The US House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to remove from the US Capitol building offensive statues of individuals who served the Confederacy, supported slavery and who otherwise defended and promoted white supremacy. The legislation was introduced in response to ongoing nationwide protests against the killing of George Floyd, police brutality and systemic racism in [...]

US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Tuesday that prevents undocumented immigrants from being counted in the redrawing of congressional voting districts following the 2020 census. He provided three core reasons for issuing this order: protecting American democracy, upholding constitutional principles and prioritizing Americans. In his memorandum, Trump stated that he had the authority [...]

The Supreme Court has declined to block a Florida law that prevents convicted felons from voting. Justices Sotomayor, Ginsburg and Kagan all dissented from the majority’s denial of application to vacate stay. The dissent explained: This Court’s order prevents thousands of otherwise eligible voters from participating in Florida’s primary election simply because they are poor. [...]

New Hampshire governor, Chris Sununu, has signed a criminal justice reform bill. This bill comes in response to the George Floyd killing, which sparked nationwide protests. House Bill 1645 will effectively prohibit the use of chokeholds, ban private prisons throughout the state, requires mandatory reporting of police misconduct, and provides the police department with the [...]

The family of George Floyd has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the family of George Floyd against the city of Minneapolis and the officers involved with his death. The lawsuit was filed Monday and argues that the prone restraint techniques used by the Minneapolis Police Department, the “warrior style” training each officer [...]

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has signed two police reform bills into law calling for police reform and an end to systemic racism in law enforcement. The measures were framed in response to national outcry in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police. House Bill 1841, [...]

The Kentucky Supreme Court has ordered the cancellation of the state’s in-person bar exam, citing growing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The upcoming exam was set to take place on July 28-29. The cancellation, announced Thursday, also applies to the State’s September bar. All applicants will automatically be registered for the online bar exam.  This [...]

The Movement for Black Lives coalition unveiled proposed federal legislation Tuesday seeking to radically transform the US criminal justice system. The proposals, collectively referred to as the BREATHE Act, follow protests against the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and Elijah McClain, as well as countless other individuals who perished at the [...]

Applicants to the Illinois Bar filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Illinois on Monday seeking admission by diploma privilege instead of taking a bar exam. The state of Illinois has put forth several measures to mitigate the harmful effects of COVID-19. In addition, the Illinois State Bar association has begun administering continuing legal [...]

Recent law school graduates of Tennessee law schools filed an emergency rule waiver with the Supreme Court of Tennessee on Tuesday seeking diploma privilege for eligible applicants currently registered to sit for the Tennessee Bar in July 2020, September 2020 and February 2021. This waiver comes as many state bar associations have adapted how the [...]