President Joe Biden will sign a proclamation on Tuesday to create the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, which will honor the memory of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. The monument will be located across three sites in Mississippi and Illinois, and will serve as a reminder of the importance of civil rights and the struggle for justice. It is hoped that it will help to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.
Posts tagged as “Illinois”
The Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced legislation that would require the Supreme Court to adopt an ethics code, tighten financial disclosures, and bolster recusal requirements for justices. This bill, sponsored by Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, is seen as a crucial first step in restoring confidence in the court and addressing the “steady stream of reports of justices’ ethical failures”. If passed, it would be the first time the Supreme Court has been required to adopt an ethics code.
Illinois Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the state's decision to end the use of cash bail, making Illinois the first state in the nation to do so. The ruling overturns a lower court's opinion that the law was unconstitutional and has been met with praise from those who have long argued that cash bail unfairly affects people of color. The ruling has been met with opposition from prosecutors and sheriffs, but the court's ruling stands and Illinois is now the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, is blocking hundreds of military promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy, causing a potential national security crisis. President Joe Biden and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan have denounced the move, and Senator Tammy Duckworth has warned it will jeopardize the U.S.' ability to lead the free world. Sullivan has warned that the blockade could soon leave the U.S. without a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or a chief of Naval Operations.
A Greyhound passenger bus crashed into three commercial motor vehicles on Interstate 70 in Madison County, Illinois, resulting in three fatalities and 14 injuries. Four people were taken to the hospital by helicopter and at least 10 others were taken by ambulance. The cause of the crash is still under investigation and the identities of the victims have not yet been released.
Simone Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist and four-time Olympic gold medal-winner, is set to make her grand return to the competitive stage at the U.S. Classic on August 5. This is her first sanctioned event since the Tokyo Olympics, where she dropped out due to mental health issues. She is expected to compete in the all-around event, as well as the balance beam and floor exercise, and is a favorite to make the U.S. Olympic Team for the Tokyo Games.
Nusrat Choudhury has been confirmed to a lifetime federal judgeship, making her the first-ever Muslim American woman to serve on the federal bench. Choudhury is a longtime civil rights attorney with the ACLU, and her confirmation is a historic moment for the Muslim American community. Her appointment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of civil rights lawyers and activists who have worked to ensure representation in the federal judiciary.
Illinois has become the first state in the United States to outlaw book bans, with Governor J.B. Pritzker signing a bill into law on Monday. The law, which will take effect on January 1, 2024, will cut off state funding for any public library that attempts to restrict or ban materials based on “partisan or doctrinal” disapproval. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was the driving force behind the legislation, which was passed unanimously in both the Illinois House and Senate. It has been praised by the American Library Association, and it is hoped that it will set a precedent for other states to follow.