DOCSLIB.ORG

I Appreciate the Spirit of the Rule Change, and I Agree That We All

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

From: Javed Abbas To: stevens, cheryl Subject: Comment On Proposed Rule Change - 250.2 Date: Saturday, March 27, 2021 8:42:43 PM Attachments: image002.png I appreciate the spirit of the rule change, and I agree that we all likely benefit by understanding the fundamental ways in which we are all connected, and that our society will either succeed or fail primarily based on our ability to cooperate with each other and treat each other fairly. However, I do not support the rule change because I do not think it will have the effect of making us more inclusive because of the ways humans tend to react when forced to do things. There will inevitably be push back from a group of people who do not support the spirit of the rule, that push back will probably be persuasive to people who don’t have strong feelings about the ideas one way or the other but will feel compelled to oppose the ideas because it will be portrayed as part of a political movement that they are inclined to oppose, and ultimately the Rule that is supposed to help us become more inclusive will actually help drive us further apart. I do think it’s a great idea to offer these CLEs and let them compete on equal footing in the marketplace of ideas. Rule Change: "Rule 250.2. CLE Requirements (1) CLE Credit Requirement. Every registered lawyer and every judge must complete 45 credit hours of continuing legal education during each applicable CLE compliance period as provided in these rules. The 45 credit hours must include at least seven credit hours devoted to professional responsibility. a. Beginning January 1, 2023, the seven credit hours devoted to professional responsibility must include the following: i. At least two credit hours in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusivity, and ii. At least five credit hours in the areas of legal ethics or legal professionalism. ... 3. Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) comprise an activity or portion within an activity that addresses standards of conduct in the legal profession related to the recognition, mitigation, and elimination of bias; equal access to justice; and service of diverse populations. Courses should educate lawyers as to the aspirations that surpass ordinary expectations to further promote the ideals and goals of professionalism, including but not limited to: • Recognition, mitigation, and elimination of implicit and explicit bias; • Diversity and inclusion initiatives in the legal profession; and/or • Equitable access to opportunities and resources by identifying and eliminating barriers that face marginalized groups, by acknowledging and understanding ingrained and systemic structural biases in society, and by committing to address these disparities. Marginalized groups include, but are not limited to, groups that are historically underrepresented based on factors of culture, disability, ethnicity, gender and gender identity or expression, geographic location, immigration status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and veteran status." Hope you can join us! Javed Abbas Intake Attorney 303-515-5000 [email protected] www.harrisfamilylaw.com Wisdom, Strength and Peace of Mind Please notify us if you have received this email in error. Comment on Proposed Rule Change I am strongly in favor of the proposed rule change creating a new equity, diversity, and inclusivity CLE requirement. As a white person who has been learning about this subject matter in the past year, I am overwhelmed at all the information I don’t know. Moreover, beginning to learn about lingering systemic injustices and acknowledging the lack of diversity and inclusivity in our institutions has convinced me there is much work left to do. Part of that work should be mandatory training on these issues, which are not readily apparent unless they affect you personally. Our justice system promises equal justice under the law. But the laws are administered, interpreted, and enforced by people. Unless we are given the tools to recognize where we fall short, the people working in our legal system cannot live up to its highest values. I urge the court to give Colorado lawyers the chance to learn about these vital issues, for the good of all. Submitted by: Amy Adams From: Katie P. Ahles To: stevens, cheryl Subject: Proposed EDI CLE Rule Public Comment Date: Monday, March 29, 2021 9:53:27 AM Cheryl, I am writing in support of the proposed EDI CLE Rule to require at least two credit hours in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusivity. As a young female attorney, who began practicing at age 25, I have experienced sexism in my own practice on far too many occasions. I have also been witness to issues of racism. Colorado needs to join the states who have already committed to training attorneys and Judges to be knowledgeable on EDI and cultural competence issues. By taking this small step, we would be setting an important example of all Coloradans and other professions. Thank you for your consideration. Best, Katie Ahles Attorney at Law Hogan Omidi, PC 3773 Cherry Creek North Drive Suite 950 Denver, CO 80209 (303) 691-9600/ Fax: (303) 691-9900 Email: [email protected] Visit us at: http://hoganomidi.com From: Alexander, Rebecca C. To: stevens, cheryl Subject: Comment on Proposed Change to Rule 250.2 Date: Sunday, March 28, 2021 12:27:47 PM Attachments: image001.png Cheryl, I am writing to express my support for the proposed change to Rule 250.2, incorporating a requirement of at least 2 credit hours in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusivity as part of the Colorado CLE requirements for attorneys practicing in this State. As an attorney practicing in “big law” (e.g., first a national firm, and now a large local/regional firm), I am acutely aware of the blissful ignorance that many attorneys live in when it comes to these issues. It is difficult to create opportunities for constructive dialogue on topics such as implicit bias, white privilege, and systemic raciscm. Making topics like these part of our every day lexicon, and part of what we are EXPECTED to understand, will help to alleviate the sense that these topics are only discussed when someone in the room needs to have a finger pointed at them. Every single attorney (person) in this State will either be part of perpetuating the problem, or part of perpetuating the solution – there is no other option (even professed “neutrality” is part of the problem). If we want to address these issues systemically, we need to make addressing them part of the system. I would be pleased to speak on this topic at the hearing on April 6. Rebecca Alexander Rebecca C. Alexander - Member Family Law 633 Seventeenth Street, Suite 3000, Denver, Colorado 80202 Direct: 303.299.8117 | Fax: 303.298.0940 [email protected] | www.shermanhoward.com CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This electronic mail transmission and any attachments contain information belonging to the sender which may be confidential and legally privileged. This information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom this electronic mail transmission was sent as indicated above. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of the information contained in this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately inform me by "reply" email and delete the message. Thank you. From: Alldredge, Jennifer To: stevens, cheryl Subject: CLE Inclusion of equity, diversity and inclusivity Date: Monday, March 29, 2021 8:21:46 AM Attachments: image006.png Dear Ms. Stevens, I hope this email finds you well. This email to comment on the incredible importance of the inclusion of the proposed change to the Colorado CLE Requirement. I strongly believe that the inclusion of “at least two credit hours in the area of equity, diversity and inclusivity,” will bring valuable change to the Colorado bar. Best, Jennifer Jennifer C. Alldredge Attorney at Law 1099 18th Street, Suite 2600 Denver, CO 80202 T: 303-297-2600 F: 303-297-2750 E: [email protected] Web: www.rwolaw.com This electronic mail transmission and any accompanying documents contain information belonging to the sender which may be confidential and legally privileged. This information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom this electronic mail transmission was sent, as indicated above. Any disclosure, copying, distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of the information contained in this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please delete the message and notify us by calling 303-297-2600 or emailing [email protected]. ************************************************************************************************************************ ANDERSOHN LAW OFFICE, PC Nathan L. Andersohn, Esq. www.AndersohnLaw.com [email protected] Phone (303) 650-6414 11971 Quay Street, Broomfield, Colorado 80020 Fax (303) 429-7574 March 2, 2021 Via E-mail: [email protected] Cheryl Stevens, Clerk of the Colorado Supreme Court 2 E. 14th Ave. Denver, CO 80203 Re: EDI and CLE Dear Ms. Stevens, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) has been an excellent way for young lawyers to gain knowledge in relevant areas of practice and for experienced lawyers to stay on top of new statutes and case law. I do not look to the CBAlCLE to form or develop my social, political, or religious beliefs. To require conservative lawyers to attend seminars based on the extremely liberal views of a minority of attorneys has no place in CLE. Every lawyer has taken an oath that covers the basics of equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI). In these challenging times, most lawyers in private practice would prefer and benefit more from seminars on technology and marketing.
Recommended publications
  • Religious Liberty Actions Taken by Trump Administration 2017 on May

    Religious Liberty Actions Taken by Trump Administration 2017 on May

    Religious Liberty Actions Taken By Trump Administration 2017 ● On May 4, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order that ensures religious organizations are protected from discrimination. ● In October 2017, the Trump administration announced that the U.S. will provide direct assistance to persecuted Christians in the Middle East. 2018 ● On January 2, 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced changes in federal disaster funding that would include private non-profit houses of worship. ● In January 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the formation of a Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The purpose of the division is to "restore federal enforcement of our nation's laws that protect the fundamental and unalienable right of conscience and religious freedom." ● In January 2018, the Justice Department designated a new section in the U.S. Attorney’s Manual specifically devoted to the protection of religious liberty. The section, entitled The "Associate Attorney General’s Approval and Notice Requirements for Issues Implicating Religious Liberty" will require all U.S. Attorney Offices to set up a point of contact for any civil suit involving religious freedom or liberty. ● In May 2018, President Trump signed an executive order to establish a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. The Initiative would "provide recommendations on the Administration’s policy agenda affecting faith based and community programs; provide recommendations on programs and policies where faith-based and community organizations may partner and/or deliver more effective solutions to poverty; apprise the Administration of any failures of the executive branch to comply with religious liberty protections under law; and reduce the burdens on the exercise of free religion." ● On July 30, 2018, U.S.
  • Restored Republic Via a GCR As of Jan

    Restored Republic Via a GCR As of Jan

    Click here if you'd like to Donate to THE NEAL SHOW - THANKS !! Click here to see PAST SHOWS or get the Newsletter ~ Please share this with friends who may be interested ~ lkjlkjlj THE NEAL SHOW ~Community, Architecture and the Individual~ *** You can email me at [email protected] if you would like to be added to the list of subscribers to this newsletter. !! THE NEAL SHOW !! For the time being, I will be pre-recording shows and mounting them on the “PAST SHOWS” menu item you will see in the upper right hand corner of the "nealshow.com" website. I hope to have shows posted for you by Saturday between 1:00 and 4:00 PM. THIS IS THE TEMPORARY LINK TO ALL SHOWS FROM THIS DATE FORWARD. {{ http://www.nealshow.com/page/past_shows }} *** “My judgment is not delayed for I sit upon my throne each day and I bless and I punish, but the fullness of my wrath shall not come until the days when darkness declares itself victor and when my harvest of mercy has been a blessing unto the inhabitants of all the earth. In my hand is a cup and this means that my punishment has already been established and prepared and it will not be stayed and it will not pass. I will pour out my wrath upon the ones who seek darkness and walk therein and my wrath shall also be unto all who support the ways of 1 darkness and those who strive against light and truth. Look unto me and trust in me and understand that those who see the rainbow must also endure the storm.” ~David Nix *** Humility is the key to finding god.
  • Playing Prejudice: the Impact of Game-Play on Attributions of Gender and Racial Bias

    Playing Prejudice: the Impact of Game-Play on Attributions of Gender and Racial Bias

    Playing Prejudice: The Impact of Game-Play on Attributions of Gender and Racial Bias Jessica Hammer Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Jessica Hammer All rights reserved ABSTRACT Playing Prejudice: The Impact of Game-Play on Attributions of Gender and Racial Bias Jessica Hammer This dissertation explores new possibilities for changing Americans' theories about racism and sexism. Popular American rhetorics of discrimination, and learners' naïve models, are focused on individual agents' role in creating bias. These theories do not encompass the systemic and structural aspects of discrimination in American society. When learners can think systemically as well as agentically about bias, they become more likely to support systemic as well as individual remedies. However, shifting from an agentic to a systemic model of discrimination is both cognitively and emotionally challenging. To tackle this difficult task, this dissertation brings together the literature on prejudice reduction and conceptual change to propose using games as an entertainment-based intervention to change players' attribution styles around sexism and racism, as well as their attitudes about the same issues. “Playable model – anomalous data” theory proposes that games can model complex systems of bias, while instantiating learning mechanics that help players confront the limits of their existing models. The web-based
  • ALGORITHMIC BIAS EXPLAINED How Automated Decision-Making Becomes Automated Discrimination

    ALGORITHMIC BIAS EXPLAINED How Automated Decision-Making Becomes Automated Discrimination

    ALGORITHMIC BIAS EXPLAINED How Automated Decision-Making Becomes Automated Discrimination Algorithmic Bias Explained | 1 Table of Contents Introduction 3 • What Are Algorithms and How Do They Work? • What Is Algorithmic Bias and Why Does it Matter? • Is Algorithmic Bias Illegal? • Where Does Algorithmic Bias Come From? Algorithmic Bias in Healthcare 10 Algorithmic Bias in Employment 12 Algorithmic Bias in Government Programs 14 Algorithmic BIas in Education 16 Algorithmic Bias in Credit and Finance 18 Algorithmic Bias in Housing and Development 21 Algorithmic BIas in Everything Else: Price Optimization Algorithms 23 Recommendations for Fixing Algorithmic Bias 26 • Algorithmic Transparency and Accountability • Race-Conscious Algorithms • Algorithmic Greenlining Conclusion 32 Introduction Over the last decade, algorithms have replaced decision-makers at all levels of society. Judges, doctors and hiring managers are shifting their responsibilities onto powerful algorithms that promise more data-driven, efficient, accurate and fairer decision-making. However, poorly designed algorithms threaten to amplify systemic racism by reproducing patterns of discrimination and bias that are found in the data algorithms use to learn and make decisions. “We find it important to state that the benefits of any technology should be felt by all of us. Too often, the challenges presented by new technology spell out yet another tale of racism, sexism, gender inequality, ableism and lack of consent within digital 1 culture.” —Mimi Onuoha and Mother Cyborg, authors, “A People’s Guide to A.I.” The goal of this report is to help advocates and policymakers develop a baseline understanding of algorithmic bias and its impact as it relates to socioeconomic opportunity across multiple sectors.
  • DAILY FAVORITES from 2020: Note the Dates Are in Reverse Order with the Most Recent at the Top of the Page

    DAILY FAVORITES from 2020: Note the Dates Are in Reverse Order with the Most Recent at the Top of the Page

    DAILY FAVORITES from 2020: Note the dates are in reverse order with the most recent at the top of the page. [December 25-31, 2020] My Daily Favorites will restart on Jan 1, 2021. [December 24, 2020] The American Mind: 1. Professor John Eastman’s Response to the Latest Manifestation of Chapman Cancel Culture - https://americanmind.org/salvo/professor-john-eastmans-response-to-the-latest- manifestation-of-chapman-cancel-culture/ 2. In Defense of Stigma - https://americanmind.org/salvo/in-defense-of-stigma/ [December 23, 2020] Gatestone Institute: 1. Drug Trafficking: The Dirtiest Little Secret - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16874/mexico-border-drug-trafficking 2. The EU Needs to Stand Up for the Human Rights It Proclaims - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16871/eu-human-rights-china [December 22, 2020] Manhattan Contrarian: 1. Your Christmas Present: Our Political Leaders Are Killing Off New York City - https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2020-12-21-christmas-present-our-political- leaders-are-killing-off-new-york-city 2. Our Meaningless Measure of Poverty - https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/annals-of- poverty/ [December 21, 2020] George Shultz: 1. The 10 most important things I’ve learned about trust over my 100 years - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/11/10-most-important-things-ive- learned-about-trust-over-my-100-years/ 2. George Shultz: A Century of Wisdom - https://www.hoover.org/research/george-shultz- century-wisdom [December 20, 2020] Gatestone Institute: 1. China: The Conquest of Hollywood - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16842/china- films-hollywood-censorship 2. To Europe with Love: "Diplomats" or Terrorists from Iran's Mullahs? - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16867/iran-diplomats-terrorists-europe [December 19, 2020] The American Prospect: 1.
  • CREC-2021-02-08.Pdf

    CREC-2021-02-08.Pdf

    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 117 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 167 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 No. 23 House of Representatives The House met at 2 p.m. and was forward and lead the House in the ganizational meeting on Thursday, February called to order by the Speaker. Pledge of Allegiance. 4, 2021. Sincerely, f Mr. MOONEY led the Pledge of Alle- giance as follows: PETER A. DEFAZIO, PRAYER Chair. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the RULE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS The Chaplain, Reverend Margaret United States of America, and to the Repub- (a) Applicability of House Rules.— lic for which it stands, one nation under God, Grun Kibben, offered the following (1) In General.—The Rules of the House are indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. prayer: the rules of the Committee and its sub- Eternal God, into Your hands we f committees so far as applicable, except that commend this day, a great American a motion to recess from day to day, and a statesman, George Schultz. His patri- MOMENT OF SILENCE IN REMEM- motion to dispense with the first reading (in otism and unwavering principles serve full) of a bill or resolution, if printed copies BRANCE OF THE HONORABLE are available, are non-debatable privileged as an example of a life lived in response RON WRIGHT to Your calling. Remind us that this is motions in the Committee and its sub- committees. a calling to which You call each one of The SPEAKER.
  • Chevron's Abusive Litigation in Ecuador

    Chevron's Abusive Litigation in Ecuador

    Rainforest Chernobyl Revisited† The Clash of Human Rights and BIT Investor Claims: Chevron’s Abusive Litigation in Ecuador’s Amazon by Steven Donziger,* Laura Garr & Aaron Marr Page** a marathon environmental litigation: Seventeen yearS anD Counting he last time the environmental lawsuit Aguinda v. ChevronTexaco was discussed in these pages, the defen- Tdant Chevron Corporation1 had just won a forum non conveniens dismissal of the case from a U.S. federal court to Ecuador after nine years of litigation. Filed in 1993, the lawsuit alleged that Chevron’s predecessor company, Texaco, while it exclusively operated several oil fields in Ecuador’s Amazon from 1964 to 1990, deliberately dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste into the rainforest to cut costs and abandoned more than 900 large unlined waste pits that leach toxins into soils and groundwater. The suit contended that the contamination poisoned an area the size of Rhode Island, created a cancer epi- demic, and decimated indigenous groups. During the U.S. stage of the litigation, Chevron submitted fourteen sworn affidavits attesting to the fairness and adequacy of Ecuador’s courts. The company also drafted a letter that was By Lou Dematteis/Redux. Steven Donziger, attorney for the affected communities, speaks with signed by Ecuador’s then ambassador to the United States, a Huaorani women outside the Superior Court at the start of the Chevron former Chevron lawyer, asking the U.S. court to send the case trial on October 21, 2003 in Lago Agrio in the Ecuadoran Amazon. to Ecuador.2 Representative of Chevron’s position was the sworn statement from Dr.
  • Accountability As a Debiasing Strategy: Does Race Matter?

    Accountability As a Debiasing Strategy: Does Race Matter?

    Accountability as a Debiasing Strategy: Does Race Matter? Jamillah Bowman Williams, J.D., Ph.D. Georgetown University Law Center Paper Presented at CULP Colloquium Duke University May 19th, 2016 1 Introduction Congress passed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the primary goal of integrating the workforce and eliminating arbitrary bias against minorities and other groups who had been historically excluded. Yet substantial research reveals that racial bias persists and continues to limit opportunities and outcomes for racial minorities in the workplace. It has been argued that having a sense of accountability, or “the implicit or explicit expectation that one may be called on to justify one’s beliefs, feelings, and actions to others,” can decrease the influence of bias.1 This empirical study seeks to clarify the conditions under which accountability to a committee of peers influences bias and behavior. This project builds on research by Sommers et al. (2006; 2008) that found whites assigned to racially diverse groups generated a wider range of perspectives, processed facts more thoroughly, and were more likely to discuss polarizing social issues than all-white groups.2 This project extends this line of inquiry to the employment discrimination context to empirically examine how a committee’s racial composition influences the decision making process. For example, when making a hiring or promotion decision, does accountability to a racially diverse committee lead to more positive outcomes than accountability to a homogeneous committee? More specifically, how does race of the committee members influence complex thinking, diversity beliefs, acknowledgement of structural discrimination, and inclusive promotion decisions? Implications for antidiscrimination law and EEO policy will be discussed.
  • From the Spies of Mississippi to the Eyes of the White House: Surveilling and Obstructing Antiracist Work in the U.S

    From the Spies of Mississippi to the Eyes of the White House: Surveilling and Obstructing Antiracist Work in the U.S

    The Professional Educator 2021, © 2021 Kamden K. Strunk, Leslie Ann Locke, Jin Chang, Peter W. Clancy, & Logan Drake Advance Online Publication https://doi.org/10.47038/tpe.44.01.03 From the Spies of Mississippi to the Eyes of the White House: Surveilling and Obstructing Antiracist Work in the U.S. Kamden K. Strunk Leslie Ann Locke Jin Chang Peter W. Clancy Logan Drake Auburn University University of Iowa University of Iowa University of Iowa University of Iowa We write this editorial at the end of the Trump described neo-Nazi demonstrators as “very fine presidential administration. There is much to be written people” (Phelps, 2019, para. 1), was widely interpreted about this period in U.S. government and public life. as being supportive of white supremacist militia groups As of this writing, the current U.S. president and his like the Proud Boys (Aleem, 2019) and rejected an lawyers continue pursuing ill-destined litigation to opportunity to denounce them during a presidential attempt to overturn an election result that saw him debate, called antiracist demonstrators during the ousted from office (Landau et al., 2020). The U.S., and summer of 2020 “thugs” (Wise, 2020, para. 9), most of the world, remain embroiled in the worst public dispatched federal agents to violently suppress protests health crisis in over a century (Freire-Paspuel et al., in several U.S. cities (Zimmerman, 2020), and 2020). The onslaught of police violence against people deployed teargas outside of a church in order to clear and communities of Color continues (Hayes et al., clergy and protestors to enable a presidential 2000), as do mass protest movements and efforts to photoshoot (Schake, 2020).
  • How to Prevent Discriminatory Outcomes in Machine Learning

    How to Prevent Discriminatory Outcomes in Machine Learning

    White Paper How to Prevent Discriminatory Outcomes in Machine Learning Global Future Council on Human Rights 2016-2018 March 2018 Contents 3 Foreword 4 Executive Summary 6 Introduction 7 Section 1: The Challenges 8 Issues Around Data 8 What data are used to train machine learning applications? 8 What are the sources of risk around training data for machine learning applications? 9 What-if use case: Unequal access to loans for rural farmers in Kenya 9 What-if use case: Unequal access to education in Indonesia 9 Concerns Around Algorithm Design 9 Where is the risk for discrimination in algorithm design and deployment? 10 What-if use case: Exclusionary health insurance systems in Mexico 10 What-if scenario: China and social credit scores 11 Section 2: The Responsibilities of Businesses 11 Principles for Combating Discrimination in Machine Learning 13 Bringing principles of non-discrimination to life: Human rights due diligence for machine learning 14 Making human rights due diligence in machine learning effective 15 Conclusion 16 Appendix 1: Glossary/Definitions 17 Appendix 2: The Challenges – What Can Companies Do? 23 Appendix 3: Principles on the Ethical Design and Use of AI and Autonomous Systems 22 Appendix 4: Areas of Action Matrix for Human Rights in Machine Learning 29 Acknowledgements World Economic Forum® This paper has been written by the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Human Rights 2016-18. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a © 2018 – All rights reserved. collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum, but whose results No part of this publication may be reproduced or Transmitted in any form or by any means, including do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Photocopying and recording, or by any information Storage Members, Partners or other stakeholders, nor the individual Global Future Council members listed and retrieval system.
  • Biden Revokes Trump's 'Patriotic Education' Order, Will Shield DACA

    Biden Revokes Trump's 'Patriotic Education' Order, Will Shield DACA

    Biden Revokes Trump’s ‘Patriotic Education’ Order, Will Shield DACA By Andrew Ujifusa — January 20, 2021 Joe Biden departs a news conference after introducing his nominees and appointees to economic policy posts Dec. 1 in Wilmington, Del. Andrew Harnik/AP President Joe Biden moved to “preserve and fortify” executive action that shields certain undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as young children, said in an executive order that laws that prohibit sex discrimination also prohibit discrimination against gender identity, and in another executive order initiated a government-wide push to emphasize racial equity on his first day as president. Biden also revoked an executive order from outgoing President Donald Trump that created a commission to promote “patriotic education” in schools and elsewhere. That group, the 1776 Commission released a report Monday that lamented what it called the role of identity politics and the progressive movement in historical studies; it was criticized by many historians for how it treated slavery and other elements of American history. Biden took these and several other executive actions Wednesday, when he was inaugurated as the nation’s 46th president. For months, Biden has pledged to reverse Trump administration actions on a variety of fronts, including on hot-button education issues. Wednesday’s raft of executive orders accomplished that goal, and also demonstrated his administration’s early priorities. “These actions are bold, begin the work of following through on President-elect Biden’s promises to the American people, and, importantly, fall within the constitutional role for the president,” Biden’s transition team said in a statement Wednesday.
  • Trump Administration Allies Have Burrowed Into 24 Critical Civil Service Positions and 187 Last-Minute Appointments

    Trump Administration Allies Have Burrowed Into 24 Critical Civil Service Positions and 187 Last-Minute Appointments

    Trump Administration Allies Have Burrowed Into 24 Critical Civil Service Positions And 187 Last-Minute Appointments SUMMARY: Following the outgoing administration’s “quiet push to salt federal agencies with Trump loyalists,” an Accountable.US review has found that, as of February 22, 2021, at least 24 Trump administration political appointees have “burrowed” into long-term civil service jobs in the new Biden administration. This includes at least four figures in the national security apparatus, nine figures with environmental regulators, three figures in the Department of Justice, two figures in the embattled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and at least six other appointees elsewhere who have refused to step down in the transition. Burrowing of this sort is not treated lightly, as officials who transfer from political appointments to career positions must undergo scrutiny by federal personnel overseers for a full five years—and some of these cases have been found to violate federal laws and have drawn congressional scrutiny. However, there is a much wider slate of concerning Trump administration appointments that are not subject to such strict oversight: During the Trump administration’s waning days following the 2020 election, it announced 187 last-minute appointments to various boards, commissions, and councils that don’t require Senate confirmation. While some of these appointments have already drawn alarm for going to campaign staffers, megadonors, and top administration allies, Accountable.US has unearthed even more troubling names in Trump’s outgoing deluge. Similar to how early Trump administration personnel picks were directly conflicted against the offices they served, many of these late Trump appointments are woefully underqualified or have histories directly at odds with the positions to which they were named—and they are likely to stay in long into the Biden administration.