{"id":12899,"date":"2022-01-24T06:30:08","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T11:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/crcl\/?p=12899"},"modified":"2022-01-23T21:51:19","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T02:51:19","slug":"this-week-in-civil-rights-and-civil-liberties-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.law.harvard.edu\/crcl\/this-week-in-civil-rights-and-civil-liberties-27\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Blockbuster cases came to the Supreme Court this week involving campaign finance laws, the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, sentencing reductions, and more. Major news about potential criminal charges for election interference also broke.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court allowed Texas\u2019 6-week abortion law to stand in the latest effort to block it<\/strong>. The Court rejected<\/a> abortion providers\u2019 request last Thursday to enjoin the law on procedural grounds and return the case to the district court. It did so in an unsigned order. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent.<\/p>\n

The justices considered how much discretion lower courts have in sentencing reductions under the First Step Act. <\/strong>The Court heard Concepcion v. United States<\/em> last Wednesday, which weighs<\/a> whether district courts can or must consider intervening factual and legal developments when deciding whether to reduce sentences for pre-2010 drug crimes.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court heard a challenge to campaign finance restrictions. <\/strong>At issue<\/a> is whether the provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that limits how much candidates can raise post-election to recover loans made to their own campaigns is constitutional. Senator Ted Cruz and his political campaign committee challenged the BCRA\u2019s $250,000 cap on First Amendment grounds. Supporters of the provision defended<\/a> the provision\u2019s constitutionality and argued<\/a> the cap is needed to prevent bribery.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court declined former President Donald Trump\u2019s request to block records from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. <\/strong>Trump\u2019s claims that executive privilege shields the documents will continue to be reviewed by courts, but the Court denied<\/a> an injunction as they are heard.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Atlanta district attorney requested a special grand jury in a criminal probe against former President Donald Trump, who sought to overturn Georgia\u2019s 2020 election results. <\/strong>The defeated president pressured Georgia\u2019s secretary of state to \u201cfind 11,780 votes\u201d and declare him the victor in the state that President Joe Biden won. Legal experts say Trump\u2019s actions could prompt charges<\/a> for racketeering and conspiracy to commit election fraud.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court will consider whether Oklahoma can prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against tribe members in \u201cIndian Country.\u201d <\/strong>The Court declined to overrule McGirt v. Oklahoma<\/em>, which held that a state cannot prosecute an enrolled member of a tribe for crimes committed within tribal boundaries under the Major Crimes Act. The holding that the federal law gives only the federal government power to try certain crimes by \u201cany Indian\u201d within \u201cIndian country\u201d will stand, but the Court will decide<\/a> whether non-tribe members are subject to a state\u2019s criminal jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

The New York State Bar Association is moving to end its requirement that law school graduates disclose juvenile arrests and police interactions short of convictions on their bar applications. <\/strong>A NYSBA report<\/a> found that \u201cno reliable evidence that criminal record screening has benefits for the public or the legal profession\u201d and that racial disparities in the criminal justice system could consequently discourage affected people of color from the legal profession. The move follows the NYBA\u2019s recent vote to remove questions about mental health history from its bar application, which the association found to be intrusive and could discourage would-be attorneys from seeking treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Blockbuster cases came to the Supreme Court this week involving 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