Tag: new york

Federal court rules teachers’ Pride flag messages to children are not protected by 1st Amendment

A federal appeals court has ruled that teachers’ Pride flags, the pro-LGBT messaging they demanded to use on their public school students, are not protected by the First Amendment.

“Plaintiffs-Appellants Christopher Dolce, Sarah Ecke, and Shinaide McAleavey-Polley allege that the Connetquot Central School District and its officials violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and Title VII when it ordered them to remove the pride flags and stickers that decorated the walls of their public high school classrooms,” said the opinion from the 2nd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals.

“The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Gonzalez, J.) dismissed their complaint for failure to state a claim, and the teachers appealed. Applying Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006), we conclude that the teachers’ classroom wall decorations constituted speech pursuant to their official duties as Government employees. As a result, the District did not violate their First Amendment rights when it ordered the teachers to remove them.

“We also conclude that the teachers have not plausibly pled that the District selectively enforced its policies against them because of an impermissible motivation, or that they suffered any adverse employment actions.”

Then a commentary at Twitchy revealed the surprise: The ruling was from “a Biden appointee who is a lesbian. That’s refreshing common sense.”

This surprise comes in an age when judges appointed by Barack Obama and Joe Biden routinely rule against President Donald Trump no matter the issue, the question or the legal dispute. One Washington-based leftist judge even has defied the U.S. Supreme Court in ruling politically against Trump.

The decision said, “Under Garcetti v. Ceballos … and its progeny, when public employees’ speech ‘owes its existence’ to their ‘professional responsibilities,’ the government – their employer – can control the content of that speech without implicating their Frist Amendment rights. The question in his case is whether that same principle applies to displays hung on the walls of a public high school teacher’s match classroom. We hold that it does.”

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Federal Judge Blocks New York From Enforcing $75 Billion Climate Superfund Law

A federal judge ruled on Monday that New York cannot enforce a 2024 state law that sought to impose an estimated $75 billion in charges on carbon-emitting companies for allegedly causing climate damage between 2000 and 2018.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brenda Sannes in Syracuse, New York, sided with 22 Republican state attorneys general, as well as industry groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in finding the state measure preempted by federal law. The judge said the Clean Air Act, which gave the federal Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, did not authorize states to adopt emissions compensation schemes.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act into law in December 2024. It required about three dozen covered fossil-fuel companies to pay a combined $3 billion annually for 25 years, or $75 billion in total. The funds would have been earmarked for infrastructure work, including coastal wetlands, stormwater systems, roads, bridges, and responses to extreme weather.

Sannes said enforcing the law risked upsetting the balance of protecting the environment, “a project that necessarily requires national standards and global participation,” and promoting economic growth, energy production, foreign policy interests, and national security.

West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey led the coalition of states challenging the legislation in a February 2025 lawsuit. The attorneys general said at the time that New York’s law was politically motivated “overreach” that punished traditional energy companies, including West Virginia-based coal and natural gas companies, that now comply with applicable laws. They said payouts from coal, oil, and natural gas producers could wipe out thousands of jobs if the producers were forced to shut down.

“We were the first to challenge this law because we saw it for what it was – a money grab by the elites in New York, who want to punish West Virginians for doing the jobs that enable them to heat their homes and build their cities,” McCuskey said in an Aug. 31 statement.

Hochul’s office is reviewing the decision to determine possible next steps, spokesperson Ken Lovett said.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for damages caused by polluters,” he said.

New York was the second U.S. state to establish a superfund requiring major fossil-fuel companies to help finance infrastructure projects such as flood mitigation and coastal protection.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute sued Vermont on Dec. 30 to block that state’s superfund. That case remains pending.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson from the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division welcomed Monday’s decision.

“New York’s law would have expropriated $75 billion from energy companies around the world during an energy emergency and in direct defiance of American foreign policy and federal law,” Gustafson said. “We will continue to fight for affordable, reliable energy for all Americans.”

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Trump Orders Shock Voter Fraud Crackdown in Nine States, Including: WA, WI, MO, GA, CA, PA, NV, NY and CT

Cue the shrieking demons in the leftist media!

President Trump ordered a shock voter fraud crackdown on Monday in nine states, including Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, and Connecticut.

It starts on Tuesday.

Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative arm, will launch what officials are calling a ‘coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.’

Agents will be authorized to pursue investigative leads through mid-October — right as the midterm election season gets underway.

Today’s news comes after DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin previously stated 250,000+ noncitizens were found on voter rolls in four states.

In July, Secretary Mullin sent letters to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, New Jersey Secretary of State Dale Caldwell, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, and Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt.

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New York’s Biggest Teachers Union Fighting the Socialist Mayor It Helped Elect After Mamdani Files Lawsuit to Stop Pay Raise

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani received overwhelming support for his election from the city’s largest teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).

Mamdani thanked them by filing a lawsuit to stop a pay raise for education paraprofessionals.

In July, the New York City Council passed the “RESPECT Check Act,” giving public-school paraprofessionals, like teacher aides, a one-time $10,000 “workforce stabilization” payment.

The Act was passed by the Council unanimously and became law without the mayor’s signature.

Although Mamdani supported a version of the bill in the past, now that he is comfortable in the Mayor’s seat, he has changed his mind.

He argued that the Act violates New York State’s Taylor Law and ultimately filed a lawsuit against the city.

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Prosecutor Blows the Whistle on NY AG Letitia James’ Office, Says He Was Ordered to “Find Crimes” Committed by Trump Despite Zero Evidence

A federal prosecutor blew the whistle on New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office and said he was ordered to “find crimes” committed by President Trump and people affiliated with Trump – despite zero evidence.

According to the Times Union, Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld sent an agency-wide email to thousands of employees in the New York Attorney General’s office claiming his supervisor, Shamiso Maswoswe instructed him to target “Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger) … without having a credible reason for targeting this organizations and individuals.”

The Times Union obtained the email that was sent out on Friday. The email was immediately deleted and wiped from the office’s servers.

Daniel Wiesenfeld wrote a follow-up email after his original message was deleted.

“If you believe Trump is using (Department of Justice) attorneys to prosecute his enemies and further his political interests, you should find it equally troubling that Tish (James) is doing exactly the same thing,” Wiesenfeld wrote, according to the Times Union.

“I ask that you not serve as Tish’s personal attorneys by targeting her political enemies. Instead, I hope you choose to prosecute crimes and find the individuals accountable, rather than targeting individuals and then finding crimes,” he wrote.

The Times Union reported:

A prosecutor in the New York attorney general’s office sent an agency-wide email to hundreds of colleagues Friday claiming that he had been instructed by his supervisor “to find and pursue crimes committed by specific individuals and organizations affiliated with Donald Trump,” according to a copy of the email obtained by the Times Union.

The prosecutor, who was assigned to the Investor Protection Bureau, alleged in his email that his bureau chief, Shamiso Maswoswe, had directed him to target “Trump himself, Truth Social, Hewlett Packard (DOJ approved merger) … without having a credible reason for targeting this organizations and individuals.”

The email sent early Friday by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Wiesenfeld, who officials said has worked for the attorney general’s office for about two years, was quickly deleted from the office’s servers and vanished from the inboxes of more than 2,000 employees. A follow-up agency-wide email subsequently sent by Attorney General Letitia James’ general counsel, Kumiki Gibson, informed employees that it was an “internal” matter and that no one in the office was “in danger,” according to three people familiar with the communication.

Letitia James previously sued President Trump and tried to secure a $400 million+ judgment against him and seize his assets, even though no victim was identified.

Last year, Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to the DOJ, Letitia James was charged with two crimes: Bank Fraud under 18 U.S.C. Section 1344 and False Statements to a Financial Institution under 18 U.S.C. Section 1014.

A federal judge ultimately dropped the charges against Letitia James, ruling that Interim US Attorney for the EDVA Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Dons Hijab While Speaking to Group of Muslim Men

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was spotted wearing a hijab while addressing a predominantly male Muslim audience in New York City on Friday.

Video circulating online shows the Democratic governor speaking in a black headscarf during a visit publicized by the Islamic Center of New York.

“I want to thank His Excellency Mr. [Tareq] Albanai,” Hochul says in the clip, before thanking an imam and other officials associated with the organization.

In Islamic culture, the hijab is traditionally worn as a sign of “modesty,” intended to shield a woman’s body from the gaze of men.

It is not the first time Hochul has worn an Islamic head covering in public.

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Zohran Mamdani’s New ‘Free’ Childcare Program Plagued With Problems Just Two Weeks Before Launch

Zohran Mamdani’s new program to provide ‘free’ childcare to New York City residents is already running into all kinds of roadblocks from funding to physical resources.

Consider this a preview of how his city-owned grocery stores will operate.

Of course, the mayor has no choice but to try to make this work. He campaigned on this program, among others.

Also, it’s important to point out that this news about the problems with the childcare program is not being reported by conservative media, it’s the liberal New York Times.

From the NY Times story:

Funding Delays Threaten Rollout of Mamdani’s 2-K Program

Funding issues and late payments are threatening the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s free child care system for 2-year-olds, two weeks before the program is scheduled to begin, day care providers said.

Many early childhood centers have yet to receive funding to buy classroom furniture and basic supplies like pencils and paper, or to pay newly hired teachers and assistants. Without the money, several providers have warned parents that the centers will not open when school starts on Sept. 10.

Because of the delays, city officials had encouraged providers to apply for interest-free bridge loans from the city — not just for 2-K programs but also for 3-K and pre-K programs. But many of those who have applied for the loans say that money has not arrived either, forcing them to take out high-interest personal loans, borrow from relatives and drain their personal savings.

Who could have predicted such a thing?

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Man Sets Himself on Fire Inside Lobby of Manhattan Building That Houses Google Offices and NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau

A 63-year-old man set himself on fire in the lobby of a Manhattan building that houses Google offices and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau on Friday afternoon.

The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. in the Hudson Square building, according to the NYPD and FDNY.

The man reportedly walked into the lobby wearing a backpack and was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Witnesses placed multiple 911 calls, and first responders quickly arrived at the scene.

“At first I thought they were shooting a film or something,” a building worker who witnessed the incident told the NY Daily News. “I saw the flames in the lobby. Then the flames were running around the lobby, and security was trying to put him out.”

“One of the security guards came out of the building with the burning backpack and threw it into the street,” the building worker added. “The others inside put him out with fire extinguishers. When they brought him out, he was terribly burned, all wrapped in bandages. I don’t know if you want to live that way. It was terrible.”

The man was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he is reportedly in stable condition. Witnesses described severe burns on his arms, face, and upper body.

No injuries to any bystanders were reported.

Law enforcement has not publicly identified the man or announced a motive.

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Fifteen NY Sheriffs Sue Kathy Hochul Over New Anti-ICE Law

Fifteen New York sheriffs are suing Gov. Kathy Hochul over a state law that took effect this week banning formal agreements between local governments and federal agencies.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C., filed the lawsuit on behalf of the sheriffs of St. Lawrence, Wayne, Broome, Madison, Cattaraugus, Orange, Jefferson, Saratoga, Lewis, Franklin, Delaware, Fulton, Oswego, Cayuga and Rensselaer counties, according to the Albany Times-Union.

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said Hochul had “escalated her administration’s war on the police and she expanded policies to put criminals before the citizens of New York.”

“Under the New York Constitution’s guarantees of Home Rule (Article IX) and Separation of Powers, and under the independent status of their office, they possess the authority to make their own judgments about whether and how to participate in the cooperative framework Congress created,” the lawsuit said, according to WSTM-TV.

The lawsuit said the constitutional overreach to ban what are known as 287(g) agreements harms public safety.

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Letitia James: Postal Service and POTUS Don’t Have Jurisdiction Over Elections

Wednesday on MS NOW’s “On the Line,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said the U.S. Postal Service and the president do not “have jurisdiction over the elections.”

James said, “I and my Democratic attorneys general will continue to challenge this rule, because this rule will create nothing but chaos and confusion in the state of North Carolina. In less than 11 days, they will mail out ballots to individuals who are in the armed forces, as well as to citizens in these United States. And it’s critically important that individuals understand that the only reason why this rule was created is because individuals, particularly those in the White House, believe that they cannot run on their record and therefore they have to steal this election. This is nothing more than an attempt to suppress the right to vote. And I and my Democratic colleagues will fight this all the way to the United States Supreme Court.”

She added, “Let’s be clear, the United States Postal Service and the president of these United States does not have jurisdiction over the elections, it is states and it’s in the Constitution. And that’s why it’s critically important that individuals understand that states have the power and the duty and the responsibility to administer elections, not the president and definitely not the postal system.”

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