The Board of Education of the City of Chicago has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order blocking the teacher strike by the Chicago Teachers Union. The Board argues that the strike is illegal under the terms of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, and that it creates a public safety hazard by blocking access to meals for children, exposing children to an increased risk of violence, and denying critical special education services.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has brought a civil lawsuit against Attorney General Eric Holder asking the federal district court in Washington D.C. to reject the Attorney General's assertion of executive privilege in refusing to turn over documents related to the so-called "Fast and Furious" gun walking program. The lawsuit requests that the court order the Attorney General to comply with the Committee's subpoena and release the documents immediately.
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit challenging Florida's program to systematically remove names from the list of registered voters that the state believes are ineligible to vote because of lack of citizenship. The DOJ claims that the National Voter Registration Act prohibits Florida's program, or any program like it, within 90 days of an election for a federal office. The next such election in Florida will occur on August 14, 2012.
The FBI has released its dossier on Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple
Inc. who died on October 5, 2011. The dossier includes documents compiled in 1991 as the
federal government considered Jobs for an appointment to the President's
Export Council under George H.W. Bush, as well as documents from a 1985 investigation of a bomb threat against Jobs. The dossier predates Jobs' return to Apple Inc. in 1996. The release comes as the result of a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Justice Department has issued a memorandum that supports President
Obama's recent recess appointments that occurred despite the fact that
the Senate is conducting pro forma sessions continuously through its
scheduled recesses. The memo concludes that the pro forma sessions do
not remove the president's ability to exercise a recess appointment
since no business is conducted during the sessions.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has sued the Virginia Board of Elections and
the Virginia Republican Party over his failure to obtain the 10,000
signatures necessary to have his name included on the presidential
primary ballot. Perry alleges that Virginia election rules violate his
right to freedom of speech and association, and has asked the court to
order his certification as a candidate on the primary
ballot.
An inquiry into the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) by the US
Department of Justice has concluded that the MCSO, headed by outspoken
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional
policing. The report specifically mentions racial profiling, illegal
stops and unlawful retaliation by the department as the basis for its finding.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by ten congressmen
alleging that the United States' participation in the military campaign
in Libya violated the War Powers Clause of the United States
Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. The judge determined that
the congressmen lacked standing to file the lawsuit since they had the
ability to address the situation through legislative channels.
