Rodney Reed was set to die Nov. 20, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted his execution amid advocates and lawmakers saying he was wrongly convicted of rape and murder in 1998. A state parole board voted unanimously Friday to recommend Gov. Greg Abbott delay the execution by 120…
Tag: Republican
Utah Rep. Marsha Judkins Proposes Research into Racial Disparities in State’s Prisons
The racial disparities in Utah prisons have become so prominent that they warrant an examination into implicit bias, according to a proposal from state Rep. Marsha Judkins. The Republican lawmaker told the Standard-Examiner that she is working on a prosecution transparency bill that will collect data on how arrests, chargings,…
Pelosi Trends on Twitter After Trump’s ‘Unhinged Meltdown’ Tweet Backfires
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s response to President Donald Trump calling her “unhinged” in a tweet had her trending on Twitter on Thursday. Trump shared a photo of Pelosi standing up, sternly pointing at and speaking to him in the Cabinet Room, where she was surrounded by men. Trump…
Mark Zuckerberg Having Private Meetings With Conservatives About ‘Free Expression’ and ‘Unfair Treatment of Conservatives’ on Facebook
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been hosting informal conversations and off-the-record dinners with conservative journalists, commentators and at least one Republican lawmaker to discuss free speech and possible partnerships, Politico found. With the right criticizing Facebook for having “bias” against conservative news outlets, Zuckerberg allegedly held these talks to bridge…
Study Finds Republican-Appointed Judges More Likely to Give Black Defendants Longer Sentences Than Democrat-Appointed Judges
A 2018 study by the American Economic Journal discovered Republican-appointed judges impose longer sentences on Black defendants than their Democrat-appointed counterparts. The paper, “Judicial Politics and Sentencing Decisions” by Alma Cohen and Crystal S. Yang compiled data on over 500,000 federal defendants linked to a sentencing judge. The study is…
Steve King Questions Whether There’d Be “Any Population Left in the World” if Not for Rape and Incest
This week, Iowa Republican Representative Steve King questioned if there would be any population on Earth if not for rape and incest. He came under fire, so much so that politicians from both sides of the aisle are condemning him, urging him to step down. The comment came as King…
Opinion: Equinox, SoulCycle Billionaire Stephen Ross Remains Unapologetic Amid Boycotts Over Trump Fundraiser
Self-made billionaire mogul Stephen Ross is unapologetic about his political and financial support of President Donald Trump. He has always donated generously to Republican candidates and committees. Ross is having an upcoming fundraiser this Friday at his posh home in the Hamptons to subsidize Trump’s reelection efforts. Ticket costs for…
Republican Rep. Werner Horn Defends Comments That Slavery Was Purely an Economic Decision
Republican New Hampshire state Rep. Werner Horn wrote in a now-deleted Facebook exchange with a former lawmaker that owning slaves didn’t necessarily make someone a racist, according to the Associated Press. Horn’s comment was in response to the other lawmaker trying to explain that President Donald Trump could not be…
North Carolina Republicans Can’t Seem to Stop Rigging Elections
Common Cause, a voting rights group, sued North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers for creating gerrymandered legislative maps in 2011. The GOP had contorted district lines to favor their party. Common Cause won in 2011. Now, Common Cause is suing North Carolina’s GOP party again for gerrymandering the new maps. The case is…
Census Citizenship Question Creates Advantage for ‘Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites’: Report
Prominent Republican redistricting strategist Thomas Hofeller died in August without much fanfare – until his estranged daughter found hard drives belonging to him and then shared them with the organization Common Cause, according to the Washington Post. The files show what many have long guessed — a 2015 study concluded…