Justice

July 19, 2013 - In May, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) announced a plan to automatically restore voting rights on an individual basis to nonviolent felons who completed their sentence. This week, his administration revealed the details of the plan, which was crafted with the help of voting rights advocacy groups.

July 19, 2013 - The Republican-led state Senate unveiled legislation this week that will make it harder for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians to vote. Voting rights advocates are protesting the latest example of the state's regressive political turn.

July 18, 2013 - Had the issue of race been allowed in the state trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin, the federal government would have a hard time bringing federal charges -- and maybe no case at all.

July 16, 2013 - There's also a George Zimmerman in me that I need to watch, because he's up to no good.

July 15, 2013 - Civil rights and gun safety leaders are calling for the repeal of what some decry as racially biased "shoot-first" laws, which are especially popular in the South. Some are putting renewed pressure on the corporate members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the business advocacy group that promoted such laws in the states.

July 12, 2013 - Hundreds of Eastern North Carolina residents plan to sue pork giant Smithfield Foods over the company's hog farm pollution, which they say has infringed on their property rights. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are finalizing an ALEC model bill designed to discourage such farm nuisance suits.

July 12, 2013 - South Carolina is the latest state where politicians' tales of dead voters casting ballots have been proven false, but restrictive voting laws are still being passed in response to these myths. Perhaps it's time for a law to ban such false claims as a form of voter fraud?