Justice
March 28, 2019 -
After the state legislature failed to revamp a judicial voting district found to be racially discriminatory, a federal court has picked a technical advisor from California to do the job instead. Will the non-white voters of Terrebonne Parish finally get a fair shot at electing a judge of their choice next year?
March 15, 2019 -
Playwright, actor, educator, and community organizer John O'Neal died last month in New Orleans. In his memory, we share a searing story he wrote that ran in Southern Exposure, the print magazine forerunner of Facing South, in 1997.
March 14, 2019 -
For the amendment banning sex discrimination by the federal and state governments to be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, one more state needs to ratify it. Most of the states that haven't ratified the ERA are in the South, but ratification bills were introduced in seven Southern states this year.
March 13, 2019 -
In response to Republican voter suppression efforts in the states, congressional Democrats want to restore the Supreme Court-stricken Voting Rights Act provision that required federal preclearance of election changes in places with a history of voter discrimination. Here's how they're proposing to do that and the places that would be covered.
March 12, 2019 -
A state judge recently struck down a voter ID amendment to the N.C. Constitution because the legislators who ratified it were elected in unconstitutional, racially gerrymandered districts. Meanwhile, two white sheriffs who ousted black sheriffs with the help of a suspected election fraudster are also facing legal problems.
March 8, 2019 -
With a growing number of banks refusing its business amid pressure from human rights activists, the U.S. private prison industry has been ramping up spending on lobbying and campaign contributions. Tennessee-based private prison giant CoreCivic just added to its powerhouse lobbying roster another influential firm for help on banking issues.
March 1, 2019 -
A new coalition seeks to end Duke Energy's electric monopoly in North Carolina in hopes of hastening the shift to clean energy. There's also an effort underway to bring competition to the electricity market in Florida, where Duke operates as a regional monopoly.
