Civil Rights
Missouri agency quietly made it harder to change gender marker on driver’s licenses
It became much harder this month for Missourians to change the gender marker on their driver’s licenses following a quiet move by the state Department of Revenue. The department, which issues state driver’s licenses, switched from requiring the signature of a physician, therapist or social worker to approve a change in gender designation to mandating […]
Former police chief charged with witness interference after raid on Kansas newspaper
TOPEKA, Kan. — A special prosecutor in court documents filed Tuesday says former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody “induced a witness to withhold information” in the days after Cody led a raid on a newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman. Special prosecutor Barry Wilkerson, of Riley County, charged Cody […]
After Kansas newspaper raid, journalists remain defiant in battle for accountability
This story is part of a series by Kansas Reflector and The Handbasket to examine the one-year anniversary of the raid on the Marion County Record. Support independent journalism by subscribing to The Handbasket or donating to Kansas Reflector. MARION, Kan. — Marion County Record editor and publisher Eric Meyer began speaking out about the […]
Judge who authorized Kansas newspaper raid escapes discipline with secret conflicting explanation
TOPEKA, Kan. — The magistrate who authorized last year’s police raid on the Marion County Record escaped discipline from a state panel by making claims that contradict statements in federal lawsuits about how the search warrants arrived in front of her and whether the police chief swore they were true before she signed them. Magistrate […]
Death row exonerees urge Missouri AG to consider Marcellus Williams’ innocence
A group of men exonerated after years on death row gathered at the Missouri Capitol Thursday to call on Attorney General Andrew Bailey to stop blocking efforts to vacate the conviction of Marcellus Williams. Williams was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle during a robbery of her suburban St. […]
Much-attacked final Title IX rule goes into effect while still blocked in 26 states
WASHINGTON — Though the Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX extending federal protections for LGBTQ students went into effect nationwide Thursday, a slew of legal challenges has temporarily blocked over half of all states from enforcing the updated regulations. After the Department of Education released the final rule in April, 26 states — all with GOP attorneys general […]
Missouri court blocks updated Title IX protections for LGBTQ students
A federal judge in St. Louis on Wednesday halted implementation of a Biden administration rule that extends protections for LGBTQ students, adding to the number of U.S. courts that have issued similar orders. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel of the Eastern District of Missouri came in a lawsuit filed on May […]
More states enact salary transparency laws to fight gender, racial pay gaps
To combat gender and racial wage gaps, nearly a dozen states recently have enacted pay transparency laws that require employers to be more open about the wages and benefits they offer. Most of the laws require employers to disclose wages in job postings and some bar them from asking a job candidate about their salary […]
Court sets hearing for Marcellus Williams to present DNA evidence before execution date
A Missouri man scheduled to be executed in September will get a chance to present a court with DNA evidence he believes will exonerate him. Marcellus Williams will get a hearing on Aug. 21, at the request of St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to vacate the conviction […]
SCOTUS rejects Missouri lawsuit alleging feds bullied social media into censoring content
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected arguments by Missouri and Louisiana that the federal government violated the First Amendment in its efforts to combat false, misleading and dangerous information online. In a 6-3 decision written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court held that neither the states nor seven individuals who were co-plaintiffs in […]
Biden to pardon vets discharged for same-sex relationships
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will pardon U.S. military veterans who were discharged or convicted under military law for consensual same-sex relations, the administration announced Wednesday. The White House could not provide an exact number of veterans who will be pardoned, but the administration estimates thousands were convicted over several decades and may be eligible. […]
Anti-abortion groups say Supreme Court’s mifepristone ruling won’t deter them
In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling Thursday to maintain current access to the abortion medication mifepristone, rejecting a challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of the drug, abortion-rights advocates and opponents vowed to continue their respective battles over the drug. Mifepristone is one of two drugs used to treat miscarriages […]