Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalSupreme Court Justice Sotomayor's staff prodded colleges and libraries to buy her books
Source: Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — For colleges and libraries seeking a boldfaced name for a guest lecturer, few come bigger than Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court justice who rose from poverty in the Bronx to the nation’s highest court.
She has benefited, too — from schools’ purchases of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of the books she has written over the years.
Sotomayor’s staff has often prodded public institutions that have hosted the justice to buy her memoir or children’s books, works that have earned her at least $3.7 million since she joined the court in 2009. Details of those events, largely out of public view, were obtained by The Associated Press through more than 100 open records requests to public institutions. The resulting tens of thousands of pages of documents offer a rare look at Sotomayor and her fellow justices beyond their official duties.
In her case, the documents reveal repeated examples of taxpayer-funded court staff performing tasks for the justice’s book ventures, which workers in other branches of government are barred from doing. But when it comes to promoting her literary career, Sotomayor is free to do what other government officials cannot because the Supreme Court does not have a formal code of conduct, leaving the nine justices to largely write and enforce their own rules.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-sotomayor-book-sales-ethics-colleges-b2cb93493f927f995829762cb8338c02
US to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs for first time
Source: Financial Times
The US will supply Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time after President Joe Biden approved the move as part of a new military aid package, US officials familiar with the decision said on Friday.
The move to send cluster munitions, which are banned by many countries, comes as Washington and western allies try to boost Ukraine’s counteroffensive and help its forces regain occupied Russian territory. The package is set to be announced ahead of next week’s Nato summit in Lithuania.
Both Russia and Ukraine have already been using the munitions in the conflict after retaining Soviet-era stockpiles, but Moscow has used them to especially devastating effect, including against civilian targets. The Ukrainian military has deployed them mainly to clear Russian defences.
The US weapons will be the first time Kyiv has received cluster munitions from a western partner. The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.
Read more: https://www.ft.com/content/f4955a0b-52fd-4f1b-8d69-bb0d4367c1aa
Supreme Court rules in favor of Biden administration in Navajo water case
(CNN) — The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against the Navajo Nation, dismissing a lawsuit arguing that the federal government has the legal duty under treaties signed in the 1800s to develop a plan to provide the tribe with an adequate water supply.
The ruling was 5-4 against the Navajos with Justice Brett Kavanaugh delivering the opinion of the court. Justice Neil Gorsuch, filed a dissenting opinion joined by the court’s liberal justices.
The suit pitted the Navajo Nation against the US government as well as a handful of western states that are concerned about water allocation.
Kavanaugh wrote that the case was not whether the United States has interfered with water access for the tribe, but whether a treaty required the US to take concrete steps — such as potentially building pumps, wells or other water infrastructure to facilitate better access.
more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/22/politics/supreme-court-navajo-nation-water/index.html
Alan Grayson files for U.S. Senate run in 2024 against Rick Scott
Source: Florida Politics
Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson appears poised to make another run for U.S. Senate.
The Orlando Democrat filed to challenge U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican running for a second term.
There remains no mention of a new candidacy on Grayson’s social media pages. His last posts date back to a run for U.S. House last year, when he lost the Democratic Primary in Florida’s 10th Congressional District to now-U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost.
Grayson has run for Senate before. He vacated his U.S. House seat in 2016 to run against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. But he didn’t have support at the time from party leadership. Then-Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid lambasted Grayson as having “no moral compass” and said he wanted the Orlando Democrat to lose the Democratic Primary. That wish came true in August 2016, when Grayson lost the nomination to then-U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. Murphy went on to lose to Rubio.
Read more: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/620006-alan-grayson-files-for-u-s-senate-run-in-2024-against-rick-scott/
Rebekah Jones to serve 1-year probation for 2019 cyberstalking charge
LEON COUNTY, Fla. -- Former Democratic congressional candidate Rebekah Jones will serve a year of probation after pleading no contest to a cyberstalking charge on Wednesday, stemming from a 2019 criminal investigation where a man allegedly accused Jones of posting naked pictures of him online.
Jones, who was defeated by current Northwest Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz in the 2022 election, was arrested and charged with cyberstalking back in 2019 for allegedly posting "revenge porn" of a man she believed to be the father of her child, according to an warrant affidavit.
According to a warrant affidavit, Jones posted nude pictures of the victim on his employer's Instagram, in addition to sharing them with his family and friends.
Jones began posting the pictures online after a temporary injunction filed by the victim expired back in 2019, according to a warrant affidavit.
More: https://www.google.com/amp/s/weartv.com/amp/news/local/rebekah-jones-to-serve-1-year-probation-for-2019-cyberstalking-charge
Supreme Court sides with cement mixing company over striking workers in latest blow to unions
Source: CNN
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a cement mixing company that seeks to bypass federal labor law and sue a union in state court for the destruction of property caused by striking workers.
The court said the dispute could continue in state court for now, a move that could chill workers’ decisions to strike for fear that unions would now have to face potentially costly litigation in state court for misconduct during federally protected strikes.
The union argued that the case should be handled by an independent federal agency that investigates allegations of wrongdoing, and that the union should not have to face costly state litigation.
The case had been closely watched by supporters of unions who have witnessed the conservative majority in recent years chip away their power.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/01/politics/labor-strike-supreme-court-cement-company-glacier-teamsters/index.html
Jury finds Danny Masterson guilty on 2 counts in rape retrial
Source: ABC News
A Los Angeles jury has found former "That '70s Show" actor Danny Masterson guilty of two counts of forcible rape in a retrial of a case involving three women.
The third count against Jane Doe 3 has been declared a mistrial.
The jury reached its verdict Wednesday afternoon after deliberating since May 17, over the course of six days total.
Masterson, 47, pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony rape following accusations by three different women, including a former girlfriend. The alleged attacks took place between 2001 and 2003.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Entertainment/jury-finds-danny-masterson-guilty-2-counts-rape/story?id=98936910
No Pasties": Dress Code for Stonewall Pride Seeks to Skirt Wrath of DeSantis
One of the largest LGBTQ pride parades in Florida is implementing a dress code as organizers fear an ounce of excessive cleavage or an errant gesture near a performer's undercarriage could catch the watchful eye of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his decidedly drag-wary administration.
The Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors is scheduled for June 17 with a new code of conduct for parade participants, performers, and vendors to ensure that the event's organizers are not penalized under the newly signed SB 1438.
While the new law does not specifically mention drag shows, its conception was part and parcel of DeSantis' and his allies' response to videos of children attending drag performances in South Florida. The law provides for misdemeanor charges against organizers and event permitholders who "knowingly admit a child to an adult live performance." LGBTQ advocates see it as a continuation of the governor's attack on the LGBTQ community and drag queens.
The Wilton Manors parade organizers have responded by proposing restrictions on nipple pasties, prosthetic breasts, sexualized language, and provocative dancing and gestures. The rules would apply to those in the parade, not the 50,000 observers expected to attend.
More: https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/florida-pride-parade-creates-dress-code-to-avoid-desantis-crackdown-15442430
Breaking: Rep. Chris Stewart plans to resign from Congress
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart plans to resign his seat in Congress, possibly as soon as this week.
Multiple sources have confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that Stewart announced his plan to resign, citing ongoing health issues with his wife. It was unclear what those health issues may be.
First elected by Utahns in 2012, Stewart is serving his 6th term in Congress. In 2022, he won reelection over Democrat Nick Mitchell by over 30 percentage points.
Stewart will be the second member of Utah’s Congressional delegation to resign mid-term in the past six years. Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz gave up his seat in Congress in 2017 to become a pundit on Fox News Channel.
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2023/05/30/rep-chris-stewart-plans-resign/
DFL apologizes after fight breaks out at Minneapolis endorsement convention
Source: CBS News Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS -- The DFL Party is apologizing after a fight broke out at the Ward 10 endorsing convention on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers arrived at the Ella Baker Center shortly after 2 p.m. to a large crowd and heard reports of people fighting, but says it did not observe any physical altercations.
A video shows the fight breaking out as Councilmember Aisha Chughtai takes the stage. The convention was immediately adjourned due to safety concerns.
In a statement released late Saturday night, the DFL said that "it is clear that the conflict was instigated by supporters of city council candidate Narsi Warsame."
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/minneapolis-ward-10-convention-fight-dfl/
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