civil rights
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In a significant legal development, a U.S. District Judge has rebuffed Ultragenyx’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Henrietta Lacks’ family. The lawsuit alleges that the pharmaceutical giant knowingly profited from the unauthorized use and mass production of Lacks’ living tissue. Lacks, whose cells were taken without her consent, became unwittingly central to scientific…
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A California school district has agreed to settle a lawsuit with Jessica Tapia, a teacher who claims she was terminated due to her religious beliefs after she refused to use students’ preferred pronouns. The Jurupa Unified School District in Riverside County will pay Tapia $360,000, according to a May 14 press release from Advocates for…
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In a tragic incident, Florida deputies responding to a disturbance call mistakenly entered the wrong apartment, fatally shooting Senior Airman Roger Fortson, a Black U.S. Air Force officer, who was home alone. The shooting occurred on May 3 in Fort Walton Beach. According to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Fortson’s family, the deputies,…
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A federal grand jury in Memphis, Tennessee, has returned an eight-count indictment against former Memphis Police Officer Patric J. Ferguson. The indictment charges Ferguson with federal civil rights violations, kidnapping, and weapons offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of a victim identified as R.H. Additionally, Ferguson and civilian Joshua M. Rogers face federal charges…
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Essie Berry, a civil rights activist, is demanding a thorough state and federal investigation into Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The investigation is centered around allegations that the institution, particularly its President Dr. Dondi E. Costin, Chairperson Dr. Maria Garcia de La Noceda, and reviewer Dr. Renita P. Ellis-Watson, intentionally orchestrated circumstances that caused African…
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Donald Williams, the man who witnessed George Floyd‘s murder and tried stopping the deadly arrest, will get a $150,000 payout from the City of Minneapolis for mental health issues he suffered from the encounter. According to the Star Tribune, officials unanimously approved the settlement on Thursday (April 25) after Williams sued the city last spring.…
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A federal appeals court convened on Thursday, May 2, to hear arguments regarding a longstanding Tennessee policy that prohibits transgender individuals from altering the sex designation on their birth certificates. Originally filed in federal court in Nashville in 2019, the lawsuit was brought forth by transgender Tennesseans who contend that the state’s restriction lacks a…
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A Florida man has been sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for committing two federal hate crimes by attacking two Black women with a gun. Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, pleaded guilty to these crimes on July 6, 2023. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil…
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In a decision that has shaken the world of civil liberty advocates, the United States Supreme Court opted not to hear the case of Mckesson v. Doe. In effect, the apex court has upheld a lower court ruling that drastically curtails the right to organize mass protests in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The lower court’s…
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A bill aimed at making police-worn body camera footage public record in Alabama was defeated in a Senate committee vote on Wednesday. Sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, the legislation, SB14, would have mandated the release of bodycam and dashcam video footage within 30 days of a request, making it accessible to families as well.…
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