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Justice Dept. Sues States
To Get Voters’ Personal Data
The Justice Department is suing the District of Columbia and three states in an attempt to get the lists of their registered voters.
In each case, the states and D.C. refuse to turn over the information. They cite local laws intended to protect the privacy of voters.
The Trump administration says it needs the lists to verify the integrity of voting procedures.
The lawsuits filed in several federal courts appear to be an outgrowth of President Donald Trump’s allegations that the 2020 election was stolen from him by voter fraud.
He said he would reform the electoral process but so far has failed to make any significant changes.
The lawsuits filed last week were against the District of Columbia, Illinois, Georgia and Wisconsin. They bring to 22 the number of lawsuits the Justice Department has filed trying to get detailed voter information from states.
Ten states have complied with the Justice Department requests for voter data. The others refuse.
The Justice Department lawsuits are demanding that the states turn over “all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files" from the 2020 general election.
The lawsuits accuse states that defy the requests of violating Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
Title III requires state and local election officials to retain federal election records, including registration and voting documents. It is supposed to ensure election integrity by allowing for federal review of voter qualifications and to prevent potential suppression of votes in a discriminatory way.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement, "States have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution. At this Department of Justice, we will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by our federal elections laws."
Historic Preservationists Sue to Stop
New White House Ballroom Project
A historic preservation group is suing the Trump administration to stop construction of a huge ballroom on the East Wing of the White House.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s lawsuit asks for a court order to block further construction until the project has received public comment and approvals from the National Capital Planning Commission, a panel that normally must approve changes to historic sites in Washington, D.C.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” says the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington.
“And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in,” the suit said.
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Latest News
Trump Executive Order on AI
Preempts State Regulations
President Donald Trump is running headlong into a dispute with states over artificial intelligence regulation after signing an executive order last week giving the federal government exclusive control.
The order seeks to block states from enforcing their own artificial intelligence rules.
In the past year, 38 states have passed laws restricting how artificial intelligence is marketed and used. Hundreds of state-level bills are pending.
The most recent was last week, when New York’s governor signed a law requiring disclosure for the use of artificial intelligence-generated "synthetic" performers in advertisements. It also bans digital replicas of deceased persons' voices or likenesses without consent of their next-of-kin.
"Without notice that the content the public is viewing is not real, AI generated synthetic performers and manipulated media can undermine one's ability to accurately distill fact from fiction," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
Power the Civil Rights Work of Our Time
Each day members of our community are experiencing wage theft, the effects of gentrification, discriminatory policing, collateral consequences, marginalization in schools, and barriers to public accommodations.
We fight alongside people facing the effects of gentrification like Amira Moore. Our work empowers the people and communities who need it most, “We can do more than we think. There’s a path to equity, we just have to step to it.” –Ms. Moore
For more than 50 years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights in our community. We deploy the best legal talent, we tackle the tough cases, we fight, and we win.
Our work is as important today as it has ever been. Through your support, you can play a role in creating justice for thousands of marginalized members of our community. Together, we will dismantle injustice and pursue lasting change.
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Letters to the Editor
D.C. in Brief
Government Admits to Negligence
In Aircraft Collision Over D.C. Airport
A U.S. government court filing last week in the lawsuit resulting from the Jan. 29 collision over Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people acknowledges that the government was at fault.
It said the Army helicopter pilot was flying too high over the 200-foot limit allowed over the airport.
It also blamed an air traffic controller for failing to follow visual separation procedures between aircraft before the nighttime collision.
That evening, an American Airlines regional jet was on final approach to Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. All 64 people on the jet and the three Army personnel on a training flight were killed.
The helicopter pilot's “failure to maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid” the passenger jet makes the government liable, the court filing said.
Government attorneys blamed the airline and the American Eagle pilots for contributing to the negligence but not enough to eliminate the fault of the helicopter pilot and the air traffic controller.
The collision occurred nearly 300 feet over the airport. The passenger jet was carrying a team of figure skaters from a competition in Wichita, Kansas. All the victims died almost instantly.
As a direct result of the collision, the Senate last week passed the "ROTOR Act." It stands for Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act.
It would require all aircraft to be equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveilland-Broadcast technology. The devices constantly broadcast their position to alert nearby aircraft while receiving positional data from other aircraft. A companion bill is pending in the House.
Justice Dept. Announces Policy Change
To Eliminate “Disparate Impact” Assessments
The Justice Department plans to stop using the concept of disparate impact in assessing civil rights violations in another move that is increasing allegations of racism against President Donald Trump and his administration.
Disparate impact refers to policies or practices that are neutral on their face, but disproportionately harm one racial group, even when there is no intent to discriminate.
Previously, the Justice Department used statistical disparities to prove racial discrimination that might violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Disparate impact statistics also are used by lawmakers to set policies intended to alleviate racial discrimination.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that the current system has "for far too long required recipients of federal funding to make decisions based on race."
The move was welcomed by conservative Republicans but denounced by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
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Legal Briefs
We Could Use Your Help
Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
You could make a difference. By making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, you will provide free, high-quality, zealous legal representation to low-income DC residents.
Your support could prevent homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, or family separation. In fact, if just 10 people who see this ad give $28 to Legal Aid, it will be enough to staff an experienced attorney at the courthouse for a day.
That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
Here is the link to the Legal Aid website for donations: https://www.legalaiddc.org/donate-to-legal-aid/
For more information, contact Rob Pergament at Legal Aid at rpergament@legalaiddc.org