Philly Politician Wants Drone Rules
With the Cabinet nominations of Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense and John Brennan for the CIA director has come a heightened talk of drone warfare and the fear that governments could soon be using the technology here, on us. But state Rep. Angel Cruz (D-Philadelphia) isn’t taking any chances. He’s reintroducing legislation that would put harsh restrictions...
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DAILY GRINDER: Anti-“Sexting” Legislation Passes PA Legislature
Last week, the state House voted 188-3 to approve a bill the Senate had already OK’d that’d ban “sexting” by the young. Which means (pending Gov. Corbett’s signature), if you’re between the ages of 13 and 17 and you send naked pictures of yourself to a friend via text message, you could be “subject to anything from a summary offense, which involves...
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ACLU Going After Pennsylvania Over Misleading Voter ID Ads
As we all know by now—or, at least, should—the Voter ID law is not in effect in Pennsylvania during the 2012 election. Commonwealth Court Judge Robert E. Simpson stayed the law through 2012, and it will be dealt with again in early 2013. Until then, though the Voter ID law still exists, it is irrelevant. But don’t tell the Pennsylvania government that....
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How Much Force Can Philly Police Officers Really Use?
There’s going to be a lot of debate over the next few weeks (or longer) as to whether Philadelphia Police Lt. Jonathan Josey II acted in the correct manner when he was caught on video punching a woman in the face at Sunday’s Puerto Rican and Latino Heritage Day celebrations. Our initial reaction: Um, no. But, some may think otherwise. After all, the woman...
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DAILY GRINDER: Voter ID Continues Today; Rally at Community College of Philadelphia
The Rock the Vote Bus is stopping today at the Community College of Philadelphia, encouraging students to register to vote. The stop will feature performances by Talib Kweli and Dice Raw. They’re going to be there from 12-4 p.m. and the event is open to the public. This is awesome, but I personally miss the “Vote or Die”/cake or death campaign...
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PA Must Prove to Commonwealth Court That It Can Provide IDs by Election Day
There were a myriad of opinions when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court released its ruling on the state’s Voter ID case yesterday. Some claimed the court “blocked” the law (which is not true); others called the court’s decision to send it back to the Commonwealth Court a “punt”; and still others—mostly those against the bill—called this a moderate...
Continue ReadingWill Blocked Texas Voter-ID Law Impact Pennsylvania?
A federal court today blocked Texas’ voter ID law, saying the state failed to prove the law would not negatively impact minorities. The proposed law is similar to that of Pennsylvania’s in that it would have forced all voters to show identification at the polls. Also like the Texas law, the Department of Justice is looking into Pennsylvania’s voter-ID law...
Continue ReadingAs Voter ID Upheld, Groups Offer Criticism, Vow Education and Prepare for Appeal
Things are about to get a bit nuttier in Pennsylvania politics. Because this morning, Republican Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson upheld the Pennsylvania Voter ID law in a 70-page decision. Voter ID, which has been criticized by many as being a voter suppression law, is now slated to remain state law through the election. An appeal is expected to be filed...
Continue ReadingNot Even Corbett Knows the Details of Pennsylvania’s Voter-ID Law
There were two huge revelations in the voter-ID controversy over the past week that should seriously disturb Pennsylvanians. The revelations involve Gov. Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele, and you. Let’s start with you, the average Pennsylvanian. Several days ago, Public Policy Polling released data showing Pennsylvania voters...
Continue ReadingNew Brennan Center Report Shows Worse Voter ID Picture
As much as we and others have been reporting on new Voter ID restrictions in Pennsylvania, turns out it’s looking far worse for people across the country where similar photo ID laws have been laid out for similar stated purposes. The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law’s research has consistently been at the forefront of this...
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