courthousenews--2020-10-24--Millennial Seeks an Upset in California Conservative Congressional District

( CN ) — A millennial congressional candidate who attempted to turn one of California ’ s last Republican strongholds blue in 2018 may succeed in November , after a political dynasty ended earlier this year when former Representative Duncan Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison for campaign finance fraud .
Ammar Campa-Najjar has been campaigning in District 50 for the Nov. 3 election since the day after he lost to Hunter in 2018 .
He lost by three points to Hunter , who just months before the election was indicted by the Justice Department in a campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diego Union-Tribune .
Even though Campa-Najjar didn ’ t succeed in “ blue-ing ” the district like in nearby District 49 — where weekly protests at Rep. Darrell Issa ’ s district office effectively forced him out — Campa-Najjar had gotten closer than any candidate in ousting the Hunter Family .
Duncan Hunter and his father Duncan Hunter Sr. , had represented the district — which encompasses east San Diego County and parts of Riverside County — for decades .
Now , Campa-Najjar has another chance to be part of a second “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country in just 10 days as a rebuke of President Donald Trump ’ s administration .
Recent polls and an upgraded Cook Political Report rating this week suggest he has a good chance .
University of San Diego Political Science Professor Carl Luna told Courthouse News whether Campa-Najjar succeeds in flipping the district depends on “ how much of a blue turnout you get driven by the presidential election.
” “ The district is shifting slowly to the blue , voter registration continues to move toward Democrats , but Republicans still have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Luna said .
“ There seems to be a lot more people voting , and one could assume a disproportionate amount would be Democrat .
If he wins this year because of a massive ‘ Blue Wave ’ then that district will have tipped — in many ways that ’ s what the last couple of elections have been in that district , ” Luna added .
But this time around , Campa-Najjar faces another congressional relic Luna postured may not fare well due to his reputation as a “ carpetbagger ” after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 for a supposed position in the Trump administration which never came to be : former Rep. Darrell Issa .
Luna said Issa ’ s “ baggage from his time in Congress ” could work against him in securing the independent vote in District 50 , and Republicans who supported former candidate and conservative talk radio host Carl DeMaio may choose to abstain from voting for Issa on Election Day .
But Dee Chavez , a private practice accountant in rural Valley Center , told Courthouse News she was voting for Issa even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporter of his .
She decided early this year she ’ d cast her vote for Issa after watching the top three candidates debate in her town prior to the March primary election .
“ He was the grown-up in the room between DeMaio and Campa-Najjar , ” Chavez said .
“ He brought an articulate argument with sound facts and could explain his positions in a measured and logical way without getting all excited , ” she added .
Chavez said she saw Issa ’ s time in Congress as an asset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the House Oversight Committee .
While Campa-Najjar “ was very polished ” at both candidate forums Chavez attended , “ he has no background , no experience and he is going to be lost if he gets elected , ” she said .
“ We can not afford at this point to have a training period .
We need someone who knows how the cards are dealt and what the rules of the game are , ” Chavez said .
Dustin Trotter , a Central Committee member with the Republican Party of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noting Issa would go back to Congress as a senior member and would immediately get on congressional committees .
For a district that has been without a representative for a year , Trotter called it “ a huge thing for moving forward.
” While Trotter noted “ there ’ s no question ” there have been more registered Democrats across San Diego County , he said “ Issa doesn ’ t need to move more to the middle.
” “ He should stay to the right of conservative values because that is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trotter said .
Campa-Najjar Moving Right to Get Votes Even though he has a fair shot at flipping the district , Campa-Najjar appears to be feeling the heat to tone down his reputation as a progressive to appeal to independents or Republicans defecting against the party under Trump ’ s leadership .
Both Campa-Najjar and Issa appeared on a Facebook live show this month with right-wing group Defend East County , an organization formed by community members in District 50 in response to racial justice protests in the city of La Mesa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Several buildings , including Chase Bank and Union Bank branches , were set on fire .
While some members of Defend East County joined the group to help clean up their community , the social media page has allowed racism and threats of violence to go unchecked .
In an interview with the group ’ s founder , Campa-Najjar suggested he may not vote for Joe Biden in the election .
“ You think I will vote for Biden necessarily — I still want to see how they perform in the debates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats who have supported Campa-Najjar was swift , prompting him to apologize for appearing on the show .
San Diego Democratic Party Chair Will Rodriguez-Kennedy told Courthouse News he spoke with Campa-Najjar following the Facebook live show .
“ It was very clear Ammar had intended to build a bridge with a group of voters that number in the tens of thousands .
But it was also very clear he was not informed with the host of problems with that group , ” Rodriguez-Kennedy said .
“ I don ’ t think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He established the strongest voter turnout in that district in a long time and almost took out a legacy legislator with family history , ” he added .
“ He has determined voters in the district want a more independent vote , but he understands , because we have spoken , and the Democratic Party has invested in him , that he needs to remain a member of the party .
The 2018 Ammar is the Ammar the Democratic Party was supporting , ” Rodriguez-Kennedy said .
Diana Fink , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the national progressive organization Indivisible , has been turning out the vote for Campa-Najjar and other “ down the ballot ” Democrats in her conservative neighborhood .
She ’ s stood on the busiest intersection corner in her neighborhood with a 20-foot long Campa-Najjar sign and told Courthouse News it was “ heartening ” to get honks and cheers of support from passing vehicles .
Fink said she ’ s fielded calls from friends asking whether they should vote for Campa-Najjar given his appearance on the Facebook live show .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigns and you can ’ t pass the purity test , ” Fink said .
“ This guy , the day after the midterms , started campaigning again .
I ’ ve never seen someone campaign so long and so hard .
I think he made bad decisions and I could see in his ‘ I ’ m sorry speech ’ that he was sad when he was saying that .
I know he regrets it , ” Fink said .
Luna said Campa-Najjar ’ s “ unfortunate appearance ” on the Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to close the gap ” in votes .
“ He made a short-term calculation , it seems , to try and win the election by stealing Issa votes .
If he loses this time around , the party may not want to back him in 2022 , ” Luna said .
“ It was probably a fool ’ s errand to show up on that show because the voters who are going to vote for Trump and Issa are not switching , ” he added .

A millennial congressional candidate who attempted to turn one of California’s last Republican strongholds blue in 2018 may succeed in November, after a political dynasty ended earlier this year when former Representative Duncan Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison for campaign finance fraud.
(CN) — A millennial congressional candidate who attempted to turn one of California’s last Republican strongholds blue in 2018 may succeed in November, after a political dynasty ended earlier this year when former Representative Duncan Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison for campaign finance fraud.
Ammar Campa-Najjar has been campaigning in District 50 for the Nov. 3 election since the day after he lost to Hunter in 2018.
He lost by three points to Hunter, who just months before the election was indicted by the Justice Department in a campaign finance fraud scandal unearthed by The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Even though Campa-Najjar didn’t succeed in “blue-ing” the district like in nearby District 49 — where weekly protests at Rep. Darrell Issa’s district office effectively forced him out — Campa-Najjar had gotten closer than any candidate in ousting the Hunter Family.
Duncan Hunter and his father Duncan Hunter Sr., had represented the district — which encompasses east San Diego County and parts of Riverside County — for decades.
Now, Campa-Najjar has another chance to be part of a second “Blue Wave” expected to sweep the country in just 10 days as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s administration. Recent polls and an upgraded Cook Political Report rating this week suggest he has a good chance.
Republican Stronghold at Risk
University of San Diego Political Science Professor Carl Luna told Courthouse News whether Campa-Najjar succeeds in flipping the district depends on “how much of a blue turnout you get driven by the presidential election.”
“The district is shifting slowly to the blue, voter registration continues to move toward Democrats, but Republicans still have a rare advantage in that district,” Luna said.
“There seems to be a lot more people voting, and one could assume a disproportionate amount would be Democrat. If he wins this year because of a massive ‘Blue Wave’ then that district will have tipped — in many ways that’s what the last couple of elections have been in that district,” Luna added.
But this time around, Campa-Najjar faces another congressional relic Luna postured may not fare well due to his reputation as a “carpetbagger” after abandoning his seat in District 49 in 2018 for a supposed position in the Trump administration which never came to be: former Rep. Darrell Issa.
Luna said Issa’s “baggage from his time in Congress” could work against him in securing the independent vote in District 50, and Republicans who supported former candidate and conservative talk radio host Carl DeMaio may choose to abstain from voting for Issa on Election Day.
But Dee Chavez, a private practice accountant in rural Valley Center, told Courthouse News she was voting for Issa even though she wasn’t an initial supporter of his.
She decided early this year she’d cast her vote for Issa after watching the top three candidates debate in her town prior to the March primary election.
“He was the grown-up in the room between DeMaio and Campa-Najjar,” Chavez said.
“He brought an articulate argument with sound facts and could explain his positions in a measured and logical way without getting all excited,” she added.
Chavez said she saw Issa’s time in Congress as an asset — citing his experience serving as Chair of the House Oversight Committee.
While Campa-Najjar “was very polished” at both candidate forums Chavez attended, “he has no background, no experience and he is going to be lost if he gets elected,” she said.
“We cannot afford at this point to have a training period. We need someone who knows how the cards are dealt and what the rules of the game are,” Chavez said.
Dustin Trotter, a Central Committee member with the Republican Party of San Diego County, echoed Chavez in noting Issa would go back to Congress as a senior member and would immediately get on congressional committees.


courthousenews--2020-10-24--Senate Race in Maine Could Hinge on State’s Ranked Voting System

PORTLAND , Maine ( CN ) — The U.S. Senate race in Maine could well decide whether Democrats take back control of the chamber this year — but a quirk of state law is likely to mean that the results won ’ t be determined until weeks after Election Day .
Republican Senator Susan Collins is one of the country ’ s most vulnerable incumbents in a Senate landscape that RealClear Politics rates a virtual tie with the balance of power hinging on a handful of toss-up races .
But in the Maine contest that features two independents , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate 50 % of the vote .
If that holds true on Nov. 3 , the election will be determined under a complex system of “ ranked-choice voting ” that takes voters ’ second and third choices into account .
That could take weeks .
Collins , 67 , is a four-term Republican in a Democratic-leaning state who has carefully built a reputation as an independent who is often willing to disagree with her party .
In 2013 , she sided with President Barack Obama more than three-quarters of the time .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she is facing a tough challenge from Democratic Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon .
Gideon has led almost every poll this year , “ but almost always within the margin of error , ” noted James Melcher , a political science professor at the University of Maine in Farmington .
“ I ’ d rate it a toss-up , ” he said .
Traditionally , the winner of a Senate election is the candidate who gets the most votes , even if the candidate doesn ’ t get a majority of the ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adopted a controversial system called ranked-choice voting that requires candidates to get an absolute majority but allows voters to pick a second , third and fourth choice .
If no one gets 50 % of the vote , then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and that person ’ s votes are redistributed based on the voters ’ second choices .
If there ’ s still no winner , the next-lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and the votes are redistributed , and so on until someone gets to 50 % .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ result in the election in Maine ’ s 2nd Congressional District .
Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin won the most votes on Election Day , but after two minor candidates were eliminated and their votes redistributed , Democrat Jared Golden was declared the winner .
The redistribution process took nine days , and since Maine has two congressional districts , it only involved half the state .
A redistribution of a statewide Senate race could take even longer , especially if control of the Senate is at stake and both parties rush in teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melcher predicted that this is exactly what will happen .
One of the independent candidates this year is Lisa Savage , a retired schoolteacher and union negotiator who supports a progressive agenda , including the Green New Deal , free public college , Medicare for All and a universal basic income .
Savage ’ s campaign is explicitly based on ranked-choice voting .
She is urging Mainers to vote for her to express support for progressive ideals and to pick the more moderate Gideon as their second choice , even explicitly using the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other independent is Max Linn , a retired financial planner who strongly supports President Donald Trump , something Collins has declined to do .
But while Linn wants a five-year moratorium on immigration and is urging Mainers to buy guns for self-defense , he also calls himself an environmentalist who opposes a controversial power project and has endorsed student-loan forgiveness .
“ He ’ s sort of ideologically all over the place , ” said Dan Shea , director of Colby College ’ s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs .
In a recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Collins by 45 % to 41 % with 5 % supporting Linn and 3 % supporting Savage .
Collins ’ difficulties this year are a direct result of two of her Senate votes , one in favor of Trump ’ s tax cuts and , more consequentially , her deciding vote in favor of confirming Supreme Court Justice Bruce Kavanaugh .
Collins has always polled well among women , but the Kavanaugh vote hurt her in light of the # MeToo movement , Melcher said .
Ronald Schmidt , a political science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said the Kavanaugh vote “ did lasting damage to her brand ” and drove away a lot of Democrats who used to split their ticket for her .
Schmidt said it was an “ uncharacteristic misstep ” for Collins to wait until the last minute and cast the deciding vote “ because it fed into her Saturday Night Live stereotype , that she claims to be independent but she ’ s a reliable Republican depending on how badly her vote is needed.
” Jacqueline Fawcett , a nurse educator in Waldoboro , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debacle was the last straw .
Susan Collins had always impressed me as caring about women ’ s issues , but now she ’ s no longer advocating for women ’ s rights .
We can ’ t believe anything she says.
” On the other hand , if Collins had voted against Kavanaugh she would have faced a tough primary challenge , Melcher observed .
After the Kavanaugh vote , conservative former Governor Paul LePage not only decided not to run against her but also put heavy pressure on another primary opponent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the race .
Still , the Kavanaugh controversy energized national Democrats who wanted revenge and sensed an opportunity to defeat Collins .
Unprecedented amounts of money flowed into the state from all over the country .
The race so far has cost a staggering $ 133 million , including $ 70 million spent by outside groups largely on negative advertising .
The candidates “ have more money than they know what to do with , ” said Schmidt .
“ I have an 8-year-old daughter and these days 90 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programming are about the Senate race.
” What makes the furious campaigning all the more remarkable is that there are few stark issues separating the liberal Republican from her centrist Democratic challenger .
The race has largely turned on the candidates ’ personalities and backgrounds .
Gideon ’ s argument is that Mainers were right to vote for Collins in the past because she was independent , but she ’ s not independent anymore and has been co-opted by Washington Republicans .
“ Gideon is saying , ‘ I ’ m what Collins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a smart move because Collins used to be popular , ” said Schmidt .
Gideon ’ s claim is bolstered by the fact that she has poached endorsements from some groups that previously supported Collins , including pro-choice and gun-safety organizations and a key iron-workers union .
This line of attack resonates with Fawcett .
“ I used to be really impressed by Collins ’ moderate approach , ” she said , “ but now she ’ s caved in to the president and she ’ s not very different from the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have sold their souls.
” Collins ’ advertising paints Gideon as risky and untested and as a carpetbagger of sorts .
Gideon has lived in Maine since 2004 and has been a state representative since 2012 .
By contrast , Collins has been in the Senate since 1997 and her family has operated a lumber business in Caribou , Maine since 1844 .
A recent Republican Party ad paints Gideon as a privileged elitist who lived in New York and Paris before buying a million-dollar oceanfront estate in Maine with a 300-foot dock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while doing little to help the state , the ad claims .
By contrast , Collins brags about using her committee positions to bring home more than $ 740 million in infrastructure projects .
With the race so close , the outcome will depend on turnout .
In particular , Collins needs Trump voters to show up at the polls and then decide to vote for her while they ’ re at it , said Schmidt .
And that effort is being helped by another quirk of Maine election law .
Maine awards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s overall winner and one each to the winner of its two congressional districts .
Back in 2016 , hoping to pull off a razor-thin electoral-college victory , the Trump campaign targeted Maine ’ s 2nd Congressional District and won it .
Trump is trying to do the same thing this year .
The second district , consisting of the northern part of the state , is the second-most rural district in the entire U.S. On Oct. 19 , Vice President Pence was campaigning in tiny Hermon , Maine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited the district this year , as did Trump himself in June when he opened 5,000 square miles of ocean to Maine fishermen that had been placed off-limits by President Obama .
But while the Trump campaign ’ s efforts in a largely blue state might help Collins , Democrats believe that Trump ’ s presence also energizes Gideon supporters and have been making efforts to tie Collins to Trump in the public ’ s mind .
In an unprecedented move , the state Democratic Party has been encouraging Democratic voters to put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020.
” Collins has a difficult relationship with the president whom she didn ’ t support in 2016 and won ’ t say if she supports this year .
After Collins announced that she would vote against Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett , Trump tweeted that Collins was a disappointment and “ not worth the work !
” The Trump tweet distancing himself from Collins might actually help her with some voters , said Melcher , although he doubts that that was Trump ’ s strategic intention .
“ Can he play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jedi mind trick ?
” Melcher asked skeptically .
“ I just don ’ t think he thinks over his tweets for a week.
” In any event , the largely negative tone of the campaign in which Collins and Gideon have constantly criticized each other ’ s integrity could drive up third-party support and prolong the outcome through two rounds of ranked-choice voting .
If the Maine race decides control of the Senate , as it well might , national attention could be focused for weeks on a small number of votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normally grab many headlines .
If that happens , said Schmidt , “ Maine would finally become famous for something other than Stephen King and lobsters .
”

“He’s sort of ideologically all over the place,” said Dan Shea, director of Colby College’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs.
In a recent Colby College poll, Gideon was ahead of Collins by 45% to 41% with 5% supporting Linn and 3% supporting Savage.
Collins’ difficulties this year are a direct result of two of her Senate votes, one in favor of Trump’s tax cuts and, more consequentially, her deciding vote in favor of confirming Supreme Court Justice Bruce Kavanaugh.
Collins has always polled well among women, but the Kavanaugh vote hurt her in light of the #MeToo movement, Melcher said.
Ronald Schmidt, a political science professor at the University of Southern Maine, said the Kavanaugh vote “did lasting damage to her brand” and drove away a lot of Democrats who used to split their ticket for her.
Schmidt said it was an “uncharacteristic misstep” for Collins to wait until the last minute and cast the deciding vote “because it fed into her Saturday Night Live stereotype, that she claims to be independent but she’s a reliable Republican depending on how badly her vote is needed.”
Jacqueline Fawcett, a nurse educator in Waldoboro, said that for her “the Kavanaugh debacle was the last straw. Susan Collins had always impressed me as caring about women’s issues, but now she’s no longer advocating for women’s rights. We can’t believe anything she says.”
On the other hand, if Collins had voted against Kavanaugh she would have faced a tough primary challenge, Melcher observed. After the Kavanaugh vote, conservative former Governor Paul LePage not only decided not to run against her but also put heavy pressure on another primary opponent, Derek Levasseur, to drop out of the race.
Still, the Kavanaugh controversy energized national Democrats who wanted revenge and sensed an opportunity to defeat Collins. Unprecedented amounts of money flowed into the state from all over the country. The race so far has cost a staggering $133 million, including $70 million spent by outside groups largely on negative advertising.
The candidates “have more money than they know what to do with,” said Schmidt. “I have an 8-year-old daughter and these days 90% of the ads on her YouTube children’s programming are about the Senate race.”
What makes the furious campaigning all the more remarkable is that there are few stark issues separating the liberal Republican from her centrist Democratic challenger. The race has largely turned on the candidates’ personalities and backgrounds.
Gideon’s argument is that Mainers were right to vote for Collins in the past because she was independent, but she’s not independent anymore and has been co-opted by Washington Republicans.
“Gideon is saying, ‘I’m what Collins used to be,’ which is a smart move because Collins used to be popular,” said Schmidt.
Gideon’s claim is bolstered by the fact that she has poached endorsements from some groups that previously supported Collins, including pro-choice and gun-safety organizations and a key iron-workers union.
This line of attack resonates with Fawcett.
“I used to be really impressed by Collins’ moderate approach,” she said, “but now she’s caved in to the president and she’s not very different from the other Republicans in Congress. So many people have sold their souls.”
Collins’ advertising paints Gideon as risky and untested and as a carpetbagger of sorts. Gideon has lived in Maine since 2004 and has been a state representative since 2012. By contrast, Collins has been in the Senate since 1997 and her family has operated a lumber business in Caribou, Maine since 1844.
A recent Republican Party ad paints Gideon as a privileged elitist who lived in New York and Paris before buying a million-dollar oceanfront estate in Maine with a 300-foot dock. She has feathered her own nest while doing little to help the state, the ad claims.
By contrast, Collins brags about using her committee positions to bring home more than $740 million in infrastructure projects.
With the race so close, the outcome will depend on turnout. In particular, Collins needs Trump voters to show up at the polls and then decide to vote for her while they’re at it, said Schmidt.
And that effort is being helped by another quirk of Maine election law. Maine awards two of its four electoral votes to the state’s overall winner and one each to the winner of its two congressional districts. Back in 2016, hoping to pull off a razor-thin electoral-college victory, the Trump campaign targeted Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and won it. Trump is trying to do the same thing this year.
The second district, consisting of the northern part of the state, is the second-most rural district in the entire U.S. On Oct. 19, Vice President Pence was campaigning in tiny Hermon, Maine, population 5,981. Donald Trump Jr. also visited the district this year, as did Trump himself in June when he opened 5,000 square miles of ocean to Maine fishermen that had been placed off-limits by President Obama.
But while the Trump campaign’s efforts in a largely blue state might help Collins, Democrats believe that Trump’s presence also energizes Gideon supporters and have been making efforts to tie Collins to Trump in the public’s mind. In an unprecedented move, the state Democratic Party has been encouraging Democratic voters to put up lawn signs that say “Trump/Collins 2020.”
Collins has a difficult relationship with the president whom she didn’t support in 2016 and won’t say if she supports this year. After Collins announced that she would vote against Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Trump tweeted that Collins was a disappointment and “not worth the work!”
The Trump tweet distancing himself from Collins might actually help her with some voters, said Melcher, although he doubts that that was Trump’s strategic intention.
“Can he play three-dimensional chess well enough to plan that Jedi mind trick?” Melcher asked skeptically. “I just don’t think he thinks over his tweets for a week.”
In any event, the largely negative tone of the campaign in which Collins and Gideon have constantly criticized each other’s integrity could drive up third-party support and prolong the outcome through two rounds of ranked-choice voting. If the Maine race decides control of the Senate, as it well might, national attention could be focused for weeks on a small number of votes in a state that doesn’t normally grab many headlines.
If that happens, said Schmidt, “Maine would finally become famous for something other than Stephen King and lobsters.”


courthousenews--2020-10-25--As Race Tightens, Biden Seeks to Bump Michigan Back to Blue

DETROIT ( CN ) — Michigan elected Donald Trump to the presidency by the narrowest of margins in 2016 .
Now , polling shows it to be tilted towards Joe Biden , which — if it holds — would mark the seventh time in eight presidential election cycles that the Wolverine State voted for the Democratic candidate .
President Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes over Hillary Clinton , the closest race in state history .
He has struggled to repeat that magic as Election Day nears and while it is not impossible for the incumbent to make up ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Charles Shipan , professor of social and political science at the University of Michigan .
“ Although Biden ’ s lead over Trump is similar to Clinton ’ s lead at this same point , Biden ’ s lead has been far steadier , whereas Clinton ’ s lead jumped around much more dramatically , sometimes fairly big and other times pretty narrow , ” he told Courthouse News .
“ Biden ’ s lead has been consistently large .
Second , pollsters learn from their mistakes .
In 2016 , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some state polls .
“ My sense from hearing from people involved in polling is that they ’ re taking this into account this time , and attempting to avoid that same mistake .
Another potential issue is that there are fewer prominent 3rd party candidates this time around.
” he said via email .
William Gordon , chair of the Republican Party for Washtenaw County dismissed the polling in a phone interview and opined there are a block of loyal Trump voters who will remain in the shadows .
“ I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ve never trusted polling very much , ” he said .
Gordon said he believes there are many shy Trump voters who will not telegraph their voting intentions for fear of retribution .
“ In Washtenaw County , it ’ s actually quite frightening .
I have people who come to me and let me know they can ’ t speak openly about politics for fear of getting fired .
The enthusiasm for Trump and [ state Senate candidate John ] James are very high .
I judge it by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount of requests for signs , ” he said .
During a recent rally in Muskegon , Trump declared the upcoming vote was “ the most important election in the history of our country , ” as he begged his supporters to “ just make sure you vote.
” At the same rally , Trump directed some ire towards Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer , over the Covid-19 restrictions she issued .
“ You got to get your governor to open up your state , OK , ” he said .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to be open , ” he continued as the adoring crowd chanted “ lock her up.
” “ Lock ’ em all up , ” he said with a smile .
“ This is exactly the rhetoric that has put me , my family , and other government officials ’ lives in danger while we try to save the lives of our fellow Americans .
It needs to stop , ” Whitmer responded on Twitter .
Corwin Smidt , associate professor in the department of political science at Michigan State University , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nothing should be taken for granted .
“ Michigan is a tough state for pollsters and tends to have larger errors than other states .
It is partly because of how we keep our public data on voter turnout .
We also have a lot of counties that have swung back and forth lately .
That makes our voters less predictable too , ” he said in an email .
If the election is close in Michigan , it could spark a fight between the parties according to Shipan .
“ One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in line with what polls are currently showing , and if that happens we ’ ll have a strong sense of it on election day .
The other possibility — the more likely one , in my view — is that either Biden has a narrow lead with the votes that are cast on election day , or that Trump does , ” he said .
“ If it ’ s the former , then ballots counted later ( e.g.
, absentee votes that are mailed in ) are likely to increase his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a narrow lead in the state when the votes cast on election day are counted , then that could lead to a more complicated situation , with Republicans potentially wanting to certify the election results before those other votes are counted and can potentially shift the vote tally.
” County Chair Gordon is confident the state will handle its election business without incident and anticipates a quick turnaround .
“ I think the Michigan system is fairly good .
I suspect we will have results by the next day , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of political science at the University of Michigan responded via email that he thought the race will be much tighter than the polls suggest .
“ We should expect a close race in Michigan in the presidential vote , ” he wrote .
While Smidt thinks the outcome is still difficult to determine , he is optimistic the process will not drag on .
“ It depends on the margin .
But not weeks , ” he said .
“ The change in the law to allow earlier absentee counting helps .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clerks processing ballots .
“ That takes a lot of volunteer work , the number of absentee ballots cast will be the key factor determining time .
Studies find people trust their local clerks more than the state , so I think people will be trusting of their local results .
The issue is if one large city or county takes a much longer amount of time compared to the others , that will raise concern , ” he said .
In a tight state Senate race , incumbent Gary Peters will try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate John James .
Peters , elected in 2014 , was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Michigan ’ s 9th Congressional District from 2009 to 2013 and Michigan ’ s 14th Congressional District from 2013 to 2015 .
When he was elected to the Senate , he replaced the retiring Democrat Carl Levin .
James , a Black Republican and Trump supporter , will try again after losing to Democrat Debbie Stabenow in the 2018 election .
If he prevails , he would become Michigan ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Army as a Ranger-qualified aviation officer and fought in the Iraq War .
When he returned home to Michigan , he grew his father ’ s trucking business into a multimillion-dollar operation .
Chair of the Cass County Executive Committee for the Republican Party Diane Konneck says she sees a lot of support for James in her area .
“ The enthusiasm we are seeing at our campaign office is astounding .
Every day that we are open there are many people coming in looking for signs or information .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for quite a while now and almost out of Trump signs .
Having met James a couple years ago a lot of our members here are very supportive of his campaign and will work hard for him , ” she wrote in an email .
Professor Kollman forecasts a Senate race that will go down to the wire .
“ We should also expect a close race in the Michigan race for the U.S. Senate seat , “ he said .
“ It ’ s not clear that the race between Peters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it is ; others do not , ” he said .
“ More precisely , Peters ’ s lead , in the Real Clear Politics average of polls , has been remarkably steady at about 5 % since late August , with no recent changes .
“ Prior to that it was bigger , in the 8-10 % range , throughout the summer .
If you ’ re a James supporter , you ’ re happy to see that Peters ’ s lead has dropped by several percentage points compared to where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re a Peters supporter , you ’ re happy to see that James ’ s comeback seems to have stalled out at around a 5 point deficit , ” he said .
The disturbing news of a plot by a Michigan militia group to kidnap Governor Whitmer has renewed focus on extremists and the president ’ s reluctance to denounce them .
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently issued guidelines to election officials that said the open carry of guns within 100 feet of polling places was banned .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place , clerk ’ s office ( s ) , or absent voter counting board may cause disruption , fear or intimidation for voters , election workers and others present , ” the guidance said .
“ Whether it ’ s disorderly conduct or loitering , whether it ’ s brandishing for weapons related offenses , the most important thing is this , we don ’ t want people to harass voters when they are in the process of exercising what is a fundamental right , which is their right to vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Circus ” that recently aired on Showtime .
County Chair Gordon was skeptical about the ban and said it was merely a “ stunt.
” “ I don ’ t think it is a big problem .
I think it ’ s for politics more than anything else , ” he said .
But Kollman believes any suspicion to suppress votes or dissuade voters should be taken seriously .
“ We should all be concerned about any kind of intimidation or voter suppression , regardless of our party affiliation .
Nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and there is little persuading left to do , except for influencing turnout .
This will be a battle over turnout among supporters and over the degree to which targeted voter suppression efforts work , ” he said .

Michigan elected Donald Trump to the presidency by the narrowest of margins in 2016. Now, polling shows it to be tilted towards Joe Biden, which — if it holds — would mark the seventh time in eight presidential election cycles that the Wolverine State voted for the Democratic candidate.
DETROIT (CN) — Michigan elected Donald Trump to the presidency by the narrowest of margins in 2016. Now, polling shows it to be tilted towards Joe Biden, which — if it holds — would mark the seventh time in eight presidential election cycles that the Wolverine State voted for the Democratic candidate.
President Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes over Hillary Clinton, the closest race in state history. He has struggled to repeat that magic as Election Day nears and while it is not impossible for the incumbent to make up ground, it will be tough, according to Charles Shipan, professor of social and political science at the University of Michigan.
“Although Biden's lead over Trump is similar to Clinton's lead at this same point, Biden's lead has been far steadier, whereas Clinton's lead jumped around much more dramatically, sometimes fairly big and other times pretty narrow,” he told Courthouse News. “Biden's lead has been consistently large. Second, pollsters learn from their mistakes. In 2016, they underrepresented Trump voters — at least in some state polls.
“My sense from hearing from people involved in polling is that they're taking this into account this time, and attempting to avoid that same mistake. Another potential issue is that there are fewer prominent 3rd party candidates this time around.” he said via email.
William Gordon, chair of the Republican Party for Washtenaw County dismissed the polling in a phone interview and opined there are a block of loyal Trump voters who will remain in the shadows.
“I don’t think they are very accurate. We’ve never trusted polling very much,” he said.
Gordon said he believes there are many shy Trump voters who will not telegraph their voting intentions for fear of retribution.
“In Washtenaw County, it’s actually quite frightening. I have people who come to me and let me know they can’t speak openly about politics for fear of getting fired. The enthusiasm for Trump and [state Senate candidate John] James are very high. I judge it by sign requests, I get a tremendous amount of requests for signs,” he said.
Poll workers empty a ballot drop box at Considine Little Rock Family Life Center in Midtown Detroit. (Courthouse News photo / Andy Olesko)
During a recent rally in Muskegon, Trump declared the upcoming vote was “the most important election in the history of our country,” as he begged his supporters to “just make sure you vote.”
At the same rally, Trump directed some ire towards Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, over the Covid-19 restrictions she issued.
“You got to get your governor to open up your state, OK,” he said. “And get your schools open. The schools have to be open,” he continued as the adoring crowd chanted “lock her up.”
“Lock ’em all up,” he said with a smile.
“This is exactly the rhetoric that has put me, my family, and other government officials' lives in danger while we try to save the lives of our fellow Americans. It needs to stop,” Whitmer responded on Twitter.
Corwin Smidt, associate professor in the department of political science at Michigan State University, warns that even though polling favors Biden, nothing should be taken for granted.
“Michigan is a tough state for pollsters and tends to have larger errors than other states. It is partly because of how we keep our public data on voter turnout. We also have a lot of counties that have swung back and forth lately. That makes our voters less predictable too,” he said in an email.
If the election is close in Michigan, it could spark a fight between the parties according to Shipan.
“One possibility is that Biden wins big, in line with what polls are currently showing, and if that happens we'll have a strong sense of it on election day. The other possibility — the more likely one, in my view — is that either Biden has a narrow lead with the votes that are cast on election day, or that Trump does,” he said.


courthousenews--2020-10-26--YouTube Influencers Promote Unhealthy Food to Kids, Study Finds

( CN ) — Amid the growing obesity crisis in the United States , research revealed Monday that childhood nutrition faces a new challenge as young influencers on YouTube promote unhealthy food and drinks to their followers .
In a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics , researchers from NYU School of Global Public Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine discuss this modern threat to public health .
From a young age , kids are exposed to targeted marketing from food and beverage companies , but very few consist of healthy options .
These companies will spend approximately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purpose , but according to a 2013 study , 84 % of these advertisements promote foods that are high in saturated fat , trans fats , sugar or sodium .
These targeted ads appear on television , the internet , video games , celebrity sponsorships , mobile apps and more , and there have been very few limitations put in place .
In 2016 , there was a 3 % drop in television ads viewed by children , but this was likely due to a shift towards online and mobile device marketing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , and these companies have steadily increased their online and social media presence .
“ Kids already see several thousand food commercials on television every year , and adding these YouTube videos on top of it may make it even more difficult for parents and children to maintain a healthy diet , ” said senior author Marie Bragg , assistant professor of public health nutrition at NYU School of Global Public Health .
“ We need a digital media environment that supports healthy eating instead of discouraging it.
” The popular streaming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media for 15 years , and ranks as the second most viewed website in the world .
Although they discourage children under the age of 13 from using their website , it is among the most popular entertainment platforms for children , and 80 % of parents with kids 12 or younger reported that they allow their kids to watch it .
A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that despite their policy , YouTube videos targeted at or featuring kids are some of the most popular on the site .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially strong in 2020 as many parents are working remotely and have to juggle the challenging task of having young kids at home because of Covid-19 , ” Bragg said .
The researchers found that when searching for appropriate content for their little ones , parents will often look to “ kid influencers.
” These are increasingly popular channels run by parents who will film their little ones doing activities , and has raised many questions about regulations .
Influencer marketing has been projected to become a $ 9.7 billion industry by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young the influencer .
This growing industry has been greatly utilized by big companies , who pay channel users to promote their ads throughout their videos .
“ Parents may not realize that kid influencers are often paid by food companies to promote unhealthy food and beverages in their videos .
Our study is the first to quantify the extent to which junk food product placements appear in YouTube videos from kid influencers , ” Bragg said .
The researchers found that the five most popular kid influencers in 2019 were ages 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study , they looked through the most watched content from the five , totaling 418 videos , and made note of if there was a food or drink present , what kind and what brand they were and their nutritional facts .
The results showed that 42.8 % of the most watched videos from kid influencers promoted food and drinks , and more than 90 % of the products were unhealthy branded food and drinks .
The videos featured fast food and fast food toys the most frequently , with candy and soda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 % of videos featured unbranded unhealthy foods , 3 % featured unbranded healthy foods , and 2 % featured branded healthy foods .
“ It was concerning to see that kid influencers are promoting a high volume of junk food in their YouTube videos , and that those videos are generating enormous amounts of screen time for these unhealthy products , ” Bragg said .
In total , these videos reached over 1 billion views , and the researchers warn that this is an undeniable concern for public health .
Whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not , they say that it enables these companies to promote unhealthy products to young children at an unprecedented rate .
“ It ’ s a perfect storm for encouraging poor nutrition–research shows that people trust influencers because they appear to be ‘ everyday people , ’ and when you see these kid influencers eating certain foods , it doesn ’ t necessarily look like advertising , ” Bragg said .
“ But it is advertising , and numerous studies have shown that children who see food ads consume more calories than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is why the National Academy of Medicine and World Health Organization identify food marketing as a major driver of childhood obesity.
” Study co-author Jennifer Pomeranz , assistant professor at NYU School of Global Public Health , said the authors hope the study will “ encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to focus on this issue and identify strategies to protect children and public health .
”

Amid the growing obesity crisis in the United States, research revealed Monday that childhood nutrition faces a new challenge as young influencers on YouTube promote unhealthy food and drinks to their followers.
(CN) — Amid the growing obesity crisis in the United States, research revealed Monday that childhood nutrition faces a new challenge as young influencers on YouTube promote unhealthy food and drinks to their followers.
In a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from NYU School of Global Public Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine discuss this modern threat to public health.
From a young age, kids are exposed to targeted marketing from food and beverage companies, but very few consist of healthy options. These companies will spend approximately $1.8 billion a year for this purpose, but according to a 2013 study, 84% of these advertisements promote foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fats, sugar or sodium.
These targeted ads appear on television, the internet, video games, celebrity sponsorships, mobile apps and more, and there have been very few limitations put in place.
In 2016, there was a 3% drop in television ads viewed by children, but this was likely due to a shift towards online and mobile device marketing. This trend has only picked up since then, and these companies have steadily increased their online and social media presence.
"Kids already see several thousand food commercials on television every year, and adding these YouTube videos on top of it may make it even more difficult for parents and children to maintain a healthy diet," said senior author Marie Bragg, assistant professor of public health nutrition at NYU School of Global Public Health. "We need a digital media environment that supports healthy eating instead of discouraging it."
The popular streaming service has been a staple in social media for 15 years, and ranks as the second most viewed website in the world.
Although YouTube discourages children under the age of 13 from using its website, it is among the most popular entertainment platforms for children, and 80% of parents with kids 12 or younger reported that they allow their kids to watch it. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that despite their policy, YouTube videos targeted at or featuring kids are some of the most popular on the site.
"The allure of YouTube may be especially strong in 2020 as many parents are working remotely and have to juggle the challenging task of having young kids at home because of Covid-19," Bragg said.
The researchers found that when searching for appropriate content for their little ones, parents will often look to “kid influencers.” These are increasingly popular channels run by parents who will film their little ones doing activities, and has raised many questions about regulations.
Influencer marketing has been projected to become a $9.7 billion industry by the end of 2020, regardless of how young the influencer. This growing industry has been greatly utilized by big companies, who pay channel users to promote their ads throughout their videos.
"Parents may not realize that kid influencers are often paid by food companies to promote unhealthy food and beverages in their videos. Our study is the first to quantify the extent to which junk food product placements appear in YouTube videos from kid influencers," Bragg said.
The researchers found that the five most popular kid influencers in 2019 were ages 3 to 14 years old. In their study, they looked through the most watched content from the five, totaling 418 videos, and made note of if there was a food or drink present, what kind and what brand they were and their nutritional facts.
The results showed that 42.8% of the most watched videos from kid influencers promoted food and drinks, and more than 90% of the products were unhealthy branded food and drinks.
The videos featured fast food and fast food toys the most frequently, with candy and soda as close seconds. They also found 4% of videos featured unbranded unhealthy foods, 3% featured unbranded healthy foods, and 2% featured branded healthy foods.
"It was concerning to see that kid influencers are promoting a high volume of junk food in their YouTube videos, and that those videos are generating enormous amounts of screen time for these unhealthy products," Bragg said.
In total, these videos reached over 1 billion views, and the researchers warn that this is an undeniable concern for public health. Whether the featured food and drinks were paid endorsements or not, they say that it enables these companies to promote unhealthy products to young children at an unprecedented rate.
"It's a perfect storm for encouraging poor nutrition--research shows that people trust influencers because they appear to be 'everyday people,' and when you see these kid influencers eating certain foods, it doesn't necessarily look like advertising,” Bragg said.
“But it is advertising, and numerous studies have shown that children who see food ads consume more calories than children who see non-food ads, which is why the National Academy of Medicine and World Health Organization identify food marketing as a major driver of childhood obesity.”
Study co-author Jennifer Pomeranz, assistant professor at NYU School of Global Public Health, said the authors hope the study will “encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to focus on this issue and identify strategies to protect children and public health.”


courthousenews--2020-10-27--Conservationists Win Protections for Southern California Wildlife Corridor

TEMECULA , Calif. ( CN ) — A key section of a natural corridor for endangered Santa Ana mountain lions and other wildlife that migrate between the California coast and inland environments received permanent protection under a conservation plan finalized Monday .
The now-protected 55-acre parcel of the corridor would have been blocked by a planned massive housing development in Riverside County called the Altair Project .
In 2018 , conservation group the Center for Biological Diversity and others sued Altair developer Ambient Communities and the Riverside County city of Temecula to block the project .
The 5 million-square-foot development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposed protecting a pocket of land that was too small for wildlife to migrate across in order to thrive , conservationists said in their lawsuit .
Decades of unabated development of residential and commercial structures encroached on mountain lions ’ habitat and eroded their ability to breed with other groups , resulting in dangerously low genetic diversity , the complaint said .
A 2019 study by the National Park Service and University of California researchers found that if inbreeding continued , both the Santa Ana and Santa Monica mountain lion groups could go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past March , Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia blocked the proposed 270-acre development , finding it would imperil the endangered mountain lion population .
Ottolia found that Ambient Communities failed to properly study the impact Altair would have on the environment and that its designs violated Temecula ’ s own habitat preservation plan .
But in order to resolve the claims , both parties continued with settlement negotiations begun before Ottolia ’ s ruling .
Under a settlement reached by the parties Monday , Ambient Communities will redesign its plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pond turtles and other wildlife .
Part of the minimization of harm includes a ban on the residential use of anticoagulant rodenticides within the Altair Project because the poison has led to mountain lion deaths .
The developer must also acquire other land now and in the future that both connect wildlife migratory areas and can be used for educational purposes , according to the settlement .
Temecula will develop training for law enforcement and the city ’ s animal control program to ensure that mountain lions are protected .
As part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their legal challenge to the Altair Project and bear their own costs for attorney fees .
Center for Biological Diversity attorney John P. Rose said in a statement Monday the agreement gives the mountain lion population a much-needed lifeline .
“ This agreement gives Santa Ana ’ s imperiled mountain lions a pathway to recovery , ” Rose said .
“ Poorly planned highways and development have hemmed this population in , and these beautiful big cats are being driven toward extinction.
” Pam Nelson of the Sierra Club , a party to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local mountain lions is closely tied to the well-being of other wildlife .
“ We thank the city of Temecula and Ambient in helping us keep the parcels next to the headwaters of the Santa Margarita River intact , thus avoiding an impact that would have almost certainly ensured the extinction of the Santa Ana lions , ” Nelson said .
Temecula city manager Aaron Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement .
State officials are currently studying whether to grant Santa Ana mountain lions and five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California Endangered Species Act .

A key section of a natural corridor for endangered Santa Ana mountain lions and other wildlife that migrate between the California coast and inland environments received permanent protection under a conservation plan finalized Monday.
TEMECULA, Calif. (CN) — A key section of a natural corridor for endangered Santa Ana mountain lions and other wildlife that migrate between the California coast and inland environments received permanent protection under a conservation plan finalized Monday.
The now-protected 55-acre parcel of the corridor would have been blocked by a planned massive housing development in Riverside County called the Altair Project.
In 2018, conservation group the Center for Biological Diversity and others sued Altair developer Ambient Communities and the Riverside County city of Temecula to block the project.
The 5 million-square-foot development lacked a comprehensive environmental impact assessment and proposed protecting a pocket of land that was too small for wildlife to migrate across in order to thrive, conservationists said in their lawsuit.
Decades of unabated development of residential and commercial structures encroached on mountain lions’ habitat and eroded their ability to breed with other groups, resulting in dangerously low genetic diversity, the complaint said.
A 2019 study by the National Park Service and University of California researchers found that if inbreeding continued, both the Santa Ana and Santa Monica mountain lion groups could go extinct in under 15 years.
This past March, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia blocked the proposed 270-acre development, finding it would imperil the endangered mountain lion population.
Ottolia found that Ambient Communities failed to properly study the impact Altair would have on the environment and that its designs violated Temecula’s own habitat preservation plan.
But in order to resolve the claims, both parties continued with settlement negotiations begun before Ottolia’s ruling.
Under a settlement reached by the parties Monday, Ambient Communities will redesign its plan to minimize impacts on mountain lions, western pond turtles and other wildlife.
Part of the minimization of harm includes a ban on the residential use of anticoagulant rodenticides within the Altair Project because the poison has led to mountain lion deaths.
The developer must also acquire other land now and in the future that both connect wildlife migratory areas and can be used for educational purposes, according to the settlement.
Temecula will develop training for law enforcement and the city’s animal control program to ensure that mountain lions are protected.
As part of the agreement, conservation groups will dismiss their legal challenge to the Altair Project and bear their own costs for attorney fees.
Center for Biological Diversity attorney John P. Rose said in a statement Monday the agreement gives the mountain lion population a much-needed lifeline.
“This agreement gives Santa Ana’s imperiled mountain lions a pathway to recovery,” Rose said. “Poorly planned highways and development have hemmed this population in, and these beautiful big cats are being driven toward extinction.”
Pam Nelson of the Sierra Club, a party to the agreement, said the health of local mountain lions is closely tied to the well-being of other wildlife.
“We thank the city of Temecula and Ambient in helping us keep the parcels next to the headwaters of the Santa Margarita River intact, thus avoiding an impact that would have almost certainly ensured the extinction of the Santa Ana lions,” Nelson said.
Temecula city manager Aaron Adams said in an emailed statement the city is pleased with the update to the 1,750-unit project.
“Not only does the Altair provide for much needed roadway improvements and housing units, it now includes additional protections for the mountain lion beyond what the developer had previously proposed,” Adams said. “The city is satisfied that the settlement agreement is complete and the project is free to move forward under the previously approved the specific plan.”
State officials are currently studying whether to grant Santa Ana mountain lions and five other cougar populations permanent protections under the California Endangered Species Act.


courthousenews--2020-10-26--Ex-Federal Prosecutor Worried About AG Barr ‘Meddling’ Ahead of Election

( CN ) — Eight days before Election Day , former federal prosecutor Phillip Halpern appeared on Trump attorney-turned-political adversary Michael Cohen ’ s podcast Monday during which he detailed why his concerns about Attorney General William Barr ’ s “ meddling ” in the Department of Justice and the election caused him to resign after nearly four decades .
Halpern , a 36-year career prosecutor who worked in the Southern District of California , announced in a scathing op-ed published in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Oct. 14 that he was leaving the Justice Department due to what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Donald Trump ’ s will in his selective meddling with the criminal justice system.
” He served under 19 different attorneys general and six different presidents .
One of the federal prosecutors who brought a campaign finance fraud indictment against San Diego Representative Duncan Hunter — which resulted in a guilty plea and 11-month prison sentence , Halpern stayed at his post to see the case through the finish line .
He went on Cohen ’ s podcast “ Mea Culpa ” on Monday and warned Barr ’ s election policy change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is already impacting the election .
Halpern said the Department of Justice , for decades , had a policy against talking about investigations or bringing charges of election fraud right before an election .
But Barr changed that policy , Halpern said , if the alleged election fraud “ involved any component of the federal government , ” including the U.S .
Postal Service and mail-in ballots .
“ It ’ s a hole big enough to drive a truck through and what Bill Barr is saying is that we can make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the election when we ’ ve never done that in the past — that ’ s problematic , ” Halpern said .
He noted Trump has bandied about a case in Pennsylvania this year where nine military ballots were found discarded .
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said the ballots were discarded in error and it was not intentional fraud .
“ That incident was seized upon by Donald Trump , who made allegations of voter fraud , basing it on those nine ballots in Pennsylvania to suggest widescale fraud , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve already seen how the president can weaponize this change by Bill Barr and why it ’ s so important every citizen not pay attention to these wild claims , ” he added .
Halpern said Barr ’ s misrepresentation of the contents of the Mueller report before it was released in full to the public made him concerned about the direction of the Justice Department under his leadership .
“ At the beginning , I thought maybe it was a mistake — I was hoping for the best .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice of the attorney general representing the president ’ s interests rather than the interest of the American public that I became truly concerned and was worried about the direction the country was headed , ” Halpern said .
He said “ selective meddling ” by Barr in the high-profile prosecutions of Paul Manafort , Roger Stone and Michael Flynn was “ unprecedented ” and prompted “ rebellions ” by prosecutors involved in the Flynn case and the Stone prosecutor to quit , Halpern said .
Halpern compared Barr ’ s “ meddling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dirty tricks ” of former Attorney General John Mitchell during the Watergate scandal .
Mitchell served 19 months in prison for his involvement in the conspiracy .
“ Every American citizen should be scared when we have an attorney general that is willing to go after the president ’ s political adversaries or perceived enemies .
That ’ s a problem , ” Halpern said .
But it wasn ’ t just the meddling in those cases that concerned Halpern about the DOJ under Barr ’ s leadership — it was the concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his prosecution of Hunter at President Trump ’ s suggestion .
Hunter , one of two original members of Congress to support Trump ’ s then-candidacy for president , famously called the campaign charges against him a “ witch hunt.
” Trump tweeted at former Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the indictment was filed a few months before the 2018 midterm elections suggesting the red seat would be up for grabs to be filled by a Democrat due to the charges .
“ When I heard that as a line prosecutor trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that the president of the United States is tweeting about my case saying he ’ s unhappy with the outcome , I was very nervous , ” Halpern said .
“ When I witnessed under Bill Barr how the Justice Department was willing to meddle in cases at the president ’ s bidding , I was very upset and I made the decision I needed to stay on and finish that case to make sure it was done and that nobody was going to stop it , ” Halpern said .

Eight days before Election Day, former federal prosecutor Phillip Halpern appeared on Trump attorney-turned-political adversary Michael Cohen’s podcast Monday during which he detailed why his concerns about Attorney General William Barr’s “meddling” in the Department of Justice and the election caused him to resign after nearly four decades.
(CN) — Eight days before Election Day, former federal prosecutor Phillip Halpern appeared on Trump attorney-turned-political adversary Michael Cohen’s podcast Monday during which he detailed why his concerns about Attorney General William Barr’s “meddling” in the Department of Justice and the election caused him to resign after nearly four decades.
Halpern, a 36-year career prosecutor who worked in the Southern District of California, announced in a scathing op-ed published in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Oct. 14 that he was leaving the Justice Department due to what he called Barr’s “slavish obedience to Donald Trump’s will in his selective meddling with the criminal justice system.”
He served under 19 different attorneys general and six different presidents.
One of the federal prosecutors who brought a campaign finance fraud indictment against San Diego Representative Duncan Hunter — which resulted in a guilty plea and 11-month prison sentence, Halpern stayed at his post to see the case through the finish line.
He went on Cohen’s podcast “Mea Culpa” on Monday and warned Barr’s election policy change has “flown under the radar” and is already impacting the election.
Halpern said the Department of Justice, for decades, had a policy against talking about investigations or bringing charges of election fraud right before an election.
But Barr changed that policy, Halpern said, if the alleged election fraud “involved any component of the federal government,” including the U.S. Postal Service and mail-in ballots.
“It’s a hole big enough to drive a truck through and what Bill Barr is saying is that we can make announcements about those types of potential cases before the election when we’ve never done that in the past — that’s problematic,” Halpern said.
He noted Trump has bandied about a case in Pennsylvania this year where nine military ballots were found discarded.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said the ballots were discarded in error and it was not intentional fraud.
“That incident was seized upon by Donald Trump, who made allegations of voter fraud, basing it on those nine ballots in Pennsylvania to suggest widescale fraud,” Halpern told Cohen.
“We’ve already seen how the president can weaponize this change by Bill Barr and why it’s so important every citizen not pay attention to these wild claims,” he added.
Halpern said Barr’s misrepresentation of the contents of the Mueller report before it was released in full to the public made him concerned about the direction of the Justice Department under his leadership.
“At the beginning, I thought maybe it was a mistake — I was hoping for the best. It was only when it became a pattern and practice of the attorney general representing the president’s interests rather than the interest of the American public that I became truly concerned and was worried about the direction the country was headed,” Halpern said.
He said “selective meddling” by Barr in the high-profile prosecutions of Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Michael Flynn was “unprecedented” and prompted “rebellions” by prosecutors involved in the Flynn case and the Stone prosecutor to quit, Halpern said.
Halpern compared Barr’s “meddling” in the prosecutions to the “dirty tricks” of former Attorney General John Mitchell during the Watergate scandal.
Mitchell served 19 months in prison for his involvement in the conspiracy.
“Every American citizen should be scared when we have an attorney general that is willing to go after the president’s political adversaries or perceived enemies. That’s a problem,” Halpern said.
But it wasn’t just the meddling in those cases that concerned Halpern about the DOJ under Barr’s leadership — it was the concern he’d do the same in his prosecution of Hunter at President Trump’s suggestion.
Hunter, one of two original members of Congress to support Trump’s then-candidacy for president, famously called the campaign charges against him a “witch hunt.”
Trump tweeted at former Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the indictment was filed a few months before the 2018 midterm elections suggesting the red seat would be up for grabs to be filled by a Democrat due to the charges.
“When I heard that as a line prosecutor trying to prosecute a politician who’s corrupt, that the president of the United States is tweeting about my case saying he’s unhappy with the outcome, I was very nervous,” Halpern said.
“When I witnessed under Bill Barr how the Justice Department was willing to meddle in cases at the president’s bidding, I was very upset and I made the decision I needed to stay on and finish that case to make sure it was done and that nobody was going to stop it,” Halpern said.


Top Eight

Your Monday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News Top eight CNS stories for today including fears of a bona fide second wave of Covid-19 and no stimulus plan in sight sent markets into a free fall ; A poll shows Joe Biden has expanded his lead over President Donald Trump in three crucial Midwest battleground states ; A wind-driven brush fire in Southern California quickly burned over 4,000 acres and triggered evacuations for 60,000 people , and more .
Sign up for the CNS Top Eight , a roundup of the day ’ s top stories delivered directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 . )
Fears of a bona fide second wave of Covid-19 — and still no stimulus plan in sight — sent markets into a free fall on Monday .
2 . )
New polling released Monday shows Democratic candidate Joe Biden expanding his lead over President Donald Trump in three crucial Midwest battleground states after winning over a bigger share of previously undecided voters .
3 . )
With the Republican Senate marshaled behind her , Amy Coney Barrett is poised Monday to join more than 200 conservative judges installed on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 . )
A wind-driven brush fire in Southern California quickly burned over 4,000 acres and triggered evacuations for 60,000 people Monday morning as powerful winds kicked up across the already wildfire-beleaguered state .
5 . )
As a troubling surge of coronavirus cases and Covid-19 hospitalizations continues to hammer the border city of El Paso , Texas , officials over the weekend delivered an urgent and straightforward plea to residents : stay home for the next two weeks .
6 . )
Belarus is headed toward a critical juncture in the 11-week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexander Lukashenko after the leader of the opposition called for a general strike on Monday .
7 . )
Frustrating China ’ s efforts to get compensation over U.S. tariffs , the United States filed an appeal Monday before the World Trade Organization , even as the Trump administration has left that body unable to function .
8 . )
The World Health Organization on Monday urged Europe to take even more drastic steps to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus even as European leaders impose a raft of new restrictions that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities .

Top eight CNS stories for today including fears of a bona fide second wave of Covid-19 and no stimulus plan in sight sent markets into a free fall; A poll shows Joe Biden has expanded his lead over President Donald Trump in three crucial Midwest battleground states; A wind-driven brush fire in Southern California quickly burned over 4,000 acres and triggered evacuations for 60,000 people, and more.
Your Monday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top eight CNS stories for today including fears of a bona fide second wave of Covid-19 and no stimulus plan in sight sent markets into a free fall; A poll shows Joe Biden has expanded his lead over President Donald Trump in three crucial Midwest battleground states; A wind-driven brush fire in Southern California quickly burned over 4,000 acres and triggered evacuations for 60,000 people, and more.
Sign up for the CNS Top Eight, a roundup of the day’s top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday.
National
1.) Fears of a bona fide second wave of Covid-19 — and still no stimulus plan in sight — sent markets into a free fall on Monday.
Pedestrians pass the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in New York. Stocks are pulling lower Friday, as Wall Street's first reaction to President Donald Trump's testing positive for the coronavirus was to retrench. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
2.) New polling released Monday shows Democratic candidate Joe Biden expanding his lead over President Donald Trump in three crucial Midwest battleground states after winning over a bigger share of previously undecided voters.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at Dallas High School in Dallas, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
3.) With the Republican Senate marshaled behind her, Amy Coney Barrett is poised Monday to join more than 200 conservative judges installed on the federal bench under President Donald Trump.
A protester opposed to the Senate's race to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confronted by police after chaining themselves to a railing and holding a sign while sitting atop the statue Contemplation of Justice, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Regional
4.) A wind-driven brush fire in Southern California quickly burned over 4,000 acres and triggered evacuations for 60,000 people Monday morning as powerful winds kicked up across the already wildfire-beleaguered state.
In this view from Newport Boulevard in North Tustin, the morning sun rises through the smoke of fire in the canyons east of North Tustin on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. Firefighters were aggressively battling a vegetation fire that broke out in the hills near Silverado in Orange County as strong wind gusts pushed it. (Mark Rightmire/The Orange County Register via AP)
5.) As a troubling surge of coronavirus cases and Covid-19 hospitalizations continues to hammer the border city of El Paso, Texas, officials over the weekend delivered an urgent and straightforward plea to residents: stay home for the next two weeks.
Vehicles are lined up for drive-thru COVID-19 testing in El Paso, Texas, Oct. 14, 2020. Many of those waiting for testing said they waited for over three hours to get tested at the mobile test collection site at the Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex. (Aaron E. Martinez/The El Paso Times via AP)
International
6.) Belarus is headed toward a critical juncture in the 11-week protest against the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko after the leader of the opposition called for a general strike on Monday.
People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. The demonstrations were triggered by official results giving President Alexander Lukashenko 80% of the vote in the Aug. 9 election that the opposition insists was rigged. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, has accused the United States and its allies of fomenting unrest in the ex-Soviet country. (AP Photo)
7.) Frustrating China’s efforts to get compensation over U.S. tariffs, the United States filed an appeal Monday before the World Trade Organization, even as the Trump administration has left that body unable to function.
FILE - In this July 22, 2019, file stacked containers wait to be loaded on to trucks at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
8.) The World Health Organization on Monday urged Europe to take even more drastic steps to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus even as European leaders impose a raft of new restrictions that are sparking anger and protests in many cities.


courthousenews--2020-10-26--Opponent of Conversion Therapy Ban Faces Uphill Battle at Fourth Circuit

RICHMOND , Va. ( CN ) — An advocate for so-called gay conversion therapy could lose his challenge to Maryland ’ s ban on the practice because he lacks standing to sue , appellate judges indicated at a Fourth Circuit hearing Monday afternoon .
Christopher Doyle , a psychotherapist licensed in Maryland who challenged a state law banning him from treating minor clients who wish to change their sexual orientation or gender identity , would have preferred the hearing to focus on his First Amendment religious liberty claim , but the three-judge panel spent a majority of the videoconference hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ file suit in the first place .
“ A governor can ’ t be enjoined to enforce his laws , nor the attorney general , where he has no specific statutory authority ” over them , said U.S .
Circuit Judge Paul Niemeyer , a George H. W. Bush appointee .
Niemeyer asked why Maryland Governor Larry Hogan was the defendant in the case and not the state ’ s licensing .
His line of questioning was quickly buffed by other panel members who asked exactly who enforces the law : the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board that traditionally oversees professional conduct issues .
Doyle ’ s attorney , Mathew D. Staver with the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel , said his client can amend his complaint to add the licensing board , “ but that ’ s not going to change the issue for the client ” receiving the care .
“ The client is going to be ultimately disciplined because they can ’ t get the counseling they seek , ” Staver said .
“ They have no relationship to the licensing board , they simply want the treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump-appointed U.S .
Circuit Judge Julius Richardson appeared skeptical .
“ It ’ s a standing problem , ” Richardson asserted .
“ Your injury is that you were chilled by the threat of discipline , [ but state law ] doesn ’ t give the attorney general any disciplinary authority.
” “ Assuming you get past 11th Amendment immunity , what would a court order do to redress the discipline you allege ?
” the judge added , referring to legal protections for state governments .
“ That ’ s the part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing.
” Staver responded , “ Our client is concerned about the discipline , but he ’ s just as concerned about the enforcement of that action.
” Kathleen A. Ellis , a Maryland assistant attorney general who defended the state law , pointed to similar standing concerns .
“ Under administrative codes the board makes the decision [ to discipline the practitioner . ]
If the licensee challenges the board ’ s decision , it is processed through the state court system on judicial review of an administrative decision and the attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ But it ’ s the board that makes the decision.
” Despite questions of standing dominating the 40-minute hearing , Richardson , who joined the conservative legal organization the Federalist Society in 2017 , opened the door to questioning the evidence provided to the lower court .
“ If we get to the merits , there appears to be some plausible disagreements of various studies , ” he said , pointing to a report by the 120,000-member American Psychological Association condemning the practice of conversion therapy while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doyle , that the same report is based on anecdotal evidence that could and should be used against such a finding .
“ The legislature found in reviewing the reports that conversion therapy can be harmful to minors and that there was no evidence that it provided a benefit , ” Ellis responded .
“ Assume there is a plausible claim that there is some benefit , ” she added .
“ There also is a claim… that it ’ s harmful , and when there ’ s disputed medical or health care-related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognized that legislatures can choose which group of claims to follow.
” U.S .
Circuit Judge Diana Motz , a Bill Clinton appointee , rounded out the panel .
The judges did not signal when they intend to issue a ruling .
Doyle ’ s case began last year when he first filed suit in Maryland federal court claiming the law , passed and signed into law by Republican Governor Hogan in 2018 , violated the “ sacred trust between client and counselor , and run roughshod over the fundamental right of client @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amendment liberties.
” U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow was not persuaded by his claim , however , and dismissed the case for lack of standing in late 2019 .
“ Plaintiff ’ s First Amendment rights are not implicated here , ” she wrote in a 25-page opinion .
“ The statute is narrowly tailored and thus plaintiff ’ s arguments are without consequence.
” The lower court did not take issue with Doyle naming Hogan as a defendant instead of the licensing board .
Conversion therapy bans have popped up around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LGBTQ movement has gained acceptance and organizations like the American Psychological Association have determined the practice does more harm than good .
“ Multiple scientific studies suggest that SOCE [ sexual orientation change efforts ] may lead to depression , suicidal ideation , anxiety , substance abuse , impotence and sexual dysfunction , nightmares , gastric distress , dehydration , social isolation , deterioration of relationships with friends and family , and an increase in high-risk sexual behaviors , as well as a number of indirect harms such as loss of time and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care groups wrote in an amici brief to the Fourth Circuit supporting Maryland ’ s law .
President Trump , however , has made religious liberty , and the idea that laws affirming LGBTQ rights run afoul of that liberty , a priority for the duration of his presidency .
According to a McClatchy report , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke virtually at a pro-conversion therapy event held in early October .
To that end Liberty Counsel has led the charge in filings that hope to roll back bans on conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Otto v. City of Boca Raton , was heard before the 11th Circuit earlier this year and an opinion is expected at any time .
Two Trump-appointed judges heard that case , which also involves a First Amendment challenge to a local ban .
Meanwhile a second challenge in Florida , Vazzo v. City of Tampa , challenges the authority of a locality to ban the practice and instead suggests only the state legislature can alter health care rules .
Briefs have been filed before the 11th Circuit in that case with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lawyer Shannon Minter , legal director with National Center for Lesbian Rights , was glad to hear the standing issues in Doyle ’ s case were examined so thoroughly and hoped the judges ’ conservative leanings might not taint their eventual opinion .
“ Maryland ’ s law simply codifies the medical consensus that trying to change a young person ’ s sexual orientation or gender identity is unethical , can cause serious harm , and is never an appropriate treatment for minors , ” he said in an emailed statement following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are confident that if the panel reaches the constitutional issues , it will uphold the law .
”

An advocate for so-called gay conversion therapy could lose his challenge to Maryland’s ban on the practice because he lacks standing to sue, appellate judges indicated at a Fourth Circuit hearing Monday afternoon.
RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — An advocate for so-called gay conversion therapy could lose his challenge to Maryland’s ban on the practice because he lacks standing to sue, appellate judges indicated at a Fourth Circuit hearing Monday afternoon.
Christopher Doyle, a psychotherapist licensed in Maryland who challenged a state law banning him from treating minor clients who wish to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, would have preferred the hearing to focus on his First Amendment religious liberty claim, but the three-judge panel spent a majority of the videoconference hearing debating whether he had a right to file suit in the first place.
“A governor can’t be enjoined to enforce his laws, nor the attorney general, where he has no specific statutory authority” over them, said U.S. Circuit Judge Paul Niemeyer, a George H. W. Bush appointee.
Niemeyer asked why Maryland Governor Larry Hogan was the defendant in the case and not the state’s licensing. His line of questioning was quickly buffed by other panel members who asked exactly who enforces the law: the state’s top lawyer or the unnamed board that traditionally oversees professional conduct issues.
Doyle’s attorney, Mathew D. Staver with the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, said his client can amend his complaint to add the licensing board, “but that’s not going to change the issue for the client” receiving the care.
“The client is going to be ultimately disciplined because they can’t get the counseling they seek,” Staver said. “They have no relationship to the licensing board, they simply want the treatment they seek.”
But even the Donald Trump-appointed U.S. Circuit Judge Julius Richardson appeared skeptical.
“It's a standing problem,” Richardson asserted. “Your injury is that you were chilled by the threat of discipline, [but state law] doesn’t give the attorney general any disciplinary authority.”
“Assuming you get past 11th Amendment immunity, what would a court order do to redress the discipline you allege?” the judge added, referring to legal protections for state governments. “That’s the part of this I’m having trouble seeing.”
Staver responded, “Our client is concerned about the discipline, but he’s just as concerned about the enforcement of that action.”
Kathleen A. Ellis, a Maryland assistant attorney general who defended the state law, pointed to similar standing concerns.
“Under administrative codes the board makes the decision [to discipline the practitioner.] If the licensee challenges the board’s decision, it is processed through the state court system on judicial review of an administrative decision and the attorney general’s office defends the action,” she said. “But it's the board that makes the decision.”
Despite questions of standing dominating the 40-minute hearing, Richardson, who joined the conservative legal organization the Federalist Society in 2017, opened the door to questioning the evidence provided to the lower court.
“If we get to the merits, there appears to be some plausible disagreements of various studies,” he said, pointing to a report by the 120,000-member American Psychological Association condemning the practice of conversion therapy while also elevating the theory, espoused by Doyle, that the same report is based on anecdotal evidence that could and should be used against such a finding.
“The legislature found in reviewing the reports that conversion therapy can be harmful to minors and that there was no evidence that it provided a benefit,” Ellis responded.
“Assume there is a plausible claim that there is some benefit,” she added. “There also is a claim… that it's harmful, and when there’s disputed medical or health care-related issues, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that legislatures can choose which group of claims to follow.”
U.S. Circuit Judge Diana Motz, a Bill Clinton appointee, rounded out the panel. The judges did not signal when they intend to issue a ruling.
Doyle’s case began last year when he first filed suit in Maryland federal court claiming the law, passed and signed into law by Republican Governor Hogan in 2018, violated the “sacred trust between client and counselor, and run roughshod over the fundamental right of client self-determination and the counselors’ cherished First Amendment liberties.”
U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow was not persuaded by his claim, however, and dismissed the case for lack of standing in late 2019.
“Plaintiff’s First Amendment rights are not implicated here,” she wrote in a 25-page opinion. “The statute is narrowly tailored and thus plaintiff’s arguments are without consequence.”
The lower court did not take issue with Doyle naming Hogan as a defendant instead of the licensing board.
Conversion therapy bans have popped up around the country in recent years as the LGBTQ movement has gained acceptance and organizations like the American Psychological Association have determined the practice does more harm than good.
“Multiple scientific studies suggest that SOCE [sexual orientation change efforts] may lead to depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, substance abuse, impotence and sexual dysfunction, nightmares, gastric distress, dehydration, social isolation, deterioration of relationships with friends and family, and an increase in high-risk sexual behaviors, as well as a number of indirect harms such as loss of time and money,” the APA and other health care groups wrote in an amici brief to the Fourth Circuit supporting Maryland’s law.
President Trump, however, has made religious liberty, and the idea that laws affirming LGBTQ rights run afoul of that liberty, a priority for the duration of his presidency. According to a McClatchy report, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke virtually at a pro-conversion therapy event held in early October.
To that end Liberty Counsel has led the charge in filings that hope to roll back bans on conversation therapy. A case out of Florida, Otto v. City of Boca Raton, was heard before the 11th Circuit earlier this year and an opinion is expected at any time. Two Trump-appointed judges heard that case, which also involves a First Amendment challenge to a local ban.
Meanwhile a second challenge in Florida, Vazzo v. City of Tampa, challenges the authority of a locality to ban the practice and instead suggests only the state legislature can alter health care rules. Briefs have been filed before the 11th Circuit in that case with a hearing expected soon.
LGBTQ advocate and lawyer Shannon Minter, legal director with National Center for Lesbian Rights, was glad to hear the standing issues in Doyle’s case were examined so thoroughly and hoped the judges’ conservative leanings might not taint their eventual opinion.
“Maryland’s law simply codifies the medical consensus that trying to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is unethical, can cause serious harm, and is never an appropriate treatment for minors,” he said in an emailed statement following Monday’s hearing. “We are confident that if the panel reaches the constitutional issues, it will uphold the law.”


courthousenews--2020-10-26--California Courts Covid Update

California Courts Covid Update

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courthousenews--2020-10-26--Pair of Polls Show Close White House Race in Texas

DALLAS ( CN ) — Separate polls by The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times show President Donald Trump and Joe Biden each holding narrow single-digit leads in Texas with eight days until Election Day , indicating a race that is too close to call in the reliably Republican state .
Released Monday , the Times/Siena College poll shows Trump leading Biden 47 % to 43 % among likely Texas voters .
The majority of the 802 likely Texas voters responded to the poll before the second and final presidential debate on Oct. 22 .
The Times poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Latinos .
Biden holds a lead of 57 % to 34 % among Latinos , slightly less than the 60 % to 29 % support Hillary Clinton received in Texas in 2016 .
Black respondents said they support Biden by a margin of 78 % to 12 % – 4 % lower than for Clinton in 2016 .
While working class and rural white voters make up the core of Trump ’ s base in Texas , there are signs of rapidly deteriorating support among white , college-educated voters .
The Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ margin over Clinton in that segment of voters has evaporated into a 2 % deficit to Biden .
The gains Biden has notched with white rural voters in other states has apparently failed to register in Texas , with Trump maintaining an 80 % to 15 % lead in that segment of voters in the Times poll .
The Times poll was published one day after a Morning News/University of Texas at Tyler poll showed Biden leading Trump in Texas 46 % to 44 % , a 4-point improvement over the same poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded to the poll by Oct. 20 , two days before the final presidential debate .
The Morning News poll indicates the key to Biden ’ s lead is his success with independent voters .
Approximately 49 % of independent respondents support Biden , while only 29 % are for Trump .
Ninety-two percent of Democrats support Biden while 90 % of Republicans support Trump .
Biden ’ s edge among independents is more muddled regarding those who are undecided , with only 22 % of those leaning towards Biden while 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race in Texas comes as Democrats have openly grumbled at the Biden campaign ’ s lack of spending in the state , traditionally viewed as a Republican stronghold for a generation .
Past hopes of a Texas “ blue wave ” have failed to materialize at the top of the ticket .
That trend has not discouraged outside groups from spending in Texas this election cycle .
A gun control advocacy group co-founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg has spent $ 2 million targeting two Republican congressional candidates for receiving support from the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans has also bought television advertisements attacking Senator Ted Cruz for supporting the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett during an election year .
His support comes four years after he opposed the nomination of Merrick Garland during the final year of Barack Obama ’ s presidency .
Both polls have Republican Senator John Cornyn holding his lead against Democrat challenger MJ Hegar , with the Times poll showing a 10 % percent advantage while the Morning News poll shows an 8 % lead .

Separate polls by The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times show President Donald Trump and Joe Biden each holding narrow single-digit leads in Texas with eight days until Election Day, indicating a race that is too close to call in the reliably Republican state.
DALLAS (CN) — Separate polls by The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times show President Donald Trump and Joe Biden each holding narrow single-digit leads in Texas with eight days until Election Day, indicating a race that is too close to call in the reliably Republican state.
Released Monday, the Times/Siena College poll shows Trump leading Biden 47% to 43% among likely Texas voters. The majority of the 802 likely Texas voters responded to the poll before the second and final presidential debate on Oct. 22.
The Times poll indicates Trump has unlikely strength among Blacks and Latinos. Biden holds a lead of 57% to 34% among Latinos, slightly less than the 60% to 29% support Hillary Clinton received in Texas in 2016. Black respondents said they support Biden by a margin of 78% to 12% – 4% lower than for Clinton in 2016.
While working class and rural white voters make up the core of Trump’s base in Texas, there are signs of rapidly deteriorating support among white, college-educated voters. The Times poll shows Trump’s 24% margin over Clinton in that segment of voters has evaporated into a 2% deficit to Biden.
The gains Biden has notched with white rural voters in other states has apparently failed to register in Texas, with Trump maintaining an 80% to 15% lead in that segment of voters in the Times poll.
The Times poll was published one day after a Morning News/University of Texas at Tyler poll showed Biden leading Trump in Texas 46% to 44%, a 4-point improvement over the same poll in September. The 1,012 registered voters responded to the poll by Oct. 20, two days before the final presidential debate.
The Morning News poll indicates the key to Biden’s lead is his success with independent voters. Approximately 49% of independent respondents support Biden, while only 29% are for Trump. Ninety-two percent of Democrats support Biden while 90% of Republicans support Trump.
Biden’s edge among independents is more muddled regarding those who are undecided, with only 22% of those leaning towards Biden while 20% lean towards Trump.
The tightening presidential race in Texas comes as Democrats have openly grumbled at the Biden campaign’s lack of spending in the state, traditionally viewed as a Republican stronghold for a generation. Past hopes of a Texas “blue wave” have failed to materialize at the top of the ticket.
That trend has not discouraged outside groups from spending in Texas this election cycle. A gun control advocacy group co-founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg has spent $2 million targeting two Republican congressional candidates for receiving support from the National Rifle Association.
A group of anti-Trump Republicans has also bought television advertisements attacking Senator Ted Cruz for supporting the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett during an election year. His support comes four years after he opposed the nomination of Merrick Garland during the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency.
Both polls have Republican Senator John Cornyn holding his lead against Democrat challenger MJ Hegar, with the Times poll showing a 10% percent advantage while the Morning News poll shows an 8% lead.