Tax pros: Taxpayers who owe taxes might get a call from a private collection agency working on behalf of the IRS. The recently released YouTube video, “Here’s How to Know that Private Collection Agency Calling You is Legit” explains how to know it’s an IRS authorized private collection agency calling and not a scammer. For more information on private debt collection, visit the frequently asked questions on IRS.gov.
Author: lennyesq
http://www.hancock.net/~lennyesq/resume.htm
New Law Requires High School Student Governments in All Districts–NYSED
Effective September 1, 2024, every school district serving high school students grades 9-12 with no districtwide or school building peer-selected student government is required to establish at least one student government organization within such district or school building.
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- The new Section 817 of Education Law, effective September 1, 2024, states that every public school district with at least one high school serving grades 9-12 with no districtwide or school building peer selected student government is required to establish at least one student government organization within such district or school building.
- Please see the *** memorandum titled, “Chapter 357 of the Laws of 2023 Relating to Student Governments” for more information regarding the new law. The memorandum is *** posted on the New York State Education Department’s Office of Standards and Instruction (OSI) Social Studies Guidance and Resources webpage.
- Questions can be referred to OSI at P12StandardsInstruction@nysed.gov or 518-474-5922.
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U.S. Supreme Court sides with police and prosecutors in civil forfeiture case.-The Marshall Project
EDITED BY ANDREW COHEN
The justices ruled 6-3 on Thursday that people who have had their property seized in civil forfeiture cases are entitled only to a single, “timely” forfeiture hearing. The court’s conservative majority ruled against two Alabama women who had sought an earlier “preliminary” hearing to try to recover cars they owned that had been seized and held by police in connection with crimes committed by other people. THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Related: Read the opinion. U.S. SUPREME COURT
N.Y. Equal Rights Amendment Thrown Off November Ballot by Upstate Judge–The City
Foes of the referendum, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, argued Democrats in the legislature made a fatal procedural misstep.
BY CHRIS BRAGG, NEW YORK FOCUS AND RACHEL HOLLIDAY SMITH
New York’s Equal Rights Amendment, which would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state, has been ordered off the November ballot after a judge ruled that lawmakers didn’t follow the appropriate procedure in passing it.
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On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Daniel J. Doyle sided (full Text of Decision) with plaintiff Assemblymember Marjorie Byrnes (R-Western N.Y.), declaring the amendment “null and void” and ordering its removal from the ballot.
The issue centers on the timing of a review by Attorney General Letitia James. The state constitution says that when the legislature introduces a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment, the proposal should go to the attorney general, who will “render an opinion in writing” on how it would affect other provisions of the constitution. Lawmakers can only vote on the bill after they receive that opinion, according to Doyle’s interpretation.
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In this case, James did issue an opinion greenlighting the proposal — but it came five days after the legislature passed the amendment.
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He Was Sick, So They Sent Him to Prison
New York jails can transfer people with mental illnesses to maximum security prisons, even while they’re legally innocent.–NY Focus
According to records obtained by New York Focus, 23 counties sent at least 56 people in their custody to state prisons between December 2022 and mid-September. Three-quarters were for mental health or behavior reasons. At least one was imprisoned for going on a hunger strike.
They disappear into a little-known wrinkle in the carceral system. Given special prison identification numbers, people boarded out from county jails don’t show up in the prison system’s internal rosters or online portal. When asked for more data, the prison department directed New York Focus to file a public records request, which takes months to fulfill
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Counties could largely avoid the practice by sending people to state-run psychiatric centers — but it costs too much, said Hood. Inpatient Office of Mental Health facilities charge counties at least $1,100 per patient per day, and will up that rate to nearly $1,300 starting next month. For patients under 18, it’s more than $2,900. The prison system, on the other hand, doesn’t charge anything.
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Anti-DEI laws are forcing universities to grapple with a mass exodus of LGBTQ+ professors: study–The Advocate
A newly-published report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law unveils significant challenges facing LGBTQ+ faculty in higher education. Nearly half of those surveyed are considering relocating or leaving their academic roles due to anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, laws. According to the report, these laws, already enacted in nine states and under consideration in many others, are drastically reshaping these academics’ professional and personal landscapes.
Specifically, states like Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have passed legislation affecting higher education DEI efforts. These laws vary significantly in their specifics but share common restrictions, including prohibitions on mandatory DEI training for faculty, limitations on funding for DEI initiatives, and bans on certain curriculum content deemed divisive, often targeting teachings related to critical race theory and gender studies. Conservatives have aimed at inclusion efforts, deeming them “woke” and thus unpalatable.
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THE IMPACT OF ANTI-DEI LEGISLATION ON LGBTQ+ FACULTY
in Higher Education–May 2024–Abbie E. Goldberg
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TikTok sues U.S. government, saying potential ban violates First Amendment–NBCNews
The company argues that invoking national security concerns is not a sufficient reason for restricting free speech.
By Angela Yang and Savannah Sellers
TikTok is suing the United States government in an effort to stop enforcement of a bill passed last month that seeks to force the app’s Chinese owner to sell the app or have it banned.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, argues that the bill, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates constitutional protections of free speech.
The suit calls the law an “unprecedented violation” of the First Amendment.
“For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban,” TikTok wrote in the lawsuit, “and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than 1 billion people worldwide.”
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Judges Say They Won’t Hire Clerks From Columbia Over Pro-Palestine Campus Protests–law.com
Thirteen federal judges appointed by Donald Trump sent a letter to Columbia University’s president Monday saying they won’t hire law clerks from the university in response to what they called the school’s failure to deal with pro-Palestinian protests over the war in Gaza.
Columbia “has become ground zero for the explosion of student disruptions, anti-Semitism, and hatred for diverse viewpoints on campuses across the Nation,” stated the letter signed by the judges, including James Ho of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Elizabeth Branch of the Eleventh Circuit.
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The judges said they won’t hire anyone who enrolls in Columbia as an undergraduate or law student beginning with the entering class of 2024.
Two years ago, Ho, joined by Branch, announced they would cease hiring from Yale University. Ho cited concerns about free speech at the New Haven, Connecticut, school after students reportedly shouted down an Alliance Defending Freedom speaker who had previously represented a cake shop owner at the Supreme Court who refused to sell to a marrying same-sex couple.
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Republican US senators sent threatening letter to ICC prosecutor over possible Netanyahu arrest warrant–JURIST
Elisabeth Driscoll | U. Bristol Law School, GB
A group of 12 Republican US senators sent a letter to International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on April 24 threatening repercussions if the court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, according to a report by news organization Zeteo, which published the letter Monday.
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A statement from the ICC Prosecutor’s Office issued Friday noted that there was “significant public interest” surrounding present cases and encouraged dialogue, but warned against individuals threatening to retaliate against any actions of the court, which is prohibited under Article 70 of the Rome Statute.
The US is not a party to the Rome Statute and does not recognize ICC jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories, which the court asserts it has. The letter also highlighted the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, which prohibits federal, state and local governments from assisting the ICC and authorizes the US President “to use all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release” of any “US person” or ally detained by the ICC.
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Consultant charged over $1.5M extortion scheme against IT giant–The Register
Accused of stealing data after losing his job
A cybersecurity expert could face a 20-year prison sentence after being accused of trying to extort a multinational IT infrastructure services biz to the tune of $1.5 million.
Vincent Cannady, 57, was arrested in El Dorado Springs, Missouri, this week after an alleged drawn-out attempt to obtain what he described as a “settlement” after being fired from his IT consultancy job in June 2023.
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Read the criminal complaint [PDF].
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