DOJ: Mississippi law creating state-appointed judges in Jackson discriminates against Black residents – National & International News – THU 13Jul2023

DOJ: Mississippi law creating state-appointed judges in Jackson discriminates against Black residents.

Hollywood actors join writers in strike over pay, AI.

Russia: Questions over fate of Wagner leader Prigozhin after mutiny.

NATIONAL NEWS

DOJ: Mississippi law creating state-appointed judges in Jackson discriminates against Black residents

The Department of Justice has intervened in a case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The ACLU and NAACP have sued several state officials, including Attorney General Lynn Fitch, over H.B. 1020, a law passed by the Mississippi legislature in April. Many have described H.B. 1020 as an attempt by the state government to grab power in the city of Jackson.

This law creates a new special judicial district in the Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID), a relatively wealthy white enclave in the majority-Black city of Jackson where most of the upscale commercial establishments are also located. The judges in this new circuit will be appointed by white state officials rather than elected. The state also expanded the jurisdiction of the state-run Capitol Police to cover the entirety of the CCID, rather than just the area immediately surrounding the Capitol complex. In the last year, Capitol Police have had two deadly encounters with Black motorists, neither of which has ever been investigated.

Shortly after these laws were passed, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), alleging that the law was discriminatory and designed to disenfranchise Black voters in Jackson. The DOJ agrees.

Statement from DOJ

In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said that the state’s “crude scheme” creates a new “two-tiered system of justice – which erodes the authority of Black elected local officials and creates a new system to be led by judges and prosecutors hand-picked and appointed by state officials. This thinly-veiled state takeover is intended to strip power, voice and resources away from Hinds County’s predominantly-Black electorate, singling out the majority Black Hinds County for adverse treatment imposed on no other voters in the State of Mississippi”.

The DOJ has filed a complaint against the Mississippi State Attorney General Lynn Fitch and other plaintiffs in the suit brought by the ACLU. The complaint observes that for decades, Mississippi’s state government has starved Jackson’s police and elected judicial system system of resources while lavishing funds on smaller, majority white jurisdictions.

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Hollywood actors set to join writers in strike over pay, AI

After weeks of failed negotiation, the union that represents Hollywood actors is set to go on strike. SAG-AFTRA, which represents television and film actors, is seeking a better deal on residuals for actors whose work appears on streaming platforms like Netflix and better protections for actors against having their likenesses stolen and used by artificial intelligence. These two demands closely mirror the sticking points that have had members of the Writers’ Guild on strike since the beginning of May. 

The twin strikes will bring a halt to numerous productions and prevent actors from doing press events to advertise their upcoming work.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Russia: Questions over fate of Wagner leader Prigozhin after mutiny

On June 24, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, led a short-lived rebellion with the intent of deposing Russian military leaders Prigozhin considered rivals. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin’s Wagner recruits have seen more fighting, won more victories and suffered far greater casualties than Russia’s own army troops.

These victories and Prigozhin’s bombastic and outspoken personality also won him a considerable following among the Russian people. So when Prigozhin not only mutinied but challenged Russia’s reasoning for starting the war in the first place, many waited to see how Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would react.

When Prigozhin got off with what appeared to be a slap on the wrist after the uprising, Kremlin watchers believed that Putin’s power had been severely undermined. All the more so when the Kremlin announced that Prigozhin and some of his generals met with Putin just five days later. 

However, some officials inside and outside of Russia have wondered whether this post-mutiny Kremlin meeting ever took place. Retired US Gen. Robert Abrams theorized that the meeting never took place and that Prigozhin was either dead or in prison. The whereabouts of Russian Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who has close ties to Prigozhin, are also in question. Surovikin has also abruptly dropped out of sight since the mutiny. A member of the Russian parliament who is friendly with Surovikin has claimed he is “resting”. A popular blogger with sources in the Russian military says that all that is certain is that Surovikin “has not been home” since the mutiny.

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