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Trump Demands Removal of Black Female Judge in Jan. 6 Case
ABOVE: U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM) Former president Donald J. Trump has pled not guilty to all charges for his role in the January 6th insurrection. Inside E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Trump stood before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, who oversaw the roughly half-hour hearing. She […]
The post Trump Demands Removal of Black Female Judge in Jan. 6 Case first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
ABOVE: U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)
Former president Donald J. Trump has pled not guilty to all charges for his role in the January 6th insurrection. Inside E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Trump stood before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, who oversaw the roughly half-hour hearing. She ordered Mr. Trump not to talk about the case with any witnesses, except through counsel.
When his trial begins on Aug. 28, Trump will face a judge who represents everything he seems to hate: Judge Tanya Chutkan, a Black female judge appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States District Court of Washington, D.C. in June 2014. Trump, who has a history of attacking judges and prosecutors (especially Black ones), is already demanding she be removed from the case. But he may want to rethink any attacks on Judge Chutkan — an experienced judge who plays no games.
Background
Trump was indicted by a grand jury on August 1 in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into January 6th. Trump faces four counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The indictment opens by saying that Trump lost the 2020 election. “Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power. So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false. But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway,” the indictment says, adding that doing so helped “create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger.”
The indictment also says that Trump “pursued unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results. In so doing, the Defendant perpetuated three criminal conspiracies:
- A conspiracy to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud and deceit to impair, obstruct and defeat the lawful federal government function by which the results of the presidential election are collected, counted, and certified […]
- A conspiracy to corruptly obstruct and impede the January 6 congressional proceeding […]
- A conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted, in violation of 18 U.S.C.”
The Electors
The results of a presidential election are collected, counted, and certified through a process established by the Constitution and the Electoral College Act (1887). We Americans do not elect the president directly. They don’t just count up all the votes and see who wins. Rather, votes are counted by state. The winner of the state is awarded the state’s “electors” — a group of designated people who get the final say.
Each state (except Maine and Nebraska) has a “winner-take-all” system: whoever gets the popular vote in a state gets all that state’s electors. (Each state gets a number of electors equal to its number of representatives. So if Texas has two senators and 36 House reps, it gets 38 electors.) After Election Day, each state decides who its electors will be. “Finally, the Constitution and ECA required that on the 6th of January […] the Congress meet in a Joint Session for a certification proceeding, presided over by the Vice President,” the indictment says.
“Manner & Means”
Trump and his co-conspirators “organized fraudulent slates of electors in seven targeted states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), attempting to mimic the procedures that the legitimate electors were supposed to follow,” Smith’s indictment says. That included having the fake electors meet on the same day as the real ones met to cast their votes. They also signed certificates falsely claiming that they were the real electors. Then they sent the fake certificates to Vice President Mike Pence, among other government officials.
Trump even misled his own foot soldiers: “Some fraudulent electors were tricked into participating based on the understanding that their votes would be used only if the Defendant [Trump] succeeded in outcome-determinative lawsuits within their state, which the Defendant never did.” Trump and his minions tried to get Pence to alter the election results. They tried to convince him to use the fake electors. And Trump pressured Pence relentlessly to overturn the election.
When that failed, Trump and his gang hosted a rally, telling supporters that Pence could and might change the results. Then Trump told them to go to the Capitol — which was soon the scene of a deadly riot. Now, he faces a particularly tough judge in the case. Her name is Tanya Chutkan.
“Here Comes The Judge”
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Chutkan emigrated to the United States to attend college at George Washington University. (She earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.) She spent over a decade as a public defender for impoverished clients before joining the federal bench in Washington in 2014.
Significantly, Trump is now facing a judge who is Black, an immigrant, and a woman — notable because he has a history of attacking people from all three demographics. Additionally, Judge Chutkan has a reputation as a tough judge who handed down stiff sentences to those involved in the January 6th riot: All 11 defendants who came before her court wound up behind bars. No wonder Trump is already calling for her recusal: “There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous [Jan. 6] case,” he whined on Truth Social. He wants Chutkan to recuse herself from the case.
In addition to the individual criminal January 6th cases, Chutkan also ruled on a 2021 case in which Trump tried to block his White House records from being handed over to the January 6th Committee. Trump had claimed executive privilege, but Judge Chutkan rebuffed his request in her decision.
“Presidents are not kings,” she wrote, “and Plaintiff is not president.”
The post Trump Demands Removal of Black Female Judge in Jan. 6 Case appeared first on Forward Times.
The post Trump Demands Removal of Black Female Judge in Jan. 6 Case first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.
Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.
Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”
Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.
“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”
The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.
Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.
President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.
Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.
Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.
Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.
Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.
Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.
Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.
The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.
In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.
The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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