On Wednesday, three months after Dr. David Dao was dragged off a United flight at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, the Chicago Department of Aviation released a report on the incident. The report said that the officers who removed Dao from the aircraft were “improperly” marked as police officers. Steps would be taken by the CDA to prevent a recurrence of any similar incidents, the report said.

“CDA is working hard to learn from the regrettable incident that took place on UA Flight 3411 and doubling efforts to strengthen policies, procedures, and training to ensure that something like this never happens again,” the report said.

On April 9, Dao, a 69-year-old physician, was forcibly removed from an aircraft at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. The flight was overbooked, and United needed to secure seats for its staff, the airline said. When none of the passengers voluntarily gave up their seat, officers entered the cabin and selected four passengers to remove at random. Dao was one of them.

He refused to comply, however, and security officers slammed Dao to the ground and dragged him down the aisle like a piece of luggage. The incident was captured on video; it went viral, and incited outrage at the officers’ conduct. Dao sued United, which eventually reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount of money.

The officers who removed Dao were airport security, not Chicago police officers, despite the fact that their uniforms, badges, and vehicles were labeled “police.” The report said the security officers’ labeling would change in the coming months.

And in a more concrete development, the CDA announced a new policy: airport security officers will only be allowed on an aircraft to respond to a disturbance if Chicago police requests them, or “if there is a medical emergency or a battery in progress,” according to CDA spokeswoman Lauren Huffman.

“The safety of our passengers has always been our top priority, and we are taking action to ensure that the policies and procedures are in place to deliver the most effective security responses,” Ginger Evans, commissioner of the CDA said in a news release.

She continued: “We are confident that these actions are necessary to guide our department forward, while improving clarity for the aviation security officers who play an integral role in maintaining safe and secure conditions for the traveling public at both of Chicago’s airports.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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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:

Sexual Abuse by Boarding School Teachers Went on For Decades

A report released yesterday revealed that some teachers at the elite boarding school Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut sexually abused their students for decades. The report names 12 teachers who abused students, including through “forced or coerced intercourse,” starting in the 1960s and continuing until the 2010s. The school failed to report the crimes to the police or take appropriate action in almost all of the cases–for example, one Spanish teacher raped a 17-year-girl in a swimming pool during a school trip to Costa Rica in 1999. He then went on to become principal at another school, where he worked until last week.

Report names 12 at Choate Rosemary Hall who allegedly abused students https://t.co/3Y1bLAQuGu pic.twitter.com/USTfSz0UGX

— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) April 14, 2017

The prestigious school boasts alums like President John F. Kennedy and his brother Joseph. Lawyer Paul Mones, who represents sexual abuse survivors, said that the logistics of a private boarding school makes it significantly easier for abuse to happen. “They are closed systems, especially residential private schools where kids are separated from their parents,” he said.

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 RantCrush Top 5: April 14, 2017 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:

Egypt Declares a State of Emergency After ISIS Bombings

Yesterday, two Coptic Christian churches were bombed in the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Tanta, and the country’s president has declared a three-month long state of emergency. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the blasts that killed at least 49 people and injured at least 78, according to the latest numbers. Coptic Christians are a targeted minority in Egypt and they often face persecution and discrimination. The explosions happened on Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Easter and the Holy Week in Christianity.

Egypt declares 3-month state of emergency after twin bomb blasts in churches packed for Palm Sunday services. https://t.co/zZWwHInKdX pic.twitter.com/DTVnKdhosg

— ABC News (@ABC) April 10, 2017

But Egyptians of various faiths came together late on Sunday, gathering in big groups in defiance of ISIS. Many used a hashtag saying “your terrorism brings us together” in Arabic on social media. Photos posted on social media showed Muslims donating blood to victims of the attack. And President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi called for unity in his speech following the attacks, saying, “What’s happening now is against all of us.”

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: April 10, 2017 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:

Senate Intelligence Committee to Question Jared Kushner

The Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia is still ongoing and investigators now plan to question Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner. The Senate Intelligence Committee reportedly wants to ask Kushner about meetings that he organized with Russian ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak. Apparently one of the meetings involved the boss of Russia’s state-owned development bank, a fact that was previously unreported.

According to White House sources that spoke to the New York Times, Kushner met the head of the bank on Kislyak’s request even though the U.S. had placed the bank on its sanctions list after President Putin’s invasion of Crimea and conflict with Ukraine. According to White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks, there was nothing unusual about this meeting. But the news of Kushner’s impending questioning has still raised eyebrows–he’s the first from Trump’s inner circle to be questioned about this issue.

Before he fixes the Middle East and remakes the US Government, first Jared Kushner has to explain the meetings with all them Russians! https://t.co/zIsEMnfdAC

— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) March 27, 2017

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: March 27, 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

One effect of increasingly normalized relations between the United States and Cuba will be an ability to travel between the two nations. But not everyone is okay with this move. In fact, New Jersey Governor and Republican primary candidate Chris Christie is fighting back–he has urged the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reject proposed United flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Havana.

Surprisingly, Christie’s argument for why we shouldn’t allow flights between Newark and Havana has relatively little to do with Cuba itself. Instead, he’s demanding that Cuba return fugitive Joanne Chesimard, a.k.a. Assata Shakur to U.S. custody. Shakur was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. In 1973 she and two others were involved in a shootout with the police on the New Jersey Turnpike that left Trooper Werner Foerster dead and another officer wounded. While she was subsequently sentenced to life in prison, she escaped prison and ended up in Cuba. She has taken state-sanctioned political refuge there since 1984, and is still wanted in the United States.

But, in Cuba, she has taken on a strange almost-folk hero status. Now 67, she’s viewed as a victim of American oppression and many believe she was wrongly prosecuted.

In his letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman John Degnan, Christie urged him to reject the proposed flights unless Shakur is extradited to the United States. In the letter, he stated:

I understand that the Port Authority is considering a request to open regular flights between Cuba and Newark Liberty International Airport. It is unacceptable to me as governor to have any flights between New Jersey and Cuba until, and unless, convicted cop-killer and escaped fugitive Joanne Chesimard [Assata Shakur] is returned to New Jersey to face justice.

This isn’t the first time that Christie has brought up Shakur when disagreeing with a move toward more open relations with Cuba. Last December, Christie wrote a letter to President Obama that also echoed this sentiment. He wrote:

Cuba’s provision of safe harbor to Chesimard by providing political asylum to a convicted cop killer . . . is an affront to every resident of our state, our country, and in particular, the men and women of the New Jersey State Police.

RT If you agree that President Obama should demand the return of Chesimard from Cuba to the US to finish her sentence pic.twitter.com/tztku57vf1

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) December 21, 2014

On the other hand, the Obama administration has been very clear that while the U.S. will continue to push for the return of American fugitives, it won’t hamper the broadening of relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

Whether or not Degnan will heed Christie’s advice remains to be seen. But, based on Christie’s urging, Degan has said that the Port Authority board is going to dig into the request from United and conduct an immediate review. So, don’t hop on United and book your flight to Havana yet–a decades-old fugitive hunt may hamper the introduction of these new flights.

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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