CIR Files Challenge to Air Force Ban of Facebook Critic

On August 27, the Center for Individual Rights filed suit against Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass for banning retired Air Force pilot, Richard Rynearson, from an official government Facebook page because he criticized one of her posts.  Chief Bass violated Rynearson’s right to free speech by excluding him from a public forum based on his viewpoint.

In November, Chief Bass posted on an official Air Force Facebook ...

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March 31, 2021 by CIR2 in Case Updates

A Lesser Case Might Have Been Dismissed

On March 31, U.S. District Judge Clifton L. Corker ruled that Ultima Services Corporation has standing to sue the USDA and SBA for racial discrimination for setting aside government contracts through the Section 8(a) Program — which reserves certain federal contracts for minority-owned small businesses.  Ultima filed suit against the agencies for setting aside administrative and technical support contracts, which for nearly two decades, it had bid on, won, adeptly ...

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March 03, 2021 by CIR2 in Case Updates

Motion Granted! — Sal Davi Can Speak Freely

On March 3, U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman ruled that the New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) violated Sal Davi’s right to free speech when officers demoted him over comments he made in a private Facebook conversation.  Davi had criticized current welfare programs for encouraging dependence rather than helping people become self-sufficient, and officers at the OTDA alleged that his comments demonstrated ...

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May 15, 2021 by CIR in Case Updates

Defendants Move to Dismiss

Our case on behalf of Pitt Medical Professor Norman Wang provoked a strong reaction from the ten-plus defendants named in our complaint alleging that University of Pittsburgh officials and others illegally retaliated against Dr. Wang and defamed him for a peer-reviewed journal article on the overuse of racial preferences in the medical field.

As might be expected, the defendants threw everything but the kitchen sink into this effort. For example, the ...

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July 13, 2021 by CIR in Case Updates

Oregon Cares Challenge Moves Forward

Our case on behalf of Maria Garcia — owner of a Mexican specialty coffee shop in downtown Portland — is moving forward again.

The facts are not in dispute — Oregon proudly admits it limited benefits solely on the basis of race.  The state has made broad claims about the difficulties faced by black individuals and businesses as a result of the COVID virus, but hasn’t offered any reason to think ...

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October 15, 2020 by CIR2 in Case Updates

Won’t Back Down

On October 15, CIR filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit in Barke v. Banks, which challenges Section 3550 — a gag law that prohibits statements from public employers that “deter or discourage” union membership.  CIR is appealing the district court’s decision to dismiss the suit for lack of standing.

The district court maintains that school boards, city councils, and other local elected bodies are mere agents of the state government, ...

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May 05, 2020 by CIR2 in Case Updates

Dave Davis Wins the Day

The Supreme Court has denied Guam’s petition for certiorari, in Davis v. Guam, bringing a successful close to CIR’s nine-year fight to overturn the territory’s racially restrictive plebiscite law.  With this order, CIR’s recent Ninth Circuit victory will stand in its entirety, and Guam will not be allowed to conduct a vote that discriminates on the basis of race.

In July, lead counsel Gibson Dunn’s Luke Townsend won a major victory ...

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