Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

George W. Bush Disses Trump, Defends the Media

In his first interview since President Donald Trump took office, former president George W. Bush spoke out against the new president yesterday and criticized many of his recent statements. He said that a free media is “indispensable to democracy.” Referencing Trump’s recent comments that the media is the “enemy of the people,” Bush clearly disagreed. He said that power can be addictive and corrosive, and that we need the media to “hold people like me to account.” Some were surprised that they wholeheartedly agreed with Bush, while others pointed out the hypocrisy of applauding Bush after years of criticizing him:

2005: George W Bush is a pillaging, torturing war criminal who let a city drown

2017: I may have disagreed with Bush but he was A Good Man

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 27, 2017

Bush also said that we need to find out more about Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, and that he doesn’t exactly agree with the harsh immigration rules. “I am for an immigration policy that is welcoming and upholds the law,” he said. He also pointed out that he doesn’t “like the racism and I don’t like the name-calling and I don’t like the people feeling alienated.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RantCrush Top 5: February 28, 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. is the latest institution to join the conversation about how to handle its ties with the Confederate flag. Two images of the Confederate flag are featured on its stained-glassed windows, and have been there for nearly 60 years, but discussions on what the church is going to do about them only began a few months ago. The church announced Wednesday that the Confederate flags would be removed, but the timeline concerning their removal and other details of the operation are still a little foggy.

The stained-glass windows commemorate General Stonewall Jackson and General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army, and were installed in 1953, almost a century after the Civil War ended. They were at least partially funded by the Daughters of the Confederacy and a private donor from the North, and according to interim dean of the cathedral Mariann Budde, the images represented “the way the Civil War memory was encoded in American history in the 20th century.”

National Cathedral Will Remove Confederate Flag Stained Glass Windows https://t.co/KzZI7mkq8C

— NPR (@NPR) June 9, 2016

Despite all of the time church officials spend in the cathedral, none of them noticed it until after the Charleston shooting last summer. “That’s when it resurfaced in our consciousness that the Confederate flag was part of our stained-glass artistry,” Budde said.

The previous dean of the cathedral, Rev. Gary Hall, ordered that the windows be taken down. Exactly when the stained-glass windows will be removed is unclear, but Budde confirmed that the Confederate flags will be removed and replaced with plain glass, “as soon as we can do it,” which should not be longer than a few weeks, she said. However, church leadership are not the only ones with the power to decide how to move forward. The cathedral is hosting a series of public forums and events dealing with racism, slavery, and racial reconciliation to get other input and perspectives.

“The Lee-Jackson windows call the question of race and the legacy of slavery, and instead of turning away from that question, the cathedral has decided to lean into it,” said the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, the cathedral’s canon theologian. “Instead of simply taking the windows down and going on with business as usual, the cathedral recognizes that, for now, they provide an opportunity for us to begin to write a new narrative on race and racial justice at the cathedral and perhaps for our nation.”

The cathedral’s announcement to remove and replace the Confederate flags from the stained-glass windows is the most recent in a string of Confederate-related controversy around the country. On Tuesday, Mississippians protested for the removal of the Confederate icon from their state flag. Georgetown is struggling with how to deal with selling 272 slaves to bolster its finances more than a century ago, and last year, South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from the grounds of the Statehouse.

A task force dedicated to examining the status of the Confederate flag on the stained-glass window was assembled a few months ago, and has since recommended that the cathedral also conduct an audit of all the art and iconography on its premises. “Whatever the Chapter’s final decision, ultimately, the windows will not live in the cathedral in the same way they have in the past,” the task force said.

The public forums will begin Sunday, July 17 at 4 p.m. with a panel discussion titled “What the White Church Must Do.”

Inez Nicholson

Inez is an editorial intern at Law Street from Raleigh, NC. She will be a junior at North Carolina State University and is studying political science and communication media. When she’s not in the newsroom, you can find her in the weight room. Contact Inez at INicholson@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post National Cathedral Debates the Future of its Confederate Flag Iconography appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Samantha Bee Lets Her Rage Rip After The #OrlandoShooting

Last night, Samantha Bee took on the Orlando mass shooting. And let me tell you, she is pissed, as we all should be, about how easy it is to purchase incredibly deadly assault rifles and the new normal of mass shootings. No matter what you feel or think about the shootings and gun laws, Bee’s blistering, yet lucid rant will most definitely make you feel something:

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: June 14, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

This year on Flag Day people all over the country are gathering to protest a state flag instead of celebrating our national flag. Why are they protesting? For over half a century, the state flag in Mississippi has featured an homage to the confederate flag in its upper left corner and people are not happy about it.

“State Flag” Courtesy of Social_Stratification via Flickr

So, in celebration of Flag Day, Mississippians are joining forces to try to bring change to their flag’s design.

At the head of this new flag movement is Aunjanue Ellis, a famous actress from “The Help” and the ABC show “Quantico.” As a young actress, Ellis grew up in Mississippi. She recognizes the dark history surrounding the confederate flag and wants more people to realize that the state shouldn’t be pouring tax dollars into the funding of a flag that commemorates groups like the Ku Klux Klan. As a speaker at the Flag Day rally in Washington, D.C., Ellis wants to spread the message that:

This country presents itself as this beacon of hope and opportunity and equality and race-transcendence to the world. We can’t say that and, ‘Well, with the exception of Mississippi.’

The actress even wore a dress asking President Obama to make a change to the Mississippi flag on a red carpet a few weeks ago in furtherance of her cause.

In red carpet fashion @aunjanuejlt beseeches Obama to remove Mississippi flag https://t.co/oalw67AUJd @CunningSylv pic.twitter.com/Po7fWmOxhC

— NBC BLK (@NBCBLK) May 26, 2016

There are a lot of people behind this cause in addition to celebrities. Mississippi has a higher population of black residents than any other state and is the only state that continues to have confederate symbols on the state flag. Twitter users have taken to social media to promote the rally.

It’s time to X the X! Join us 11a #CapHill #DC to change #Mississippi flag #TakeItDownAmerica #FlagDay #flagday2016 pic.twitter.com/BnsXwXUksy

— Tenisha Taylor Bell (@TenishaTBell) June 14, 2016

Organizers planning Flag Day protest at U. S. Capitol against Mississippi flag with confederate emblem. pic.twitter.com/YCcuJuo21R

— Ross Adams (@radamsWAPT) May 26, 2016

But, of course, wherever there are supporters of one belief there are also critics. Just last week, Congress blocked a measure made by House Democrat Bennie Thompson to ban Confederate symbols from the Capitol. Sons of Confederate Veterans claim that the Confederate flag represents their history, which is why it’s so important that it remains on the Mississippi flag.

As Congressman Thompson put it, as long people in the US and, more specifically, members of the House of Representatives continue to use symbols of the confederacy, they “will continue to sanction and glorify relics of bondage, bigotry and oppression.” It’s time to find something new to represent history. It’s time to let go of celebrating historically racist flags and symbols under the guise of pride in our past. It’s time for Mississippi to finally get a new flag to unify the state under symbols that all Mississippians can be proud of.

Alexandra Simone

Alex Simone is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street and a student at The George Washington University, studying Political Science. She is passionate about law and government, but also enjoys the finer things in life like watching crime dramas and enjoying a nice DC brunch. Contact Alex at ASimone@LawStreetmedia.com

The post Mississippi Wants to Rid State Flag of Confederate Ties appeared first on Law Street.

“I am not taking it off and I won’t take it off.”

That is what Suffolk, VA resident Kevin Collier said to a news crew when asked about his refusal to give up his expired Confederate flag license plate–and he isn’t the only one taking a stand. Collier is just one of many in the state refusing to relinquish expired tags in response to a new state law banning the plates.

Virginians are refusing to give up recalled license plates featuring the Confederate flag http://t.co/QzvFCRnpML pic.twitter.com/zRGXemIXIG

— Intl. Business Times (@IBTimes) October 19, 2015

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced plans to begin phasing out the plates in June, after a Supreme Court decision determined that specialty plates are a “form of government expression” and therefore aren’t subject to First Amendment protections.

As a result, in August approximately 1,600 people still using specialty plates with the Sons of Confederacy emblem were sent newly designed plates by the Department of Motor Vehicles, and were given until October 4 to comply before their current tags became invalid and subsequently illegal. So far only 187 plates have been returned to the DMV.

Virginia’s push to abolish plates bearing the Confederate flag was a direct result of the June shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina that left nine African-Americans dead. The horrific attack reignited pleas to ban the flag once and for all after Facebook photos of the 21-year-old shooter, Dylann Roof, showed him posing with Confederate flags. Roof is said to have targeted the church hoping to incite a new “civil war.”

However, despite the flag’s roots in slavery, those in favor of keeping it around maintain that it is a symbol of their heritage rather than a symbol of hate. Collier said,

It wasn’t about hate, it was a battle flag, a battle flag that we fought for. It had nothing to do with hate, and nothing to do with racism.

He then added.

I was born a 150 years too late because I would have loved to have fought for the Confederacy like my ancestors did, but at least I can fight how I can in modern times. I will fight however I can.

But, it’s hard to argue that a flag isn’t racist when one person coming to its defense claims they would have gladly fought for the side advocating for the continued enslavement of African-Americans.

According to a Charleston NBC affiliate, the DMV tried to work with the Sons of Confederate Veterans on the design of the new plate, but the organization did not respond. Now any violators choosing to still drive vehicles with the canceled plates could face a misdemeanor and a hefty fine. But is fighting for a racially offensive “heritage” really worth breaking the law? These Virginia drivers will soon be finding out.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Some VA Drivers Refuse to Give up Their Confederate Flag License Plates appeared first on Law Street.

Update: 5:09pm

Hundreds of people gathered at the South Carolina capitol Saturday evening to advocate for the removal of the Confederate flag from near the state capitol building. The “Take the Flag Down” event was held in response to the recent massacre of nine people at Mother Emanuel AME Church, an African American church in the heart of Charleston. Several pictures released after the shooting portray the suspect, Dylann Roof, displaying a Confederate flag. The police believe the shooting to be a hate crime, and protestors are now crying out for the removal of the flag.

South Carolina State Representative Doug Brannon, a Republican, referred to the flag as a symbol of both hate and “a symbol of pride in one’s hatred” when speaking with the Associated Press. He stated:

I just didn’t have the balls for five years to do it. But when my friend was assassinated for being nothing more than a black man, I decided it was time for that thing to be off the Statehouse grounds.

At Saturday’s rally many hoped for unity, as the event included a variety of speeches and many chanted the slogan “take it down.” “The country is calling for togetherness instead of division, so if the country truly wants togetherness then this is a way to bring it down,” said Angie White, one of the participants, stating:

My heart has been pierced by the tragedy that happened in Charleston, South Carolina, overwhelmed with grief and the hate that has permeated our country. I want to see anything that can make things better, including taking the flag down from the State House grounds. Anything that can make us a better nation, a better people, a people that the forefathers intended us to be, I want it to be done and I choose to be a part of that change.

The Confederate battle flag has long proved to be one of the most divisive issues in state politics, as it has consistently served as a symbol of intolerance and white supremacy. President of the South Carolina NAACP, Dr. Lonnie Randolph stated:

We all know what it stands for: colored bathrooms, separate and unequal, hostile treatment of people, lynching, murdering of people, raping women and children. That’s what it stands for.

Past protests, boycotts, rallies, and movements have all failed to remove the flag from the building’s grounds. While many are not opposed to the idea of removing the flag, many believe that this weekend was not the best time, as the family and friends of the Emmanuel AME Church victims are still grieving.

In light of the recent rally, South Carolina Governor Nikki Hayley is expected to address the public this Monday afternoon. It is said that she’ll call for the removal of the flag, although it will be up to the state legislature to make the final call.

State Representative Doug Brannon is planning to introduce a bill in December to move the flag to the Military Museum. Brannon acknowledges that this will likely cost him re-election, but plans to introduce the bill as early as he can, which won’t be until December.

While many argue this weekend’s rally didn’t leave family and friends proper time to grieve for the loved ones they lost in the massacre, this weekend’s rally does show the continued need to fight for an end to racism in the United States.

Update: 5:09pm: In a 4PM press conference, South Carolina Governor Nikki Hayley spoke about the controversial issue of removing the Confederate flag from the state’s capital.

She stated:

Fifteen years ago after much contentious debate, South Carolina came together in a bipartisan way to move the flag from atop the capitol dome. Today, we are here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will, to say it’s time to move the flag from the capital grounds.

The murderer now locked up in Charleston said he hoped his actions would to start a race war. We have an opportunity to show not only was he wrong, but that just the opposite is happening.

The General Assembly wraps up their year this week, and, as governor, I have the authority to call them back into session under extraordinary circumstances. I have indicated to the House and the Senate that, if they do not take measures to ensure this debate takes place this summer, I will use that authority for the purpose of the legislature removing the flag from the Statehouse grounds. That will take place in the coming weeks, after the regular session and the veto session have been completed

I also ask that the focus still remains on the 9 victims of this horrible tragedy. […] We all deserve time to grieve, and to remember, and to heal. We will take it, and I ask that you respect it.

Angel Idowu

Angel Idowu is a member of the Beloit College Class of 2016 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Angel at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Take Down the Flag: Protestors Rally Against Confederate Flag in South Carolina appeared first on Law Street.

The Supreme Court has agreed to look at an interesting First Amendment question–can those silly vanity license plates that a lot of people have be considered protected free speech? SCOTUS will hear Walker vs. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc in the spring.

The case came from Texas, where an organization called the Sons of Confederate Veterans requested a specialty plate. The license plate included a Confederate flag, as well as text of the group’s name. The Texas DMV considered the request, and eventually decided to reject it because:

A significant portion of the public associate the Confederate flag with organizations advocating expressions of hate directed toward people or groups that is demeaning to those people or groups.

There are two questions here–are license plates a form of free speech? And if so, whose free speech?

The reason those two questions are both so tantamount is because if license plates are a form of free speech, but that speech is the state’s, the state can reject an offensive license plate request because it doesn’t want to be portrayed that way. However, if the license plates can be considered the free speech of the people who are displaying them on their cars, it’s a different matter altogether.

There’s some precedent to suggest that license plates are government speech, not citizens’. After all, a DMV can choose to reject a license plate request if it’s lewd or inappropriate. That being said, there’s some precedent to show the opposite is true as well. In 1976, there was a Supreme Court case called Wooley v. Maynard. If you’ve ever seen a New Hampshire license plate, it prominently features the state’s motto: “Live Free or Die,” a throwback to Revolutionary War times. A man named George Maynard, who was a Jehovah’s Witness, objected to being required to display the motto because it stood contrary to his religious beliefs. He obscured it, despite the fact that was against the law. The case was appealed all the way to SCOTUS, who ruled that New Hampshire couldn’t require citizens to display the motto if it stood contrary to their beliefs.

There’s another case this year dealing with free speech and license plates that’s sort of intertwined. It’s called Berger v. ACLU and it originated in North Carolina. It regarded whether or not North Carolina could issue “Choose Life” license plates, as requested by a pro-life group, without similarly offering a comparable pro-choice plate. That was where the case was left, and while the Supreme Court took no action on it right now, it may be decided along with the Texas case. Either way, whatever the Supreme Court decides could have a big impact on those vanity plates we all see so often–and not necessarily in a good way.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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