Top news stories and must-read articles from the week.
Protections for Dreamers needed now
Congress has stumbled through immigration talks this week without any successful votes. Trump’s decision to end DACA has left thousands of undocumented Americans in a risky situation. It is time to pass the DREAM Act and protect these Americans.
Muslim Ban declared unconstitutional again
A Virginia federals appeals court became the second appeals court to rule that the Trump administration’s third Muslim ban is unconstitutional. The court held that Trump’s own words describing the ban show bias against Muslims. Hopefully this decision is an indication of how the Supreme Court will rule on the ban later in the year.
House passes bill that weakens ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures access and public accommodations for people with disabilities. This week, over objections from many disability rights activists and groups, the House of Representatives voted to vastly weaken a portion of the ADA that keep businesses accessible to all. It is unclear if the Senate will also pass this legislation.
Fair representation missing in Idaho
Public defenders in Idaho are overwhelmed by the amount of cases they have assigned to them. The Associated Press has reported that Idaho public defenders only have a chance to spend about 4 hours on any given case. Even for the hardest working attorneys this is not enough time to spend on a case. The ACLU has launched a class action lawsuit to work to bring fair representation to Idaho.
