The Supreme Court announced today that it granted the petition for certiorari filed by the plantiffs in Fisher v. University of Texas, a case which challenges the use of racial preferences in UT’s undergraduate college. The case is an opportunity for the Court to revisit its 2003 ruling in CIR’s case, Grutter v. Bollinger.
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case UpdatesTogether with lead counsel Michael Carvin, CIR today filed a brief challenging a last ditch effort by the Department of Justice to prevent the Court of Appeals from ruling on the merits of CIR’s facial challenge to the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Earlier this month, the
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case UpdatesTogether with former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, CIR filed an amicus brief in Florida v. HHS, now pending before the Supreme Court. Today’s brief was filed on behalf of a group of former Attorneys General and officials of the Justice Department, including Attorney General John Ashcroft, Attorney General William P. Barr, Assistant Attorney General Timothy
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case Updates, NewsToday the Michigan Supreme Court, in the case In re Mays, agreed with CIR and reversed the termination of a Michigan father’s parental rights. In the trial court that heard the case initially, the termination of the father’s rights had stemmed from the neglectful conduct of the children’s mother; she had left the children home unattended. At the
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case UpdatesU.S. Federal District Court Judge John Bates issued a ninety-six page opinion today in LaRoque v. Holder, CIR’s challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The court upheld Section 5 against CIR’s challenge following the reasoning in another recent case, Shelby County v. Holder. In addition to claims raised in Shelby
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November 21, 2011
The Center for Individual Rights filed suit today against Guam, the Guam Election Commission and seven named Guam officials for discrimination on the basis of race and ethnic heritage under Guamanian laws that prohibit individuals who are not “native inhabitants of Guam” from voting on a plebiscite concerning Guam’s future
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case UpdatesToday the U.S. Supreme Court granted numerous petitions for review of various appellate-court rulings in cases challenging the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” Among the petitions granted were those of both the government and the private plaintiffs (represented by former CIR board member Michael Carvin) in Florida v. HHS. In that case,
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case UpdatesToday a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia heard oral argument in CIR’s historic challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. CIR claims that Section 5, which requires many Southern and other jurisdictions to maximize the voting strength of minorities, is an unconstitutional federally-mandated racial
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case UpdatesToday the Obama administration filed a petition for Supreme Court review of this summer’s decision by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Florida v. HHS, one of the major challenges to the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” Relying heavily on CIR’s 2000 Commerce Clause victory U.S. v. Morrison, the Eleventh Circuit had ruled that the act’s requirement
Read More → Posted in Blog, Case Updates, NewsThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit today struck down the “individual mandate” portion of Obamacare, ruling that Congress may not require individuals to purchase health insurance pursuant to its power under the Commerce Clause. The court relied on CIR’s 2000 victory in U.S. v. Morrison, one of the leading
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