Social Movements & the Law

"Since its acquisition by the US in 1898, Puerto Rico has served as a testing ground for the most aggressive and exploitative US economic, political, and social policies. The devastation that ensued finally grew impossible to ignore in 2017, in the wake of Hurricane Maria, as the physical destruction compounded the infrastructure collapse and trauma inflicted by the debt crisis. In Fantasy Island, Ed Morales traces how, over the years, Puerto Rico has served as a colonial satellite, a Cold War Caribbean showcase, a dumping ground for US manufactured goods, and a corporate tax shelter. He also shows how it has become a blank canvas for mercenary experiments in disaster capitalism on the frontlines of climate change, hamstrung by internal political corruption and the US federal government's prioritization of outside financial interests. Taking readers from San Juan to New York City and back to his family's home in the Luquillo Mountains, Morales shows us the machinations of financial and political interests in both the US and Puerto Rico, and the resistance efforts of Puerto Rican artists and activists. Through it all, he emphasizes that the only way to stop Puerto Rico from being bled is to let Puerto Ricans take control of their own destiny, going beyond the statehood-commonwealth-independence debate to complete decolonization." --

"This volume presents essays evaluating the similarities and differences between the legal, political, ethical, and practical landscapes confronted by the death penalty abolition movement at the time of the Furman v. Georgia decision and subsequent reversal and those confronted by the same movement today"--

"A history of post-Brown school desegregation in Detroit, with a focus on Milliken v. Bradley"--

"This is a book about hope, struggle, and possibility in the context of gendered violences of racial capitalism on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border"--;Near Tijuana, Baja California, the autonomous community of Maclovio Rojoas demonstrates what is possible for urban place-based political movements. More than a community, Maclovio Rojas is a women-led social movement that works for economic and political autonomy to address issues of health, education, housing, nutrition, and security. Border Women and the Community of Maclovio Rojas tells the story of the community's struggle to carve out space for survival and thriving in the shadows of the U.S.-Mexico geopolitical border. This ethnography by Michelle Téllez demonstrates the state's neglect in providing social services and local infrastructure. This neglect exacerbates the structural violence endemic to the border region--a continuation of colonial systems of power on the urban, rural, and racialized poor. Téllez shows that in creating the community of Maclovio Rojas, residents have challenged prescriptive notions of nation and belonging. Through women's active participation and leadership, a women's political subjectivity has emerged Maclovianas. These border women both contest and invoke their citizenship as they struggle to have their land rights recognized, and they transform traditional political roles into that of agency and responsibility. This book highlights the U.S.-Mexico borderlands as a space of resistance, conviviality, agency, and creative community building where transformative politics can take place. It shows hope, struggle, and possibility in the context of gendered violences of racial capitalism on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border"--

"Purnell details how multi-racial social movements rooted in rebellion, risk-taking, and revolutionary love pushed her and a generation of activists toward abolition. The book travels across geography and time, and offers lessons that activists have learned from Ferguson to South Africa, from Reconstruction to contemporary protests against police shootings. Here, Purnell argues that police can not be reformed and invites readers to envision new systems that work to address the root causes of violence. Becoming Abolitionists shows that abolition is not solely about getting rid of police, but a commitment to create and support different answers to the problem of harm in society, and, most excitingly, an opportunity to reduce and eliminate harm in the first place"--Provided by publisher.

Written By: Amy Shaw, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Georgia State University May 2025 Observances & Conferences Jewish American Heritage Month Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacifi…

Title IX aims to prevent sex-based discrimination in education, but different administrations have taken different interpretations of what that means and what constitutes discrimination.

Three former Memphis officers have been acquitted of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop.

The Democratic controlled cities of Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho, adopted new city flags this week that show support for LGBTQ+ people in defiance of new laws passed by their states’ Republican-controlled Legislatures.

2,658 likes, 46 comments - chasestrangio on May 7, 2025: "Yesterday the Supreme Court allowed Trump’s sweeping and animus-driven ban on open trans military service to go into effect. In a 6-3 order with no reasoning or written opinions, the Court opened the door to the mass expulsion of trans people from the military. This is a devastating development in Trump-related litigation but I wanted to also offer some context about the legal standards in military litigation where the courts afford wide latitude to the federal executive. That does not mean this Court is not ready to green light many forms of discrimination and executive power grabs, they are. But I wanted to at least calibrate what this particular action means in light of decades of terrible precedent around the military. When we think about concepts like “restoring the rule of law” and living under “a police state” it feels important to remember that the rule of law is itself violent and that many people have been constructively if not explicitly living under a police state here for decades and longer. Each action from each branch of government builds on frameworks that were built over centuries and our resistance will continue no matter what this or any government tries to do to us. We are undeniably facing many existential threats and also we retain our ability to love and care for each other and mobilize every day.".

FIND YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member type in your zip code Look at results for senators and house reps Call them!! Trump 2025 Executive Orders list by Category As of 2/5/2025; updated 2/11/2025; updated 2/12/2025; updated 2/21/2025; updated 3/3/2025; upd...

The Pentagon ordered military educational institutions to pull and review any books that promote what it called "divisive concepts and gender ideology" on Friday, in the latest move from President Donald Trump's administration against diversity, equity and inclusion.

A new poll shows a majority of U.S. adults disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of issues related to colleges and universities, as his Republican administration ramps up threats to cut federal funding unless schools comply with his political agenda.

From Politico: President Donald Trump continued a firing spree at the Library of Congress on Saturday when he dismissed the top copyright official in the nation — a position traditionally overseen by the legislative branch. The White House contacted Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter Saturday afternoon informing her that her job leading the U.S. Copyright […]

Ed. Note: We will update this report with additional media coverage and statements as they become available Recent Additions (Last Update 5:30pm; May 12) ALISE Statement On the Dismissal of Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) strongly condemns this unprecedented action. Dr. Hayden, the first woman […]

The reasonable accommodation mandate was intended to ensure access for people with disabilities. Yet some people with disabilities who are eligible for and in n

President Donald Trump's onetime defense attorney has been appointed acting librarian of Congress. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche replaces longtime librarian Carla Hayden, whom the White House fired last week amid criticism from some conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda.

“The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and its members are deeply disappointed in the administration’s decision to terminate Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress,” said Andrew K. Pace,...

A new analysis by the National Women's Law Center captures how President Trump's mass job cuts are chipping away at the diversity of the federal workforce.

A new policy in Hennepin County, Minnesota, that allows prosecutors to consider racial identity in plea deals has led to a probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.

WaPo: Justice Department lawyers defending the Trump administration’s policies are encountering mounting criticism and frustration from federal judges, a sign of deepening tension between the executive branch and courts weighing its aggressive uses of power. In recent hearings and rulings, … Continue reading “Justice Department lawyers face skeptical judges upset by ‘shoddy work'” →

President Donald Trump’s latest executive order about “sanctuary jurisdictions” has begun a second round of legal battles over the constitutionality of federal government sanctions against state and local governments.

On May 2, a federal judge in Texas determined that the Trump administration is improperly relying on a founding-era law in order to deport Venezuelan nationals living in the United States suspected of gang-related activities.

A federal judge Tuesday wrote that President Trump's executive order dismantling the IMLS "disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each of the branches of our federal government."

The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recently joined a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) task force geared towards finding and deporting immigrants, according to a

Inclusive Leadership: Perspectives From Academic Library Leaders

In a series of vetoes late Friday, May 2, Gov. Katie Hobbs rejected a variety of proposals from the Republican lead Legislature.

This repository, compiled by legal scholar Tim Zick, catalogues the breadth of unprecedented actions taken by the Trump administration that disregard fundamental First Amendment principles.

Threats to DEI are only growing stronger, with continued plans to introduce bills in the next legislative session, and attacks occurring on the accreditation front. Use our interactive dashboard to keep track of the evolving attacks on DEI across the states.