Latest Human rights and civil liberties News
Judge blocks ban on some Texas abortions during outbreak
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has ordered that Texas abortion clinics may continue to perform abortions in some cases, either those using medication or those involving patients for whom delays would pose an essential ban. The ruling came in a 16-page opinion filed Thursday by U.S. District Judge Lee...
Civil rights pioneer and face of gay marriage dies at 95
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gay rights pioneer Phyllis Lyon, who with her longtime partner was among the first same-sex couples to marry in California when it became legal to do so in 2008, has died at her San Francisco home. She was 95. Lyon lived life with “joy and wonder,” said Kate Kendell, a...
No halt to culture wars during coronavirus outbreak
WASHINGTON (AP) — A partisan fight over voting in Wisconsin was the first issue linked to the coronavirus to make it to the Supreme Court. Efforts to limit abortion during the pandemic could eventually land in the justices' hands. Disputes over guns and religious freedom also are popping up around the...
Biden joins growing call for release of racial data on virus
DETROIT (AP) — Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is joining a growing call for the release of comprehensive racial data on the coronavirus pandemic, which he says has put a spotlight on inequity and the impact of “structural racism." Biden's Medium post on Thursday said he is joining...
![Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly speaks at a news conference to give updates on the COVID-19 outbreak Thursday, April 9, 2020 at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal via AP]](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v1/items/5f8873f3fd7b4fb49cf30dc648dd305e/preview/preview.jpg?s=640x)
ACLU seeks release of Kansas inmates vulnerable to COVID-19
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A civil rights group asked the Kansas Supreme Court on Thursday to immediately release prisoners who have preexisting medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the coronavirus. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas filed the class action petition on behalf of seven inmates...
Judge rejects lawsuit over order; no religious exemption
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A judge in southwest Virginia on Thursday ejected a lawsuit that sought to carve ought a religious exemption to Gov. Ralph Northam's executive order requiring people to stay at home. Russell County resident Larry Hughes filed the lawsuit this week. He said the governor's...
UN chief warns COVID-19 is increasing inequality for women
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic is deepening already existing inequalities and “is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls” that could reverse limited progress toward gender equality...
ACLU of Indiana: New panhandling law violates free speech
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A new law tightening Indiana’s restrictions on panhandling violates the First Amendment by all but banning solicitation in cities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana contends in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that seeks to block the law. The law, set to take effect...
Judge: New Hampshire voter registration law unconstitutional
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A judge struck down a New Hampshire law that added more steps to the voter registration process as unconstitutional “for unreasonably burdening the right to vote." The New Hampshire Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters sued Secretary of State William Gardner over the...
Georgia postpones primaries again because of coronavirus
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia on Thursday postponed primary elections for the second time this year because of the coronavirus, pushing back primaries scheduled for May to June. The move came a day after New Jersey and Virginia joined at least 15 other states in delaying their primaries amid the coronavirus...
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