The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia threatened to sue the state over a bill expanding the number of crimes requiring cash bail.
In a <a href="https://www.acluga.org/en/press-releases/press-release-aclu-georgia-sue-if-governor-signs-sb-63-law">press release</a> issued on Thursday, several days after the Georgia General Assembly passed the bill, the ACLU affiliate said it would sue if Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) didn’t veto the bill. The organization claimed that requiring those accused of a crime to remain in jail would endanger the community, and that black individuals would be more likely to be affected by the legislation. 
“[This bill] will dramatically increase the number of Georgians languishing in our jails and make our communities less safe,” stated the organization. “Already, 51% of the people in Georgia’s jails are black, while just 30% of the state’s overall population is black.”
The contested legislation, <a href="https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20232024/213335">Senate Bill 63</a>, expanded the definition of bail-restricted offenses to 30 new offenses, including fleeing or attempting to elude police, identity fraud, domestic terrorism, and rioting.
ACLU of Georgia’s legal director, Cory Isaacson, said that the bill was an unconstitutional criminalization of poverty and restriction of the First Amendment. 
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🚨 Georgia Senate Bill 63, which forces people who can’t afford to pay bail to languish in jail, is unlawful and the ACLU of Georgia will sue if the governor signs it into law. <a href="https://t.co/gKXWUoWHUf">https://t.co/gKXWUoWHUf</a> <a href="https://t.co/KlTcmQ8PPB">pic.twitter.com/KlTcmQ8PPB</a>
— ACLU of Georgia (@ACLUofGA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACLUofGA/status/1755599035891855682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones praised the bill’s passage. Jones predicted it would remove violent, repeat criminals from the public. 
“Senate Bill 63 protects Georgia families by keeping violent and repeat offenders off our streets,” said Jones.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Senate Bill 63 protects Georgia families by keeping violent and repeat offenders off our streets. I appreciate the House adopting the conference committee report on this legislation. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gapol</a> <a href="https://t.co/7FqZzvgZF2">https://t.co/7FqZzvgZF2</a>
— Lt. Governor Burt Jones (@LtGovJonesGA) <a href="https://twitter.com/LtGovJonesGA/status/1755224371700834571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Kemp hasn’t issued a comment on the bill’s passage.
State Sen. Randy Robertson, the bill sponsor, explained in the Senate Public Safety Committee <a href="https://vimeo.com/showcase/8821970/video/797482445">hearing</a> on the bill early last year that there was a need to expand cash bail due to a continued rise in crime.
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“[We’re] continuing to put these guardrails up to ensure that we take the revolving doors off the jails and the 159 counties throughout Georgia,” said Robertson. “Being indigent and having no money does not excuse anyone from committing a crime.”
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum testified to the committee that his officers dealt with almost 900 repeat offenders with nearly 29,000 prior arrests between them in 2022. 
A little over 6,000 of those prior arrests were felonies; 33% of those felons were carrying firearms when arrested again, even though state law prohibits convicted felons from owning firearms, and 57% of those repeat offenders were on probation or parole. Well over 200 were gang members.
In response to criticisms that some of the bail-restricted offenses in the bill included “minor” crimes such as criminal trespass, reckless driving, and obstruction of justice, Robertson noted during the committee hearing that those offenses were usually tied to other, more serious offenses, such as domestic terrorism and rioting. Robertson further added that judges had the discretion to set bonds as low as they desired based on the facts of the case. 
“What we found in many of the domestic terrorism cases that we looked at, and many of the cases of the 2020 riots and destruction, not only here in our capital city but around the country, all had those charges associated with them,” said Robertson. 
Additionally, the bill restricted unlimited bail posting to bail bond companies. All others — including Charitable bail funds, nonprofit organizations, and individuals — would be limited to posting bail to three or fewer individuals annually.
The bill also prohibited the release without bond of any individual charged with a bail-restricted offense, as well as individuals with prior felony arrests within the preceding seven years. 
The annual fee for continuing education programs for bail recovery agents was also doubled.

Man In Prison

ACLU Threatens To Sue Georgia Over Cash Bail Bill

ACLU

Georgia

Politics

The American Civil Liberties is suing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/texas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas</a> over a new law that gives state officials the ability to arrest and deport illegal immigrants amid a flood of illegal crossings into the state.
The leftist legal group claims that the law is discriminatory and will target minorities, while proponents of the law say that it is necessary since the Biden administration has not secured the border with Mexico. El Paso County, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed the lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday against the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“The bill [SB 4] overrides bedrock constitutional principles and flouts federal immigration law while harming Texans, in particular Brown and Black communities,” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-lawsuit-border-2be91001567623db8ad3171265d5e739" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Adriana Piñon, the legal director of the ACLU of Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that the state would fight to enforce the law all the way up to the Supreme Court. He also said that the law was necessary because of President Joe Biden’s border policies. “In his absence, Texas has the constitutional authority to secure our border through historic laws like SB 4,” Abbott said. 
Texas House Republican David Spiller said that states should have the ability to defend their borders. “I believe that Texas and other states have the absolute right to enforce their borders,” he said. 
The law, which will authorize local police to handle immigration enforcement by making it a state misdemeanor to cross the Texas-Mexico border illegally, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gov-abbott-pledges-to-sign-law-authorizing-texas-police-to-arrest-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first sent</a> to Abbott by Texas Republicans in November. The law will allow Texas to deport those who cross into the state back to Mexico, which would be a direct challenge to the catch-and-release policy currently practiced by the Biden administration. 
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According to the governor’s office, the law will create “a criminal offense for illegal entry into this state from a foreign nation. The law cracks down on repeated attempts to enter Texas by creating the offense of illegal reentry and penalizes offenders with up to 20 years in prison. It also provides the mechanism to order an offender to return to the foreign nation from which the person entered or attempted to enter this state. The law provides civil immunity and indemnification for local and state government officials, employees, and contractors for lawsuits resulting from the enforcement of these provisions.”
The law was criticized by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the Biden administration, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claiming the law was “not who we are as a country.”
Abbott and Biden have frequently clashed over illegal immigration with Biden’s Justice Department suing Texas over water barriers put up on the Rio Grande to deter illegal immigration.

Border Security Remains Key Issue In Presidential Campaigns

ACLU Sues Over Texas Law Allowing State Officials To Arrest Illegal Immigrants

Biden Administration

Greg Abbott

illegal immigrant

Texas

Last week the once-proud ACLU sent a <a href="https://t.co/YRg3QkgYBN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to 650 colleges and universities defending the “rights” of student groups to provide material support for anti-Semitic genocidal terror. The letter was legally and factually wrong on its face, and belied a laziness bordering on negligence. It is sad, but not surprising given the organization’s recent <a href="https://www.einpresswire.com/article/545175078/the-aclu-s-antisemitism-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">track record</a> when it comes to protecting Jews.
The ACLU’s missive was ostensibly written in response to a <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/letter/adl-and-brandeis-center-letter-presidents-colleges-and-universities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> sent by the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law last week, which urged university presidents to investigate the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters on their campuses to see if they were in fact doing what they explicitly claimed to be doing, i.e. providing material support for U.S. designated terrorist groups. The ACLU claimed they “are aware of no evidence” supporting the claims made in that letter, or in similar statements made by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when his administration actually defunded SJP for those same reasons. But if the ACLU is truly unaware, they are either incompetent or willfully ignorant. 
SJP is a radical activist organization that regularly engages in blatant <a href="https://jcpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SJP_Unmasked_Final_edited.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-Semitism</a>. As far back as 2016, Congress heard <a href="http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA18/20160419/104817/HHRG-114-FA18-Wstate-SchanzerJ-20160419.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testimony</a> from Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, about the links between SJP leadership, Hamas and other terrorist groups. Until recently, however, there was no evidence of SJP providing material support back to those organizations. Now there is. 
In the wake of the October 7th atrocities committed in Israel, SJP chapters across the country held a ‘National Day of Resistance’ to support the US designated terrorist organization Hamas, which had just killed 1,400+ innocent men, women, and children in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas’ cause is the worldwide genocide of Jewry, everywhere, including on campuses in America. It is spelled out in their <a href="https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charter</a>, separate and in addition to the clauses vowing the obliteration of the State of Israel. In advance of their ‘Day of Resistance,’ the National SJP group released a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/10/DAY-OF-RESISTANCE-TOOLKIT.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toolkit</a> for their chapters to use and coordinate their efforts. In doing so, SJP kindly provided law enforcement with some additional confirmation of their criminal activity. 
As the ACLU acknowledges, the toolkit endorsed “the brutal mass murder of civilians,” and exhorted participants to be clear that they are “part of this movement,” and that “[a]ll of our efforts continue the work and resistance” — previously defined to include the rape, torture, and murder committed on October 7th — “of Palestinians on the ground.” But the toolkit also did more than that, as the ACLU is also well aware. Among other things, it included public relations materials, expert training materials, persuasion training materials, and other materials carefully crafted and designed to effectively teach people how to avoid pesky facts and replace them with “frameworks” that would normalize and spread Hamas’ message so they could influence public opinion and public policy. There were even some direct quotes from terrorist leaders themselves! The ACLU knows this, because they have the toolkit; they just chose not to mention it.
Under 18 U.S.C. §2339B, it is a federal crime to “knowingly provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” In Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 561 U.S. 1 (2010), the Supreme Court held that material support, resources, or service can include even some forms of speech, if it was done “under the direction of, or in coordination with foreign groups that the speaker knows to be terrorist organizations.” Courts (including Florida courts) have been absolutely <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/476917144/Jonathan-Guerra-Blanco-s-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clear</a> that the kinds of services SJP is offering on behalf of Hamas would count as material support. The ACLU knows this, and so the ACLU just ignores that aspect of the argument. They focus instead on the coordination part, writing that “We are aware of no evidence suggesting that the National SJP published the statements … in coordination with, or at the direction of, Hamas. If coordination and direction are absent, the National SJP’s independent advocacy is fully protected by the First Amendment.”
That abstract statement is true on its face, but incredibly awkward for the ACLU in context, because even a first-year law student could have shepardized the Holder case and found that missing link, let alone the National Directors of the ACLU. But I’ll do it for them: Since Holder, numerous courts have held that the government is not required to establish or even allege actual connection or direction with a terrorist organization, so long as the government presents evidence that defendant attempted to provide material support. 
In this case, Hamas is known to be a foreign terrorist organization and SJP is open about the fact that they are holding their events specifically to answer Hamas’ call and to further their messaging efforts with expert materials and training as a part of Hamas’ greater movement. When someone tells you that they are trying to provide material support for terror, it is in everyone’s best interest to believe them.
Perhaps the most telling and embarrassing part of this story for the ACLU is that Palestine Legal, the law group which actually represents SJP, also sent a <a href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2023/10/25/desantis-order-to-deactivate-national-sjp-in-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the State University System of Florida decrying DeSantis’ action. But their letter, at least, did not blindly ignore the fact that SJP is clearly guilty. Palestine Legal had the decency to basically admit as much, and instead argued that the laws SJP had violated were themselves somehow unfair. Their letter said they would be challenging “the broad and vague ‘material support for terrorism’ regime, which criminalizes even nonviolent coordination with designated terrorist organizations,” claiming that the legal framework “has only survived constitutional challenge because of pervasive fearmongering and Islamophobia within our legal system.” 
Memo to ACLU: When you don’t have the facts or the law, you pound the table, like Palestine Legal did, and say it isn’t fair. You don’t get to just casually lie and pretend the law is different.
It is sad that the ACLU has sunk to these new lows. The letter also shiftlessly conflates the Israel-Hamas war with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To be clear, if you believe that being pro-Palestinian requires being supportive of anti-Semitic genocidal terror, you are not pro-Palestinian, you are supportive of terror. The two are not the same, and it is this kind of lazy obfuscation that provides additional cover for groups like SJP to commit <a href="https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/356957/congress-must-act-now-to-protect-the-jewish-community/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heinous acts</a> of anti-Semitism and then pretend that they were just being ‘pro-Palestinian.’
Free speech on campus is important, but there are limits to what is covered, and school administrations, as well as law enforcement, must be vigilant to enforce those limits. If groups like ACLU cannot do better than blame the victims of anti-Semitism for trying to enforce the laws that protect them, they should simply do nothing at all because silence is better than stupidity.
* * *
Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Esq. is the CEO and Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, Inc. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Students from Brooklyn College and supporters hold signs

The ACLU Offers A Lazy Defense In Support Of Terror

Hamas

Israel

Opinion

Palestinians

Readers Pass

Leftist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-left-wing-legal-groups-backing-trans-procedures-on-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal groups</a>, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have asked the Supreme Court to strike down a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> law protecting children from undergoing life-altering transgender procedures. 
The ACLU, the ACLU of Tennessee, Lambda Legal, and the Akin Gump Strauss Hauer &amp; Feld law firm filed the <a href="https://wp.api.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/No.-__-Petition-For-A-Writ-Of-Certiorari.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petition</a> on Wednesday claiming that the law prevents children from getting the “medical care” they need. The groups have claimed that the law violates the 14th Amendment, a claim that was previously rejected by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. 
“Over the past few months this vicious law has already had a disastrous impact in homes and communities across Tennessee,” said Lucas Cameron-Vaughn of the ACLU-TN. “Families are losing access to much-needed medical care that has allowed their children to flourish. This law denies these families’ dignity and signals to their children that they do not have the freedom to lead healthy and happy lives.”
Tennessee’s law, which was introduced by lawmakers after Daily Wire host Matt Walsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/huge-money-maker-video-reveals-vanderbilts-shocking-gender-care-threats-against-dissenting-doctors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released videos</a> showing a doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center discussing “huge money maker” transgender surgeries, was upheld in September by the 6th Circuit in a 2-1 ruling. 
The law, SB 1, prohibits surgeries on children such as double mastectomies on girls who identify as boys and other genital procedures. It also prohibits children from being put on cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers, things that can have long-term impacts on fertility, bone development, and other serious developmental side effects. 
After its passage and signage by Governor Bill Lee, the law was challenged in court the the ACLU and Lambda Legal on behalf of several families who have children who claim to be transgender.
A federal judge initially placed a preliminary injunction on the part of the bill banning cross-sex hormone and puberty blockers for children, but the 6th Circuit later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-devastating-ruling-for-the-trans-cult-matt-walsh-breaks-down-federal-courts-quashing-of-aclu-in-tn-trans-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overturned the injunction</a>, saying that it was constitutional. 
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The law was defended by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who celebrated the 6th Circuit’s decision.
“This is a big win for democracy. Decisions that are not clearly resolved by the Constitution should be resolved by the people through their elected representatives. I am so proud of our team who stood strong against the overwhelming resources arrayed against Tennessee in this case,” he <a href="https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/news/2023/9/28/pr23-41.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
If taken up by the Supreme Court, the case would have major national implications for the over 20 states that have moved to shield children from either transgender surgeries, hormone procedures, or both.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-left-wing-legal-groups-backing-trans-procedures-on-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: Here Are The Left-Wing Legal Groups Backing Trans Procedures On Children</a>

Drone view of Tennessee State Capitol

ACLU Asks Supreme Court To Strike Down Tennessee Law Protecting Kids From Transgender Procedures

Bill Lee

Matt Walsh

Supreme Court

Tennessee

transgender surgery

Daily Wire host Matt Walsh dove into the “huge” ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld Tennesee’s and Kentucky’s bans on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries on gender-confused children.
In its 2-1 <a href="https://wp.api.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CA6-Opinion.pdf">ruling</a> rejecting a challenge to the laws from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and families of trans-identifying children, the federal court “thoroughly dismantled, point-by-point, every disingenuous argument from trans activists,” Walsh said in a thread posted to X. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🧵Last night, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a devastating ruling for the trans cult. No other court decision has so thoroughly dismantled, point-by-point, every disingenuous argument from trans activists. <a href="https://t.co/5LZG9YZXCG">https://t.co/5LZG9YZXCG</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1707832888832479247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“The case arose because of laws in TN and KY banning the use of puberty blockers and sterilizing cross-sex hormones on children. The laws were passed after my reporting on Vanderbilt’s gender clinic, and how they see some gender ‘treatments’ as big money makers,” said Walsh, who was a vocal proponent of banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries on children in his home state of Tennessee.
“Trans activists were apoplectic,” the Daily Wire host added. “The ACLU went to court. Initially, they convinced a judge to block the law. I said at the time that the judge’s ruling was terrible and that it would be overturned. But admittedly, I had no idea how bad it would be for the trans cult.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
2/ The case arose because of laws in TN &amp; KY banning the use of puberty blockers &amp; sterilizing cross-sex hormones on kids. The laws were passed after my reporting on Vanderbilt’s gender clinic, and how they see some gender “treatments” as big money makers. <a href="https://t.co/fzOVq8Lfd0">https://t.co/fzOVq8Lfd0</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1707832890778665051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Walsh then went into detail about the court’s decision and what it means for the future of protecting children from the devastating effects of radical gender theory in medical practice.
“First, the ruling establishes that voters have the right to ban medical procedures they believe are immoral or dangerous. That’s true regardless of what the ‘experts’ at Big Pharma say,” Walsh wrote. “Then the court explains that voters have very good reason to believe that so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ – including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones – are dangerous. The court notes that many countries have started banning them.”
“The court goes on to state that WPATH – the standard-setting organization for ‘trans healthcare’ – counseled against using hormones and puberty blockers on minors from 1979 to 2000. Even now, WPATH admits there is ‘limited data’ supporting their use.”
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5/ Then the court explains that voters have very good reason to believe that so-called “gender-affirming care” – including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones – is dangerous. The court notes that many countries have started banning them. <a href="https://t.co/3AngcO9ify">pic.twitter.com/3AngcO9ify</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1707832897078464814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Walsh wrote that the ruling came just after misleading data from a U.K. study was analyzed again and showed a staggering number of young people who identify as transgender struggle with mental health issues.
“Indeed, just this month, we learned that previous data from the UK justifying the use of puberty blockers was wildly misleading. A re-analysis of this data showed that a third of so-called trans youth suffered mental health problems after taking puberty blockers,” Walsh said. 
“In their attempt to win this case despite this evidence, the ACLU tried to claim that ‘transgender people’ are a special category entitled to unique protections under the Constitution. They argued that any law affecting only ‘trans’ people is akin to a law affecting only black people, and must be carefully scrutinized by courts.”
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8/ In their attempt to win the case despite this evidence, the ACLU claimed that “transgender people” are a special category entitled to unique protections under the Constitution &amp; argued that any law affecting only “trans” people is akin to a law affecting only black people.
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1707832904175259732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“The point of this strategy is to subvert the will of the voters,” Walsh continued. “But to make this argument, the ACLU had to make a series of arguments that backfired massively, and created precedent that will be devastating for trans activists for years to come. First, the ACLU claimed that the trans community is a ‘politically powerless’ group that’s being unfairly treated. The court pointed out that when every major law firm, the feds, and medical organizations are on your side, you are not marginalized.”
“The ACLU also attempted to argue that transgender status is ‘immutable,’ like being born with a certain skin color,” Walsh said. “But the Sixth Circuit observed that the meaning of ‘transgender’ status is constantly changing. Every day there’s a new gender.”
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11/ The ACLU also attempted to argue that transgender status is “immutable,” like being born with a certain skin color. But the Sixth Circuit observed that the meaning of “transgender” status is constantly changing. Every day there’s a new gender. <a href="https://t.co/IY8lS3SZKq">pic.twitter.com/IY8lS3SZKq</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1707832910550560816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The ruling represents a massive precedent going forward, according to Walsh.
“So there’s no special treatment for trans activists. Precedent set. But the Sixth Circuit wasn’t done. They also ripped apart the familiar argument that parents should be allowed to do whatever they want with their kids,” he said. “As the Sixth Circuit pointed out, that’s completely illogical. You have to look specifically at what parents are doing to their children. Being a parent doesn’t give you the right to mutilate your child.”
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13/ As the Sixth Circuit pointed out, that’s completely illogical. You have to look specifically at what parents are doing to their children. Being a parent doesn’t give you the right to mutilate your child. <a href="https://t.co/qsXTC0AZEj">pic.twitter.com/qsXTC0AZEj</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1707832914719781101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“Much of this is common sense, but until now, it hasn’t been clearly articulated by a federal appeals court. Given the makeup of the Supreme Court, this ruling will likely stand, no matter how much the ACLU screams into the void,” Walsh added.
“This is a major win for the voices of sanity and for millions of children. Trans activists have relied on too many disingenuous and self-contradictory arguments for too long. Now it’s all falling apart. If we keep up the fight, soon there won’t be anything left of transgenderism.”

‘A Devastating Ruling For The Trans Cult’: Matt Walsh Breaks Down Federal Court’s Quashing Of ACLU In TN Trans Case  

Court

Puberty blockers

Transgender

A federal judge blocked a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> district attorney from enforcing the state’s law shielding children from sexually explicit performances ahead of a “Pride” event after he was sued by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/aclu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Civil Liberties Union</a>. 
The judge’s <a href="https://www.wate.com/news/blount-county-news/district-attorney-blocked-from-enforcing-anti-drag-law-ahead-of-pride-event/#:~:text=U.S.%20District%20Judge%20Ronnie%20Greer,ruled%20unconstitutional%20by%20a%20federal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruling</a> comes after the ACLU filed a lawsuit this week against Blount County DA Ryan Desmond, who sent a letter to Blount County Pride saying that any explicit performances in front of children would not be allowed at a “Pride” event on September 2 just south of Knoxville. Video has emerged from “Pride” events across the country of explicit drag performances with children present and looking on. 
“It is certainly possible that the event in question will not violate any of the criminal statutes,” Desmond <a href="https://www.wkrn.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-aclu-sues-tennessee-district-attorney-who-promises-to-enforce-the-states-new-anti-drag-show-ban/?email=84885943124850418dccfffa5f984fb2b1450cf1&amp;emaila=6cb861e5998d3d6a1ce8452947dee058&amp;emailb=78504d1586e2066c8a05f4b619c2e64c552dbc337ec8d9ba2cb59caa7c91ecac&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Curated%20Evening%20Headlines%202023-08-31&amp;utm_content=evening%20headlines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “However if sufficient evidence is presented to this office that these referenced criminal statutes have been violated, our office will ethically and justly prosecute these cases in the interest of justice.”
Desmond had a temporary restraining order placed on him by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer meaning that he is blocked from enforcing Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act. Also part of the suit was Flamy Grant, who has been <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2023/09/01/federal-judge-blocks-da-and-police-from-interfering-with-blount-pride/70741487007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">portrayed</a> in the media as a “Christian” drag performer. 
The law has previously been blocked before by a federal judge in Memphis, but could be enforced outside of Shelby County. In late June, U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee blocked the law after Friends of George’s, a self-described “LGBTQ theatre company” based in Memphis, filed a suit challenging the law.
Blount County Pride, being represented by the ACLU, claims that Desmond’s letter to the “Pride” group was “a naked attempt to chill free speech.” 
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“Had Defendant Desmond merely wished to notify the public that he intends to enforce the [law], he could have issued a public statement,” the lawsuit states. “Instead, he sent a letter targeting Blount Pride and the drag artists who are scheduled to perform,” the lawsuit from the ACLU said. 
Tennessee’s law has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/18-state-coalition-legal-group-appeal-ruling-that-deemed-tn-law-shielding-kids-from-sexually-explicit-performances-unconstitutional" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been supported</a> by an 18 state coalition and America First Legal in court, who say that the law is necessary to protect children. 
“Protecting children from obscene and lewd behavior is not a new idea. We need to let kids be kids, and the state has legal authority to ensure their protection,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a news release.

UK – Culture – Gay and lesbian Pride Parade through central London

Tennessee District Attorney Blocked From Enforcing State Law Shielding Kids From Explicit Performances

Courts

Drag Queens

Social Issues

The far-left <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/aclu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Civil Liberties Union</a> (ACLU) faced intense backlash on Friday after it defended convicted pedophile and murderer Duane Owen who was executed by the state of Florida.
&#8220;The state of Florida never provided medically necessary gender-affirming care to Duane Owen — causing her enormous suffering,&#8221; the ACLU <a href="https://twitter.com/ACLU/status/1669705153316880385" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a>, &#8220;and violating her right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment for the more than 30 years she was in state custody.&#8221;
Owen&#8217;s lawyers tried to get him taken off death row by claiming that he was insane, which the state Supreme Court rejected. They also claimed that he was a delusional schizophrenic and was transgender.
Expert psychiatrists testified that Owen showed no signs of either of the mental illnesses — schizophrenia and gender dysphoria, according to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-executes-duane-owen-1984-killings-karen-slattery-georgianna-worden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a>. The report said that the psychiatrists believed that it was an &#8220;act.&#8221;
Owen was sentenced to death for raping and stabbing a 14-year-old to death and raping a 38-year-old, who he beat to death with a hammer — both in 1984. He also attacked two other women, but they both survived.
The tweet elicited strong reactions online from people who called out the insanity of the matter.
&#8220;If HE had been executed in a timely manner, it wouldn’t have been a problem,&#8221; actor James Woods <a href="https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1670083194446839808?cxt=HHwWgIDU5aP0qa0uAAAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Then the loved ones of HIS murdered victims wouldn’t have been the ones who actually suffered for thirty years.&#8221;
Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey <a href="https://twitter.com/conservmillen/status/1669876760995831810?cxt=HHwWhICx3aKEzKwuAAAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, &#8220;The only injustice in Owen’s case is that it took the state 40 years to execute him.&#8221;
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Gays Against Groomers <a href="https://twitter.com/againstgrmrs/status/1670095190667718656?cxt=HHwWgMCzzcaur60uAAAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, &#8220;The @ACLU is very upset that a man who raped and murdered a 14 year old girl was never given &#8216;gender affirming care&#8217; in prison before he was executed. This is not parody. Holy f*** these people are monsters.&#8221;
&#8220;The ACLU is working tirelessly to ensure that a delusional echo chamber &#8212; in which the suffering of a male serial rapist and murderer of women denied &#8216;medically necessary gender affirming care&#8217; takes priority over his victims &#8212; encompasses the world and is mandated by law,&#8221; writer Wesley Yang tweeted.
&#8220;Try to imagine the mindset of the person who would read that tweet and bow their head in sorrow, shame, and indignation on behalf of the inhumane treatment of the male rapist and murderer of a mother and her 14-year old daughter denied &#8216;medically necessary gender affirming care,’” Yang added. &#8220;The ACLU fully inhabits that mindset and is sparing no expense to inflict it through the law everywhere in America.&#8221;

Duane Owen

ACLU Slammed For Tweet Defending Pedophile And Murderer Who Was Executed In Florida

Crime

Florida

Murder

U.S.

A federal judge has partially blocked an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/indiana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiana</a> law meant to protect children from life-altering transgender procedures, temporarily stopping a prohibition on giving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors. 
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana Judge James Patrick Hanlon <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4054349-federal-judge-blocks-indiana-gender-affirming-health-care-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">placed</a> a preliminary injunction Friday on Indiana SB 480 after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-left-wing-legal-groups-backing-trans-procedures-on-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Civil Liberties Union sued</a> on behalf of several parents who claimed the law was unconstitutional. The injunction does not block the law&#8217;s prohibition on surgeries like double mastectomies for girls who identify as boys or genital surgeries. 
Indiana officials have promised to fight for the law, which was signed earlier this year and set to go into effect on July 1. 
“The Court openly acknowledges evidence showing the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers and hormone therapy are uncertain and unsettled,” a spokesperson for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told The Hill. “It also recognizes that the State has shown there are good reasons for regulating gender transition procedures for minors.”
“So, our office will continue to defend the democratically passed laws of the Indiana General Assembly, and we will continue to fight for the children,” the spokesperson said, adding that the federal ruling wouldn’t be the “end of the story.” 
Indiana is one of the 20 states that has moved to protect children from life-altering transgender procedures in the last several years. Indiana’s law was challenged by the ACLU just hours after it was signed by Republican Governor Eric Holcomb, which filed similar lawsuits in other states. 
Ken Faulk, the ACLU of Indiana’s legal director, celebrated the preliminary injunction. 
“Today’s victory is a testament to the trans youth of Indiana, their families, and their allies, who never gave up the fight to protect access to gender-affirming care and who will continue to defend the right of all trans people to be their authentic selves, free from discrimination,” Faulk <a href="https://www.aclu-in.org/en/press-releases/federal-court-blocks-indiana-ban-gender-affirming-care-trans-youth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We won’t rest until this unconstitutional law is struck down for good.” 
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Those in support of transgender procedures on children have pursued an aggressive court strategy, with state laws shielding children from the procedures being blocked in several states including Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida. 
In Florida, Judge Robert Hinkle issued a ruling against Florida’s ban on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones that was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-florida-ban-on-prescribing-puberty-blockers-cross-sex-hormones-to-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">steeped in activist language</a>. 
“The elephant in the room should be noted at the outset,” he wrote in a 44-page ruling. “Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear.”
President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has weighed in as well, suing the state of Tennessee over its ban on transgender procedures.

President Biden Meets With Business Leaders & Governors On American Manufacturing & Supply Chains

Federal Judge Blocks Indiana Law Protecting Children From Life-Altering Transgender Procedures

Indiana

Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson <a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-missouri-republican-govenrnor-sports-d0d3ef01544dc7c22592d8ca2464138b?taid=6480bd9fd4faf0000139a7db&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> two bills Wednesday that will ban transgender treatments for minors and prevent men from competing in women’s sports.
SB 49, known as the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, will ban puberty blockers, hormones, and sex change surgeries from being prescribed to minors and prohibit Medicaid from covering transgender treatments for adults.  
The Republican governor released a <a href="https://governor.mo.gov/press-releases/archive/governor-parson-signs-legislation-protect-missouri-children-and-female" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> saying the bill will “protect Missouri children from harmful, irreversible treatments and procedures. These decisions have permanent consequences for life and should not be made by impressionable children who may be in crisis or influenced by the political persuasions of others.”
Missouri Republicans in the state House and Senate often disagreed on how far the restrictions in the SAFE Act should go, with each chamber passing its own version of the bill. Ultimately, the House adopted the Senate’s version, which allows minors who are already receiving treatment to continue to do so. The SAFE Act is set to expire in 2027 as part of a Republican compromise with state Senate Democrats.
The Act’s passage comes a day after a federal judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-florida-ban-on-prescribing-puberty-blockers-cross-sex-hormones-to-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted</a> a preliminary injunction against a similar Florida law to allow three minors already undergoing transgender treatments to continue receiving them. 
The other piece of legislation signed by Parson, SB 39, will strip all state funding from any public or private school that allows biological men to play in women’s sports.  The law applies to all schools from kindergarten through college.
“Women and girls deserve and have fought for an equal opportunity to succeed, and with this legislation today, we stand up to the nonsense and stand with them as they take back their sport competitions,” Parson said. “In Missouri, we support real fairness, not injustice disguised as social righteousness.”
The ACLU of Missouri said it would “explore all options to fight these bans and to expand the rights of trans Missourians.” 
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In anticipation of the SAFE Act’s passage, Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Missouri have been ramping up appointments and holding pop-up clinics so more patients can initiate treatment before the law takes effect.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure all patients are supported, seen, and cared for,” said Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, in a statement. “Any patient wanting to continue their gender-affirming care in a state that welcomes people of all identities: our Fairview Heights, Illinois, health center is open to you and we are here to help you make plans to get care.”

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Holds Press Conference On Planned Parenthood License

Missouri Governor Signs Bills Banning Transgender Treatments For Minors, Protecting Women’s Sports

Missouri Governor Signs Bills Banning Transgender Treatments For Minors, Protecting Women's Sports

Missouri

Planned Parenthood

Women's sports

The grassroots pushback against Target that sprang up at the beginning of the Left’s revered holiday of pride month is the result of an awakening in the everyday American. Parents and grandparents are rightfully realizing that the progressive left’s number one goal is targeting our children.
But while everyone is focused on the slick marketing of pride month and the grotesque drag shows performed in front of young audiences there is a larger threat that the Left is engaged in — weaponizing state law against parents.
Our nation and its success is founded firmly on the belief that states are best suited to stop the federal government from intruding upon our individual freedoms. States are in a unique position to challenge overreach when it occurs and to stop unwanted outside influences, from both government and non-government entities.
The unique power that rests within our states can be an unmatched force for good, but left in the wrong hands, it can become a force for evil. Nowhere is that more evident than in the state of Ohio, where radical Left-wing groups are currently attempting to hijack the state constitution and foist an extreme anti-parent agenda upon Ohio families. These groups have cleverly disguised their war on parents as a ballot measure focused on “reproductive freedom.” 
The measure would amend the Ohio constitution with language that starts with the assertion that “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” The ensuing vagueness and broad strokes of the full amendment’s text all but guarantees it would be used to strip parents of the right to be notified if their child is seeking an abortion or even sex-change surgery.
As Washington Post columnist <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/03/31/post-roe-abortion-laws-south-carolina-ohio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kathleen Parker</a> notes, the language in the ACLU’s proposed amendment “could be extrapolated to protect access to all sorts of medical interventions, including sex-change surgery or sterilization, and not just for adults.”
Groups that have long fought to dismantle parental rights, including the ACLU, United for Reproductive &amp; Gender Equity (URGE), and their out-of-state allies, are leading this charge in Ohio. And if we don’t stop it now, they will bring the same fight to a state near you next.
The ACLU has fashioned itself as the legal attack arm for the anti-parent movement. This movement and its allies believe your children belong to the state, teachers, school counselors — everyone but you.
With the ACLU leading its charge, the anti-parent movement has spent years challenging <a href="https://protectwomenohio.com/2023/03/aclu-admits-anti-parent-ballot-initiative-puts-parental-rights-on-the-line-in-ohio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parental consent and notification laws</a> that apply to minors seeking an abortion, fighting against <a href="https://www.acluohio.org/en/news/opposition-proposed-state-board-education-resolution-support-parents-schools-and-districts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parents who want to be involved</a> in questions about gender or sexuality that their children might be grappling with, and even overturning curriculum transparency laws that give parents greater insight into what information their children are absorbing in classrooms.
The ACLU’s full-throated endorsement of the so-called “reproductive freedom” amendment in Ohio is a logical next step in their quest to dismantle parental rights. After attacking parents in the courtroom and classroom, they’re now using the Ohio constitution to cut parents out of any number of life-altering decisions involving their children.
The ACLU’s partner in crime, <a href="https://protectwomenohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/URGE_-_Backgrounder.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">URGE</a>, has an equally lengthy rap sheet when it comes to undercutting parental rights. For years, the group has publicly <a href="https://twitter.com/URGE_org/status/1284188869634723842">proclaimed</a> that “parental involvement laws are unethical and must be abolished” <a href="https://twitter.com/URGE_org/status/1155995971798462466" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and</a> that “we need policies that get rid of parental involvement laws…” URGE, a member of the Ohio coalition promoting the amendment, is heavily backed by a coterie of well-established progressive institutions, including the New Venture Fund, the Packard Foundation, Planned Parenthood, and many others.
Left-wing groups and politicians remain sickeningly aligned in their war against parents, with support coming from the very top. At the same time the ACLU and URGE are pushing anti-parent policies in states like Ohio, the Biden Administration is unapologetically advancing its own anti-parent agenda. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/critics-shred-biden-claiming-our-nations-children-are-all-our-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Biden</a> has said that “there is no such thing as someone else’s child,” a sentiment echoed by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/kamala-harris-catches-flak-saying-students-are-our-children-late-night-talk-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vice President Harris</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/karine-jean-pierre-slams-bans-trans-treatment-minors-kids-belong-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre</a>.
We must stop this madness. Guiding a child’s life and helping them make decisions that are in their best interest are responsibilities that belong to parents, not the government.
What is happening in Ohio is a harbinger of what extremist, anti-parent groups will do across the country if we don’t band together to stop them now. A group of pro-family, pro-parent leaders have already formed <a href="https://protectwomenohio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Protect Women Ohio</a>, a coalition to stop the anti-parent movement in Ohio. The group launched a $5 million ad campaign featuring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTAVESDkxQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio parents and their real concerns</a> about being cut out of their child’s life if this amendment passes.
Every parent in the country — every American for that matter — would be well-served to tune in to what is happening in Ohio. There, we have an opportunity to send a clear message to these extremist groups: that families are the backbone of our society, and our responsibility is to protect them, not elevate government bureaucrats and progressive activists over parents.
Mark Meckler is president of Convention of States.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Ohio Statehouse

The ACLU’s Campaign To Remove Parental Notification Rights By Amending Ohio’s Constitution

The ACLU's Campaign To Remove Parental Notification Rights By Amending Ohio’s Constitution

Abortion

Ohio

Lawyers for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/aclu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Civil Liberties Union</a> (ACLU) wrote a letter raising concerns about the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a>’s raid of the homes of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/project-veritas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project Veritas</a> employees in connection to a diary that was reportedly stolen from President Joe Biden’s daughter. 
The letter, penned by ACLU attorneys Brian Hauss and Brett Kaufman, was written on behalf of the ACLU, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. It urges a judge presiding over a federal case on the FBI raids to consider the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/first-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Amendment</a> rights of reporters in his ruling. 
The organizations “write in support of neither party to urge the Court to affirm that the First Amendment protects a reporter’s right to receive and possess expressive materials on matters of public concern, even if those materials were unlawfully obtained by a third party,” the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.569823/gov.uscourts.nysd.569823.140.1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter begins</a>. 
The authors argue that journalists should have the right to receive, possess, and publish materials that were stolen by another party.
“But, amici respectfully submit, the Court should affirm that the First Amendment necessarily protects a reporter’s right to receive and possess, as well as publish, documents, like the diary, that touch on matters of public concern and that were previously stolen by a third party,” the letter says. 
“Opening the door for criminalization of journalists’ receipt or possession of expressive materials would result in censorious prosecutions under existing law and inspire legislators to conjure up disastrous new ways to thwart journalists seeking to expose malfeasance. Amici urge this Court to affirm that the First Amendment protects a reporter’s right to receive and possess documents on matters of public concern that were unlawfully obtained or disclosed by a third party,” the letter concludes.
The letter references a case before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Analisa Torres <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61377333/in-re-search-warrant-dated-november-5-2021/?filed_after=&amp;filed_before=&amp;entry_gte=&amp;entry_lte=&amp;order_by=desc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involving</a> the FBI raid of the homes of Project Veritas employees, including then-head <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-okeefe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James O’Keefe</a>, in November 2021. 
Project Veritas had reportedly obtained a copy of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden but had decided not to publish it, instead handing it over to authorities. Other outlets later covered aspects of the diary, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10929171/Tucker-Carlson-blasts-Joe-Biden-setting-FBI-woman-sold-Ashley-Bidens-diary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> the Daily Mail. 
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O’Keefe, who was ousted from his role at Project Veritas earlier this year, praised the ACLU for writing the letter. 
“We are going to continue for the First Amendment,” O’Keefe said in a video response. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: ACLU Letter to federal court SIDES with our journalism in the Biden Diary case following the FBI raid of myself, reporters Eric Cochran and Spencer Meads’ home. ACLU cites “undisputed” facts. 
“Amici urge this Court to affirm that the First Amendment protects a… <a href="https://t.co/OsicPu6xmd">pic.twitter.com/OsicPu6xmd</a>
&mdash; O’Keefe Media Group (@OKeefeMedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/OKeefeMedia/status/1665881421007970306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In August 2022, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-plead-guilty-in-theft-of-biden-daughters-diary-which-contained-disturbing-entries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a man and a woman pleaded guilty</a> to selling the stolen diary, a proceeding that appeared to verify the authenticity of the journal, which reportedly contained disturbing passages.
Aimee Harris, 40, and Robert Kurlander, 58, told a federal judge in New York that they conspired to transport the diary from Florida to New York, selling it for $40,000 to Project Veritas just before the 2020 presidential election.

DALLAS, TX – NOVEMBER 29: James OKeefe, founder of Project Veri

ACLU Raises First Amendment Concerns In Project Veritas-Ashley Biden Diary Case

First Amendment

James O'Keefe

Project Veritas

As red states have moved to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-states-with-restrictions-on-medical-child-sex-changes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shield children</a> from life-altering transgender procedures, several leftist legal groups have been working to block new laws protecting gender-confused young people from surgical and hormonal interventions.
Two of the most prominent groups leading the charge against the laws, the ACLU and Lambda Legal have ties to liberal foundations and are backed by powerful corporations, meaning that red state laws are facing the full power of Left-wing legal action.
Together Lambda, the ACLU, or Lambda and an ACLU affiliate, have challenged bans on child sex changes in states including <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/newsroom/walker_al_20220411_families-sue-over-felony-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-adolescents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama</a>, <a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/brandt-et-al-v-rutledge-et-al" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkansas</a>, <a href="https://www.losangelesblade.com/2023/05/02/aclu-lambda-legal-sue-oklahoma-over-trans-healthcare-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oklahoma</a>, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3936335-aclu-sues-indiana-over-law-banning-transgender-care-for-youth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiana</a>, and <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/newsroom/tn_20230420_lgbtq-advocates-sue-tennessee-to-block-dangerous-transgender-healthcare-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a>. 
Additionally, ACLU affiliates have promised to sue over similar laws in <a href="https://capitol-beat.org/2023/03/fight-over-medical-care-for-transgender-youth-moves-from-gold-dome-to-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia</a>, <a href="https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/law-justice/2023-04-05/aclu-of-idaho-says-it-will-sue-to-halt-transgender-healthcare-ban#:~:text=The%20ACLU%20of%20Idaho%20said,in%20a%20statement%20released%20Wednesday." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Idaho</a>, <a href="https://www.wdrb.com/news/aclu-of-kentucky-plans-lawsuit-over-new-law-banning-gender-transition-for-those-under-18/article_309a6fe0-d313-11ed-a557-4fbb76b4dc71.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kentucky</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/montana-genderaffirming-care-trans-minors-b48aae69e2d46e7d59cab62a3ac72bc6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana</a>, <a href="https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/1/30/23578529/transgender-gender-affirming-care-surgeries-lawsuit-aclu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Utah</a>.
<h2>Lambda Legal</h2>
Lambda Legal, which was founded in 1973, <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/staff-board/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> its mission as working “to change laws, policies, and minds so that LGBTQ+ Americans and everyone living with HIV can live with full equality.”
Its current CEO is Kevin Jennings, who worked in the Obama administration as assistant secretary of education, and has been associated with several LGBT groups in the past. 
His leadership of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) brought controversy in 2000 after a Boston chapter of the network <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/mass-ed-dept-criticized-for-taped-session-on-gay-sex/2000/05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted talks</a> like “Ask the Transsexuals” and “What They Didn’t Tell You About Queer Sex and Sexuality in Health Class,” which contained graphic descriptions of sex. 
“This was a politically motivated witch hunt,” Jennings said at the time. “This one workshop is being seen as typical and that is not the case.”
Also on the executive team is Marco Chan, who is the chief of planning and program management. Chan has previously worked as a consultant for the World Bank and worked as a policy adviser for a variety of positions in the Canadian government, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwtchan/details/experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to his LinkedIn page. 
Another member of the executive team, Jennifer Pizer, was instrumental in overturning state laws that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. She <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/staff-board/jennifer-c-pizer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also</a> “co-authored a series of friend-of-the-court briefs explaining the threats to LGBT people of the religious challenges by Hobby Lobby.” 
Jim Ferg-Cadima, the <a href="https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.20201.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">child</a> of an illegal immigrant and deputy legal director for the group, was also an Obama administration alumni. He <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jferg-cadima2023/details/experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked</a> as the acting deputy assistant for policy for the Education Department before he became the chair of the Illinois Human Rights Commission by far-Left Governor J.B. Pritzker. 
Other management team members also have ties to Left-wing activism including <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/staff-board/kristine-kippins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kristine Kippins</a> (tied to the radical pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights), <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/staff-board/michael-shutt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Schutt</a> (starting LGBT and other diversity groups at Emory University and the University of Georgia), and <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/staff-board/camilla-taylor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Camilla B. Taylor</a> (working to strike down state laws defining marriage as between one man and one woman). 
Lambda Legal also receives backing from major <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/sponsors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">corporate sponsors</a>, including banking giant JPMorgan &amp; Chase, international law firm Kirkland &amp; Ellis, Mastercard, Paycom, The Financial Times, Comcast NBCUniversal, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Ron Klain-linked law firm O’Melveny, Clinton-linked law firm Perkins Coie, alcohol company Southern Glazer, and Toyota.
Though most of its donors are not publicly known, it appears  several Left-leaning organizations, including George Soros’ Open Society Foundation have backed Lambda. 
The Open Society Foundation has consistently given six-figure grants to the group, beginning in 2016, the most <a href="https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=lambda+legal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent</a> being a$125,000 donation in 2021. 
Lambda has also been the beneficiary of large donations from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, most recently <a href="https://www.haasjr.org/grants/search/all/2018/2023/any/any/Lambda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receiving</a> $20,000 from the group in 2021 and generous donations from the <a href="https://www.overbrook.org/advancing-reproductive-and-gender-rights-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Overbrook Foundation</a> through its “Advancing Reproductive and Gender Rights” program. 
<h2>ACLU</h2>
Though no surprise, the other legal group leading the charge against bans on transgender procedures is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its state level affiliates. Founded in 1920, the ACLU <a href="https://www.aclu.org/about/aclu-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> that its purpose is to fight “government abuse and to vigorously defend individual freedoms including speech and religion, a woman’s right to choose, the right to due process, citizens’ rights to privacy.”
Well known cases brought by the ACLU include the 1925 Scopes trial which centered on the teaching of evolution in the classroom, Supreme Court cases in the early 2000s where the ACLU challenged restrictions on pornography, and cases of all sorts challenging religious actions at public schools. 
The organization has a <a href="https://www.aclu.org/report/aclu-2022-annual-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">massive budget</a>, with total net assets reaching well over $600 million in fiscal year 2022. The ACLU and its affiliates have also received the backing of large foundations like the Ford Foundation which gave a <a href="https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?q=%22American%20Civil%20Liberties%20Union%20Foundation%20(ACLUF)%22&amp;p=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hefty $2,400,000 donation</a> this past April. At the state level, the Tawani Foundation — the foundation for the mega-wealthy Pritzker family — <a href="https://www.tawanifoundation.org/our-grants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave</a> the ACLU-TN $164,205 for the purpose of “legal work in TN to advance and defend justice for transgender individuals.”
The arguments from the ACLU generally say that the bans on trans surgeries for kids violate the constitutional rights of the students, arguing they are being denied equal treatment under the law.
“Politicians have no right to put themselves between patients and their doctors, and this law threatens the future of thousands of trans youth across the state,” <a href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/montana-health-care-providers-and-families-challenge-law-banning-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-youth">said</a> ACLU staff attorney Malita Picasso, referencing a recent lawsuit filed in Montana with the assistance of attorney from the ACLU, the ACLU of Montana, Lambda Legal, and Perkins Coie. 
The judicial approach has worked in two states so far, with judges blocking bans on trans procedures for minors in both Alabama and Arkansas.
It remains to be seen how this approach will play out, especially with Biden’s Department of Justice filing suit against Tennessee on similar grounds. But like many issues in the past, from abortion to guns, the final call may go to the Supreme Court.

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