RALEIGH, N.C. — Hundreds of people are expected to fill the galleries in both houses of the state Legislature for the opening of the lame duck session today - part of a rally called the Moral Day of Action in Raleigh.
The groups are protesting the implementation of two constitutional amendments passed by voters in November on voter ID requirements and a cap on taxes. Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, head of the North Carolina NAACP, argues lawmakers did not have the constitutional authority to put the measures on the ballot, because the Legislature was formed under gerrymandered districts that were declared unconstitutional and are only in place until new district maps can be drawn.
"This usurper government should not have been making these laws and putting these amendments on the ballot,” Spearman said. “They should not have been able to do it in the first place, and we're hoping to be able to get those rendered null and void."
The North Carolina NAACP has filed for a summary judgment in Superior Court to rescind the amendments, but the ruling has not yet come down. Conservatives defend the amendments, saying they're necessary to keep taxes low and prevent fraudulent voting.
Tuesday’s event will begin at 10 a.m. on the Bicentennial Mall, and will be headlined by Spearman and Rev. William Barber.
Joyce Hobson Johnson, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, said the Voter ID law is designed to deter low-income voters, and will enshrine discrimination into the constitution.
"Some people just do not have a driver's license. They may be disabled and unable to drive. They may choose not to drive or they may not be able to drive because of financial circumstances that they are burdened with,” Hobson Johnson said. “It's another effort to minimize the desire to vote on decisions in this state."
She said if the amendments are allowed to stand, the Legislature should allow alternative forms of identification such as a student ID or a water bill.
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New Mexico demonstrators will join nationwide protests today to oppose policies of the Trump administration.
The "Good Trouble Lives On" nonviolent day of action continues a series of demonstrations across the country. Marches and candlelight vigils will honor Democratic Congressman John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of the civil rights icon's death. Lewis often advocated for getting into "good trouble" to oppose injustice.
Caroline Yezer, organizer for the activist group Indivisible Taos, one of the groups marching Thursday, said the protests will draw attention to President Donald Trump's reshaping of the federal government.
"If we can make it more visible how many people are outraged by the current policies of the Trump administration, the more chance we have of emboldening judges and politicians and others to take legal action," Yezer contended.
Yezer noted Taos demonstrators will line the streets at the corner of Civic Plaza Drive and Paseo Del Pueblo Norte starting at noon. Similar events are scheduled in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces and other New Mexico cities.
Since taking office, Trump has floated the idea of a federal crackdown on U.S. protesters. Last month, he deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles during protests over the mass arrest of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Yezer cautioned the federal response should encourage people to be careful when demonstrating but she admires those in Taos who protest every day.
"I think that nothing worth fighting for is easy and I think we all know that this is a long fight," Yezer asserted. "Even though we're pacing ourselves, I have to say I'm really blown away by the people who are showing up with a sign every day."
Lewis, who died in 2020, was severely beaten by Alabama state troopers in 1963 when he led a group of voting rights protesters across a bridge in Selma, Alabama. The incident increased pressure on Congress to pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
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A case with national implications on the power of the U.S. president to use state National Guard troops to quell protests now rests with a panel of three district court judges after a hearing on Tuesday ended without a decision.
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the court to force President Donald Trump to relinquish control of the California National Guard, which was deployed over Newsom's objections to Los Angeles following unrest over immigration raids.
Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general for the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, said the court has no power to review the President's decision.
"The President has the discretion to decide what level of forces are necessary to counter the threat, necessary to repel the invasion, suppress the rebellion or execute those laws," Shumate argued. "In the President's judgment, 2,000 National Guard are necessary to execute the laws in California and the record bears that out."
The governor and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have countered local law enforcement had the situation under control. They contend the Guard's presence only inflamed tensions and raised the risk of violence. Schumate asserted the troops are essential to enforce immigration laws.
Samuel Harbourt, the attorney representing Gov. Newsom and the State of California, told the court the law requires the president to go through the governor, and denied the protests constituted an "invasion" or "rebellion."
"It would defy our constitutional traditions of preserving state sovereignty, of providing judicial review for the legality of executive action, of safeguarding our cherished rights to political protest," Harbourt outlined.
Harbourt noted the deployment in Los Angeles draws the California National Guard away from critical work at the state level, including wildfire prevention and drug interdiction.
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UPDATE: A statement about the arrest from the University of Cincinnati has been added. (8:10 a.m. MDT, Apr. 3, 2025)
A recent arrest on the University of Cincinnati campus is sparking outrage among civil rights advocates, raising new concerns about student speech, academic freedom and the treatment of Muslim and pro-Palestinian voices across the country.
A University of Cincinnati student was arrested this week - allegedly for waving a Palestinian flag. Videos posted online show five police officers tackling the student as he repeatedly asked if he was under arrest.
Khalid Turaani, CAIR-Ohio executive director, called the incident an attack on civil liberties.
"We unequivocally condemn the arrest of student activists and the alleged attack on freedom of speech and academic freedom. For police officers to attack a student for raising a Palestinian flag is beyond the pale as Americans," he said.
The University of Cincinnati released a statement on the incident:
"UC Police arrested a student who was protesting against a free speech demonstration occurring on campus that involved non-university affiliated preachers. Police officers warned the student several times not to impede the movement of the demonstrators. The student became involved in an altercation with the demonstrators and disregarded police officers' directions. Student was subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the arrest fits a troubling national pattern. Over the past month, students at institutions such as Columbia, Georgetown and Tufts have been detained. Some have been transferred to detention centers in Louisiana or had their visas revoked.
Turaani said Americans around the country should be cautious.
"It's creating an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the McCarthyist era where people are going to be assaulted or jailed or targeted because of things that they say or because of the belief that they have," he continued.
Turaani warned the recent wave of arrests could especially impact international and Muslim students, who may feel silenced for speaking out, and speaks directly to them.
"You are in the forefront of this civil rights movement. Everybody went through that. It seems this is our turn, to defend the civil rights of the rest of America for freedom of expression, for academic freedom, for human rights," he said.
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