Civil Rights

ABC News reports: Former President Obama on Friday called for “peaceful, sustained” demonstrations for racial justice as the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., has ignited a new round of protests and demands for reform across the nation. The tweet came as thousands of people congregated in Washington, D.C., in a march against police brutality and systemic racism …

The Washington Post reports: Thousands of protesters gathered Friday at the Lincoln Memorial to call for criminal justice reform and racial equality while honoring the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” address from the same location. Planning began in June after the funeral of George Floyd. Organizers say they want to highlight the …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office paid prominent Washington law firm Cooper & Kirk $250,000 to defend the state’s law banning people convicted of felonies from voting before they’ve paid off all court fees, fines and restitution to victims. According to the contract released by the governor’s office Monday, DeSantis general counsel Joe Jacquot inked the deal …

The Associated Press reports: Tennessee protesters will face harsher penalties, including losing the right to vote, for breaking certain laws during demonstrations under a new law enacted by Gov. Bill Lee. The Republican quietly signed off on the bill Thursday. Lee has previously conceded there were portions of the bill he “would have done differently” but ultimately agreed to sign …

NBC News reports: Former president Barack Obama gave a soaring eulogy for John Lewis, urging Americans to honor the legacy of a civil rights giant by engaging in the “good trouble” that leads to a more perfect democracy in the face of powerful institutions that seek to oppress. The former president spoke on the current threat to voting rights in …

CBS News reports: Three former presidents will honor Congressman John Lewis at his funeral in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday at 11 a.m., completing a week of memorial services for the longtime lawmaker and civil rights icon. Former President Barack Obama will deliver the eulogy for Lewis, who died earlier this month at age 80. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George …

CNN reports: Former President Barack Obama will give the eulogy at US Rep. John Lewis’ funeral on Thursday and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will attend the service, according to sources familiar with the former presidents’ plans. The sources added that Clinton and Bush will also participate in the funeral, which will be held Thursday morning at …

Politico reports: The late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis revealed Thursday that he had been “inspired” in his final days by nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality. In an op-ed authored shortly before his death and published on the day of his funeral by The New York Times, the Georgia Democrat reflected upon his own calling …

Atlanta’s ABC News affiliate reports: The late Rep. John Lewis arrived back home in Atlanta today, following four days of tributes and services that have taken the congressman and Civil Rights hero back to his native Alabama and then to Washington, D.C. As he did at the Alabama and U.S. capitols, Lewis will lie in state at the Georgia State …

USA Today reports: John Lewis has returned to the nation’s capital one last time. Lewis, who died July 17 from pancreatic cancer at 80, arrived at Joint Base Andrews after two days of tributes in Alabama. The family and friends traveling with him include Lewis’ only son, John-Miles Lewis, as well as siblings, nieces and nephews. The motorcade is expected …

Ketchikan’s NPR affiliate reports: An ordinance that prohibits discrimination against LGTBQ individuals in Ketchikan city limits was passed today. The local law was approved by the Ketchikan City Council over the objections of religious advocates. Though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this summer that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender …

NBC News reports: Dozens of women wearing yellow linked arms to form a protective “wall of moms” around Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday as the protesters clashed with federal law enforcement. Video from the scene showed crowds chanting “Feds stay clear, moms are here!” and “Feds go home!” before protesters toppled a fence erected around the …

The Hill reports: Democratic senators called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to honor the legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) on Sunday and allow the Voting Rights Act to the Senate floor to be passed. In statements released on social media, Democrats including Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) wrote that the bill should be renamed in honor …

CNN reports: As news of Rep. John Lewis’ death rocked the nation, tributes to the civil rights leader and longtime Georgia politician poured in from activists and politicians alike. Lewis was the son of sharecroppers who survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 march in Selma, Alabama. He ultimately became a towering figure of the civil rights …

ABC News reports: Rep. John Lewis “loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise,” former President Barack Obama said Friday night in paying tribute to one of his personal heroes. “And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom …

NBC News reports: Civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who has been receiving hospice care, passed away at the age of 80 at his home in Atlanta on Friday. Lewis, a Democrat, played a key role in the civil rights movement and marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. He was the …

Via press release: Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s new rule vastly limiting anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act. Among many other changes, the rule removes explicit protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex stereotyping. This allows for discrimination against LGBTQ patients — particularly transgender patients. The rule also …

Denver’s CBS News affiliate reports: Using a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity as an excuse for murder or violence is no longer a valid defense in Colorado courtrooms. Colorado is now the 11th state to outlaw the so-called “gay or trans panic defense.” The most publicized case where the defense was used is the Matthew Shepard murder trial in …

ESPN reports: “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing,” traditionally known as the Black national anthem, is expected to be performed live or played before every Week 1 NFL game, and the league is considering a variety of other measures during the upcoming season to recognize victims of police brutality, a source familiar with the league’s discussions told The Undefeated on Thursday. …

The New York Daily News reports: The city will start painting a massive Black Lives Matter mural on the street in front of President Trump’s namesake Midtown skyscraper on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the matter. The paint job — which will span the entire Fifth Avenue block between 56th and 57th Streets in front of Trump Tower …