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:

Texas Considers Awful Anti-Transgender Student Bill

Last week, Texas Senator Konni Burton filed a bill that would force schools to out transgender students to their parents. Under Bill 242, ironically filed on National Transgender Day of Remembrance, school staff would face disciplinary action if they fail to tell parents about kids’ physical and psychological states. This sounds vague, but Burton wrote that the bill is a response to previous guidelines that DO allow school staff to withhold information about transgender students from parents. When the media started paying attention, Burton decided to attack journalists in general, claiming the reports were all “clickbait” and claiming that the reporters had not contacted her when in fact, they had.

Anger stoking, click bait sites that do not contact sources to write a story depend on ur anger to keep them relevant. Don’t be their puppet

— Konni Burton (@KonniBurton) November 18, 2016

@the_mical People are upset because a few publications ran with a totally false story & never contacted us to understand it. It’s clickbait.

— Konni Burton (@KonniBurton) November 18, 2016

Transgender individuals and activists were quick to respond, claiming that Burton’s bill will put lives at risk.

@KonniBurton awful lot of kids going to get murdered or forced into suicide by their parents because of this bill

— Transgarbo woman (@Herracks) November 17, 2016

Rant Crush

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

The post RantCrush Top 5: November 21, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence decided to take in a musical in New York. And what better show for our future Vice President to see than the political and history-themed hit “Hamilton”? But the cast got wind that Pence was sitting in the audience and presented him with a message after the show had finished:

Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show. pic.twitter.com/Jsg9Q1pMZs

— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) November 19, 2016

The moment has caused quite a bit of controversy, with President-elect Donald Trump now demanding that the cast apologize. But, Twitter caught on to the news, and decided to come up with some new musical titles for Pence, with #NameAPenceMusical. Check out the best ones:

Avenue LGBTQ Just Kidding They’ve all been Converted #NameAPenceMuscial

— Emma Fyffe (@EmmaFyffe) November 20, 2016

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.

The post #NameAPenceMusical Trends After Mike Pence-Hamilton Cast Feud appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to the RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through the top five controversial and crazy stories in the world of law and policy each day. So who is ranting and who is raving today? Check it out below:

Is John Oliver a Debt-Buying Copycat?

John Oliver is being accused of stealing his debt-buying idea from a debtor advocacy organization. The Debt Collective, which raised $700,000 to erase nearly $1 billion in medical and tuition debt, is saying that John Oliver’s researchers contacted them asking about their incredible feat. The Debt Collective spent hours giving “Last Week Tonight” detail after detail on how they organized the work and then “at the last minute” “LWT” did not want to be associated with the Collective’s Occupy Wall Street roots. Now the so-called Oprah of late night TV is facing a scandal and people haven’t been too keen on coming to his defense.

John Oliver not crediting The Debt Collective with the Rolling Jubilee idea is exactly what’s wrong with tv comedy news

— Kaitlin Marone 2016 (@immerspaetlin) June 9, 2016

DEBT COLLECTIVE, 2011: we’re gonna buy debt & forgive it
JOHN OLIVER, 2016: actually thats my idea
MEDIAITE: yes the british man did it 1st

— jm (@jaubert_moniker) June 7, 2016

Rant Crush

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

The post RantCrushTop 5: June 9, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

“Hamilton,” the smash-hit Broadway musical that has drawn universal praise for its diverse casting, may be in hot water over the thing that made it so special to begin with. CBS2 reports that the latest casting notice has drawn ire from a New York attorney over the fact that it specifically requests “non-white men and women” to audition for roles.

Randolph McLaughlin, a civil rights attorney, claims that the casting notice is in violation of the New York City Human Rights Law. The law declares it unlawful for any advertisement or publication relating to employment to express “directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination” as to “race, creed, color,” among other characteristics.

While a press representative told CBS2 reporters that the ad was approved by Actor’s Equity, the Broadway union, an Actor’s Equity spokeswoman told Fortune that the ad was not in compliance with its standards and was not approved by the union.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show’s creator and star, has been outspoken in the past about the deliberate intention to cast minorities in these roles. He told The Hollywood Reporter:

In ‘Hamilton,’ we’re telling the stories of old, dead white men but we’re using actors of color, and that makes the story more immediate and more accessible to a contemporary audience. You don’t distance the audience by putting an actor of color in a role that you would think of as default Caucasian. No, you excite people and you draw them in.

A publicist for the show later provided a statement to Fortune that emphasized that the show did not break any laws through this posting. He said:

 The producers of Hamilton regret the confusion that’s arisen from the recent posting of an open call casting notice for the show. It is essential to the storytelling of Hamilton that the principal roles—which were written for non-white characters (excepting King George)—be performed by non-white actors. This adheres to the accepted practice that certain characteristics in certain roles constitute a ‘bona fide occupational qualification’ that is legal.

So, there you have it: it looks like “Hamilton” fans need not be too concerned. And considering the intense demand for tickets (seriously…good luck getting tickets before 2018) it is doubtful that the show’s future will be affected by this controversy. With fans like President Obama, Beyonce, and practically any other famous person you could think of, it seems like the “Hamilton” train isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Mariam Jaffery

Mariam was an Executive Assistant at Law Street Media and a native of Northern Virginia. She has a B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration from George Washington University. Contact Mariam at mjaffery@lawstreetmedia.com.

The post “Hamilton” Accused of Reverse Racism with Casting Call appeared first on Law Street.

The Broadway show “Hamilton” created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is at the top of almost everyone’s must-see list. Based on the story of Alexander Hamilton–founding father, treasury secretary, and winner of the most awkward death award–the musical retells Hamilton’s story for a 21st century audience. The musical has attracted so many fans, in fact, that many were unhappy to hear that the Treasury Department was considering removing Hamilton from the $10 bill. But according to Miranda, Hamilton fans won’t be disappointed with the new bill.

The $10 bill is being redesigned after protests gained traction last year to put a woman on American currency. While the campaign “Women on 20s” originally aimed to change the $20 bill and remove Andrew Jackson’s likeness, the $10 was chosen for a female-friendly re-design instead. According to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, the choice was because it would help stop counterfeiting. He said “currency is primarily redesigned as necessary to address current and potential security threats to currency notes.”

However, when it was announced that the $10 would be redesigned and feature a woman, the reactions were mixed. While it will be great to see a woman’s face on the $10, Hamilton is significantly more beloved than Jackson’s–one of Jackson’s biggest legacies was signing the horrendous Indian Removal Act of 1830.

But never fear, Hamilton fans (or “Hamilton” fans)–as Miranda recently tweeted this good news:

I talked to @USTreasury about this on Monday. Sec. Lew told me “you’re going to be very happy.” #wegetthejobdonehttps://t.co/ZkLFuSmz8M

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 16, 2016

Lew’s office also released the following statement:

On Monday, Secretary Lew welcomed Lin-Manuel Miranda to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Secretary and Miranda talked about the enduring mark Alexander Hamilton left on our nation’s history, and the Secretary provided a brief tour of Hamilton’s possessions and portraits on display at the Treasury Department.

The Secretary thanked Miranda for the ingenious way in which he has been able to tell Hamilton’s story and ignite a renewed interest in one of our nation’s founding fathers. Secretary Lew also reiterated his commitment to continue to honor Alexander Hamilton on the 10 dollar bill.

It will be interesting to see how Hamilton is incorporated in the new redesign–and also how whatever woman is chosen will be featured. It’s expected that the new bill will be launched in 2020, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of American women getting the right to vote.

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.

The post Good News, Hamilton Fans: It Looks Like He Might Be Staying on the $10 Bill appeared first on Law Street.