Opinions

The Supreme Court announced its official opinion overturning Roe v. Wade Friday, raising questions about how the ruling will immediately impact reproductive health in Texas . Elizabeth Sepper, a UT Austin law professor who specializes in religious liberty, health law and equality, explained that in the aftermath of the high court's ruling, states like Texas can implement criminal bans on abortions. What is Texas' "trigger law?" Thirteen states including Texas have passed "trigger laws" that were set to ban all or nearly all abortions once Roe was overturned. Texas' "trigger law," that virtually bans all abortion from conception was signed last year by Gov. Greg Abbott and is set to go into effect in 30 days. However, clinics and abortion funds are already ceasing services Friday due to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's advisory that suggests state laws banning abortion before Roe v. Wade became agreed upon precedent were never repealed and remain in effect. The … [Read more...] about What overturning Roe v. Wade means for abortion in Texas

Roughly a thousand people gathered outside Tucson's courthouse Friday night, devastated and fed up, to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. From the University of Arizona’s campus to Congress Street, one Sun Link streetcar slowly filled near capacity at each consecutive stop with people carrying water bottles and signs. It was close to 7 p.m., but Tucson Women’s March organizers and other local activist groups urged people on social media to bring plenty of water if they were joining the protest. The Arizona heat didn’t stop the many people who continued to show up outside the courthouse well after the protest began, chanting “Whose choice? Our Choice.” MORE FROM THE DAILY WILDCAT OPINION: The fight for reproductive freedom is not over Pro-choice marchers call for action, UA student told to dig in trash ASUA elections: highlights from Friday’s presidential debate Amy Fitch-Heacock, the … [Read more...] about Tucsonans protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade: ‘We are going to keep on fighting’

What personal rights, such as the right to abortion, are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantees of liberty and equality? According to the Supreme Court, only those rights that are “deeply rooted in the nation’s history and traditions” dating back to 1868, when the amendment was ratified and few states allowed abortion — and when women were denied the right to vote and most other rights. What restrictions can states impose on the right to carry a gun? According to the court, only those the government can prove to be “part of the historical tradition” that limited those rights — with a particular focus on the late 19th century, when the Second Amendment took effect and when the law required all males 18 and older to carry muskets and join their state militia. The lesson from the final days of the court’s 2021-22 term, apparently, is that constitutional rights should be determined in the history books, as interpreted by a five-justice conservative majority. The … [Read more...] about Looking backward: The Supreme Court turns to history books to redefine rights on abortion, guns

WASHINGTON, DC. (CW44 News At 10 | CNN) — President Joe Biden will sign a bipartisan bill to address gun violence into law Saturday before departing for Europe, the White House announced Friday. The bill amounts to the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades and marks a significant bipartisan breakthrough on one of the most contentious policy issues in Washington. READ MORE: Ukraine To Withdraw From Severodonetsk As Russia's Advance Grinds On The House on Friday passed the bill by 234-193, including 14 Republicans voting with Democrats. The Senate passed the bill in a late-night vote Thursday. The measure includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It also makes significant changes to the process when someone ages 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole, a victory for … [Read more...] about Biden Will Sign First Major Federal Gun Safety Legislation In Decades

Fox News contributors Leo Terrell and Jessica Tarlov sparred over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade during their Friday appearances on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” The Court upheld a Mississippi law directly challenging Roe v. Wade by prohibiting abortion past 15 weeks of pregnancy in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion that abortion is not protected under any constitutional provision and thereby should be governed by the states. Tarlov argued the Court has set a “terrible precedent” of future outcomes regarding abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage. Host Martha MacCallum, Terrell and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer pushed back when she claimed Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh lied during their testimony to recognize Roe as Court precedent. “I can’t let that go,” MacCallum said. Tarlov then argued that 13 states have trigger laws going into … [Read more...] about ‘Stop Saying Oh God!’: Fox News Contributors Spar Over SCOTUS Ruling

A federal appeals court overruled a plea to overturn the state’s anti-Israel boycott legislation Wednesday, a ruling defendants now hope to bring before the Supreme Court. The 8th Circuit Court ruled against the Arkansas Times’ case that the law, which would require the newspaper to sign a document affirming it would not participate in a boycott of Israel, violated the First Amendment. The court opinion found that the law prohibits “economic decisions that discriminate against Israel” and does not unconstitutionally compel speech regarding Israel. “Today is a resounding victory for Arkansas’s anti-discrimination law and reinforces Arkansas’s relationship with our long-time ally, Israel,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge in a statement. “Arkansas had to spend taxpayer resources proving that Arkansas Times is not entitled to discriminate.” Today, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Arkansas law that discourages “Boycott, Divest, Sanction” (BDS) against Israel. … [Read more...] about Federal Court Smacks Down Effort To Nullify Arkansas’ Anti-BDS Law

close Video Supreme Court abortion ruling a 'huge victory for rule of law': Carrie Severino Judicial Crisis Network president Carrie Severino and Constitutional Accountability Center president Elizabeth Wydra react to the SCOTUS decision on 'Special Report.' NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says he is "ecstatic" over the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling the move from conservative justices on the court a "win for life." After the ruling from the court was made public, Reeves spoke to Fox News Digital about Mississippi's influence and role in seeing the federally granted protections from the 1973 landmark decision overturned. The ruling came in the court's opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which centered on a Mississippi law that banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Republican-led state of Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to strike … [Read more...] about Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ‘ecstatic’ over Supreme Court abortion ruling, says it’s a ‘win for life’

Protesters outside the Supreme Court on June 24. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images The Supreme Court decision ending abortion access for millions of Americans did not come as a surprise . But having a leaked preview of Samuel Alito’s majority opinion in advance has not dulled the outrage over the end of Roe v. Wade in America. Immediately after the ruling was announced, protestors began assembling outside the Court to express their fury. Democrats, without immediate recourse, read poems on television . Meanwhile, Republican-controlled states, now given by a green light by the Court, began moving forward with immediate bans restricting access to abortion. Below are updates on the ongoing fallout from the most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades. . Police in Iowa are investigating confrontation involving a truck driver and abortion-rights protesters A pedestrian taking part in a demonstration for abortion rights in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday … [Read more...] about Outrage, Uncertainty, and Instant Abortion Bans After

History may look back at the period in which we are living and call it The Great Regression. It is a time in which on issue after issue, we are seeing decades and sometimes centuries of progress reversed . If the term regression feels too academic, we may just as easily call it the Great Leap Backwards. If it continues at its current pace, it may end up being known as the American Dark Ages…or worse, to borrow from another historical saga, the Decline and Fall of the United States. We have seldom seen anything like this before in our country’s history. One example might be that in the wake of the Civil War, Reconstruction saw efforts throughout what had been Confederate states to, wherever possible, restore the old order and to once again put down newly freed Blacks in the South. More recently, thanks to a concerted campaign by America’s right wing, sometimes with the help of centrists from both U.S. political parties, we have watched as a long list of the signature … [Read more...] about The Supreme Court Is Trying to Turn Back the Clock 200 Years

24 Community Corner As America's birthday approaches, is it fair to ask neighbors to end fireworks shows by 11 and confine them to the 4th of July weekend? Beth Dalbey , Patch Staff Replies ACROSS AMERICA — Fireworks have already started, legally or outside of legal hours, sparking both joy in neighborhoods across America and an overwhelming desire to be almost anywhere else. For this installment of Block Talk , we asked Patch readers on Facebook to help us establish a neighborhood etiquette guide on fireworks. When is it OK to set them off? When does your explosive fun start irritating neighbors? The opening salvo, a cherry bomb of sorts, was lobbed by a Joliet (Illinois) Patch reader with, we're pretty sure, a wicked fun heart. "There is never a wrong time" for fireworks, he asserted, adding "feed me all the onions all day long," which probably doesn't mean what you think (while most fireworks are illegal in … [Read more...] about When Is It OK To Set Off Fireworks In The Neighborhood? [Block Talk]