ACRU Staff, Author at American Constitutional Rights Union

Supreme Court's School Segregation Decision

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:38:58-04:00June 29th, 2007|

Executive Summary

The Seattle District case, decided 28 June by the Supreme Court, is unique in the way that the 5 Justice majority and the 4 Justice dissent attack each other for abusing the Court’s prior cases, essentially of intellectual dishonesty. The majority holds that assigning children to a school solely on the basis of their race, offends the Constitution. The minority would hold that school administrations have the right to do that, in the interests of “diversity.”

Both sides claim to be in the tradition of the classic decision, Brown v. Board of Education, and accuses the other side of betraying that decision.

In my judgment as […]

BREAKING NEWS: Court limits use of race in school admissions

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:38:58-04:00June 28th, 2007|

From AP/MSNBC:

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected school diversity plans that take account of students’ race in two major public school districts.

The decision in cases affecting schools in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle could imperil similar plans in hundreds of districts nationwide, and it leaves public school systems with a limited arsenal to maintain racial diversity.

The court split, 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts announcing the court’s judgment. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a dissent that was joined by the court’s other three liberals.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a concurring opinion in which he said race may be a […]

OneNewsNow.com: "Suggested limits on conservative talk radio labeled 'totalitarian'"

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:38:58-04:00June 28th, 2007|

OneNewsNow.com features an article on the ACRU’s opposition to the so-called Fairness Doctrine, being advanced by a liberal think tanks and in Congress by Democrats. The article – “Suggested limits on conservative talk radio labeled ‘totalitarian'” – comes out of their recent radio interview with Horace Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Civil Rights Union.

As Cooper is quoted as saying:

“They’re actually proposing that we take the ownership rights of the radio stations from the pre-existing owners and re-allocate them to other people who have approved political views. This is a lot like what is going on in Venezuela today. This looks a […]

Will the Court Finally End Race Preferences in Education?

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:38:58-04:00June 28th, 2007|

More than 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education was decided by the Supreme Court, school districts are still struggling with whether or not race or skin color should influence the decision of where children attend school. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on an affirmative action case involving a Seattle school district (Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1). Once and for all the Court should come down squarely in the camp that believes that there is no legal basis for using race to determine whether a child can or cannot attend a given school. […]

The 'Study' on Conservative Talk Radio

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:38:59-04:00June 24th, 2007|

The Center for American Progress is a liberal organization in its pedigree and staff. It has now released a “study” on the imbalance between conservative and “progressive” content on talk radio. It wants the government to compel a “balance” between these two.

Even assuming that the study rests on a legitimate definition of what is conservative or “progressive” (which means liberal all the way to socialist), the study is still a foolish enterprise. Thomas Jefferson long ago referred to “the free market of ideas.” Modern talk radio is where free speech and free markets meet. Only those shows which attract listeners […]

John Armor: Georgia Supreme Court Throws Out Challenge to Voter ID Law

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:38:59-04:00June 20th, 2007|

On Monday, June 11th, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed a trial court decision that a Georgia law requiring photo ID for all voters, was unconstitutional. The court’s decision was unanimous, but not substantive. It was that the Plaintiff lacked standing to object to the law, and therefore the case was dismissed.

The subject of the constitutionality of the Georgia law remains open, however, because a preliminary injunction against the law has been granted in a separate, federal challenge to the law, which is still pending.

Opponents to voter ID laws, which in many cases include the ACLU, argue that requiring photo IDs will […]

Are Michigan Muslims Cheap, and Biased?

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:39:00-04:00June 19th, 2007|

The facts for this blog, but not the conclusions, come from an article in the Detroit News on 18 June. The University of Michigan at Dearborn proposed to spend $25,000 on footbaths at the local campus, for Muslim students to use before their five-times-daily prayers. The reason for that was that “students might injure themselves, washing their feet in bathroom sinks.”

There was significant local opposition to this proposal, on the grounds that a public university shouldn’t be spending money for the benefit of one religion only. The Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that the money for this would have to […]

John Armor: House and Senate Act Oppositely on 'Sanctuary Cities'

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:39:00-04:00June 19th, 2007|

In the last week (as of 18 June), the US Senate and House have acted in opposite directions on the subject of “Sanctuary Cities.” These are cities which take deliberate steps to protect illegal immigrants within their boundaries, who can and should be deported, and in some cases already have been deported at least once.

In the Senate, Senator Coleman proposed amendment #1158. This would have amended the “comprehensive” illegal immigration bill before the Senate last week, and rising from the dead to be before the Senate again this week. Coleman’s proposal would have required that local law enforcement is not prohibited (in “sanctuary cities”) from […]

John Armor: City of Mamaroneck Succumbs to Pressure from ACLU to Give Special Benefits to Illegal Immigrants

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:39:00-04:00June 14th, 2007|

Under pressure from a federal law suit of the type that has been filed by the ACLU against many small communities across the country, the City of Mamaroneck, NY, agreed that it will not enforce federal laws concerning citizens of Mexico and other nations who are in the town illegally. Instead, it has agreed to provide special benefits to these citizens of other nations beyond those available to mere citizens of Mamaroneck. (See “Day-laborer hiring site greeted by cheers, jeers in Mamaroneck”)

A federal judge is expected to approve this settlement. It will probably remain in place until a number of citizens of Mamaroneck […]

Monday's Pro-Al-Qaida Decision by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals

By ACRU Staff|2023-05-20T09:39:01-04:00June 12th, 2007|

Monday’s divided (2-1) decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is wrong in a number of serious ways (see “Federal appeals court rules against enemy combatant policy”). It refers to “enemy combatants” without knowing what that phrase means. It ignores a 1942 unanimous decision of the US Supreme Court which decided a similar case the way the dissenting judge would have decided this one.

“Enemy combatants” simply means enemy soldiers. When captured, enemy soldiers can be held for the duration of the war, without any charges, trials or access to lawyers. So say the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Convention before them, and the Law […]

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