Week In Review 5-10-2020

This week we want to highlight several important developments that are too important to get lost in the Coronavirus news of the week.

Title IX and Sexual Assault

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released new regulations for schools dealing with sexual misconduct under Title IX, the law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational settings. These new regulations offer more protections for the accusers than the victims.

Under these new rules, coaches and other university employees would no longer be required to report allegations of sexual abuse. Schools will now have a choice in what standard of proof they'd like to follow. Cross examinations of the victims would also be allowed by the accuser's family or friends in live hearings

Judicial Nominee

The Senate Judiciary committee approved and sent to the full Senate the confirmation of Justin Walker to the DC circuit court.  He is a protege of Brett Kavanaugh and staunchly defended him during Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation hearing.

Walker said that Kavanaugh would be "a fighter for conservative legal principles who will not go wobbly."  He also praised Kavanaugh for a dissent arguing that the Obama Administration's contraceptive-coverage policy was unconstitutional.

The American Bar Association rated Walker "Not Qualified." He lacks experience to serve a life-time appointment to one of most important courts in the land after the Supreme Court. The DC Circuit has sole responsibility for deciding cases having to do with the balance of powers of the branches of government. 

Post Office

This week Trump appointed Louis DeJoy to serve as Postmaster General. DeJoy is a  large contributor to the president and other Republicans. Since January, DeJoy has donated over $360,000 to the president's re-election campaign.

DeJoy will be beholden to his benefactor, Trump, and not the American voter who needs a stable post office to handle the expansion of vote by mail.

 Trump and the Republicans have been trying to defund the post office for years. To cripple and ruin the post office, one of the few government agencies authorized by the Constitution, would derail vote by mail and disenfranchise voters - both part of Trump's goal to circumvent November's election.

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We need to pay attention. Stay informed. Elections have consequences. 

Sources: NBC News, Alliance for Justice