New judge appointed to Nebraska's 7th Judicial District
Governor Pillen appointed Michael Long, of Norfolk, to the position in the state's 7th Judicial District, which covers seven counties.
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He's been a county court judge in that district since 2013. Before that, long was a county attorney in Antelope County and a deputy county attorney in Madison County.
He fills the vacancy due to Judge Mark Johnson's retirement.
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USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Trump's UCLA, Columbia settlements don't stifle free speech. They protect civil rights.
Higher education institutions must create space for debate without sacrificing students' dignity and safety. The stakes are no longer just a matter of reputation − they're legal, financial and moral. As a mother of 10, three of whom will be in college this fall, and a committed civil rights advocate, I've long defended the rights of all people to live, study and worship free from fear and discrimination. That commitment doesn't end where campus protests begin. In the wake of the Hamas massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic harassment surged at many elite universities − not just in the form of protest slogans but also in physical exclusion, intimidation and administrative indifference. As Jewish students found themselves targeted because of their identity, too many institutions failed to act. Now, the legal system is stepping in. Several top-ranked universities − including Harvard, UCLA and my own undergraduate alma mater, Northwestern − have been forced to reckon with their failures through high-profile settlements and federally mandated reforms. The result is a growing body of precedent: When universities permit faith-based hostility toward students to flourish, they risk violating civil rights law. UCLA agrees to settle antisemitism complaints The University of California, Los Angeles, announced July 29 that it will pay $6 million to settle claims brought by Jewish students and a professor who were blocked from accessing parts of campus during pro-Palestinian encampments. University security erected barricades and allowed selective access, effectively creating what students called a 'Jew Exclusion Zone.' Terms of the settlement include direct compensation to the plaintiffs, funding for Jewish organizations, new protest oversight rules and a 15-year commitment to civil rights monitoring. The Justice Department weighed in, asserting that UCLA had created a discriminatory environment in violation of Title VI and the equal protection clause. In January, Harvard University settled two civil rights lawsuits brought by Jewish students and advocacy organizations, including the Brandeis Center. The plaintiffs documented a pattern of threats, encampments and institutional silence that left Jewish students vulnerable and alienated. Opinion: America's mental health field is overrun with antisemitism. It's dangerous. Harvard's settlement includes a commitment to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which helps distinguish between criticism of Israeli policies and unlawful harassment based on Jewish identity. The university also agreed to improve staff training, appoint an antisemitism coordinator and publish annual public reports on bias complaints. Harvard continues to deny wrongdoing, but its policy changes speak volumes. Northwestern deal with protesters raises objections My alma mater, Northwestern, made headlines of its own − not for a court settlement but for a controversial deal with student protesters. Without consulting the broader student body or faculty, the administration quietly entered into a memorandum of understanding that provided institutional support to anti-Zionist organizations and permitted protest encampments on the Evanston campus. Jewish student groups said the deal effectively sanctioned exclusion and antisemitic targeting. The backlash was fierce. Donors withheld millions of dollars in gifts. The Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation. University administrators, to the chagrin of a group of faculty members, are in talks with the Trump administration to settle allegations that it violated antidiscrimination law and to restore its federal grants. The episode in Evanston should serve as a cautionary tale: Silence and appeasement are not neutral. At other institutions of learning, the same story has unfolded. Columbia University paid more than $200 million to resolve federal claims after failing to protect Jewish students. Barnard College and New York University both implemented structural reforms, including the hiring of Title VI coordinators and new reporting requirements. The message is clear: Universities will now be judged by whether they uphold civil rights for all students. Trump wins again: Columbia's $200 million fine will reshape higher education | Opinion These settlements don't chill free speech. They reaffirm the principle that no student should face exclusion, threats or intimidation based on religion or ethnicity. That's a principle I embrace not just as an advocate, but also as a mother and a committed Catholic. What starts with antisemitism rarely ends there. A university that tolerates harassment of Jewish students will likely fail other students of faith. Institutions of higher education must create space for debate without sacrificing the dignity and safety of their students. The stakes are no longer just a matter of reputation − they're legal, financial and moral. From Harvard Yard to the hills of Westwood to the shores of Lake Michigan, the tide is turning. Universities are being reminded − by courts, donors and parents − that equality under the law is not optional. It is the foundation of a truly robust education and necessary to preserve the freedoms we cherish as a nation. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is a former civil rights attorney and director of the Conscience Project.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Northwestern University employee sues after protesting cuts to LGBTQ resources
A former Northwestern University staff member is suing the school for allegedly firing him after he publicly opposed new restrictions on resources for LGBTQ students. Matthew Abtahi served as the director of Northwestern's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center until his employment was terminated in April, according to a civil complaint filed July 17 in Cook County Circuit Court. The Windy City Times first reported on the filing Monday. The school's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center offers mental health resources to the LGBTQ community. But earlier this year, the university began to scale back the center's online presence, and Northwestern leadership counciled staff issued directives to remove certain initiatives from the website, the filing said. Northwestern 'instructed staff at the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, including Mr. Abtahi, to refrain from providing resources that had been traditionally provided to members of Northwestern's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community,' the complaint said. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has sought to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programming at universities nationwide. That's led dozens schools to scrub their websites of messaging highlighting inclusion efforts. 'This last month working with the lawyers and senior leadership at NU has been particularly gutting,' Abtahi wrote in the email. 'Our ability to centralize and provide NU and community-based solutions to the issues LGBTQIA+ students were facing while enrolled was a core part of our work.' A Northwestern spokesperson said the university doesn't comment on pending litigation. In the internal email, Abtahi detailed his conversations with Northwestern's legal counsel, who advised him to remove information from the center's website on the school's all-gender bathrooms, chest-binding education and gender-affirming care on campus. Lawyers also counseled him to remove references to national nonprofits like the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline, which offer crisis support to transgender individuals. Those organizations use language that has been 'deemed exclusionary' by Northwestern because they are not intended for the general public, Abtahi said in the email. 'The use of civil rights law and discrimination policy to advance these kinds of changes is alarming,' Abtahi wrote. Throughout the university's investigation, Abtahi was never interviewed by officials, the filing said. He was fired about two weeks later. At the time, Abtahi had been set to transition into a new position in alumni engagement, but that offer was rescinded. He was later told not to return to Northwestern's campus, according to the complaint. The filing lists ten counts, including retaliation for opposing discrimination and wrongful termination — accusing the university of violating the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Illinois Whistleblower Act. It seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney's fees. 'It's always disspointing when you're forced to escalate matters to the courts,' said Jerry Bramwell, Abtahi's attorney. 'We look forward to presenting our case in court.' The filing offers a glimpse into staff internal pushback at Northwestern as university leaders around the country scramble to adapt to new federal policies. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has sought to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programming at universities nationwide. That's led dozens schools to scrub their websites of messaging highlighting inclusion efforts. At Northwestern, the Trump administration has frozen more than $790 million in federal research funding, and has yet to communicate with university leadership on why — or how it can restore those dollars. Next week, President Michael Schill is set to testify for the second time before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce in August in a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses that will be closed to the media. His first appearance to address the issue was in May 2024.
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Northwestern University to cut 425 positions amid budget crisis
Northwestern University announced Tuesday that it is cutting 425 positions amid a significant budget gap. The cuts involve an unspecified number of layoffs. Northwestern President Michael Schill, Provost Kathleen Hagerty, and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Amanda Distel told the university community that mounting financial pressures remain a threat to immediate and long-term financial stability. The letter said the university has already taken several measures to address the pressures. Northwestern announced in June that it was implementing a hiring freeze and would not pay out merit bonuses, and would also reduce administrative and academic budgets, likely leading to decreases in staff positions. Also in June, Northwestern announced that it was changing its tuition benefits program and health insurance for its staff and faculty beginning next year. But this was not enough, and the letter said Northwestern could not bridge its budget gap without cutting personnel costs — which account for 56% of expenditures. "Today, the University began the painful process of reducing our budget attributable to staff by about 5%, including layoffs," Northwestern said in a statement. "Of the approximately 425 positions being eliminated across schools and units, nearly half are currently vacant." In April, the Trump administration froze $790 million in federal funding at Northwestern. The freeze affected grants from agencies like defense, agriculture, and health and human services. Northwestern was one of several universities subjected to of what the Department of Education calls "explosions of antisemitism" on college campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. The initial report cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which protects individuals from discrimination based on national origin and applies to schools and institutions of higher learning that receive federal funding.
