Jake Scully, a lifelong Democrat until this summer, says the only way to get around the fraud of two-write-in candidates closing two County Commission races to almost 50,000 voters is to switch to Republican before the July 22 deadline.
Rights & Liberties
Escambia School Board Wants 7 Year Old Deposed in Book Fight
As it tries to fend off a constitutional challenge to removing and restricting school library books, the Escambia County School Board on Tuesday argued that it should be able to take a deposition of a 7-year-old student who is part of the lawsuit. Attorneys for the board, in a 20-page court document, urged U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell to reject a request for a protective order that would shield the child, identified by the initials J.N., from having to testify in a deposition.
Assassination Merch
Medieval pilgrims traded gold for relics such as the alleged thumb of John the Baptist or vials of the alleged blood of Christ from his crucifixion. This will be the first presidential race in history when blood will feature front and center in the Trump campaign’s most iconic image, the candidate bloodied but fist-pumping as an Iwo Jima-flag-like clutch of brawn props him up. Trump is the flag. Trump is America. Welcome to assassination merch.
Libraries Are Cornerstones of Our Communities. They Need Our Help.
In the ongoing culture war, conservative politicians have been taking drastic measures to stop the distribution of “age-inappropriate books,” which primarily target children’s books by and about LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color. These measures ignore the crucial role that libraries serve in their communities in combating the effects of economic inequality by providing essential resources to those in need.
Lt. Gov. Nunez Links Anti-Abortion Message to ‘Free Florida’ Signs
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said the state’s new “Free Florida” welcome signs reflect “freedom to right to life, of course for those babies.” The Florida Department of Transportation has not yet reported how much the signs have cost taxpayers.
2 Parents Suing Over Book Bans in St. Johns Schools Tell Flagler Freedom to Read Activists: ‘Be Loud and Proud’
Nancy Tray and Anne Watts, parents suing in federal court over book bans in St. Johns County, were guests today of the weekly meeting in Palm Coast of the Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a non-profit Chaired by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro. The group took stock of the state of book bans in the two counties and the state, how to counter them, and what to expect next.
Plaintiffs Ask Judge to Order Return of Banned Books to School Library Shelves as Lawsuit Continues
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said Escambia officials had restricted 1,031 books under the county’s review process. As of June 27, “some 178 challenged books remain restricted, although no decision has been made about the validity of the challenge,” according to the motion. The motion said that, while restrictions should be lifted on all books, the request for an injunction was limited to seven books.
Judge Blocks Biden Rule Preventing Gender-Identity Discrimination in Florida
The rule, which was scheduled to take effect Friday, is designed to help carry out a federal law that prevents discrimination in health-care programs that receive federal money. The law prevents discrimination based on “sex,” and the rule would apply that to include discrimination based on gender identity.
Appeals Court Denies Life Insurance Claim After Florida Climber Died on a Mountain in Pakistan
A federal appeals court Tuesday rejected a ruling in a South Florida case that would have led to sons of a man who died while mountain climbing in a remote area of Pakistan receiving a $500,000 life-insurance payment.
For the Homeless, ‘Stay Awake or Be Arrested’
In a 6-3 decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court rejected the claim that criminalizing sleeping in public by those with nowhere to go violates the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The decision, disappointing but not surprising, will not lead to any reduction in homelessness, and will certainly result in more litigation.