Politics

January 18, 2019 - In his Jan. 15 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on President Trump's pick of William Barr for U.S. attorney general, NAACP President Derrick Johnson called on members to reject the nominee, saying he lacks "a record of strong commitment to civil rights in which communities of color could place their trust."

January 16, 2019 - The federal shutdown ordered by President Trump in a bid to get congressional funding for a $5.7 billion wall at the Mexican border is now the longest in U.S. history. With 800,000 workers furloughed or working without pay, and millions of contractors idled, the economic pain is widespread — and disproportionately affects African Americans.

January 11, 2019 - In Florida, where a new constitutional amendment has restored voting rights to most ex-felons, organizers are planning a voter registration and engagement campaign to reach those with — and without — criminal convictions. Meanwhile, a lawsuit aims to expand voting rights to people with felony records in Kentucky.

December 21, 2018 - As the election fraud probe in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District grows, Republican leaders claim they sounded the alarm about absentee voting irregularities in 2016. But an internal state report made public this week reveals that two Republicans wrongfully accused an African-American community group of fraud likely committed by a GOP operative at the center of the current investigation.

December 19, 2018 - As the lame duck governor heads to the U.S. Senate, Florida is losing its only black Supreme Court justice. That’s no accident: A drastic loss in racial diversity on Florida state courts is part of Gov. Scott’s legacy and has led to demands for reforming how judges are chosen.

December 14, 2018 - The trade associations representing seismic testing firms have doubled their lobbying expenditures since 2016. The move appears to have paid off — but lawsuits filed this week show the fight to block the permits is not over yet.

December 13, 2018 - While shocking reports emerged from Bladen and Robeson counties about years of absentee ballot fraud, the North Carolina legislature rushed to pass a voter ID bill — which would do nothing to address the problem that's cast doubt on the outcome of a congressional race. That absentee ballots were vulnerable to fraud should have come as no surprise to lawmakers.

December 7, 2018 - The latest tool that industry has used to tilt Georgia's regulatory field against electric utility ratepayers? An outside spending group tied to the faltering nuclear power industry, which helped Georgia Power's candidate of choice hold his seat on the state commission that oversees utilities.

November 30, 2018 - When Southern legislatures gavel into session in 2019, Republicans will still enjoy majority control in all of the South's upper and lower chambers. But for Southern Republicans, there is cause for concern: Since the election of President Trump, Democrats have gained ground in key Southern states.