Category «Civil Liberties»

CRS – Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated May 19, 2017. [Via FAS] “The United States, partner countries, and the Afghan government are attempting to reverse recent gains made by the resilient Taliban-led insurgency since the December 2014transition to a smaller international mission consisting primarily of training and advising the Afghanistan National Defense and Security …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Government Documents

The State of Racial Justice in Chicago Report

Institute for Research on Race & Public Policy (MC 347) University of Illinois at Chicago: “The State of Racial Justice in Chicago Report provides a comprehensive picture of the changing conditions of racial and ethnic groups in Chicago during the last half century. The report provides accessible data and analysis on how racial and ethnic groups …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Health Care, Legal Research

Special Counsels, Independent Counsels, and Special Prosecutors: Investigations of the Executive Branch by the Executive Branch

Special Counsels, Independent Counsels, and Special Prosecutors: Investigations of the Executive Branch by the Executive Branch, CRS Legal Sidebar, May 11, 2017. “Under constitutional principles and authorities, Congress has no direct role in federal law enforcement and is limited in its ability to initiate appointments of any prosecutor for any particular matter in which there …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

Syria executing up to 50 “prisoners” each day using crematorium

The Washington Post – “At least 50 prisoners a day are being executed at the notorious Sednaya military prison outside Damascus, State Department officials said. Russia and Iran were accused of complicity in “atrocities.” The United States released aerial photos of the facility and said the information came from “intelligence assessments” and human rights groups.” …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Freedom of the Press 2017 – Press Freedom’s Dark Horizon

Key Global Findings 2017 “Global press freedom declined to its lowest point in 13 years in 2016 amid unprecedented threats to journalists and media outlets in major democracies and new moves by authoritarian states to control the media, including beyond their borders. Only 13 percent of the world’s population enjoys a Free press—that is, a …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Trends in Prevailing Wage Laws, 2017

Council of State Governments: “Prevailing wage laws are laws created by state governments or local municipalities to set a rate of pay that is thought to be standard for a labor group contracted to do public-sector projects in that area. The standard rate of pay is oftentimes determined by analyzing local wage data and identifying …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Americans’ Attitudes About the News Media Deeply Divided Along Partisan Lines

“Democrats and Republicans, who already tend to place their trust in different news sources and rely on different outlets for political news, now disagree more than ever on a fundamental issue of the news media’s role in society: whether news organizations’ criticism of political leaders primarily keeps them from doing things they shouldn’t – or …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information

Voting Rate for the Black Population Dropped in the 2016 Election

“According to new U.S. Census Bureau data, voter turnout increased to 65.3 percent for non-Hispanic whites, but decreased to 59.6 percent for non-Hispanic blacks in the 2016 presidential election (Figure 2). This compared to 2012, when more non-Hispanic blacks (66.6 percent) voted than non-Hispanic whites (64.1 percent) for the first time in this series. In …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Cardozo School of Law Trains Students as Advocates For Shifting Legal Landscape

“In response to unprecedented legal uncertainty in the first weeks of the Trump administration, Cardozo School of Law is offering new classes to prepare future lawyers for a shifting legal and political landscape…Cardozo School of Law is offering students a 10-week course called The First 100 Days: The Trump Administration and the Rule of Law. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Education, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

TRAC Sues ICE on Withholding Data on Detainers

“The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) filed a suit today under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) charging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with unlawfully withholding records related to ICE’s immigration enforcement actions and its interaction with other law enforcement agencies. At issue are ICE’s use of detainers. These are requests from ICE to federal, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research