Haley Barbour's pardons put Southern redemption on trial - CSMonitor.com

Haley Barbour's pardons put Southern redemption on trial - CSMonitor.com:

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“A dialysis patient costs about $190,000
per year,” Barbour said. “All of these costs
will no longer fall on the state.

Racial Pattern Found In Harris County, Texas Death Penalty Sentencing: Report

Racial Pattern Found In Harris County, Texas Death Penalty Sentencing: Report: "Of the last 13 men that have been sentenced to death in Harris County, 12 of them are black, according to an analysis of prison and prosecution records by the Houston Chronicle. The discovery has prompted some local lawyers to ask for an investigation and calls for more debate around the administration of capital punishment.

"The more the defendant looks like you the harder it is to kill him — human nature being what it is," said Robert Murrow, one of the county's capital defense attorneys. "It's something we have to be thinking about. It's an issue we never should get too far out of the front of our consciousness.


The role of race in death penalty sentencing became a major issue in the county when the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of Duane Buck, after reviewing the testimony of a psychologist who said during the trial that black people were more likely to commit violence. Buck's appeal of his pending execution was rejected last week. Although the inmate's supporters pleaded with Harris County District Attorney Patricia Lykos, she told The Chronicle she has not yet made a decision.""

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Texas - Justice Department Rejects Voting Maps - NYTimes.com

Texas - Justice Department Rejects Voting Maps - NYTimes.com: "The agency denied that the Congressional and House plans maintained or increased the ability of minority voters to elect their candidate of choice, as required by federal law. The Voting Rights Act requires map drawers to give special protection to districts that contain mostly minorities. Hispanics have accounted for two-thirds of the state’s growth since 2000. Democrats argued that the new maps simply packed Hispanics and blacks into the same districts."

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Justice Department sues on behalf of Muslim teacher, triggering debate - The Washington Post

Justice Department sues on behalf of Muslim teacher, triggering debate - The Washington Post: "Justice Department lawyers examined the same set of facts and reached a different conclusion: that the school district’s decision amounted to outright discrimination against Khan. They filed an unusual lawsuit, accusing the district of violating her civil rights by forcing her to choose between her job and her faith.

As the case moves forward in federal court in Chicago, it has triggered debate over whether the Justice Department was following a purely legal path or whether suing on Khan’s behalf was part of a broader Obama administration campaign to reach out to Muslims."

Video: Jon Meacham, a gun owner, on restoring the assault weapons ban | Need to Know

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Video: Jon Meacham, a gun owner, on restoring the assault weapons ban | Need to Know: "First, some personal history.  I am a southerner who grew up with and around guns.  I own some still. My father gave me a .22 rifle when I was 9 and a single barrel .410 shotgun when I was 10.  I have inherited many of my family’s guns, including a rifle made by my great, great, great grandfather, which I will preserve and give to my son. One of the central memories of my childhood is of hunting — not well; I am a terrible shot — quail and dove and grouse on a farm on the Tennessee River."

Texas Man Exonerated After Three Decades Behind Bars | Criminal Justice | Change.org

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Texas Man Exonerated After Three Decades Behind Bars | Criminal Justice | Change.org: "Cornelius Dupree waited three decades for this day to come.

After serving 30 years in Texas prisons for a carjacking and rape DNA tests prove he didn't commit, Dupree was finally cleared today when a Texas judge declared him innocent. The Innocence Project, where I work when I'm not blogging here, helped Dupree obtain access to the DNA tests that proved his innocence. At left are Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck, Dupree and Innocence Project Senior Staff Attorney Nina Morrison."

Obama: Efforts to strengthen Native American communities progressing

Gale Three Feathers, left, and Mark Bruishead celebrate Congress's passage last month of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act.

 

Leaders of 565 tribes were invited to the conference, the White House said.

Alaska Native tribal leaders are gathering Thursday in Washington for the Tribal Nation’s Conference with President Obama. Each of the country’s 565 federally recognized tribes was invited to send a representative.  This is the second time the Obama White House has hosted such an event – the first was one year ago.  And it’s the first administration to hold them on such a scale. Marvin Kelly, on the Emmonak Tribal Council, says he hopes this year

The president said his administration has tackled some of the largest issues faced by American Indian communities, helping to create infrastructure, eliminate bureaucratic barriers and boost public health on reservations, where tribal members face rates of diseases like tuberculosis at a far higher rate than the rest of the nation.

The Justice Department, he said, is working to reform the criminal justice system on reservations. The Tribal Law and Order Act, signed by the president in July, contains measures to help fight drug and alcohol abuse on reservations, gives authorities better access to databases and improves opportunities for at-risk Native American youth.

American Indians' history has been "too often marred by broken promises and grave injustices against the first Americans," Obama said. While he acknowledged that no words can undo the damage, he said his administration aims for action to match those words.

Obama signs historic Cobell settlement | Indian Country Today | Content

President Barack Obama met with Elouise Cobell Dec. 8.

Obama signs historic Cobell settlement | Indian Country Today | Content: "President Barack Obama signed the $3.4 billion Cobell settlement into law Dec. 8, signaling the end of one approval process necessary to get money into the hands of Indian class members. The ball now goes to the overseeing court, which is charged with ensuring the settlement is fair."