thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Her words: Amy Coney Barrett on faith, precedent, abortion

Some notable quotes from Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett , a former Notre Dame law professor and current judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals .
President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he was nominating Barrett to fill the seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
“ However cagey a justice may be at the nomination stage , her approach to the Constitution becomes evident in the opinions she writes .
...
It would be difficult for a modern justice to avoid revealing her position on whether the original public meaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review .
“ We shouldn ’ t be putting people on the court that share our policy preferences .
We should be putting people on the court who want to apply the Constitution.
” — 2016 speech at Jacksonville University ’ s Public Policy Institute .
“ If anything , the public response to controversial cases like Roe ( v. Wade ) reflects public rejection of the proposition that ( precedent ) can declare a permanent victor in a divisive constitutional struggle rather than desire that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embrace the possibility of overruling , even if they may want it to be the exception rather than the rule.
” — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review , citing Roe v. Wade , the 1973 landmark ruling that recognized a woman ’ s right to abortion .
“ I think it is very unlikely at this point that the court is going to overturn ( Roe v. Wade ) .
...
The fundamental element , that the woman has a right to choose abortion , will probably stand.
” — 2013 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling .
“ I don ’ t think abortion or the right to abortion would change .
I think some of the restrictions would change ...
The question is how much freedom the court is willing to let states have in regulating abortion.
” — 2016 remarks on how a conservative Supreme Court could alter current law on abortion , saying it wasn ’ t likely to try and overturn Roe v. Wade .
She said the questions the high court would be willing to address would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including how abortion clinics operate .
“ ( Catholic judges ) are obliged by oath , professional commitment , and the demands of citizenship to enforce the death penalty .
They are also obliged to adhere to their church ’ s teaching on moral matters.
” — 1998 article co-written by Barrett in the Marquette Law Review on how some Catholic judges would feel torn on certain legal questions because of the teachings of their faith .
“ If you ’ re asking whether I take my faith seriously and I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge.
” — Confirmation hearing in 2017 before the Senate Judiciary Committee considering her nomination to be a 7th Circuit appeals judge , after Sen. Dick Durbin asked her if she was orthodox Catholic .
“ Never .
It ’ s never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge ’ s personal convictions , whether they derive from faith or anywhere else on the law.
” — 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I have rejected throughout my entire career the proposition that , as you say , the end justifies the means or that a judge should decide cases based on a desire to reach a certain outcome.
” — 2017 confirmation hearing .
“ I would decide cases according to rule of law , beginning to end , and in the rare circumstance that might ever arise — I can ’ t imagine one sitting here now — where I felt that I had some conscientious objection to the law , I would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own personal convictions upon the law .
— 2017 confirmation hearing .
“ I can ’ t think of any cases or category of cases in which I would feel obliged to recuse on the grounds of conscience.
” — 2017 confirmation hearing .
“ A judge may never subvert the law or twist it in any way to match the judge ’ s convictions from whatever source they derive.
” — 2017 confirmation hearing .
“ In the Supreme Court , ( adhering to precedent ) is a soft rule ; the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than as an ‘ inexorable command.
’ ” — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review .
“ Leaving room for new majorities to overrule old ones allows changed membership to change what the Court says the Constitution means.
” — Texas Law Review .
“ If the Court ’ s opinions change with its membership , public confidence in the Court as an institution might decline .
Its members might be seen as partisan rather than impartial and case law as fueled by power rather than reason.
” — Texas Law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carefully about whether she is sure enough about her rationale for overruling to pay the cost of upsetting institutional investment in the prior approach .
If she is not sure enough , the preference for continuity trumps.
” — Texas Law Review .
“ Institutional features of Supreme Court practice permit all Justices to let some sleeping dogs lie , and so far as we are aware , no one has ever argued that a Justice is duty-bound to wake them up.
” — 2017 article co-written by Barrett in the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there often are pragmatic reasons not to attempt to overturn precedents even if a justice is convinced they were wrongly decided .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--A look at Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s notable opinions, votes

Judge Amy Coney Barrett , President Donald Trump ’ s nominee for the Supreme Court , has been on the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals since 2017 .
Her short tenure as a judge has led to few noteworthy or controversial opinions .
She has , however , signed onto several decisions that are sure to be questioned in a possible confirmation fight .
Here are summaries of some of her notable opinions : Barrett has twice joined dissenting opinions asking for decisions blocking laws enacted by abortion opponents to be thrown out and reheard by the full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a three-judge panel blocked an Indiana law that would make it harder for a minor to have an abortion without her parents being notified , Barrett voted to have the case reheard by the full court .
In July , the Supreme Court threw out the panel ’ s ruling and ordered a new look at the case .
In 2018 , a three-judge panel ruled that Indiana laws requiring that funerals be held for fetal remains after an abortion or miscarriage and banning abortions because of the sex , race or developmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett was among four judges who wanted the full court to weigh in and suggested that the laws , signed by then-Gov .
Mike Pence , might be constitutional .
Supreme Court abortion decisions “ hold that , until a fetus is viable , a woman is entitled to decide whether to bear a child .
But there is a difference between ‘ I don ’ t want a child ’ and ‘ I want a child , but only a male ’ or ‘ I want only children whose genes predict success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Easterbrook wrote for the dissenting judges .
Barrett also joined the part of the opinion on the fetal remains law .
“ Many states have laws that prescribe how animals ’ remains must be handled , ” Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote for the dissenters .
“ The panel has held invalid a statute that would be sustained had it concerned the remains of cats or gerbils.
” Last year , the Supreme Court reinstated the fetal remains law , but not the ban on abortions for race , sex and developmental disabilities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ case of Kanter v. Barr , Barrett argued that a conviction for a nonviolent felony — in this case , mail fraud — shouldn ’ t automatically disqualify someone from owning a gun .
The two judges in the majority agreed with Trump administration arguments that the defendant , Rickey Kanter , could not own a gun under federal or Wisconsin law because of his criminal conviction .
Barrett used most of her 37-page dissent to lay out the history of gun rules for convicted criminals in the 18th and 19th centuries , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Constitution according to the meaning they had when they were adopted .
Barrett wrote that “ while both Wisconsin and the United States have an unquestionably strong interest in protecting the public from gun violence , they have failed to show , by either logic or data that disarming Kanter substantially advances that interest.
“ She said that her colleagues were treating the Second Amendment as a “ second-class right , subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.
“ Barrett quoted from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extended gun rights , but the phrase also has been used more recently by Justice Clarence Thomas and other conservatives to complain that the Supreme Court has shied away from recognizing gun rights .
Barrett wrote a unanimous three-judge panel decision in 2019 making it easier for men alleged to have committed sexual assaults on campus to challenge the proceedings against them .
The case involved allegations by a female student at Purdue University that her boyfriend had sexually assaulted her .
The students were identified in court documents as John and Jane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court claiming sex discrimination after Purdue suspended him for a year and took away his Navy ROTC scholarship .
Barrett concluded Purdue ’ s process was unfair and allowed his lawsuit to continue .
“ The case against him boiled down to a ‘ he said/she said ’ — Purdue had to decide whether to believe John or Jane , ” Barrett wrote .
The judge criticized the university official who ended up siding with the female student .
“ Her basis for believing Jane is perplexing , given that she never talked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not even submit a statement in her own words , ” Barrett wrote .
Barrett was in dissent in June when her two colleagues on a 7th circuit panel put on hold , just in Chicago , the Trump administration policy that could jeopardize permanent resident status for immigrants who use food stamps , Medicaid and housing vouchers .
Under the new policy , immigration officials can deny green cards to legal immigrants over their use of public benefits .
She wrote that existing immigration law and Clinton-era welfare reform had already limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was just using leeway those laws had given it , Barrett wrote .
The objections of immigrants and their advocates “ reflect disagreement with this policy choice and even the statutory exclusion itself .
Litigation is not the vehicle for resolving policy disputes , ” she wrote .
Barrett dissented in the case of a Wisconsin man who admitted that he fatally shot his wife seven times but argued that he had been provoked , making his crime second-degree homicide instead of first-degree homicide , which carries a higher penalty .
A federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretrial hearing without prosecutors present and without allowing the lawyer of defendant Scott Schmidt to speak .
The judge rejected Schmidt ’ s claim of provocation , and he was convicted of first-degree homicide and sentenced to life in prison .
However , a 7th Circuit panel overturned that decision , saying that Schmidt had been denied his Sixth Amendment right to counsel .
Barrett , in her dissent , disagreed that the pretrial hearing where the judge questioned Schmidt about his provocation claim was a situation that required Schmidt ’ s lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extended the right to counsel outside an adversarial proceeding .
The Supreme Court ’ s “ ’ critical stage ’ precedent deals exclusively with adversarial confrontations between the defendant and an agent of the state , ” she said .
She added : “ Perhaps the right to counsel should extend to a hearing like the one the judge conducted in Schmidt ’ s case .
But ( federal law ) precludes us from disturbing a state court ’ s judgment on the ground that a state court decided an open question differently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that matter , differently than we think the ( Supreme ) Court would .
”

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thetorontostar--2020-09-27--AP Explains: What’s next for Trump’s Supreme Court pick?

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has chosen Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg , sending the nomination to the Senate with hopes of a quick confirmation fewer than 40 days before the presidential election .
Republicans are eyeing a vote in late October , though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hasn ’ t yet said for certain whether a final vote will come before or after the Nov. 3 election .
A confirmation vote so close to a presidential election would be unprecedented , creating significant political risk and uncertainty for both parties .
Early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the races for the White House and control of Congress .
A look at the confirmation process and what we know and don ’ t know about what ’ s to come : Barrett has been a federal judge in Indiana since 2017 , when Trump nominated her to the Chicago-based 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals .
She was previously a longtime University of Notre Dame law professor and clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia , whom she called her “ mentor ” as she accepted Trump ’ s nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she would be the youngest justice on the current court if confirmed .
Barrett ’ s three-year judicial record shows a clear and consistent conservative bent .
She is a committed Roman Catholic as well as a firm devotee of Scalia ’ s favoured interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism .
Republicans have widely praised her , while Democrats worry her votes could chip away at the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion and erode health care protections .
They argue that her philosophy is too conservative and rigid .
WHAT HAPPENS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graham says his panel will hold four days of confirmation hearings the week of Oct. 12 .
Once the committee approves the nomination , it goes to the Senate floor for a final vote .
This could all happen by Nov. 3 if the process goes smoothly .
Graham said he hopes the committee can move the nomination to the Senate floor by the week of Oct. 26 for a confirmation vote .
Barrett is expected to make her first appearance on Capitol Hill on Tuesday , meeting with McConnell , Graham and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VOTE BEFORE THE ELECTION ?
Republicans are privately aiming to hold the final vote the last week of October , but acknowledge the tight timeline and say they will need to see how the hearings go .
McConnell has been careful not to say when he believes the final confirmation vote will happen , other than “ this year.
” Senate Republicans are mindful of their last confirmation fight in 2018 , when Christine Blasey Ford ’ s allegations of a teenage sexual assault almost derailed Brett Kavanaugh ’ s nomination .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed to allow Ford to testify .
Kavanaugh , who denied the allegations , was eventually confirmed in a 50-48 vote .
DOES THE SENATE HAVE ENOUGH VOTES TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONFIRM ?
McConnell does appear to have the votes , for now .
Republicans control the Senate by a 53-47 margin , meaning he could lose up to three Republican votes and still confirm a justice , if Vice-President Mike Pence were to break a 50-50 tie .
At this point , McConnell seems to have lost the support of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski , both of whom have said they don ’ t think the Senate should take up the nomination before the election .
Collins has said the next president should fill the court seat , and she will vote “ no ” on Trump ’ s nominee on principle .
CAN THE DEMOCRATS STOP THE VOTE ?
There isn ’ t much they can do .
Republicans are in charge and make the rules , and they appear to have the votes for Trump ’ s nominee , at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oppose the nomination , and they are likely to use an assortment of delaying tactics .
None of those efforts can stop the nomination , however .
But Democrats will also make the case against the nomination to voters as the confirmation battle stretches into the final weeks — and maybe even the final days — of the election season .
They say health care protections and abortion rights are on the line , and argue the Republicans ’ vow to move forward is “ hypocrisy ” after McConnell refused to consider President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Merrick Garland , several months before the 2016 election .
HOW DOES THE CAMPAIGN FACTOR IN ?
Republicans are defending 25 of the 38 Senate seats that are on the ballot this year , and many of their vulnerable members were eager to end the fall session and return home to campaign .
The Senate was originally scheduled to recess in mid-October , when the hearings are now expected to begin .
While some senators up for reelection , like Collins , have opposed an immediate vote , others are using it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP senators in competitive races this year — including Cory Gardner in Colorado , Martha McSally in Arizona , Kelly Loeffler in Georgia and Thom Tillis in North Carolina — quickly rallied to Trump , calling for swift voting .
HOW LONG DOES IT USUALLY TAKE TO CONFIRM A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ?
Supreme Court nominations have taken around 70 days to move through the Senate , though the last , of Kavanaugh , took longer , and others have taken less time .
The election is fewer than 40 days away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ THE ELECTION ?
Yes .
Republicans could still vote on Trump ’ s nominee in what ’ s known as the lame-duck session that takes place after the November election and before the next Congress takes office on Jan. 3 .
No matter what happens in this year ’ s election , Republicans are still expected to be in charge of the Senate during that period .
The Senate would have until Jan. 20 , the date of the presidential inauguration , to act on Trump ’ s nominee .
If Trump were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the inauguration , he could renominate her as soon as his second term began .
DIDN ’ T MCCONNELL SAY IN 2016 THAT THE SENATE SHOULDN ’ T HOLD SUPREME COURT VOTES IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR ?
He did .
McConnell stunned Washington in the hours after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 when he announced the Senate would not vote on Obama ’ s potential nominee because the voters should have their say by electing the next president .
McConnell ’ s strategy paid off , royally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garland to fill the seat , but he never received a hearing or a vote .
Soon after his inauguration , Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill Scalia ’ s seat .
SO WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE 2016 ?
McConnell says it ’ s different this time because the Senate and the presidency are held by the same party , which was not the case when a vacancy opened under Obama in 2016 .
It was a rationale McConnell laid out during the 2016 fight , and other Republican senators have invoked it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s nominee .
Democrats say this reasoning is laughable and the vacancy should be kept open until after the inauguration .

Mary Clare Jalonick - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--How it happened: Amy Coney Barrett's journey from law professor to U.S. high court in four years

WASHINGTON—Four years ago , Amy Coney Barrett was a little-known law professor in Indiana .
Within weeks , she is likely to be the newest associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court .
Barrett ’ s fast-track rise , set to drive the nation ’ s highest court to the right for a generation or longer , is the fulfilment of a decadeslong effort by conservatives to remake the federal bench that kicked into high gear after President Donald Trump was elected .
For Trump , whose 2016 victory was bolstered by white evangelicals ’ reluctant support of his candidacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat vacated by the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia with a conservative , the latest nomination brings his first term full circle .
Even before Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s death , Trump was campaigning for re-election in 2020 on his record of confirming more than 200 federal judges during his first term , fulfilling a generational aim of conservative legal activists .
“ Today ’ s nomination is the capstone of a more than four-year process where the president seized upon the issue , stayed focused , and called attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who he could put on the Supreme Court , “ said Leonard Leo , of the conservative Federalist Society .
The following account is based on information from five people familiar with the process and the president ’ s thinking who were not authorized to speak publicly about the details .
Within weeks of Trump ’ s victory in 2016 , incoming White House counsel Don McGahn , Leo and a handful of other attorneys set about drawing up lists of potential nominees for more than 100 federal judicial vacancies .
First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created by the death of Scalia , but they also dug deeper .
Barrett , then a law professor at Notre Dame , was not well known in political circles in Indiana and almost unheard of nationally .
But she found herself on the list of potential picks for the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals , in large part thanks to McGahn .
A fellow Notre Dame alum , McGahn knew Barrett from conservative legal circles , like Leo ’ s influential Federalist Society , and talked her up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bruising nomination battle for the appellate seat in 2017 that caught the attention of Trump , who was impressed with her ability to keep her cool under critical questioning by Democratic senators , including a grilling by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California regarding her Catholic faith .
“ I think in your case , professor , when you read your speeches , the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you , “ Feinstein said .
” And that ’ s of concern when you come to big issues that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for years in this country.
” Barrett ’ s was the only confirmation hearing for an appellate judge that McGahn sat through in person on Capitol Hill , and the only investiture he attended when she took her seat on the 7th Circuit .
After Barrett was confirmed on a party-line vote , some White House lawyers made coffee mugs with the phrase : “ The dogma lives loudly within you.
” Months later , in the fall of 2017 , Trump set about updating his list of potential nominees to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to him in an Oval Office meeting with McGahn and Leo .
Among the names : Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh .
McGahn unveiled the list weeks later at a Federalist Society conference in Washington .
The following year , after Justice Anthony Kennedy retired , Barrett found herself on the short list , undergoing a White House vetting and a 25-minute interview with Trump .
But some conservatives were concerned about her sparse record , worried she ’ d end up like other potentially conservative justices who veered in a more moderate direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice David Souter .
Still , Trump saw something he liked , and allies like Scalia ’ s widow , Maureen , and Fox News host Sean Hannity spoke highly of her .
Trump and McGahn set about elevating Barrett ’ s profile for the next opening on the high court –- with Trump telling some aides he was “ saving ” her for Ginsburg ’ s seat .
Meanwhile , Barrett was making a name for herself on the 7th Circuit on conservative hot-button issues .
She twice wanted decisions to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appeals court that had blocked laws enacted by abortion-rights opponents .
Oftentimes , the full panel comes to a different conclusion .
Last year , after a three-judge panel blocked an Indiana law that would make it harder for a minor to have an abortion without her parents being notified , Barrett voted to have the case reheard by the full court .
In a dissent in the 2019 gun-rights case of Kanter v. Barr , Barrett argued that a conviction for a non-violent felony — in this case , mail fraud — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owning a gun .
Barrett wrote a unanimous three-judge panel decision in 2019 making it easier for men alleged to have committed sexual assaults on campus to challenge the proceedings against them .
This summer , when Trump announced he wanted to update the Supreme Court list once again in hopes of motivating conservative voters , Barrett was on the top .
And that ’ s where she stayed .
Barrett , in some ways , was the standard by which Trump judged other women for the list , including Florida ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Allison Rushing .
Their names made the list , but they weren ’ t threatening to bump Barrett from the top , the people said .
After Ginsburg ’ s death , Trump quickly turned his focus to Barrett and never truly looked elsewhere .
Conservative outside groups , aware of Trump ’ s interest in Barrett from the Kennedy replacement , were already on board , offering public statements of support even before Trump had made a final determination .
In the end , Barrett was the only candidate Trump interviewed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And on Saturday evening , he formally announced his choice at a Rose Garden ceremony that included a military band and a display of American flags hanging between the columns of the White House colonnade .
“ Today it is my honour to nominate one of our nation ’ s most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court , “ Trump said of Barrett , calling her “ a woman of unapparelled achievement , towering intellect , sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution.
” Barrett , for her part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ herself to the country .
“ I am truly humbled by the prospect of serving on the Supreme Court , ” she said .

Zeke Miller, Colleen Long And Michael Balsamo - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--After bombshell report on Trump taxes, U.S. voters may wonder, why am I paying so much more than the

After bombshell report on Trump taxes, U.S. voters may wonder, why am I paying so much more than the president?

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump paid $ 750 ( U.S. ) in federal income taxes in 2016 .
Total , for the entire year .
Same thing in 2017 .
And that was after many years in which the self-proclaimed multibillionaire paid a nice , round $ 0 .
This , according to the New York Times , which on Sunday published a bombshell report after analyzing two decades ’ worth of Trump ’ s tax returns , ones he has been fighting to conceal from both Congress and the public .
Now , many Canadians might be thinking to themselves that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Canada — they don ’ t have socialized medicine , after all .
But they sure aren ’ t that much lower .
In fact , many Americans may be thinking to themselves — those who don ’ t have gold-plated toilets and personal jets , and who , for instance , don ’ t spend $ 70,000 on hairstyling and then write it off as a business expense — that they pay a heck of a lot more than Trump does .
The average American household pays federal income taxes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysis at the Motley Fool .
Including state income taxes and payroll taxes like social security and Medicare , it ’ s just over $ 14,000 .
Which means the average American is paying almost as much in federal income taxes each month as their jet-setting president pays in a year .
There ’ s a lot in the New York Times ’ reporting on Trump ’ s tax returns .
The complicated details in the more than 10,000-word report on the newspaper ’ s findings — and the further reporting it promises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of headlines and controversy .
Potential conflicts of interest .
Questionable writeoffs about which Trump is fighting with the Internal Revenue Service .
Maybe most glaringly , hundreds of millions of dollars in personal debt guarantees — owed to whom ?
it ’ s unclear — coming due in the next four years , which he has no obvious source of cash to pay off .
But stick your head up out of the weeds and the biggest message to average folks is that their president , whose primary source of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most conspicuously , boastfully rich guy in all of conspicuously boastful rich-guydom , almost certainly pays less to Uncle Sam than the server who brings him Diet Cokes at Mar-a-Lago .
There are two possible conclusions you could draw from that .
One is that Trump is cheating — either outright or using the best loophole-hunting tax lawyers money can buy — to avoid paying his fair share .
There ’ s a hint of that explanation in Trump ’ s earlier , pre-revelation bragging on the 2016 campaign trail that arranging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes me smart.
” The Times notes that an earlier president , Richard Nixon , inspired a huge scandal in 1973 ( another huge scandal , that is ) when it was revealed he paid only $ 792.81 in taxes on $ 200,000 income due to a large single-year writeoff for the donation of his personal papers .
( Incidentally that would be more than $ 2,500 in 2020 currency , adjusted for inflation . )
That outrage was the reason presidential candidates started releasing their tax returns , a tradition Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is why the public has a tweet from Trump , outraged over Barack Obama ’ s tax returns from 2011 , when the then president paid $ 160,000 in federal taxes on roughly $ 790,000 in income .
“ Do as I say not as I do , ” Trump ’ s scolding then said .
But what Trump did , apparently , was pay way , way , way less himself in the Oval Office .
The other possible conclusion is that Trump is just a phenomenally bad businessman .
The Wayne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high business losses are the reason he is able to pay so little in taxes on income in the hundreds of millions of dollars .
Anyhow , it appears that either Trump is scheming his way out of his fair share of taxes , or is an astounding failure in business , or both .
An obvious question is whether that will make any impression on the legions of Trump fans — whose nationalism and outright racism have often been attributed to “ economic insecurity ” in the press .
And the answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some autoworker in a MAGA hat opens her pay slip and sees her tax deductions this year are many multiples what Trump paid in the first two years of his presidency , maybe she has a think on it .
But the further answer is Joe Biden supporters shouldn ’ t bank on it .
Because nothing that this year has thrown at American voters — pandemic , recession , civil rights protests , impeachment trial — has seemed to shift a single vote .
On Sept. 27 , 2019 , Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Real Clear Politics was 42 per cent .
On Sept. 27 , 2020 , it was 42.8 per cent .
In statistical terms , the needle has not moved after a year widely agreed to be the most traumatically eventful in memory .
But in considering the question — which will be answered by voters , not analysts and pundits on cable TV and in your newspaper — it is interesting to note that Trump himself may have thought this information could hurt him if voters saw it .
After all , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on income so large because of business losses so profound , why fight the release of these returns for so long ?


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Back to the Finals: Heat oust Celtics, move to title series

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. - It was exactly one year ago Sunday when Jimmy Butler walked into the Miami Heat practice gym , took a seat on a makeshift stage and said he wanted to be part of the team ’ s next title run .
The Heat are going to the NBA Finals — surprising many , perhaps , but not themselves .
Bam Adebayo scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds , Butler scored 22 points and the Heat won the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth time by topping the Boston Celtics 125-113 on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than anything , they just love to compete , “ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said during the trophy celebration .
The Heat won the series 4-2 — and now , they ’ ll see LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the title .
Game 1 of that series is Wednesday night .
Tyler Herro scored 19 points , Duncan Robinson and Andre Iguodala each had 15 and Goran Dragic added 13 for the Heat .
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points , Jayson Tatum had 24 and a career-high 11 assists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each scored 20 points for Boston — which fell in the East finals for the third time in the last four seasons .
Miami was down by six early in the fourth before regaining control .
A 6-0 burst — Herro had the last five of those points , needing only 31 seconds to do so — tied it at 96 .
Boston took the lead twice more , with Adebayo answering both times , first with a dunk , then a go-ahead three-point play with 6:16 left .
He smacked the floor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they knew what was coming .
They never trailed again .
Herro had a pair of baskets in a 9-0 burst that put the Heat up by 10 , Adebayo found Butler for a layup and a 116-102 lead everyone on the Heat bench was on their feet .
The Heat are the only NBA franchise with six Finals appearances in the last 15 years .
They ’ re seeking their fourth title , and this chance didn ’ t come easily .
The Heat had a 5-for-5 stretch from 3-point range in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again from beyond the arc in the first half .
They were 6 for 14 from deep in the first 24 minutes , Boston was 11 for 23 before the break and the Heat took a 62-60 lead into halftime .
And the margin remained two going into the fourth .
Iguodala ’ s fourth 3-pointer — in as many attempts — with 4:20 left in the third put the Heat up eight , before Brown had five points in a 10-2 Boston spurt to tie it .
Dragic had a go-ahead layup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the quarter and it was 88-86 Heat with 12 minutes remaining .
The Celtics scored 10 of the first 12 points of the fourth , surviving a scare in there as well when Brown took an ugly fall after scoring in transition .
Brown thought Butler took him out at the legs , no foul was called and — after the Celtics ’ medical staff checked out his left knee — Brown stayed in .
Celtics : Tatum took 15 shots in the first half , the first time in his 270-game career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He had taken 14 on four other occasions .
... Tatum ’ s top four assist-total games of his career have come in the bubble .
Heat : The Heat are now guaranteed no less than $ 4,399,686 for their playoff share , and that number would rise to $ 5,791,041 if they win the title .
... Udonis Haslem is the only player to be on all six Heat teams that have made the finals .
Walker has been to the playoffs three times , and his team has been eliminated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — with three different nicknames .
Charlotte was still the Bobcats when the Heat swept them in the 2014 first round , the Heat rallied to beat Charlotte ’ s then-rebranded Hornets in seven games in the 2016 first round , and now this win over the Celtics .
The Celtics and Heat were getting some support from afar before Game 6 .
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was pleased to hear video of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick signing off from his postgame news conference Sunday by saying “ good luck to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll be pulling for them.
” And at the Miami Marlins ’ regular season finale , outfielder Lewis Brinson had a Butler jersey ( in the popular Heat ‘ Vice ’ theme ) underneath his game jersey .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Report: Cardinal Pell returning to Vatican in crisis

CANBERRA , Australia - Cardinal George Pell , Pope Francis ’ former finance minister , will soon return to the Vatican during an extraordinary economic scandal for the first time since he was cleared of child abuse allegations in Australia five months ago , a newspaper reported Monday .
Pell will fly back to Rome on Tuesday , Herald-Sun newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt wrote .
The report by a vocal champion of the cardinal did not cite a source for the cardinal ’ s plans .
The Associated Press attempted to contact Pell where he lives in a Sydney seminary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman who answered the phone : “ We have no comment.
” The Sydney Archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pell ’ s travel plans .
Pell ’ s reported return follows Francis last week firing one of the cardinal ’ s most powerful opponents , Cardinal Angelo Becciu , over a financial scandal .
Pell was regarded as the third highest-ranking Vatican official and was attempting to wrestle the Holy See ’ s opaque finances into order when he returned to his native Australia in 2017 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex abuse .
Instead , Pell became the most senior Catholic to be convicted of child sex abuse crimes .
He served 13 months in prison before Australia ’ s High Court acquitted him in April of molesting two choir boys in the late 1990s when he was archbishop of Melbourne .
In his first television interview after his release , conducted by Bolt in April , Pell linked his fight against Vatican corruption with his prosecution in Australia .
Pell said he did not have evidence of a link .
But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been sexually abused by Pell as a 13-year-old choirboy had been “ used.
” Pell again seemed to hint at a link in a statement last week in which he “ thanked and congratulated ” Francis for firing Becciu .
“ I hope the cleaning of the stables continues in both the Vatican and Victoria , ” Pell said , referring to his home state of Victoria where he was convicted .
Pell , 79 , said in April he planned to return to Rome when the coronavirus pandemic allowed him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intended to make Sydney his home .
Becciu said he was fired after Francis told him that documents from the Italian financial police alleged the 72-year-old cardinal had embezzled 100,000 euros ( $ 116,200 ) .
Becciu , the former No .
2 in the Vatican ’ s secretariat of state , denied any wrongdoing .
Becciu ’ s name had previously been caught up in a whirlwind financial scandal involving the Holy See ’ s investment in a London real estate venture .
But Becciu said that investment wasn ’ t raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Mexico official: definitive COVID-19 toll will take 2 years

MEXICO CITY - Mexico ’ s top coronavirus official said Sunday that definitive data on the country ’ s death toll from COVID-19 won ’ t be available for “ a couple of years.
” The statement by Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell is likely to revive debate about Mexico ’ s death toll , currently at 76,430 , the fourth-highest in the world .
“ When will the final statistics on deaths from COVID-19 be ready ?
Certainly , a couple of years after the first year of the pandemic , ” López-Gatell said , adding that work would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statistics institute .
Officials have acknowledged in the past that the figure is a significant undercount , because it includes only those who died after a positive test result , almost always at a hospital .
Mexico does very little testing , and many people die without a test .
But the Mexican government has avoided adjusting its death toll upward to account for people who died at home or weren ’ t tested .
Some parts of the country like Mexico City have begun conducting their own recalculations , finding “ excess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least double official figures .
The issue is a significant one in Mexico , because President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has frequently compared Mexico ’ s death rates to those of other countries in a bid to convince the public that his administration isn ’ t doing a bad job at handling the pandemic .
But many other countries have attempted to adjust official figures to account for spikes in deaths that coincide with virus outbreaks .
But López-Gatell placed in doubt Sunday whether the figure was important or whether it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definitive death toll as “ one of these technical details ” and said the pandemic “ can not be measured .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--NY Times: Trump paid $750 in US income taxes in 2016, 2017

President Donald Trump paid just $ 750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for president and in his first year in the White House , according to a report Sunday in The New York Times .
Trump , who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only president in modern times not to make them public , paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years .
The details of the tax filings complicate Trump ’ s description of himself as a shrewd and patriotic businessman , revealing instead a series of financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come into conflict with his responsibilities as president .
The president ’ s financial disclosures indicated he earned at least $ 434.9 million in 2018 , but the tax filings reported a $ 47.4 million loss .
The tax filings also illustrate how a reputed billionaire could pay little to nothing in taxes , while someone in the middle class could pay substantially more than him .
Roughly half of Americans pay no income taxes , primarily because of how low their incomes are .
But IRS figures indicate that the average tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about 16 times more than what the president paid .
The disclosure , which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades , comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday and weeks before a divisive election against Democrat Joe Biden .
Speaking at a news conference Sunday at the White House , Trump dismissed the report as “ fake news ” and maintained he has paid taxes , though he gave no specifics .
He also vowed that information about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” but he offered no timeline for the disclosure and made similar promises during the 2016 campaign on which he never followed through .
In fact , the president has fielded court challenges against those seeking access to his returns , including the U.S. House , which is suing to get Trump ’ s tax returns as part of congressional oversight .
During his first two years as president , Trump received $ 73 million from foreign operations , which in addition to his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland included $ 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million from India and $ 1 million from Turkey , among other nations .
The president in 2017 paid $ 145,400 in taxes in India and $ 156,824 in the Philippines , compared to just $ 750 in U.S. income taxes .
The Times said the tax records did not reveal any unreported connections to Russia .
Trump found multiple ways to reduce his tax bills .
He has taken tax deductions on personal expenses such as housing , aircraft and $ 70,000 to style his hair while he filmed “ The Apprentice.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ owned and managed by Trump appear to have offset income from his stake in “ The Apprentice ” and other entities with multiple owners .
During the first two years of his presidency , Trump relied on business tax credits to reduce his tax obligations .
The Times said $ 9.7 million worth of business investment credits that were submitted after Trump requested an extension to file his taxes allowed him to offset his obligations and pay just $ 750 each in 2016 and 2017 .
Income tax payments help finance the military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2010 , claimed and received an income tax refund that totalled $ 72.9 million , which the Times said was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS .
The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $ 100 million or more .
The president could also face mounting financial pressure in the years ahead .
The tax records show he ’ s carrying a total of $ 421 million in loans and debt that are primarily due within four years .
Most of that debt comes from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 125 million ) and Trump ’ s Washington hotel ( $ 160 million ) , two properties that the Times said are struggling financially .
Richard Neal , D-Mass.
, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain Trump ’ s tax records , said the Times report makes it even more essential for his committee to get the documents .
“ It appears that the President has gamed the tax code to his advantage and used legal fights to delay or avoid paying what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement .
“ Now , Donald Trump is the boss of the agency he considers an adversary .
It is essential that the IRS ’ s presidential audit program remain free of interference.
” A lawyer for the Trump Organization , Alan Garten , and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on the report .
Garten told the Times that “ most , if not all , of the facts appear to be inaccurate.
” He said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president “ has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government , including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015.
” The New York Times said it declined to provide Garten with the tax filings in order to protect its sources , but it said its sources had legal access to the records .
During his first general election debate against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 , Clinton said that perhaps Trump wasn ’ t releasing his tax returns because he had paid nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say , “ That makes me smart .
”


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Eighteen revelations from a trove of Trump tax records

The New York Times has obtained tax-return data for U.S. President Donald Trump and his companies that covers more than two decades .
Trump has long refused to release this information , making him the first president in decades to hide basic details about his finances .
His refusal has made his tax returns among the most sought-after documents in recent memory .
Among the key findings of The Times ’ investigation : It is important to remember that the returns are not an unvarnished look at Trump ’ s business activity .
They are instead his own portrayal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But they do offer the most detailed picture yet available .
Below is a deeper look at the take-aways .
The main article based on the investigation contains much more information , as does a timeline of the president ’ s finances .
Dean Baquet , the executive editor , has written a note explaining why The Times is publishing these findings .
Trump has paid no federal income taxes for much of the past two decades .
In addition to the 11 years in which he paid no taxes during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he paid only $ 750 in each of the two most recent years — 2016 and 2017 .
He has managed to avoid taxes while enjoying the lifestyle of a billionaire — which he claims to be — while his companies cover the costs of what many would consider personal expenses .
This tax avoidance sets him apart from most other affluent Americans .
Taxes on wealthy Americans have declined sharply over the past few decades , and many use loopholes to reduce their taxes below the statutory rates .
But most affluent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income tax .
In 2017 , the average federal income rate for the highest-earning 0.001 per cent of tax filers — that is , the most affluent 1/100,000th slice of the population — was 24.1 per cent , according to the IRS .
Over the past two decades , Trump has paid about $ 400 million less in combined federal income taxes than a very wealthy person who paid the average for that group each year .
His tax avoidance also sets him apart from past presidents .
Trump may be the wealthiest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has often paid less in taxes than other recent presidents .
Barack Obama and George W. Bush each regularly paid more than $ 100,000 a year — and sometimes much more — in federal income taxes while in office .
Trump , by contrast , is running a federal government to which he has contributed almost no income tax revenue in many years .
A large refund has been crucial to his tax avoidance .
Trump did face large tax bills after the initial success of “ The Apprentice ” television show , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments through a refund .
Combined , Trump initially paid almost $ 95 million in federal income taxes over the 18 years .
He later managed to recoup most of that money , with interest , by applying for and receiving a $ 72.9 million tax refund , starting in 2010 .
The refund reduced his total federal income tax bill between 2000 and 2017 to an annual average of $ 1.4 million .
By comparison , the average American in the top 0.001 per cent of earners paid about $ 25 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same span .
The $ 72.9 million refund has since become the subject of a long-running battle with the IRS .
When applying for the refund , he cited a giant financial loss that may be related to the failure of his Atlantic City casinos .
Publicly , he also claimed that he had fully surrendered his stake in the casinos .
But the real story may be different from the one he told .
Federal law holds that investors can claim a total loss on an investment , as Trump did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return .
Trump did appear to receive something in return : Five per cent of the new casino company that formed when he renounced his stake .
In 2011 , the IRS began an audit reviewing the legitimacy of the refund .
Almost a decade later , the case remains unresolved , for unknown reasons , and could ultimately end up in federal court , where it could become a matter of public record .
Trump classifies much of the spending on his personal lifestyle as the cost of business .
His residences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as are the golf courses where he spends so much time .
He has classified the cost of his aircraft , used to shuttle him among his homes , as a business expense as well .
Haircuts — including more than $ 70,000 to style his hair during “ The Apprentice ” — have fallen into the same category .
So did almost $ 100,000 paid to a favourite hair and makeup artist of Ivanka Trump .
All of this helps to reduce Trump ’ s tax bill further , because companies can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , his estate in Westchester County , N.Y. , typifies his aggressive definition of business expenses .
Trump bought the estate , which stretches over more than 200 acres in Bedford , N.Y. , in 1996 .
His sons Eric and Donald Jr. spent summers living there when they were younger .
“ This is really our compound , ” Eric told Forbes in 2014 .
“ Today , ” the Trump Organization website continues to report , “ Seven Springs is used as a retreat for the Trump family.
” Nonetheless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an investment property , distinct from a personal residence .
As a result , he has been able to write off $ 2.2 million in property taxes since 2014 — even as his 2017 tax law has limited individuals to writing off only $ 10,000 in property taxes a year .
Across nearly all of his projects , Trump ’ s companies set aside about 20 per cent of income for unexplained ‘ consulting fees.
’ These fees reduce taxes , because companies are able to write them off as a business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit subject to tax .
Trump collected $ 5 million on a hotel deal in Azerbaijan , for example , and reported $ 1.1 million in consulting fees .
In Dubai , there was a $ 630,000 fee on $ 3 million in income .
Since 2010 , Trump has written off some $ 26 million in such fees .
His daughter appears to have received some of these consulting fees , despite having been a top Trump Organization executive .
The Times investigation discovered a striking match : Trump ’ s private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 747,622 in fees to an unnamed consultant for hotel projects in Hawaii and Vancouver , British Columbia .
Ivanka Trump ’ s public disclosure forms — which she filed when joining the White House staff in 2017 — show that she had received an identical amount through a consulting company she co-owned .
Many of the highest-profile Trump businesses lose large amounts of money .
Since 2000 , he has reported losing more than $ 315 million at the golf courses that he often describes as the heart of his empire .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Doral , a resort near Miami that he bought in 2012 .
And his Washington hotel , opened in 2016 , has lost more than $ 55 million .
An exception : Trump Tower in New York , which reliably earns him more than $ 20 million in profits a year .
The most successful part of the Trump business has been his personal brand .
The Times calculates that between 2004 and 2018 , Trump made a combined $ 427.4 million from selling his image — an image of unapologetic wealth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this image has been a huge success , even if the underlying management of many of the operating Trump companies has not been .
Other firms , especially in real estate , have paid for the right to use the Trump name .
The brand made possible the “ The Apprentice ” — and the show then took the image to another level .
Of course , Trump ’ s brand also made possible his election as the first U.S. president with no prior government experience .
But his unprofitable companies still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax bill .
The Trump Organization — a collection of more than 500 entities , virtually all of them wholly owned by Trump — has used the losses to offset the rich profits from the licensing of the Trump brand and other profitable pieces of its business .
The reported losses from the operating businesses were so large that they often fully erased the licensing income , leaving the organization to claim that it earns no money and thus owes no taxes .
This pattern is an old one for Trump .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the early 1990s generated huge losses that he used to reduce his taxes for years afterward .
With the cash from ‘ The Apprentice , ’ Trump went on his biggest buying spree since the 1980s .
“ The Apprentice , ” which debuted on NBC in 2004 , was a huge hit .
Trump received 50 per cent of its profits , and he went on to buy more than 10 golf courses and multiple other properties .
The losses at these properties reduced his tax bill .
But the strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Apprentice ” began to decline .
By 2015 , his financial condition was worsening .
His 2016 presidential campaign may have been partly an attempt to resuscitate his brand .
The financial records do not answer this question definitively .
But the timing is consistent : Trump announced a campaign that seemed a long shot to win but was almost certain to bring him new-found attention , at the same time that his businesses were in need of a new approach .
The presidency has helped his business .
Since he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has received large amounts of money from lobbyists , politicians and foreign officials who pay to stay at his properties or join his clubs .
The Times investigation puts precise numbers on this spending for the first time .
A surge of new members at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida gave him an additional $ 5 million a year from the business since 2015 .
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association paid at least $ 397,602 in 2017 to the Washington hotel , where it held at least one event during its World Summit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his first two years in the White House , Trump received millions of dollars from projects in foreign countries , including $ 3 million from the Philippines , $ 2.3 million from India and $ 1 million from Turkey .
But the presidency has not resolved his core financial problem : Many of his businesses continue to lose money .
With “ The Apprentice ” revenue declining , Trump has absorbed the losses partly through one-time financial moves that may not be available to him again .
In 2012 , he took out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercial space in Trump Tower .
He has also sold hundreds of millions worth of stock and bonds .
But his financial records indicate that he may have as little as $ 873,000 left to sell .
He will soon face several major bills that could put further pressure on his finances .
He appears to have paid off none of the principal of the Trump Tower mortgage , and the full $ 100 million comes due in 2022 .
And if he loses his dispute with the IRS over the 2010 refund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than $ 100 million ( including interest on the original amount ) .
He is personally on the hook for some of these bills .
In the 1990s , Trump nearly ruined himself by personally guaranteeing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans , and he has since said that he regretted doing so .
But he has taken the same step again , his tax records show .
He appears to be responsible for loans totalling $ 421 million , most of which is coming due within four years .
Should he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed in the unprecedented position of weighing whether to foreclose on a sitting president .
Whether he wins or loses , he will probably need to find new ways to use his brand — and his popularity among tens of millions of Americans — to make money .


thetorontostar--2020-09-27--Louisville protests continue in Breonna Taylor’s name

LOUISVILLE , Ky. - A crowd marched in Louisville ’ s streets chanting “ Breonna Taylor , say her name ” on Sunday evening , the fifth night of protests after a grand jury declined to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor .
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer urged people to begin heading home about an hour before the curfew was set to begin at 9 p.m. as the protesters continued to march .
Earlier in the day , people were gathered at Jefferson Square Park , which has come to be called “ Breonna ’ s park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the grand jury ’ s decision , The Courier Journal reported .
On Saturday , a diverse crowd of hundreds marched chanting “ Black Lives Matter “ and “ No justice , no peace ” as cars honked along a busy downtown artery in this Kentucky city that has seen more than 120 days of demonstrations over the death of the 26-year-old Black woman in a police raid gone wrong .
A few police cars followed behind , with officers telling protesters to stay on the sidewalk and out of the street before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ briefly ended up back at a downtown square that has been a focal point of protests .
But as a 9 p.m. curfew time approached , a police loudspeaker announced that anyone who remained in the park would be arrested for a curfew violation .
The square emptied out as people departed , many dispersing though one group headed to a nearby church where protesters had found refuge on previous nights .
As a crowd gathered outside the First Unitarian Church late Saturday , fires were set in a street nearby after 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and windows had been broken at Spalding University and Presentation Academy buildings close by .
Some demonstrators were seen with makeshift shields made of plywood .
Others took shelter inside the church , which closed its doors around midnight .
About 100 people remained inside the church , Jud Hendrix , executive director of Interfaith Paths to Peace , told WDRB-TV around 1 a.m. Sunday .
Hendrix said he was working with police to determine if people could leave the church to go home without being arrested .
“ People inside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police were conducting the investigation and securing the area , ” the police department said in a tweet , sharing aerial and ground video of the fires that were set , windows that were broken and graffiti that had been spray painted .
As of the 2:20 a.m. tweet , 28 people had been arrested , the police department said .
Later , police corrected the number of people arrested to 25 .
A previous protest on Friday night was peaceful though police arrested 22 people for curfew violations .
A police spokesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to disperse .
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer had urged continued peaceful protests in an appearance at a news conference Saturday evening .
“ I ’ m mindful that many in our community are hurting and angry about the decisions announced this week , ” Fischer said .
The mayor said he supports protesters ’ First Amendment rights to protest though “ we just ask you to do that peacefully please.
” Taylor was shot multiple times March 13 after her boyfriend fired at officers who had entered her home during a narcotics raid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor ’ s boyfriend said he didn ’ t know who was coming in and fired in self-defence , wounding one officer .
On Wednesday , Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced a grand jury indicted one officer on wanton endangerment charges , saying he fired gunshots into a neighbouring home during the raid that didn ’ t strike anyone .
That officer has been fired .
Cameron said the other officers were not charged with Taylor ’ s killing because they acted to protect themselves .
Taylor ’ s mother , Tamika @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday with family and her lawyers , and called on Kentucky officials to release all body camera footage , police files and the transcripts of the grand jury proceedings .
Palmer said in a statement read by a family member that she felt the criminal justice system had failed her .
Palmer marched at the head of Friday ’ s protest march .
The grand jury ’ s ruling weighed heavily on protesters like Amber Brown .
A central figure in the downtown demonstrations , Brown said she was angry .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said Friday night .
“ I think people are still in shock and we ’ re not sure how to move forward.
” Brown criticized the police crackdown in the downtown area that has been in effect since early in the week .
“ People are afraid to exercise their First Amendment right , ” she said .
“ Since when does protest have a curfew ?
Since when does freedom and civil rights have a curfew ?
” Associated Press writer Claire Galofaro contributed to this report from Louisville .