Latest news with #LadyJustice
The Star
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
The sky will not fall
Lady Justice: Justice should be blind and serve everyone. — Agencies WHEN I was a mere schoolgirl many decades ago, I took a class on logic. The idea was to teach us how to think logically, to move from one fact to another in a straight line and come up with a viable, demonstrable conclusion. I found that logic came naturally to me although I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because if you stick to facts, you will come to a logical result. It might be nice to exercise some imagination when you're writing fiction but not when you must write about evidential things, say for example, in History exams. In our world today, I find that logic is often cast aside in favour of whims and fancies that come straight from someone's head without any grounding in facts and figures. Others may suggest these come from ruder orifices. We've seen some global examples recently that have resulted in dire consequences for groups of people. Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters. RM12.33/month RM8.63/month Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters. Free Trial For new subscribers only
The Star
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Brazil's Supreme Court clears way to hold social media companies liable for user content
A Lady Justice statue, depicting a seated, blindfolded woman holding a sword, stands outside the Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil. The 8-3 vote in Brazil's top court orders tech giants like Google, Meta and TikTok to actively monitor content that involves hate speech, racism and incitation to violence and act to remove it. — AP SAO PAULO: Brazil's Supreme Court agreed on June 26 on details of a decision to hold social media companies liable for what their users post, clearing the way for it go into effect within weeks. The 8-3 vote in Brazil's top court orders tech giants like Google, Meta and TikTok to actively monitor content that involves hate speech, racism and incitation to violence and act to remove it. The case has unsettled the relationship between the South American nation and the US government. Critics have expressed concern that the move could threaten free speech if platforms preemptively remove content that could be problematic. After Thursday's ruling is published by the court, people will be able to sue social media companies for hosting illegal content if they refuse to remove it after a victim brings it to their attention. The court didn't set out firm rules on what content is illegal, leaving it to be decided on a case-by-case basis. The ruling strengthens a law that requires companies to remove content only after court orders, which were often ignored. It's the product of two cases accepted by the court last year in which social media companies were accused of failed to act against users promoting fraud, child pornography and violence. A majority of the 11 justices voted to approve the change two weeks ago, but it took until today to reach consensus on how to implement it. The justices also agreed that social media companies will not be liable if they can show they took steps to remove illegal content in a timely fashion. Google said in a statement that is analysing the court's decision. "We remain open for dialogue,' the company said. Brazil's top court came to the decision after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of possible visa restrictions against foreign officials involved in censoring American citizens. Thursday's ruling brings Brazil's approach to big tech closer to the European Union's approach, which has sought to rein in the power of social media companies and other digital platforms. – AP
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As American as Due Process
The U.S. is a nation of symbols: the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, baseball, apple pie. One symbol, however, has taken a beating lately, though it represents the core of the American project. Lady Justice predates the founding, but her likeness—blindfolded, holding scales and a sword—stands for the principles that the Founders insisted should rule the American legal system. While her spirit pervades the Constitution, it is most prominently featured in the Fifth Amendment's promise of due process: the principle that those accused of wrongdoing have the right to challenge the evidence against them before the government takes away their liberty. But not everyone who swore to uphold the Constitution is keeping that promise. "If you violated the law, you are not entitled to due process," Rep. Victoria Spartz (R–Ind.) said in a March town hall. In April, Sen. Mike Lee (R–Utah) posted an image on X that encouraged travel to Canada. "We won't throw you into an El Salvadorian [sic] gulag without due process!" the image read. "[The U.S.] absolutely will," Lee responded. Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, was asked on ABC if people sent to El Salvador had any due process. "Where was Laken Riley's due process?" he replied, referring to the Georgia nursing student who was murdered by Jose Ibarra, an immigrant who was in the country illegally and was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for the murder. Homan's non sequitur sums up the current debate, sparked by the Trump administration sending hundreds of Venezuelans it alleges to be gang members, without due process, to the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), a massive prison in El Salvador. That nation's president, Nayib Bukele, declared a state of emergency over three years ago and suspended basic civil liberties, such as the right to a fair trial. Questions about whether the administration is indeed expelling only dangerous gang members arose after CECOT received the men, the vast majority of whom have no criminal record. That includes, among others, Andry José Hernández Romero, a Venezuelan makeup artist who appears to have been flagged because he has two crown tattoos, and Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, whom the Trump administration illegally sent to CECOT due to what it says was an "administrative error." To argue that Riley's murder, tragic though it was, justifies skirting due process fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of the doctrine. It is not to excuse criminal behavior, but to ensure that accusations—especially when they carry life-altering consequences—are publicly tested by evidence and judged fairly. Homan's logic would see due process abolished. It need not apply, he says, in the face of serious allegations or unsympathetic individuals, which is contrary to why the Founders demanded its inclusion in the Constitution. They knew the power of the state was dangerous. The government doesn't always get it right. "Because we said so" isn't sufficient reason to abrogate anyone's liberty. That the prisoners sent to CECOT were not citizens is irrelevant. The Supreme Court has repeatedly confirmed that even those suspected of being in the U.S. unlawfully are entitled to due process of law. And the people in question were not merely deported—they were sent without charge or conviction to a notorious megaprison, where Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has said she hopes the men are kept for life. Is it possible that Hernández Romero, Abrego Garcia, and others are members of a gang? It is. It is also possible they are not. Consider that one man Noem attempted to deport narrowly made it to a hearing before she could do so because the plane malfunctioned—and the government was not able to produce any evidence that he was a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, according to his attorney. Justice should not be reduced to vengeance, and constitutional rights should not be treated as privileges, revocable at a politician's whim. A country that claims to value liberty cannot shed the process meant to protect it. If due process is no longer sacred, neither is justice; and if some of us do not have due process, then none of us do. Trump has defined himself as someone who fights for American values: "Make America Great Again." You cannot do that by discarding one of the core values that made the U.S. exceptional. The post As American as Due Process appeared first on
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Binghamton's Lady Justice gets her scales back
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Lady Justice atop the Broome County Courthouse is getting her scales back. KB Services, a local commercial and residential roofing company, is reattaching the scales to the statue of Lady Justice that is on top of the domed courthouse in downtown Binghamton. The scales fell off sometime ago, and had to be repaired and strengthened before being put back. KB also had to find a boom large enough to lift its workers up to the statue. Lady Justice has long been a symbol of the law, typically holding a scale to represent the weighing of evidence and a sword for the power to enforce justice. However, most images of Lady Justice show her blindfolded to indicate impartiality, but this Lady Justice does not wear one. The statue dates back to the construction of the courthouse in 1898. New Yorkers push back on disappeared federal sanctuary list Binghamton's Lady Justice gets her scales back Speaker Johnson calls Musk criticism of Trump agenda bill 'terribly wrong' DC mayor concerned about parade tanks' impact on streets White House downplays Musk criticism of budget bill Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Prison Guards Illegally Recorded Hundreds of Women Strip-Searched: Lawsuit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) officials are names as defendants in a new $500 million lawsuit alleging that prison guards recorded body camera footage of naked women at a detention facility. Why It Matters Detroit-based Flood Law attorneys Todd Flood, Allexa Otto and Katherine Kobiljak are representing 500-plus women who were allegedly recorded, which litigators claim constitutes a felony as a violation of a Michigan law (MCL 750.539j) in addition to violating other fundamental constitutional rights. Michigan, according to Flood and his team, is currently the only state that has a policy to videotape strip-searches. A statue of Lady Justice, inspired by the Roman goddess Justitia, a symbol of law and fairness, stands at the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta on March 6, 2025. A statue of Lady Justice, inspired by the Roman goddess Justitia, a symbol of law and fairness, stands at the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta on March 6, 2025. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images What To Know The 164-page lawsuit, filed this week in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, alleges "a grotesque and deliberate abuse of power" at Michigan's only women's prison, Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV) in Ypsilanti. Plaintiffs claim that between January and March, MDOC officers "forced hundreds of women"—including a vast majority who are rape survivors—to submit to video recording while completely nude during strip-searches, while showering, using toilets and in other states of undress. Lawyers said that "officials deliberately implemented and aggressively defended a policy that sanctioned state-sponsored voyeurism while cynically claiming security concerns," adding that it "represents a brazen and calculated violation of fundamental constitutional rights to privacy, bodily integrity, and human dignity." The suit names the MDOC, Whitmer, MDOC Director Heidi Washington, Deputy Director Jeremy Bush, Warden Jeremy Howard, Assistant Deputy Warden Steve Horton and multiple other officials. Newsweek reached out to Whitmer's office and the MDOC for comment. The lawsuit alleges multiple violations including: Invasion of privacy (intrusion upon seclusion). Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Sex-based discrimination under Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Violations of Michigan's constitutional rights. Flood told Newsweek on Wednesday that a colleague brought the case to him, sparking an arduous process involving interviews with more than 500 women that led to a circuit court filing and ultimately this broader litigation. "If you take a vulnerable victim, the majority of these women—close to 90 percent—have been subjected to some sort of sexual assault, rape or domestic violence," Flood said about the amount sought by plaintiffs. "If you look at comparable cases out there—one lady, we see $55 million for a peeping Tom videotaping her taking a shower naked. "We did a lot of work with experts, financial experts and economists to come up with a number that deals with the damages. These women have all suffered at some point in time of trauma. Now they're in a lesser position." Flood previously represented victims of former U.S. gymnastics Dr. Larry Nassar, as well as more than a dozen students at Eastern Michigan University who claimed they were sexually assaulted earlier this decade. Whitmer's inclusion in the suit is because of her broader governance over the state, Flood added. "The Department of Corrections, the appointments, and the Department of Corrections' leader is the governor," Flood said. "The buck stops at the top, so she's ultimately the one that's in charge of our state's Department of Corrections and making sure that it's ran within the confines of the law and regulations. "Do I think the governor knew about this? Realistically not. But she's in charge and she's the one that stood in the shoes of making sure that our women and men that are incarcerated in the state and held within the public entity of the state are protected." The victims, many of whom were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder prior to the alleged recording incidents, are now, according to Flood, experiencing "devasting" effects, including severe psychological distress, debilitating panic attacks, insomnia, gastrointestinal distress and exacerbation of preexisting conditions. Several have withdrawn from visitation with family members, resigned from prison jobs and abandoned educational programs, he added. "Put yourself in the confines of a prison and how you're treated," he said. "Obviously, it is a totally different place and totally different way. Then, you have to succumb to being strip-searched and the trauma. "The triggers that take place with these women are visceral. Some of the women said, 'I will only see you once because I don't want to come see my lawyers. I don't wanna see anybody because I'm going to be videotaped,' and they will have a physical reaction of either shakes, sweats, sick, sleepless nights vomiting where they don't want to leave their cell." What People Are Saying Attorney Todd Flood told Newsweek: "My lawsuit brought notice and light underneath the hood here to what's going on. And it would have continued to take place, but for us doing this lawsuit." What Happens Next The women represented by Flood and his colleagues are collectively seeking injunctive relief, destruction of all recordings made during the illegal period, mandatory training for MDOC staff and monetary damages for the harm endured.
