Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected Michigan’s ban on affirmative action in the state - Proposal 2 - which was passed by voters in 2006 as an amendment to the state constitution. The Court found that Proposal 2 deprives minorities of equal protection of the law by creating a structural burden that minority students would have to shoulder in order to address... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Today, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), joined by Subcommittee on the Constitution Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Subcommittee on Elections Ranking Member Charles Gonzalez (D-TX), along with Representatives John Lewis (D-GA), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Marcia Fudge (D-OH), a... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Today, the top Democratic members on committees responsible for elections, the Judiciary, and Oversight sent a second letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus calling on him to make clear the RNC’s associations with individuals and companies charged with acts of voter registration fraud in states across the country. This letter followed an earlier letter from the... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court denied the state of Ohio’s request for review of their early voting case. Previously, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, as well as a lower court in Ohio, ordered the state to remove restrictions to early voting the weekend prior to the general election because the restrictions did not equally protect all Ohio citizens. The Supre... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Yesterday, former Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) passed away at age 82 following complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement following the news of Senator Specter’s passing: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of a long-standing public servant for the state of Pennsylvania, Senator Arlen Specter. He was a strong-willed figh... Read more »
Today, Judge Robert Simpson of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania partially blocked the state of Pennsylvania’s voter ID law. Specifically, the court struck down two provisions of the law that required voters to show their IDs within six days or appear before the county board of elections. Although the injunction applies to the election this November, the Judge stated that future hearings woul... Read more »
Today Representatives Jim Sensenbrenner, former chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and John Conyers, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and also a former chair of the Committee, introduced the Athlete Due Process Protection Act of 2012, a bipartisan bill that will strengthen the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) ability to ensure a fair playing field in sports. Sensenbre... Read more »
This morning, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following opening statement during a House Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “Regulation Nation: The Obama Administration’s Regulatory Expansion vs. Jobs and Economic Recovery”: “As we begin this hearing, it is important that we note and appreciate the backgrounds of our witnesses. “One of our witnesses is an economic advis... Read more »
Today, the Inspector General of the United States Department of Justice issued a report entitled, “A Review of ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious and Related Matters.” The tactic of ‘gun walking’ took place in Operation Wide Receiver, initiated in 2006, and in Operation Fast and Furious, initiated in 2009. The report detailed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Headquarters,... Read more »
Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a 4-2 decision, instructed a judge on the lower Commonwealth Court to cease implementation of the state’s Voter ID law and for the lower court to further review the case. Specifically, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court instructed the Commonwealth Court to determine whether or not the law disenfranchises voters, and to assess the ease of access to ID cards. Ra... Read more »
