Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
This week a second allegation of sexual misconduct involving Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh surfaced, a new DHS regulation targets immigrants who rely on public assistance, and the Muller probe investigates Obama White House counsel.
Senate Democrats Investigate a New Allegation of Sexual Misconduct, from Brett Kavanaugh’s College Years: At least four Democratic senators have received information about the allegation and at least two senators have started to investigate it. (The New Yorker)
Public Defenders Say New York’s New Policy to Reduce Marijuana Arrests Doesn’t Go Far Enough: The carve-outs in the new policy might mimic the very racial disparities that previously existed in marijuana enforcement and led to calls for reform. (The Appeal)
Trump Administration Aims to Sharply Restrict New Green Cards for Those on Public Aid: A new DHS regulation could affect millions of immigrants who rely on public assistance for food and shelter. (New York Times)
Obama White House Counsel Gregory Craig Under Scrutiny by Prosecutors in Offshoot of Mueller Probe: The investigation of Craig has increased the level of scrutiny of Washington’s lobbying and legal community’s representation of foreign clients. (The Washington Post)
McDonald’s Workers Are Striking Against Sexual Harassment – Tying #MeToo to Their Labor Struggle: This workers’ strike will be the first nationwide strike that specifically targets sexual harassment in the workplace. (The Intercept)
Inside NY Courts Where Sex Workers Are ‘Painted as Victims and Treated as Criminals’: Two recently released reports challenge the efficacy of sex worker diversion programs. (The Appeal)
#WhyIDidntReport: Survivors of Sexual Assault Share Their Stories After Trump Tweet: The hashtag gained traction after President Trump challenged Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. (New York Times)
Thousands at Risk from Right Wing Push to Purge Eligible Voters from U.S. Rolls: Conservative groups are publishing voters’ details online in a functionally intimidating way. (The Guardian)
A Grassroots Call to Ban Gerrymandering: This November, Michigan’s ballot will contain a proposed constitutional referendum that would create a citizens’ commission for redistricting. (The Atlantic)
State Department Team Led by Former Raytheon Lobbyist Pushed Mike Pompeo to Support Yemen War Because of Arms Sales: Internal opposition to the war from State Department staff was overruled after discussion about weapons sales with the legislative affairs team led by a former Raytheon lobbyist. (The Intercept)