civil rights
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An Illinois woman, Sonya Massey, 36, was fatally shot in her home by Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson after she called 911 for help. The tragic incident occurred on July 6, when Massey reported a possible intruder in her Springfield-area home. Attorney Ben Crump, representing Massey’s family, stated that deputies Grayson and another officer…
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Bernice A. King, renowned civil rights advocate and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., has been appointed as the honorary chair of a groundbreaking initiative within the New England Legal Foundation. Named the Equalizer Institute, this innovative segment aims to bridge the gap between minority entrepreneurs and legal resources, effectively launching a new paradigm in…
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Attorney Zulu Ali, renowned for his leadership at the Law Offices of Zulu Ali & Associates, LLP, the largest Black-owned law firm in California’s Inland Empire, has renamed his non-profit youth mentor program in loving memory of his mother, Linda Reese Harvey. The program, now known as the Linda Reese Harvey Stop & Frisk Youth…
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The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana families with children in public schools to challenge a new state law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.” Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed H.B. 71 into law on Wednesday, making Louisiana the first state to mandate the…
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Chicago Man Sues City, Police Department After Being Convicted Based On Testimony From Blind Witness
Darien Harris, a Chicago man whose murder conviction was overturned after serving 12 years in prison, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and the police department. The lawsuit comes after a Cook County judge vacated Harris’s conviction upon discovering that a key witness, who testified against him, was legally blind. Harris…
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Georgia lawmakers recently approved a controversial bill aimed at restricting bail funds and criminalizing protest activities, sparking concerns among legal experts and civil rights advocates. The new law, signed by Governor Brian Kemp, effectively makes bail unpayable for a wide range of offenses, including protest-related charges like unlawful assembly. It also imposes strict limitations on…
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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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