NC NAACP, Democracy NC, League of Women Voters and the A. Philip Randolph Institute to File Lawsuit and Hold News Conference on Friday Morning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 3, 2011

For More Information:   Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

                              Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

                                      Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700

                                      Atty. Irv Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, 919-530-6293

                                      Atty. Al McSurely, Communications Chair, lawyers@mcsurely.com

For Media Assistance:   Rob Stephens, Communcations Specialist, 336-577-9335

DURHAM - The North Carolina NAACP, the League of Women Voters, Democracy NC and the A. Philip Randolph Instite will file a lawsuit asking the North Carolina courts to stop the cleverly disguised race-based redistricting scheme on Friday, November 4 at 10 AM on the 11th floor of the the Wake County Courthouse in downtown Raleigh, NC.

"We will sue the leaders of the NC House and Senate, Thom Tillis and Phil Berger.  They paid good taxpayer money to outside consultants to develop a scheme to resegregate minority voters and dilute our voting power. These consultants know that blatant Jim Crow acts are illegal, so they came up with their James Crow schemes instead," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the North Carolina NAACP. "Jim Crow used blunt tools. James Crow, Esq., uses surgical tools to cut out the heart of black political power. James Crow, Esq., uses high-tech, clever consultants to pick apart black communities block by block and increase the prosperity of a few Americans by trying to divide, segregate, and fool the rest of us."

The lawsuit also names the State of North Carolina and the State Board of Elections as defendants, since they are charged with carrying out this race-based plan.

A news conference will follow at or near the Wake County Courthouse immediately following.

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The Amicus Brief Supporting the DOMA Repeal

Amicus Brief on DOMA

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Why Didn’t HRC Sign on to this????

This is very Odd behavior from HRC, I know they are looking for a new President, but not to co-sign this is just wrong.. Lets Hope they will give their signature in the future on this.

The following is from Will @ Back2stonewall.com

The National Black Justice Coalition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Action Fund and PFLAG National, The American Civil Liberties Union, the Family Equality Council, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and Lambda Legal have all co-signed a letter in which they  have withdraw their support from the Senate version of the Education Reauthorization Elementary & Secondary Reauthorization Act of 2011 because of the lack of protections it would provide for LGBT students against discrimination and harassment. (Interesting note: NOT among the co-signers is the Human Rights Campaign)

From the letter:

Discrimination and harassment of LGBT students, and those perceived to be LGBT, is a serious problem in public elementary and secondary school districts across the United States. Despite this fact, the ESEA Reauthorization Act of 2011 fails to include any express protections for this vulnerable student population, or even to make reference to them. While we recognize and appreciate the leadership of some members, including Senators Casey and Franken, who have been tireless in their advocacy on behalf of all students, including those who are LGBT, this reauthorization fails to ensure that LGBT students have access to a public education unhindered by discrimination and harassment.

Source:  The Washington Blade

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A letter from VP Joe Biden

Good evening,

I want to make sure you heard a piece of news from Capitol Hill today.

This morning, Holly Petraeus, who has been leading an office at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect military families, went to Capitol Hill to highlight some of the most abusive practices our service members face in today's financial marketplace.

She explained that military families are the targets of predatory lenders. She talked about how many service members and their families struggle to make ends meet -- especially during deployments. And she said that the CFPB will help combat the lenders who try to take advantage of people with deceptive, unfair, and abusive lending practices.

But here's the thing: The Senate still hasn't confirmed President Obama's nominee to lead the CFPB, a former Attorney General from Ohio named Rich Cordray. The bureau needs a director to fully ensure that the debt collectors, private student loan providers, and payday loan providers are properly supervised and that consumers are not put at risk of falling prey to the same kinds of abusive practices that helped cause the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Rich has spent his career advocating for middle class families, and enjoys broad, bipartisan support from the elected officials, business leaders, and consumer groups who have worked with him.

Take a minute to read what Holly had to say, and share her testimony with those you know.

Holly Petraeus is the daughter of a decorated general, wife of a four-star general, and mother of an Army soldier who served in Afghanistan.  I don't know if there's anyone who better understands what it means to be part of an American military family.

She just gets the stress and challenges that those who serve in uniform, as well as their loved ones, face.

And that's exactly why she joined the CFPB, to safeguard our military personnel and their families.

Republicans in Congress could be taking steps to grow the economy by passing the American Jobs Act. There is no reason why John Boehner should send his members home to their districts without passing a single measure President Obama has proposed to help put the country back on track. Nor is there any reason why the Senate should require 60 votes on these proposals. Republicans could be helping to ensure that every American family gets a tax cut. And Republicans should be working to protect consumers by confirming Rich Cordray.

We can't wait. That's why I want you to hear from Holly Petraeus. I want everyone to understand how much sense it makes for the Senate to put Rich Cordray to work.

So check it out.

Thanks,

Vice President Joe Biden

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President Obama Nominates Kristine Gerhard Baker to United States District Court

Release Time: 

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Kristine Gerhard Baker to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. 

“I am proud to nominate Kristine Gerhard Baker to serve on the United States District Court,” said President Obama.  “I am confident she will serve on the federal bench with distinction.” 

Kristine Gerhard Baker:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Kristine Gerhard Baker is a partner at the law firm Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow PLLC in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she specializes in commercial, employment, and First Amendment litigation.  Baker joined the firm as an associate in 2000 and became a partner in 2002.  She previously worked at the law firm Williams & Anderson LLP from 1998 to 2000.  Baker began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan Webber Wright of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 1996 to 1998.  She received her J.D. with high honors in 1996 from the University of Arkansas School of Law and her B.A. summa cum laude in 1993 from Saint Louis University.

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NAACP and Other to sue over NC Districts Maps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2011

For More Information:
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700
Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700
Atty. Irv Joyner, Legal Redress Chair, 919-530-6293
Atty. Al McSurely, Communications Chair, lawyers@mcsurely.com

DURHAM - Yesterday, after it spent 60 days looking at a cleverly designed scheme to resegregate voters in North Carolina, the U.S. Department of Justice informed us that the U.S. Attorney General did not "interpose any objection" to the scheme. The next sentence in the letter said, "However, we note that Section 5 expressly provides that the failure of the Attorney General to object [to a redistricting scheme] does not bar subsequent litigation (our emphasis) to enjoin the enforcement of the changes."

That's exactly what we shall do this Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. in Wake County Superior Court. We are honored to be co-plaintiffs with the League of Women Voters, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, and Democracy, NC -- organizations that have had their hands on the Plow of Democracy for a long time -- as we file a lawsuit asking our North Carolina courts to stop this cleverly disguised race-based scheme.

We shall sue the leaders of the NC House and Senate, Thom Tillis and Phil Berger. They paid good taxpayer money to outside consultants to develop a scheme to resegregate minority voters and dilute our voting power.

These consultants know that blatant Jim Crow acts are illegal, so they came up with their James Crow schemes instead. Jim Crow used blunt tools. James Crow uses surgical tools to cut out the heart of black political power. James Crow uses high-tech, clever consultants to pick apart black communities block by block and increase the prosperity of a few Americans by trying to divide, segregate, and fool the rest of us.

We also name the State of North Carolina and the State Board of Elections as defendants in our lawsuit, since they are charged with carrying out this race-based plan.

We welcome the media to join us at the Wake County Courthouse at 10:00 a.m., Friday morning, November 4, 2011, where our attorneys from Southern Coalition for Social Justice will distribute copies of our filed complaint. A news conference will follow.

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Rally with Miller and Price

Saturday, November 5th!

DATE: Saturday, November 5, 2011
TIME: 10:00 am
LOCATION: 5932 Six Forks Road., Raleigh, NC

Join Congressman David Price and Congressman Brad Miller as they help us kick off the final weekend before the November 8th election. We'll have coffee and doughnuts as we prepare to head out to knock on doors and make phone calls to ensure victory on Election Day!

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Bringing People to the Polls: Election Day Nov 8, 2011

Join us on November 8th  as we continue to have educational conversations about the Anti-LGBT amendment with voters we know will turn out for the May 8th election.

We will be out talking to voters who exit their polling locations informing voters about the harms of the Anti-LGBT amendment and asking them to 'Take the Pledge' to vote against the amendment.  Nervous about talking to voters?  Don't be!  We will provide a full training on how to approach voters, how to politely ignore naysayers, and how to overall have a good time while doing important work against this amendment!  Join us!

Location:

• Asheville:  Contact Jennifer at zooplank32@yahoo.ca
• Wake County:  Contact Tucker at tucker@equalitync.org
• Greensboro: Contact Chris at chris@equalitync.org
• Winston-Salem: Contact Katie at kt.booher@gmail.com
• Charlotte: Contact Scott at sbishop2@carolina.rr.com

Shifts:

• 6:30am - 9am
• 11:30am - 1:30pm
• 4:30pm - 7pm

Training:

• Each location is different -- please inquire with the lead contact listed above for additional information about the trainings!

Don't live in one of these locations but want to volunteer on Election Day? Great!  We'd love for you to go to your local polling location to talk to your neighbors about the amendment.  Email me at sam@equalitync.org and I'll make sure that you receive not only the materials for election day but the training on how to do this important work!

In solidarity,

Sam Parker, Field Director

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