Texas Bill to Require Minor Party Candidates to Pay Filing Fee Dies in Committee
Texas HB 464, which would require candidates nominated by convention to pay filing fees, did not pass committee and it considered dead for this session. …read more
Texas Bill to Remove Judicial Races from Reach of Straight-Ticket Device is Unlikely to Pass
A Texas legislative hearing on HB 25, which would remove partisan judicial races from the reach of the straight-ticket device, got a cool reception on March 24, according to this story. …read more
Detroit Police Sergeant Caught on Video Planting Evidence to Ruin Local Business – Lawsuit
Detroit, Mich. – A family scrap metal shop was illegally targeted according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Monday. The suit is filed against the City of Detroit and the Detroit Police Department, as well as Sgt. Rebecca McKay, Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig.
Dearborn resident Joseph Fawaz, whose family owns Southwest metals, accused a Detroit police sergeant of planting evidence, lying to prosecutors, attempting to bribe witnesses, and arresting employees in a multi-year vendetta.
The suit claims Detroit Copper Theft Task Force member, Sgt. Rebecca McKay, was caught on the scrap metal shop’s surveillance camera planting …read more
Texas Sheriff Gets Shut Down when Trying to Intimidate Man who Flawlessly Flexes his Rights
Houston, Texas – In a video uploaded to Youtube, a man refuses to be intimidated by a Houston County Sheriff’s Deputy.
When you are pulled over by a cop while driving in Texas you do have to provide a drivers license or you will be “lawfully” arrested. However, the driver was simply waiting at a red light to turn left and the officer and him engaged in a consensual conversation.
This was clearly not a traffic stop. However, the officer still demanded his ID without any legal basis to do so.
It’s amazing to see how many cops are plain ignorant when …read more
Kansas and Arizona ask U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Lawsuit on Federal Voter Registration Form
On March 24, the states of Kansas and Arizona asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Kobach v U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 14-1164. This is the dispute over whether those states can require the federal government to alter the postcard voter registration forms in those two states. The form asks applicants to sign over penalty of perjury that they are U.S. citizens. The two states want the forms altered to tell applicants that they must attach proof of citizenship.
The U.S. District Court in Kansas had ruled in favor of the two states, but the Tenth Circuit had …read more
Tentative Minutes of 2015 COFOE Board Meeting Available On-Line
The Coalition for Free & Open Elections (COFOE) is a very loose coalition of most of the nation’s active nationally-organized minor parties, along with other organizations that care about their election law problems. It was founded in 1985 in New York city. The Board meets in person once per year. It met on March 14, 2015, in New York city. Here are the tentative minutes. Thanks to Kevin Murphy, COFOE’s webmaster, for posting them. …read more
Where NSA reform is easy
DownsizeDC.org is part of a wide network demanding we get our freedom back See how were are taking action. …read more
Two Cops Arrested for Beating 3-Month-Old Into Vegetative State; Baby Not Expected to Recover
Charlotte, NC– A bond hearing was held on Wednesday for Robert Jeffrey Taylor Jr., 45, who worked for the York Police Department as a corporal.
Taylor was arrested for abusing his 3-month-old baby so badly that he is not expected to survive.
The infant’s mother, Audrey Schurig, 36, is also a police officer. She was arrested as well and charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person for leaving the baby in his father’s care despite allegedly knowing about the abuse and failing to protect her child.
Jaxon Jennings Taylor, their 3-month-old son, was abused so brutally on February 15, that …read more
Arizona Senate Tentatively Passes Bill to Make Primary Ballot Access More Difficult for Libertarians
On March 24, the Arizona Senate tentatively passed HB 2608, which makes it more difficult for Libertarian candidates to get on the Libertarian Party primary ballot. Current law says a member of a small qualified party that is not a new party needs signatures from one-half of 1% of the party’s members. The bill says a statewide candidate needs the signatures of one-fourth of 1% of all the registered independents in the state, plus the number of members of that party. U.S. House and legislative candidates will need one-half of 1% of that base.
The bill has already …read more
Lawsuit Filed to Overturn Missouri Law that Criminalizes Anonymous Handbills Commenting on Candidates
On March 18, an anonymous individual filed a federal lawsuit against a Missouri law that makes it a crime for anyone to circulate a handbill commenting on a candidate for public office, if the handbill doesn’t identify the person paying for the literature. John Doe v Weedman, w.d., 2:15cv-4054.
The plaintiff wants to circulate literature for the April 7 election for Ferguson city council. He wants to criticize one candidate, and advocate the election of an opposing candidate. “John Doe” wants to criticize a candidate who is currently a prosecutor and a judge, and “John Doe” is afraid …read more