Civil Rights Movements & the Law

"New York legislators passed a package of bills providing for comprehensive police reform and Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he intends to sign them all quickly."

"The bill is part of a national campaign that began after high-profile incidents of Black students being forced to cut or change their hair."

"The Crown Act a bill that makes hair-based discrimination illegal is now officially law in a dozen states. Nevada is reportedly the latest state to pass the bill. The legislation was fueled by the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Day) Coalition."

"Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday used the final hours of the general assembly's lame duck session to pass a sweeping and controversial criminal justice reform bill that would eliminate cash bail make it easier to ban officers from working at police departments across the state and allow for anonymous complaints against cops."

"The Florida Senate gave final approval Thursday to law enforcement reform legislation born in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer nearly one year ago."

" grand jury in Texas on Tuesday cleared eight former officers of any criminal wrongdoing in the death of a 26-year-old Black man in custody."

"A bill that would allow people to sue government officials including police if they violate their rights is going through some major changes. The bill better known as the 'Civil Rights Act' would get rid of qualified immunity and allow people to file their cases in state court instead of federal court."

"Four states have now passed legislation that would limit how teachers can discuss racism sexism and other controversial issues. It's Republican lawmakers latest effort to rein in the approach to subjects they claim are divisive and inappropriate."

"Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed two companion bills into law on Monday that will protect against discrimination for natural hair hairstyles or cultural or religious headdress in schools and workplaces."

"Arguing that a new law is intended to 'suppress the viewpoints of Black-led organizations and their allies' a coalition of groups Tuesday challenged the constitutionality of changes championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to crack down on violent protests."

"Illinois could soon become the first state to bar police from lying to minors during interrogations a tactic advocates say significantly increases the risk of false confessions."

"Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1480 into law on March 23 2021. Effective immediately the law significantly amends the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) Illinois Equal Pay Act (IEPA) and the Illinois Business Corporation Act. The amendments affect employers' ability to use criminal conviction records in employment decisions and imposes new reporting requirements regarding pay equity."

"Louisville's city government has announced plans to review the handling by the mayor's administration of the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. The Louisville Metro Council's government oversight committee which has subpoena powers announced its intentions Monday news outlets reported. The council's next meeting is scheduled for July 23."

"Congress was at a standstill on police reform on Wednesday after Senate Democrats successfully blocked a Republican bill criticized as a toothless response to police brutality. The vote was 55-45 failing to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance. Two Democrats the Alabama senator Doug Jones and the West Virginia senator Joe Manchin along with Angus King of Maine an independent who caucuses with Democrats voted with Republicans to open the debate."

"Colorado passed a sweeping police reform bill on Friday that among other reforms bans chokeholds and makes officers personally liable if they are found guilty of violating a person's civil rights. Colorado is one of the first states that will allow police officers to be financially liable for civil misconduct suits according to the state's ACLU. "

"Colorado's attorney general on Friday convened a grand jury probe into the death of Elijah McClain a young unarmed Black man placed in a chokehold and injected with the powerful sedative ketamine while under arrest."

"Many admit the recent confirmation of California's new Attorney General Rob Bonta proves there is a place for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation across all levels of government."

"Oregon is the second state to pass a bill banning police from using deceptive interrogation tactics following Illinois."

"The House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee approved the bill as amended on a party-line 10-7 vote Friday and sent it to the House Floor. There is no Senate companion"

"The state Senate early Wednesday voted to approve a comprehensive police accountability bill that was drafted in the wake of protests spurred by the police killings of Black Americans including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville."

"Recent reporting suggests that lawmakers across the country are ending a long-standing legal protection for police officers but that isn't quite true."

"Colorado passed a sweeping police reform bill [...] among other reforms bans chokeholds and makes officers personally liable if they are found guilty of violating a person's civil rights." Li Cohen CBS News

"Louisiana enacted the Separate Car Act which required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. In 1892 Homer Plessy – who was seven-eighths Caucasian – agreed to participate in a test to challenge the Act. He was solicited by the Comite des Citoyens (Committee of Citizens) a group of New Orleans residents who sought to repeal the Act. They asked Plessy who was technically black under Louisiana law to sit in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train."

"SB 2 creates a system to investigate and revoke or suspend peace officer certification for serious misconduct SB 16 increases transparency over peace officer misconduct records The Governor also signed legislation strengthening policing responsibility and accountability guidelines raising eligibility standards and banning harmful techniques"

"Limits authority of school district to become member of voluntary organization that administers interscholastic activities unless organization implements policy that prohibits discrimination based on race color or national origin. Clarifies meaning of race to include natural hair hair texture hair type and protective hairstyles for purposes of prohibited discrimination under antidiscrimination statutes. Clarifies that valid dress code or policy may not have disproportionate adverse impact on members of protected class to extent that is greater than impact on persons generally."

"This case was the consolidation of cases arising in Kansas South Carolina Virginia Delaware and Washington D.C. relating to the segregation of public schools on the basis of race. In each of the cases African American students had been denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The plaintiffs were denied relief in the lower courts based on Plessy v. Ferguson which held that racially segregated public facilities were legal so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal.

"Police officers are given wide latitude to stop and detain suspects since they're entrusted with the enforcement power of the law. When an officer orders you to "freeze" or submit to a search it's generally in your best interests to do so. But this doesn't mean they're above the law as police misconduct -- whether it's blatant racial profiling or the use of excessive force -- is strictly illegal. If an Arizona officer has violated your civil rights you may want to pursue a claim in civil court. Police misconduct runs the gamut from unlawful search and seizure (in violation of the Fourth Amendment) to planting false evidence on a suspect. And while police are protected by "qualified immunity" as long as their actions don't violate specific individual rights you have legal options in the event they do in fact violate your rights."

Filed in federal court primarily in regards to the excessive force and use of tear gas in the midst of a global pandemic.

"US District Court for the Northern District of California - 584 F. Supp. 1406 (N.D. Cal. 1984) April 19 1984"

"In May and June 2020 protests erupted nationwide after the publication of video footage of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd leading to his death. That incident and its aftermath have sparked heightened interest in Congress' ability to implement reforms of state and local law enforcement."