Free Republic

The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a Tennessee law that protects children from viewing sexually explicit performances. The court on Monday denied a petition from Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based theater group, that claimed a law banning sexually explicit performances in front of children violated the First Amendment. In July, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the law could take effect, overturning a federal judge’s decision to block the law. “Another big win for Tennessee! Today, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Friends of George’s v. Mulroy,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said....

Three and a half years after the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prohibited a public university from retaliating against a professor for refusing to use a student's preferred pronouns, the Cincinnati-based court went even further by stripping qualified immunity in a similar case.University of Louisville officials can be held personally liable for allegedly retaliating against a psychiatry professor through a "hostile, humiliating work environment" designed to chill his speech and not renewing his contract after he questioned so-called gender-affirming care at a Heritage Foundation event in 2017, a three-judge panel unanimously ruled.President Biden nominee Judge Andre Mathis, who dissented...

The leader of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, Kristen Clarke, said in an extraordinary personal statement shared with CNN that she was a victim of years-long domestic abuse and chose not to disclose an expunged arrest record from that period during the Senate confirmation process. Clarke’s now-expunged arrest, which reportedly occurred during a domestic dispute, quickly became a cause célèbre among right-wing media and lawmakers who claim she lied during her 2021 Senate confirmation hearing, with some calling for her resignation. “Nearly 2 decades ago, I was subjected to years-long abuse and domestic violence at the hands of my...

Before becoming one of the Justice Department’s top leaders, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke was allegedly involved in a violent domestic dispute, according to court documents, records, and text messages—an incident that ended in her arrest and was ultimately expunged. During her Senate confirmation, Clarke specifically denied ever having been arrested for or accused of committing a violent crime. Clarke was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 7, 2021, and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 25, 2021, to lead the DOJ’s “crown jewel,” as former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. described the Civil Rights Division....

Andre Mathis, President Biden’s nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, has had his driver’s license suspended on three separate occasions. Mathis has a history of habitual speeding, and his driver’s license was suspended on three separate occasions, according to state records. Mathis drove on a suspended license during all three periods. Driving on a suspended license is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and/or a $500 fine. Mathis explained his three license suspensions in a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I want to assure the Committee that I am a...

At today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) questioned Andre B. Mathis, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. [6 min Video]