Free Republic

The Fourteenth Amendment protects the rights of “any person” to due process when a state deprives him or her of life, liberty, or property, and to the “equal protection of the laws.” By overruling Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court eliminated Roe’s deeply flawed holding that “the word ‘person,’ as used in the Fourteenth Amendment, does not include the unborn.” Since a sound case can be made that interpreting “person” to include all human beings is consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment’s original public meaning, Congress should do so for purposes of its power to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment. KEY TAKEAWAYS...

State legislatures are often overlooked in the heat of campaign season, yet the laws crafted there have as much impact, if not more, on the average person’s everyday life as the ones passed by Congress. But for many Americans, ignoring elections for state legislatures is no longer an option. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer has them focused on state capitols, where abortion laws are now being decided. State legislatures also have a significant role in certifying the results of an election in most states. Certifying election results has been largely devoid of drama in...

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he does not support Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) proposal for a 15-week federal abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Anchor Jake Tapper asked, “Your Republican colleague Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks. Do you support the bill?”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday expressed confidence that the public would support his 15-week federal abortion ban proposal but acknowledged it does not have the votes to pass the Senate. “I’m pro-life, even in an election year,” Graham told “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream. “I am confident the American people would accept a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks,” Graham said. “And to those who suggest that being pro-life is losing politics, I reject that.” The South Carolina Republican on Tuesday introduced a bill that would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, carving out exceptions...

The Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit that challenges Idaho’s restrictive abortion law, arguing that it conflicts with a federal law requiring doctors to provide pregnant women medically necessary treatment that could include abortion. The announcement is the first major action by the Justice Department challenging a state trigger law since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The court’s decision has led some states to enact restrictive abortion laws and is likely to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states in the U.S. The Justice Department brought the suit because federal prosecutors believe Idaho’s...

The pro-life movement suffered a defeat in Kansas on Tuesday when the state overwhelmingly voted to uphold abortion “rights.” The vote in Kansas on Tuesday centered on whether or not the state would remove abortion rights protections in the State Constitution, potentially paving the way for “state lawmakers to pass far-reaching abortion restrictions, or even to pursue a ban,” according to the New York Times. With 76 percent reporting, the “No” votes to keep abortion rights in place beat the “Yes” votes by double digits – 62.2 percent versus 37.7 percent as of this writing. Both NBC News and the...

Biden attacked 'ultra MAGA laws' on Wednesday afternoon before signing an executive order designed to roll back a wave of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation 'We're in a battle for the very soul of this nation,' he said at the White House Supporters crowded into the East Room for an event marking Pride Month The EO will seek to help transgender kids access healthcare and school support It also seeks an end to conversion therapy, calling on the Federal Trade Commission to consider issuing consumer warnings against the practise The administration says more than 300 anti-LGBTQI+ laws have been introduced The order will...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Sunday said a national abortion ban floated by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is “inconsistent with what we’ve been fighting for.” McConnell told USA Today in an interview published on Saturday that a national ban on abortions is “possible,” as the country reacts to a drafted majority opinion from the Supreme Court that shows the bench poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Asked by anchor Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” if he would oppose a national ban on the medical procedure, Hutchinson said such a move may have “some constitutional issues.” “I...

JUST IN - U.S. Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe vs. Wade, an initial draft majority opinion by Justice Alito shows.

State senators unveiled a suite of concrete climate change regulations tallying more than $250 million Thursday that they consider vital for ensuring Massachusetts achieves net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, including incentives to bolster the transition to electric vehicles and all-electric building construction. The bill calls for the creation of a $100 million Clean Energy Investment Fund to spur infrastructure developments. There’s also a proposed $100 million Electric Vehicle Adoption Incentive Trust Fund in the bill, plus $3,500 rebates — an increase of $1,000 from the current provision — for zero-emission cars and light-duty trucks. Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft...

The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously rejected Mississippi’s claim against Tennessee for using too much of its groundwater. In this case, Mississippi claimed Tennessee should have prevented Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division from pumping groundwater from the Memphis Sand Aquifer over the state line. It argued that Tennessee’s “knowing, intentional, and forcible pumping of groundwater” violated Mississippi’s sovereignty and constitutes a wrongful taking of the state’s “most valuable natural resource.” All nine justices, however, disagreed.... ...Roberts seemed particularly annoyed by Mississippi’s argument, pointing out that, “Mississippi claims an absolute ‘ownership’ right to all groundwater beneath its surface—even...

<p>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Private businesses in Florida will be forced to let workers opt out of coronavirus vaccine mandates after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping legislative package Thursday to combat White House virus rules.</p><p>DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bills into law at a ceremony alongside leaders of the GOP-controlled statehouse and other state officials who said they were protecting people from burdensome federal vaccination requirements.</p>

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Treasury from enforcing a provision of the American Rescue Plan Act that prohibited states from using the pandemic relief funds to offset new tax cuts. U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler ruled Monday in Alabama that Congress exceeded its power in putting the so-called tax mandate on states. He entered a final judgement in favor of 13 states that had filed a lawsuit and instructed the Treasury Department not to enforce the provision. The judge left the rest of the law in place. The American Rescue Plan steered $195...

The proposals, according to summaries issued by the House and Senate, include ensuring workers can receive exemptions from employer-required vaccinations; preventing government employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19; reinforcing the state’s so-called “Parents Bill of Rights” law to shield schoolchildren from mask and vaccination mandates; moving toward withdrawing from federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration oversight; and prohibiting the state surgeon general from forcing people to be vaccinated.

Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) says he's issuing an executive order barring Cabinet agencies from issuing or enforcing vaccine mandates ...

... He held another news conference to say more than 1,000 deputies would leave or go into early retirement over the policy.

As Democrats consider legislation to respond to a new Texas state ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, they have lost the support of one of the few remaining Republicans who support abortion rights. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday she opposes the Democrats’ bill, which would prohibit states from enacting restrictions on abortion through fetal viability. The House is expected to approve the bill Friday. In the Senate, Democratic leaders are considering whether to bring it to a vote. Democrats, led by bill author Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, say their legislation would “codify” the Supreme Court’s...

Senate Democrats are preparing to force a vote on a bill to override new elections laws in Republican-led states that they say discriminate against minorities, an effort that faces likely defeat. But the move provides Democrats with another chance to attack Republicans as racist. Democratic senators were reportedly closing in Monday on a compromise with holdout Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia on a bill similar to one passed by the House in March. The deal would have the federal government set national elections rules, including loosening states’ requirements that voters show ID.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9975589/Republicans-rip-Bidens-American-order-forcing-companies-100-workers-mandate-vaccines.html

In a win for the Biden administration, a federal judge blocked an executive order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) that would have banned the U.S. government from transporting migrants in the Lone Star State. Abbott issued the order under the banner of fighting the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone, a George W. Bush appointee, determined that the governor’s order violated the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and said Abbott’s rationale did not withstand basic scrutiny. “Indeed, recent data shows that ‘migrants generally test positive at similar or lower rates than Americans living in the counties where they...