News Roundup: Attacks on Civil Rights
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Each week brings more troubling news about attacks on civil rights in states across the country. From efforts to further restrict abortion access to calls for banning books, 2023 has already seen several such stories, and this week was no different.

Following last summer’s Dobbs decision, anti-abortion rights activists have set their sights on medication abortion, calling on conservative leaders to restrict access to pills. While earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule ([link removed]) making the pills more available in pharmacies, abortion-rights advocates are warning about a potential court ruling in Texas ([link removed]) that could ban the medication.
* In Idaho, a new bill ([link removed]) would add the helping of minors seeking abortion outside the state to Idaho’s criminal human trafficking law.
* Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed creating a $100 million grant program ([link removed]) for anti-abortion rights groups known as “crisis pregnancy centers.”
* The 19th reported ([link removed]) on an analysis that found that 1 in 10 Florida minors seeking a “judicial bypass” of requirements for parental involvement in abortion decisions are denied.


Conservative leaders have increased their attacks on LGBTQ people, with many states taking a page from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ book. “The state-policy debates,” reported the Washington Post ([link removed]) on Thursday, “underscore how Florida now rivals Texas a laboratory for conservative policies, giving Republican legislators elsewhere a model for how to turn their principles on social issues into law.”
* The South Dakota Senate passed a bill prohibiting gender-affirming medical care ([link removed]) for minors, sending it to Gov. Kristi Noem for final approval. An Idaho House committee also voted this week ([link removed]) to make such care a felony.
* NPR reports ([link removed]) that at least nine Republican-led state legislatures want to restrict or criminalize drag shows.


The anti-LGBTQ attacks have extended to public education and students’ access to books and materials that don’t conform to conservative ideology.
* The North Carolina Senate passed a bill ([link removed]) that would in most circumstances require public school teachers to notify parents before calling a student by a different name or pronoun.
* Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and conservative lawmakers spoke at a “parental rights” event this week, promising to pass legislation ([link removed]) banning LGBTQ materials in schools.
* The New Yorker ([link removed]) took a look at why several Florida schools were removing books from libraries.
* Louisiana’s attorney general has called for legislation ([link removed]) to restrict what minors can check out at public libraries.


At the same time, conservative leaders are also pushing measures that would stymie progress on racial justice, as well as provide greater control over local governance. Here are some headlines:
* Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to stop considering diversity in hiring (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )
* Montana bill that would ban diversity training gets first hearing (Daily Montanan ([link removed]) )
* Lawmakers attempting takeover of funds for Jackson’s water system, federal manager warns (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* 'Only in Mississippi': White representatives vote to create white-appointed court system for Blackest city in America (Mississippi Today ([link removed]) )
* House passes bill to allow for state takeover of Missouri prosecutor offices (Missouri Independent ([link removed]) )

On the Records

The ‘Constitutional Sheriffs’ Movement
We’ve been investigating the “constitutional sheriffs” movement — a fringe theory that holds that sheriffs have more law enforcement power in their home counties than any other government body or individual — and its ties to election denialism, submitting records requests in more than a dozen states to sheriff’s offices for communications with election conspiracy theorists and activists.
* In November, we sued ([link removed]) Sheriff Dar Leaf of Barry County, Mich., who led a baseless review ([link removed]) of the 2020 election, for the release of communications, including with voter-fraud alarmist group True the Vote.
* The office had previously confirmed those communications existed, but withheld them under an exemption in the state’s public records law for records related to law enforcement proceedings. We argued that those communications did not constitute legitimate law enforcement work, given the lack of any credible evidence of widespread fraud and the group’s propagation of misinformation.
* Last month, and in response to our litigation, Leaf’s office released a partial response ([link removed]) to our request, which included communications with True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht and additional constitutional sheriffs.
* You can read more about our investigation here ([link removed]) .


Partisan Influences Behind DeSantis’ Redistricting Plan
We obtained more records ([link removed]) reflecting the partisan influences behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2022 redistricting plan ([link removed]) , which eliminated ([link removed]) three Democratic counties and gave a substantial advantage ([link removed]) to Republicans in the state.
* In text messages, DeSantis’ general counsel Newman and former Trump DOJ official John Gore ([link removed]) discussed finding an expert witness to present on DeSantis’ map proposal during a Florida House subcommittee meeting ([link removed]) in February 2022.
* Gore sent Newman the contact information for voter-fraud alarmist Hans von Spakovsky, and also suggested attorneys Chris Coates and Robert Popper. Popper ultimately served as the expert witness.
* Last year, ProPublica reported on records we obtained ([link removed]) that revealed how DeSantis aides teamed up with operative Jason Torchinsky to create a new congressional map after the state legislature proposed a map that DeSantis felt was insufficiently partisan.

Other Stories We're Following

Jan. 6 Investigations
* Pompeo characterizes Jan. 6 as 'a peaceful transition of power' from Trump to Biden (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* Trump Special Counsel questions ex-Homeland Security chief over bid to overturn election (Bloomberg ([link removed]) )
* Trump’s former national security adviser subpoenaed in special counsel probes of classified documents, January 6 (CNN ([link removed]) )


Election Denial and Threats to Democracy
* Pennsylvania voting officials are still fighting election deniers (NPR ([link removed]) )
* How a Dominion lawyer became the latest battle in the Trump-DeSantis war (Daily Beast ([link removed]) )
* How an Arizona official is making Cochise County a ‘laboratory’ for election skepticism (Votebeat Arizona ([link removed]) )
* ‘They don’t trust us’: Nevada election works still face pressure and harassment (Bolts ([link removed]) )
* Election skeptics slow to get sweeping changes in GOP states (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Loeffler calls for ‘investigation’ after DeKalb accepts elections grant (Atlanta Journal-Constitution ([link removed]) )
* There were no voting machine errors during the November 2022 general election in Wisconsin, new statewide audit shows (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ([link removed]) )
* Special session bill would bolster DeSantis’ election investigations office (Politico ([link removed]) )


Voting Rights
* North Carolina Supreme Court signals it may roll back voting rights for thousands (Bolts ([link removed]) )
* Bill introduced to limit who could vote by absentee ballot in Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed]) )
* Do Georgia voter challenges amount to intimidation? Judge to decide. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution ([link removed]) )
* California proposal would reinstate prisoners’ voting rights (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Florida eyes more changes to voting laws ahead of 2024 (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Woman jailed for collecting 4 ballots in Arizona sparks fear of voting in majority Latino city (States Newsroom ([link removed]) )
* Voters’ mail-in ballot requests canceled as Florida passes new voting restrictions (Guardian ([link removed]) )
* Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls for new election in Harris County after voting problems in November (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )


Immigration
* Biden weighs border deal that would deport non-Mexicans to Mexico (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* DOJ says end of health emergency will terminate Title 42 policy and moot Supreme Court case (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Why New York City is buying bus tickets for migrants headed to Canada (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* DeSantis’ migrant-transportation revamp clears Florida Senate, despite lawsuits, constitutional issues (Florida Phoenix ([link removed]) )


In the States
* How a grassroots revolt in the iconic retirement community ended with a 72-year-old political prisoner (Intercept ([link removed]) )
* As some lawmakers debate Nazi home school scandal, others propose expanding vouchers (Ohio Capital Journal ([link removed]) )
* More states are paying to send children to private and religious schools (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Gov. Kristi Noem replaces Aberdeen superintendent with local businessman on Board of Ed Standards (Argus Leader ([link removed]) )
* Florida drops menstruation reporting from student sports forms after backlash (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Public records shed new light on how WA state lawmakers are avoiding releasing information (The Olympian ([link removed]) )


National News
* Covid school enrollment shows thousands of missing kids, homeschooling (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Supreme Court justices used personal emails for work and 'burn bags' were left open in hallways, sources say (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Supreme Court justices discussed, but did not agree on code of conduct (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Inside meat giant’s cozy relationship with Biden admin (Daily Beast ([link removed]) )
* House divided: The megadonor couple battling in the GOP's civil war (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Duo accused of neo-Nazi plot to target Maryland power stations (Washington Post ([link removed]) )

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