Welcome back from Break! While we were away from classes, civil rights legal news still plugged on:
Same-Sex Marriage in Michigan – SCOTUSBlog
Last week, Senior Judge Friedman invalidated Michigan’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriages and entered a permanent injunction against its enforcement. After a full trial, he issued a 31-page opinion relying on U.S v. Windsor to find that there was no rational basis for the distinction under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The state immediately appealed to the Sixth Circuit, which stayed the ruling. Before the Sixth Circuit blocked the ruling, more than 300 marriage licenses were issued.
US Office of Civil Rights reports on inequities in School – The News and Record
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released a report indicating a series of racial inequities in the US education system. It found that students of color are more likely to have inexperienced teachers, less access to preschool, less access to college counselors, less access to advanced courses, and disproportionate rates of suspension or discipline that removes them from the classroom.
Civil Rights Groups Appeal Ruling Allowing NYPD to Spy on Muslims – Religion News Services
Last week, plaintiffs appealed District Judge William Martini’s ruling that rejected allegations that the NYPD was illegally spying on Muslims based on their faith and ethnicity where he stated that any harm suffered by the plaintiffs was not due to police action, but rather the news reports revealing the secret program. Plaintiffs claim internal NYPD documents include a list of 28 “ancestries of interest” and other policies targeting individuals of certain ethnic and religious backgrounds, spying on at least 20 mosques, 14 restaurants, 11 retail stores, two Muslim elementary schools, and two Muslim Student Associations on college campuses in New Jersey. The appeal was filed in the Third Circuit.