Civil Rights
What plaintiffs targeting abortion pill want might not even be possible
At the center of the federal anti-abortion lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the abortion drug mifepristone and the regimen that reportedly accounts for the majority of abortions in post-Roe America. That’s why the whole country is bracing itself for a ruling from a notoriously anti-abortion judge in Amarillo, Texas. The attention […]
Michigan GOP Chair Karamo repeatedly defends linking Holocaust to gun reform bills
The Michigan Republican Party garnered widespread condemnation and pushback Wednesday after a social media post explicitly linked the Holocaust to gun reform legislation introduced by legislative Democrats in the wake of the Feb. 13 mass shooting at Michigan State University. The House bills received the backing from a wide variety of individuals and groups, including […]
On this day in 1980: Recording artist, activist Prince performs in Detroit for the first time
On March 23, 1980, the late recording artist Prince performed for the first time in Detroit. The concert stop was during Rick James’ “Fire It Up” tour at Cobo Arena. Janis Hazel, then a Detroit Cass Tech High School student, begged her parents to attend and they reluctantly approved. Prince, to some music critics, was […]
Susan J. Demas: As other states attack LGBTQ+ kids, Michigan emerges as a safe haven
After decades of fighting for basic rights and dignity, LGBTQ+ people last week finally became full and equal citizens in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday signed a landmark bill expanding the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) that bars discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The Lansing ceremony was marked by hugs […]
Judge gives final stamp of approval on $626M settlement for Flint water crisis victims
Nearly a decade after the water crisis began to devastate Flint in 2014, leaving thousands of people to drink lead-contaminated water in the Black-majority city, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday the state’s historic Flint water settlement totaling about $626.25 million has been formally approved. Genesee County Circuit Court Chief Judge David J. Newblatt […]
‘Seismic shift in Michigan politics’ paves way for urban economic development, pols say
For the state lawmakers gathered Monday at Linc Up, a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit focused on racial equity, the push to invest in Michigan’s disenfranchised urban cores is, ultimately, about acknowledging that Black Michiganders and other marginalized residents have long been pushed from their homes in the wake of racist policy and new development — and […]
Ending a pregnancy in 14 states leaves few options. Some are looking to Europe and India for help.
The pills came in a dark salmon-colored envelope sealed with a plastic covering that traveled more than 7,000 miles, over a dozen time zones from Nagpur, India, in almost exactly one week. They were placed partially under the doormat of a home in a state with one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the […]
‘It’s a human rights abuse’: Dems reintroduce legislation to end child marriage in Michigan
Calling it an “archaic practice” and a “human rights abuse,” Democrats in Lansing this week reintroduced legislation to end child marriage in Michigan. State Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) and Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt) on Thursday held a press conference to announce a package of 10 bills that would prohibit any marriage involving a child younger […]
Idaho Legislature’s attorneys file appeal over right to intervene in federal abortion case
Attorneys hired to represent the Idaho Legislature in a federal case over Idaho’s abortion ban have appealed their right to intervene in the case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to records. The lawsuit, filed in August by the U.S. Department of Justice against the state of Idaho, argues the state’s near-total ban […]
Whitmer signs LGBTQ+ non-discrimination bill into law alongside civil rights pioneer Mel Larsen
In a historic and profound moment for LGBTQ+ rights in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday signed legislation to expand a nearly 50-year-old civil rights law to encompass protections for LGBTQ+ Michiganders. Whitmer put her signature to Senate Bill 4 — which expands the 1976 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to protect against discrimination based […]
State, private sector create $10M business loan program for women, people of color
Detroit business owner Joyell Lewis on Thursday applauded the launch of the new $10 million Michigan Economic Opportunity Fund (MEOF), a microbusiness loan program for women and entrepreneurs of color in Michigan, led by Michigan Women Forward (MWF). “I want to congratulate all of the future loan recipients that are starting their journey next,” said […]
Wyoming Legislature passes bills to ban medication abortion and exempt abortion as health care
Wyoming legislators approved two bills related to abortion last week, including a ban on medication abortion and a bill stating abortion is not health care, as a means of skirting the Wyoming Constitution in a court challenge to its abortion ban. Voters in Wyoming approved adding a new section to the state’s constitution in 2012 […]