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national stories of interest
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A fired Bristol, Tennessee, police officer’s disciplinary file reveals that city officials were concerned about “political interference and retaliation” by state Sen. Jon Lundberg following a traffic stop late last year. Lundberg, whose daughter’s traffic stop on Nov. 29 by Phil Kiersnowski led to the officer’s firing, denied Friday that he retaliated against the city and said he has no influence over its decisions. The city fired the officer because officials believe the officer attempted to block the recording of the traffic stop and that he attempted to solicit outside influence regarding department policy.
Bristol Herald Courier
A civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security for failing to release information connected to President Donald Trump’s now-disbanded voter fraud commission. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeking emails, calendars and other records of communications between the agencies and members and staff of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
PBS News Hour
Minnesota has a dress code for voting. The idea, the state says, is to create a safe space for democracy. To make sure voters are in a properly contemplative mood at their polling places on Election Day, the state bans T-shirts, hats and buttons that express even general political views, like support for gun rights or labor unions. The goal, state officials have said, is “an orderly and controlled environment without confusion, interference or distraction.” Critics say the law violates the principle at the core of the First Amendment: that the government may not censor speech about politics. They add that voters can be trusted to vote sensibly even after glancing at a political message. “A T-shirt will not destroy democracy,” a group challenging the law told the Supreme Court this month. The court will hear arguments in the case, Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, No. 16-1435, next month. By the time the term ends in June, the justices will decide whether people can be forced to choose between their right to express themselves and their right to vote.
New York Times
A federal judge has rejected a bid by companies connected to President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner to keep secret details in a pending lawsuit claiming that Maryland apartment complexes owned or managed by Kushner's companies collected illegal fees from tenants. Two Kushner-linked firms caught up in the suit wanted to file details on their ownership structure with the court under seal, but in a ruling Friday U.S. District Court Judge James Bredar sided with five news organizations who urged that the businesses be required to provide those details on the public record.
Politico
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