Black congresswomen urge Biden to look beyond symbolism with Supreme Court pick
WASHINGTON — A group of Black female lawmakers on Thursday commended President Joe Biden’s commitment to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, but outlined the type of jurist they want to see elevated.
“The nomination of a Black woman is not mere symbolism; it is an essential step for our country’s promise of justice for all,” the women said in a letter to Biden.
“It is therefore of utmost importance that the administration appoints a Black woman with a strong track record of advancing civil and constitutionally protected rights, and whose work has shown dedication to affirming the rights of our country’s most marginalized communities,” the letter states.
Led by Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., 13 other Black women in Congress signed the letter.
Biden has said he plans to announce his choice to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer by the end of February, Black History Month.
—Los Angeles Times
Florida Supreme Court rejects DeSantis' request for redistricting opinion
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request for an advisory opinion involving his proposed congressional map that would eliminate a Black American district in North Florida.
The move is another setback to DeSantis’ unprecedented insertion into the redistricting process after the state Senate ignored his surprise map and approved its own.
In the 5-0- order, with two justices recusing themselves, the justices wrote, “the scope of the governor’s request is broad and contains multiple questions that implicate complex federal and state constitutional matters and precedents interpreting the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
The history of redistricting has shown that the maps eventually adopted by the Legislature would likely be subject to legal challenges, so other courts should be allowed to weigh in before it did, the ruling stated.
“We respectfully deny the request for an advisory opinion,” the court wrote. “No rehearing will be permitted.”
—Orlando Sentinel
Boy Scouts reach bankruptcy deal with attorneys for sexual abuse survivors
Negotiators for the Boy Scouts of America and lawyers for thousands of sexual abuse survivors have struck an eleventh-hour deal to allow the youth group’s reorganization plan to move forward in bankruptcy court.
The new plan does not immediately add money to a trust fund to be shared by about 82,000 former Scouts who have filed claims. But it includes improvements to the claims process and enhancements to the organization’s child-protection policies, according to terms of the agreement.
The Scouts’ previous offer of a $2.7 billion settlement, touted as the largest of its kind in U.S. history, hit a major snag last month when it failed to garner “overwhelming support” from the nearly 54,000 abuse survivors who voted on it.
The plan needed a “yes” vote of about 75% to be confirmed by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein, who has scheduled a Feb. 22 hearing in Delaware. It wound up just shy of that, with about 73% approving.
—Los Angeles Times
Russia starts major military drills in Belarus as NATO watches
Russia and Belarus began their largest joint military drills in years Thursday, watched closely by the U.S. and Europe amid tensions over neighboring Ukraine.
Thousands of troops backed by tanks, fighter aircraft and advanced S-400 missile-defense systems are involved in the “Allied Resolve 2022” exercises in Belarus that run to Feb. 20. They include drills near the border with Ukraine as well as close to Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members.
“Russia and Belarus are facing unprecedented threats, the nature and concentration of which is now, unfortunately, much greater and far more dangerous than it was before,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on a conference call Wednesday. While Russia conducts regular drills with Belarus, these exercises “may be on a larger scale than before” in response to pressure from NATO, he said.
Around 30,000 Russian troops may be in Belarus, making it “the largest military buildup there since the Cold War,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Monday. The alliance has moved to reinforce its eastern flank and remains vigilant because “we have seen Russia use military exercises before as a cover for aggressive actions,” he said.
—Bloomberg News
