going on in the Courts and what we can all do to help.

Host Ian Millhiser talks with voting rights lawyer Sophia Lin Lakin and vote-by-mail advocate Amber McReynolds about voting, COVID-19, and what steps you can take to ensure that your vote is counted this election. Relevant resources:  Confirm you are registered to vote How to vote at home ACLU’s Voting Rights Project ACLU’s Voter Education Tool Featuring: Sophia Lin Lakin, Deputy Director of the Voting Rights Project at the ACLU Amber McReynolds, CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute Host: Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser), Senior Correspondent, Vox Credits: Producer/Editor: Jackson Bierfeldt Editor: Elbert Ventura Executive Producer: Liz Nelson About Vox: Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Please consider making a contribution to Vox to support this show: bit.ly/givepodcasts. Your support will help us keep having ambitious conversations about big ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leah, Kate, and Melissa are joined by Dale Ho, director of the Voting Rights Project at the ACLU and low-key star of The Fight.

The state legislature continues its work to appropriate CARES Act Funds.Then, as the November general election looms, we look at the safeguards some voting rights advocates are fighting for.Then, in our Book Club, a new book that recounts the fatal shootings by law enforcement on the Jackson state campus fifty years ago.Segment 1:Small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic may now be eligible for federal relief money based on grant programs created by the Mississippi Legislature. One program would use $60 million for grants of $2,000 to those forced to close by government order. The other would use $240 million, and businesses could apply for grants of $1,500 to $25,000. Representative Robert Johnson, a Democrat from Natchez, explains the program with our Desare Frazier.The Senate is considering plans from leaders in the education community over how to address distance learning shortfalls. During a Senate Education Committee meeting yesterday, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carey Wright presented the plan for K12 education as an opportunity to address the disparity in educational technology across the state; College Board Commissioner Alfred Rankins echoes many of those concerns. Segment 2:With six months left until Election Day, civil rights groups are pursuing legal measures they believe will prove critical to Americans' efforts to access the ballot in 2020. Lawyers from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund say they are using litigation methods at the state and federal levels to address concerns over voter protection and ballot access during the November election. Ezra Rosenberg is the co-director of the Voting Rights Project, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He tells our Karen Brown the litigation is providing a critical tool to expanding voting access amid the pandemic. Segment 3:Fifty years ago today, Jackson police and highway patrol officers marched onto the Jackson State College campus and opened fire on unarmed students. Two were killed. Countless others were injured. Historian, Nancy K. Bristow, recounts the tragedy in her new book: “Steeped in the Blood of Racism.” She talks with MPB's Karen Brown. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recorded: Friday, April 17th, 2020 Why would any politician want to keep people from voting?  Is voter fraud for real? How about voter suppression? How will Coronavirus affect the 2020 presidential election? In today's podcast, attorney Brad Phillips helps us understand what all the fuss is about. Learn more about our guest Brad Phillips: https://www.mto.com/lawyers/Bradley-S-Phillips Learn more about the Voting Rights Project: https://lawyerscommittee.org/project/voting-rights-project/ Check out our website: THELATEST.com Send us feedback: podcast@thelatest.com  

0:08 – We kick off the show, live from Cat's kitchen and Brian's living room! Hosts are remote today for the first time, but our producer is in studio with our engineer to line up listener calls. 0:10 – Primary elections disrupted by coronavirus, are civil liberties also at risk? Marcia Johnson-Blanco (@mfjblanco) Co-director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. On election results (OH, FL, AZ) and non-results (GA, IL postpone their elections) Steve Phillips (@StevePtweets) is the founder of Democracy in Color, a columnist for The Nation, and author of Brown Is the New White. 0:34 – Coronavirus health information and best practices for staying healthy Dr. John Balmes is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. Plus, we take listener calls. 1:08 – What precautions are being taken for people incarcerated? Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg (@elizabethweill) is a staff reporter at The Appeal. Her latest piece is ‘To Stop Coronavirus, places where people gather are being shut down, what about jails?' 1:20 – Concerns for people inside Alameda County's Santa Rita jail Amber Akemi Piatt  (@amberakemipiatt) is the Director of the Health Instead of Punishment Program Director at Human Impact Partners (HIP) and with the Audit Ahern coalition. 1:34 – CA workers rights and what unemployment support is available Andy Katz is an employment and environmental law attorney who just wrote up a comprehensive article about what's available by way of assistance for the California Employment Lawyers Association — A Roundup of California Worker Rights in the Time of COVID-19. (Photo: by Angelina Bambina / Shutterstock)   The post Primary election results and non-results; concerns for people in jails, plus: what unemployment benefits are available and how to access them, and we take your calls appeared first on KPFA.

Today's guest hosts are Edwith Theogene, Organizing Director for Generation Progress, and Charlotte Hancock, Communications Director for Generation Progress. With February being Black History Month, they discuss voting rights and the power of women of color voters.  They're joined by Marcia Johnson-Blanco, the co-director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Danyelle Solomon, the Vice President of Race and Ethnicity Policy at the Center for American Progress. The website for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is LawyersCommittee.org and their Twitter handle is @LawyersComm.   Marcia Johnson-Blanco's Twitter handle is @mfjblanco, Danyelle Solomon's handle is @danyindc, and her organization's handle is @CAPTalksRace. The website for "Generation Progress" is www.GenProgress.org and their Twitter Handle is @GenProgress.  Edwith Theogene's Twitter handle is @WhoIsEdwith and Charlotte Hancock's handle is @CharlatAnne.

Protecting our Elections Most Americans take for granted that our elections will be free and fair. However, this would not be the case without the rigorous efforts of dedicated non-profits, citizens, and volunteers. Organizations like the Lawyers’ Committee work year-round to protect our elections from internal interference using a variety of tools such as a voter hotline (866-OUR-VOTE), digital outreach, physical field programs, and litigation when states enact unfair or discriminatory voting practices. Legitimate elections are the result of passionate citizens and organized civic engagement. Attacks on Democratic Infrastructure The Lawyers’ Committee started its Election Protection program in 2002 in order to combat increasing attacks on election infrastructure at national and state levels. The most notable of these attacks was the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court Case, which struck down a key portion of the Voting Rights Act that had required districts with a history of voter discrimination to seek federal authorization for any changes in voting laws or procedures. Since then, 14 states have instituted new voting restrictions, and more than 1,000 polling locations have closed around the country. Restrictions like this make it harder for many to vote, alienating them and corroding the foundation of our democracy. Restrictions and Interpretations New laws—like Texas’s former voter ID law that banned student IDs, but allowed concealed carry permits—are not the only way states can suppress voting. Some states simply interpret existing laws in a new way. The National Voter Registration Act contains a list maintenance provision on how to remove voters who have moved or died, which some states have interpreted as a way to aggressively purge voters who still live in the jurisdiction. In Husted v. Philip Randolph Institute, the Supreme Court ruled that Ohio is allowed to purge voters who have not voted in two years and have not responded to a change of residence notice. Election protection challenges voter suppression in new laws as well as unfair interpretations of existing ones.  Find out more: Marcia Johnson-Blanco is the co-Director of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project. She manages the Project’s programmatic and advocacy portfolios, and also leads the Election Protection Program. The program was started in 2002 to combat voter suppression and disenfranchisement, which includes tools such as the voter hotline (866-OUR-VOTE), on-site election protection services, and litigation against discriminatory laws and tactics. Johnson-Blanco is a widely-recognized voting rights leader, and served as the deputy director of the National Commission on the Voting Rights Act in 2005. She holds degrees from Georgetown and Villanova, and serves as a taskforce co-chair at the US Human Rights Network. You can follow her on Twitter @mfjblanco, and the Election Protection program @866OURVOTE.

Puerto Rico's U.S. citizens don't enjoy the full protections of the Constitution, thanks to a set of century-old Supreme Court decisions called the "Insular Cases." In a case dealing with the island's financial oversight board, the ACLU has asked the court to overrule those decisions, which relied on openly racist assumptions to legalize the island's second-class status. Adriel Cepeda Derieux, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, explains why it's time for the court to renounce the Insular Cases.

With the 2020 presidential cycle already underway, our political system remains haunted by barriers to participation and representation that uniquely afflict some of America’s most marginalized communities. From voter restoration to fortifying the right to vote, this episode discusses obstacles and opportunities that lie ahead for the movement for full political representation. This all-star lineup also outlines inspiring new efforts to preserve and expand the right to vote as the cornerstone of our democracy. • Moderator: The Honorable Senator Nina Turner • Speaker 1: Desmond Meade, Executive Director, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition • Speaker 2: Marcia Johnson-Blanco, Co-Director of Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law • Speaker 3: Caroline Fredrickson, President, American Constitution Society • Speaker 4: Rosalind Gold, Chief Public Policy Officer, NALEO Educational Fund

In one of the most highly anticipated decisions of its term, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration cannot add a citizenship question to the U.S. census – at least not for now. Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, who argued the case, explains the decision.

It's election day in Chicago, and today the city residents will be able to cast their votes for Mayor, City Clerk and Treasurer and Alderman. The Voting Rights Project is an initiative of Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Their Election Protection Hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) is available to help citizens report voting access issues and problems at their polling places, and they have some useful tips for voters on this election day. Jenny Terrell is an Attorney with CLCCR who's coordinating the Election Protection volunteers on election day and will be stationed at the call center throughout the day. Jill Hopkins spoke with Jenny about some of the issues that voters have been dealing with at polling places and how their trained VRP volunteers can help resolved them. Voting is open until 7 PM today.

In many cases the Trump Administration isn’t shy when it comes to undermining the Constitution of the United States. But while fights over things like the Muslim ban or ending birthright citizenship play out in public, there are other massive Constitutional erosions happening under the radar.This is the story of how Wilbur Ross and the Trump Administration went about trying to change the way people in America are counted and how they got caught lying about it. Dale Ho is the director of the Voting Rights Project for the ACLU. He caught the Trump Administration in a big lie about the way it intends to execute the 2020 census. Listen to Dale Ho describe what they found, why they’re suing, and why the results of his case could change the way Democracy in America functions. Email us at WITHpod@gmail.comTweet using #WITHpodRead more at nbcnews.com/whyisthishappening

With the midterm elections only a few days away, voting rights advocates have been working furiously to ensure that the result will be the product of a free and fair election where everyone eligible to vote is able to do so. Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, discusses the state of the vote in 2018 and the biggest challenges and opportunities for voting rights this election season.

For several years now, we’ve been inundated with fake news about alleged voter fraud. Fraud that simply does not exist anywhere in the country. However, these stories have been used as the basis and justification of voter suppression efforts in several states today. Efforts that may directly and adversely impact the outcome of some close races. These efforts take several forms — untenable voter ID laws, exact match, purging voters from the registration rolls, and many more tactics, all very specifically directed at suppressing the votes of African Americans and minority voters. There was a time when the federal government, in the form of the Department of Justice, would step in and try to right these wrongs. Not so today. As a result, we have to rely on independent legal groups and organizations of journalists like WhoWhatWhy to take up the challenge of these efforts, absorb the cost, and know how to redress the appropriate courts. Much of this legal work of late has been taken up by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and we’re going to spend some time today talking to my guest Ezra Rosenberg, who is the co-director of the organization’s Voting Rights Project. Ezra Rosenberg has been consistently ranked among one of the top litigators in the country. He’s been involved aggressively in pro bono representation, was one of the lead counsels challenging Texas’s photo ID laws, and was named to the National Law Journal’s Pro Bono Hit List for his role in significant public interest cases of national importance. My WhoWhatWhy conversation with Ezra Rosenberg:

Deborah Stein, Partnership for America's Children & Sarah Brannon, Voting Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union

Voter suppression efforts in Georgia, North Dakota and many more states have been in the headlines recently. We speak with Sophia Lakin (Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Project) about the ACLU’s current response, including challenges to discriminatory voter identification and registration requirements (“voter suppression by typo”), cutbacks to early voting and same-day registration, and fighting the dilution of minority votes in local elections. Remember: in Illinois, you can register to vote even on election day!

Want to protect democracy and ensure voters’ rights? If you are looking to ways to volunteer during the midterm elections, there are opportunities available, especially for attorneys. In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Asked & Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Marsha Johnson-Blanco, co-director of the Voting Rights Project for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, about how attorneys can help on Nov. 6. Lawyers are needed to answer hotline calls in a variety of cities, answering questions at polling places and filing emergency motions. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is hoping to have about 4,000 volunteers for the midterm elections, which are expected to be incredibly hard fought. Training can be done online or in person, and volunteer work the day of the election usually takes as little as three hours. There is still time to sign up as a volunteer and complete the training program at: https://lawyerscommittee.org/election-protection-volunteer/

Want to protect democracy and ensure voters’ rights? If you are looking to ways to volunteer during the midterm elections, there are opportunities available, especially for attorneys. In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Asked & Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Marsha Johnson-Blanco, co-director of the Voting Rights Project for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, about how attorneys can help on Nov. 6. Lawyers are needed to answer hotline calls in a variety of cities, answering questions at polling places and filing emergency motions. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is hoping to have about 4,000 volunteers for the midterm elections, which are expected to be incredibly hard fought. Training can be done online or in person, and volunteer work the day of the election usually takes as little as three hours. There is still time to sign up as a volunteer and complete the training program at: https://lawyerscommittee.org/election-protection-volunteer/

Adam Kenworthy chairs the Iowa lawyer chapter of the American Constitution Society and is the founder of the Iowa Voting Rights Project. Adam is committed to ensure the right to vote for ALL people of Iowa, including those with a past conviction. An important discussion about something as basic and vital -- the right to vote.

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Maryland’s primary election is two weeks from today. Early voting begins on Thursday. And so, today, we’re talking about voting.Americans vote at much lower rates than citizens of other advanced democracies. And while voting is the central tenet in a strong democracy, many states have enacted laws and voter requirements in recent years that actually make it harder to vote. What can be done to encourage and enable voting? Is there the political will to get it done?Tom’s first guest is Marcia Johnson-Blanco. She is the co-director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington D.C.Then, Tom is joined by Max Feldman. Feldman serves as counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law in New York. He’s a co-author of a fascinating new report outlining the increased difficulties that voters in nearly half of states throughout the country will face when they vote this year compared with prior years. Feldman joins us from NPR’s New York studios.John Willis joins Tom in Studio A. He was Maryland’s Secretary of State from 1995 to 2003, and part of his portfolio was overseeing elections here in MD. He chaired Maryland's Special Committee on Voting Systems and Election Procedures, which led to landmark legislation and implementation of election reform measures in 2001. And he served on the Commission to Revise the Election Code, which modernized and re-codified Maryland's election laws. He is now executive in residence at the University of Baltimore’s School of Public and International Affairs.Finally, Tom is joined by Nykidra Robinson, the founder of the Baltimore-based group Black Girls Vote, a group that is all about engaging, educating and empowering women of color to vote – and maybe even run for office.If you have questions about where and how to vote in Maryland, click here. If you face voting hurdles or suspect irregularities while trying to vote, call the nonpartisan 866-OUR-VOTE.

On May 2, ACS held a call reviewing Voting Rights Act jurisprudence as it relates to judicial elections, in light of recent events. In recent weeks, the North Carolina General Assembly has proposed redrawing the map of the state's District and Superior courts. Analysis of one proposed new map found it to be a racial and partisan gerrymander, with significant population deviations. The changes would “double-bunk” incumbent judges, reducing the number of judges of color in the state. The call discusses the status of recent litigation challenging judicial districts under the VRA, such as Terrebonne Parish NAACP v. Jindal, and Alabama NAACP v. Alabama. Panelists underscore the importance of a diverse judiciary and independent state courts and how judicial redistricting can promote or undermine those aims. For supporting documentation, go here: https://bit.ly/2Kt9zDX Featuring: Leah Aden, Senior Counsel, NAACP-LDF Kareem Crayton, Executive Director, Southern Coalition for Social Justice Ezra Rosenberg, Co-Director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Sometimes the technical stuff is how you get to the crucial stuff. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear a case about Ohio’s voter purge, and the case rests on some sticky statutory interpretation questions. Millions of voters were purged from the Ohio’s rolls after they sat out a couple of elections and in this episode of Amicus, Dahlia does a deep dive into the technicalities of the case. Dahlia and her guests also use this moment to take stock of the state of voting rights in the US. Dahlia talks with Mayor Joseph Helle of Oak Harbor Ohio, a veteran who came home from service to find he’d been purged from the rolls after not voting while on active duty, and to the director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, Dale Ho. Dale even cites his favorite Justice Scalia opinion ever. Transcripts of Amicus are available to Slate Plus members several days after each episode posts. To learn more about Slate Plus, go to slate.com/amicusplus. Please let us know what you think of Amicus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Our email is amicus@slate.com. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes the technical stuff is how you get to the crucial stuff. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear a case about Ohio’s voter purge, and the case rests on some sticky statutory interpretation questions. Up to 1.2 million voters may have been purged from Ohio’s rolls after they sat out a couple of elections and in this episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick does a deep dive into the technicalities of the case. Dahlia and her guests also use this moment to take stock of the state of voting rights in the US. Dahlia talks with Mayor Joseph Helle of Oak Harbor, Ohio, a veteran who came home to find he’d been purged from the rolls after not voting while on active duty, and to the director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, Dale Ho. Ho even cites his favorite Justice Antonin Scalia opinion. Transcripts of Amicus are available to Slate Plus members several days after each episode posts. To learn more about Slate Plus, go to slate.com/amicusplus. Please let us know what you think of Amicus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Our email is amicus@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

This week we talk voter suppression and discuss the North Carolina case shot down by the Supreme Court on Monday and Trump’s independent voter fraud commission. Our guests are Jason Kander, President of Let America Vote and Dale Ho, Director of the Voting Rights Project at the ACLU.

The US Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the Voting Rights Act, in a case that will have enormous implications for minority voters.  Plus: racial injustice in Texas goes to Hollywood.  PLUS: Obama's first 100 days—good or bad?  You do the voting.   With host Kris Welch, noon to one. guests: Lachlan McDonald, dir. Voting Rights Project, ACLU            Regina Kelly, whose story of false arrest and imprisonment, and her successful resistance, is the story of the new film, "American Violet"            Dominique Apollon, research dir. Applied Research Center   The post Living Room – Voting Rights challenged; the first 100 days; American Violet. appeared first on KPFA.