Illinois is one step closer to protecting books from being banned in public libraries. The legislation comes as a countermove to bans on books with topics such as race, gender and sexuality in schools and libraries. State lawmakers, along party lines, passed a bill during the week of April 30 that would take away state…

A manhunt in Texas for the person police say is responsible for shooting and killing five people is now in custody. And a McDonald’s franchise in Kentucky is busted for child labor violations. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Wednesday, May 3, 2023.  Texas shooting suspect captured after manhunt Authorities caught and…

In the latest of several First Amendment cases addressed in 2023, a federal judge ruled that a Pennsylvania school district must allow an after-school satanic group to meet on school premises. The Saucon Valley School District had initially allowed the After School Satan Club to convene, but changed its decision after public outcry. “When confronted…

Two Republican-led state legislatures voted on bills that would restrict abortion access but Nebraska and South Carolina failed to move the legislation forward. Nebraska voted on a bill that would ban abortion around the sixth week of pregnancy but the measure fell one vote short of breaking a filibuster. In South Carolina, senators rejected a…

A Florida state Republican lawmaker filed an amendment to the state’s law that would allow Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to run for president, should he decide to declare his candidacy, without having to resign from his governor position. The proposal has prompted some opponents to urge former President Donald Trump to intervene and stop the…

On April 20, the Texas Senate passed Bill 1515 requiring public school classrooms to prominently display a copy of the Ten Commandments, a move that many legal experts and civil liberties advocates say is an attack on the First Amendment’s ban on governmental religious preference. The bill’s author, Republican State Senator Phil King, said he wanted…

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the Senate is set to vote on the Equal Rights Amendment during the week of April 23. The Equal Rights Amendment is a constitutional amendment that was introduced 100 years ago with the aim to guarantee equal legal rights for all Americans, regardless of sex.  “For women now,…

The Seattle Police Department should “offer a sincere, public apology” for how it treated demonstrators in the city after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, according to a conclusion from a Seattle panel of officers, citizens and accountability experts. The panel completed its final review of how police responded and reacted to months of…

San Francisco State University (SFSU) has found itself in the middle of another free speech controversy after blocking a scheduled event by the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA (TPUSA). The event, titled “How Wokeness is Destroying America,” was to feature TPUSA contributor Jon Root as a speaker. The move by SFSU comes in the wake…

A far-right social media influencer with thousands of followers has been convicted of interfering in the 2016 presidential election. Federal prosecutors said Douglass Mackey, who went by the name of “Ricky Vaughn” online, planned a “coordinated attack” on people’s right to vote by posting images to Twitter that resembled campaign ads for Hillary Clinton. The…