Republicans File Suit to Rescind Rights Restoration to 206,000 Virginians By Jeremy Lazarus

May 29, 2016

Republicans File Suit to Rescind Rights Restoration to 206,000 Virginians
By Jeremy Lazarus

Gov. McAuliffe celebrated the day he announced restored rights for 206,000 felons. Now, a court could reverse his executive action.

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is facing a court fight over his April 22 order restoring voting rights to 206,000 felons who have completed their sentences, including about 40,000 people convicted of violent offenses.

In a case filed Monday, Republican leaders in the General Assembly and four voters have asked the Virginia Supreme Court to find the governor acted illegally and to order him to rescind the blanket restoration of rights that allowed the affected individuals to vote, serve on juries and run for office.

Currently, 4,935 people across the state whose rights were restored have registered to vote, a barely noticeable percentage among the Virginia’s 5.3 million registered voters.
Legal experts say the case will test whether the governor can automatically restore felons’ voting rights without receiving individual requests.

Previous governors said they could restore rights only on a case-by-case basis, although Gov. McAuliffe’s immediate predecessors, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell and Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine, streamlined restoration to make it virtually automatic for nonviolent felons — a move the legislature did not oppose.

The case also will test whether the governor can restore rights for felons who have not paid court-ordered restitution and fines, fees and other costs that have long been regarded as part of a sentence.

The more than 200,000 people whose rights were restored had completed their prison sentences, including any supervised parole or probation.

Gov. McAuliffe is the first to separate court debts from restoration of rights. He began doing so in 2015, and expanded that effort in his order last month under which he restored rights, but left intact the debts the individuals still might owe to a court.

In response to the suit, Gov. McAuliffe quickly vowed to “vigorously oppose” it, claiming he has “ample authority to restore the rights of people who have served their time.”
He called the lawsuit “simply the latest Republican attack on the voting rights of qualified Virginians who deserve a voice in their society.” He noted that most states allow felons who have served their time to register and vote.

However, the challengers argue they are mounting the suit because the governor has overstepped his authority. The plaintiffs include House Speaker William J Howell, R-Fredericksburg; Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment, R-Williamsburg; William C. Cleveland, a former Republican vice mayor of Alexandria; and two voters from Southwest Virginia and one from Northern Virginia, who list themselves as Republicans.

The issue blew up, in large measure, because the governor’s order also covers violent felons, who previously faced a long wait time and further review to get their rights restored after convictions of murder, rape, robbery and similar crimes.

So far, fewer than 2 percent of felons whose rights were restored under the governor’s order have registered to vote. Still, opponents believe the governor went too far.

“The governor simply may not, with a stroke of the pen, unilaterally suspend and amend the Virginia Constitution,” Speaker Howell stated in announcing the suit. In his view, the governor’s blanket order violates provisions of the state Constitution that define a voter and authorize the governor to restore rights at his discretion.

“Gov. McAuliffe exceeded the authority granted to him, and we simply cannot ignore this unprecedented executive overreach,” Speaker Howell stated.

“A plain reading of the Constitution, 240 years of practice and precedent-setting Virginia Supreme Court cases,” Speaker Howell continued, “lead to the unambiguous conclusion that the governor’s order is unconstitutional and cannot stand.”

Sen. Norment went even further, describing the governor’s order as an “abuse of power” and asserting that “the governor has willfully ignored constitutional limitations on his power, demonstrating his complete and total disregard for the Commonwealth, the people of Virginia and the principles of representative government.”

However, restoration of rights advocates, as well as Democrats in the legislature, rushed to the governor’s defense.

Linda Thomas, president of the nonpartisan state NAACP, expressed “disappointment” in the Republican decision to file the lawsuit, saying the civil rights group “has been persistent in advocating for the restoration of rights to those who have paid their debt to society.”

House Minority Leader David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, called the suit another Republican “attempt to strip away voting rights from hundreds of thousands of Virginians. Virginians who have made mistakes, served their time and returned should have the right to fully participate in their communities.”

Delegate Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, praised the governor for using his authority to restore rights and described the lawsuit as another example of Virginia Republicans “working to put barriers in front of people who are legally allowed to vote.”

Courthouse Named for Principals of Law Firm That Led Brown v. Board By Jeremy Lazarus

May 29, 2016

Courthouse Named for Principals of Law Firm That Led Brown v. Board
By Jeremy Lazarus

From left, Harold M. Marsh Jr. and Dr. Erica Marsh, the children of Harold M. Marsh Sr.; Henry L. Marsh III; and Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones stand in front of the new sign outside the courthouse at 920 Hull St. The South Richmond, Va. courthouse was renamed in honor of Mr. Marsh and his brother, Harold M. Marsh Sr., who died in 1997. Photo: Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Civil rights was central to the law firm that Henry L. Marsh III organized with the late legal giants Oliver W. Hill Sr. and Samuel W. Tucker.

The firm spearheaded the fight to enforce the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision banning segregated public schools by engaging in more than 50 suits against school districts.

Marsh, who was joined at the firm by his younger brother, the late Harold M. Marsh Sr., also battled racial discrimination in employment and successfully forced Virginia to adopt single-member legislative districts, opening the door to the election of more African-Americans to the General Assembly.

So when the courthouse at 920 Hull St. in Richmond’s South Side formally was renamed last Friday the Henry L. Marsh III and Harold M. Marsh Sr. Manchester Courthouse, many in the audience nodded in agreement when Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott called it fitting.

“It is fitting that a courthouse, a symbol of equal rights under the law, is being named for two brothers who spent their legal careers fighting for civil rights,” Congressman Scott said. “Thank you for making this necessary.”

More than 150 people attended the outdoor ceremony, including about 40 Marsh family members, an array of judges, state and local elected and appointed officials, candidates for office, former law firm staffers, friends and well-wishers.

Speakers praising the role the Marsh brothers played in shaping Richmond included U.S. District Court Judge Raymond A. Jackson of Norfolk, one of the 13 lawyers from the law firm who went on to become judges; Helivi L. Holland, president of the Old Dominion Bar Association; and Vernon E. Inge, president of the Richmond Bar Association.

With Judge D. Eugene Cheek Sr., the chief judge of Richmond General District Court, presiding, the ceremony was punctuated by lighthearted, but reflective remarks from Marsh, now 82, and poignant recollections by Harold Marsh’s son, Harold Marsh Jr.

Harold Marsh Sr. was fatally shot in 1997 about a mile west of the renamed courthouse by an embittered defendant in an eviction case. For Harold Marsh Jr., who was joined at the podium by his sister, Dr. Erica Marsh, the ceremony was bittersweet. He and his sister, who now live in Chicago, had not returned to the courthouse since the trial of the man charged with killing their father.

He spoke of his father’s commitment to the law and to helping others.

“He wasn’t one to seek the spotlight. He only sought the work that needed to be done,” he said.

While Harold Marsh served as a substitute judge and became well known as a mentor and supporter at Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School long after his children graduated, Henry Marsh made a name for himself in politics, winning election to Richmond City Council in 1966. He became Richmond’s first African-American mayor in 1977, with the backing of four council colleagues who help form the governing body’s first African-American majority in the city’s history.

After 25 years on City Council, Marsh won election to the state Senate in 1991. After winning re-election for several terms, he resigned in 2014 and accepted an appointment by Gov. Terry McAuliffe as a commissioner of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.

In his remarks, Marsh expressed gratitude to Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the City Council for naming the courthouse in his honor and that of his brother.

He cited his love of the city and having the support of others.

“I had the privilege of achieving several firsts in my civic and political careers, but … anyone who comes first is usually standing on the shoulders of others.”

He also saluted his family, including his wife, Diane, and children, Nadine, Sonya and Dwayne, all of whom were present, and the unsung people who helped make the civil rights victories possible — those “who marched with us, voted with us, prayed for us and stood for us as we tried to change the scales of justice in the former capital of the Confederacy.”

He recalled the point at which he determined to take part. He was living in Isle of Wight County with relatives following the death of his mother when he was 5.

His father, a hard-working man, could not afford to raise the four children, but kept working as a waiter until he could reunite the family years later.
Marsh returned to Richmond when he was 11.

While in Isle of Wight, he said he walked 5 miles to the one-room schoolhouse where one teacher worked with 78 students separated into seven grades.

He said he didn’t mind the walk even in inclement weather, but he started noticing yellow school buses passing him. When he asked, he learned that the buses were carrying children to the bigger, better, Whites-only public schools.

“It dawned on me at that time that this system isn’t right,” he said.

That thought later would propel him into a career through which he could foster change.

“Being honored with Harold, to share that privilege, is the highest honor I could ever receive,” Marsh told the crowd.

When cadets from Franklin Military Academy removed the blue draping to show off the new brick sign bearing the courthouse’s new name, Marsh murmured to Mayor Jones, “It looks pretty good.”

Mayor Jones presented Marsh with a key to the city.

Lack of Resources Stymies Black Entrepreneurs

May 28, 2016

Lack of Resources Stymies Black Entrepreneurs

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNews.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - What’s holding back African-American entrepreneurs? Centuries-old racial disadvantage not experienced by other minority groups, according to a new study.Only five percent of Blacks are self-employed, compared with 11 percent of Whites, and Black-owned companies tend to be smaller, have fewer employees, and make less money than White-owned businesses.

Some researchers and politicians have blamed Blacks’ low levels of entrepreneurship on a poor work ethic and a lack of interest in and ability for business. But what these theories fail to recognize is that the creation of small business requires resources that Blacks, unlike immigrant minority groups, generally lack, says sociologist Steven Gold of Michigan State University.

“Immigrants—who benefit from skills, investment capital, family labor, imported goods, and wage differentials brought from the country of origin—have higher rates of self-employment than native-born minorities,” Gold says. “To a large extent, the most entrepreneurially successful immigrants from countries such as Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, China, and Iran came from property-owning upper classes and entered the United States with human capital and money to invest. So it’s no surprise they’ve been successful in small business.

“Black Americans’ entrepreneurial experiences contrast dramatically with these groups,” Gold adds. “Brought over as slaves, they continue to suffer from a wide array of disadvantages wrought by systematic racial oppression. As such, Blacks generally lack the resources that the most entrepreneurially accomplished groups have used to achieve business success.”

Modern disadvantages experienced by Blacks include racial segregation, low levels of earnings, lack of wealth, poor education, lack of experience in a family business, employer discrimination, and difficulty in getting a loan, Gold says.

In April 2000, a congressional study found that “Most banks largely ignored African-American neighborhoods, even those with above-average incomes,” forcing many blacks to depend on expensive and abusive lenders, he says.

Andy Henion is manager of media communications at Michigan State University.

Mandela Statue Casts a Long Shadow Over Unfree Palestine

May 28, 2016

Mandela Statue Casts a Long Shadow Over Unfree Palestine

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Global Information Network

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Now that the media circus has moved on, a bronze statue of Nelson Mandela is a curious icon standing impressively tall in the well to do city of Ramallah, the economic capital of Palestine.

Weighing two metric tons and rising 19 feet towards the sky, the bronze likeness of Mandela stands straight, with his right arm raised and hand in a fist. Created by South African artists Christina Salvodi, Lungisa Khala and Tanya Lee‚ the project was funded by the City of Johannesburg.

The statue took seven months to produce and has been placed on high land for "all the people of Palestine to see", according to Sowetan Live.

Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas‚ were among the dignitaries at the unveiling in the now-renamed Mandela Square.

Madiba was an ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause and a champion for Middle East peace. His comment: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians,” has been printed on huge posters that are plastered on nearby walls.

Nineteen years ago, Mandela spoke out on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

“The temptation in our situation is to speak in muffled tones about an issue such as the right of the people of Palestine to a state of their own,” he said. “Having achieved our own freedom, we can fall into the trap of washing our hands of difficulties that others face.

“Yet we would be less than human if we did so.”

Speaking at the recent unveiling, Ramallah mayor Musa Hadid said: “This statue reminds us of the personality of Nelson Mandela, who took the side of the Palestinian people even during most difficult moments of his life, when he was in prison. He had a strong relationship with the Palestinian revolution.”

“With Mandela’s statue, Ramallah intends to send a “clear message to the colonizer and occupier, Israel: we are much closer to freedom than you think,” he said.

“We see the statue as a symbol of friendship‚” said Jo’Berg Mayor Tau, “as a symbol of our solidarity but also hopefully as an inspiration to the people of Palestine that you indeed would be able to achieve your freedom.”

The Obamas Find Their Post-White House Home

May 29, 2016

The Obamas Find Their Post-White House Home

obamas-home

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - After President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pack up in January and move out of the White House, they will settle into another mansion in Washington, D.C’s wealthy Kalorama neighborhood.
Politico reported that the 8,200-square-foot mansion sits on a quarter of an acre of land. The house, which was built in 1928, has nine bedrooms and eight-and-a-half bathrooms. It also has a two-car garage and a gated courtyard for eight to 10 vehicles.
President Obama and Michelle Obama will lease the property.

Joe Lockhart, White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton, and Giovanna Gray Lockhart own the home, which was purchased in May 2014 for $5.3 million.
Lockhart moved in February to Manhattan to become executive vice-president of communications for the National Football League, and Gray will handle special projects for Glamour magazine.

The Obamas will live in Washington until Sasha, the couple’s youngest daughter, graduates from high school.

President Obama is the first president in 100 years to remain in Washington, following his tenure in office. Woodrow Wilson stayed in Washington when his term ended in 1921.