Jason Frierson sworn in as US Attorney for the District of Nevada

Jason M. Frierson was sworn in today as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada. Chief U.S. District Judge Miranda M. Du administered the oath of office at the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse, attended by judicial officers, agency partners, and Mr. Frierson’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Mr. Frierson is the first African American to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada. He was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on November 15, 2021, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 27, 2022.

“I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to serve as our district’s U.S. Attorney,” said Mr. Frierson. “I’m also grateful for my family’s support throughout the nomination and confirmation process. Throughout my career, keeping our communities safe has been a top priority. I look forward to fulfilling the Department of Justice’s mission alongside our dedicated, talented Assistant U.S. Attorneys, staff professionals, and law enforcement and community partners. We share a steadfast commitment to upholding the rule of law, preventing violent crime in our neighborhoods, protecting the civil rights of citizens, and seeking justice for victims.”

As the District of Nevada’s chief federal law enforcement officer, Mr. Frierson will lead a team of over 100 prosecutors and staff professionals with offices located in Las Vegas and Reno.

Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Frierson most recently served as both the Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly and an Assistant Public Defender in the Clark County Public Defender’s Office. From 2012 to 2014 and from 2017 to 2019, he served as a Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Frierson was a partner at Surratt Law Practice in Las Vegas from 2014 to 2017.

Mr. Frierson earned his J.D. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law in 2001, and his B.S. from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1996. After graduating from law school, Mr. Frierson served as a law clerk for Justice Myron E. Leavitt on the Supreme Court of Nevada from 2001 to 2002.

Judge says he’ll block Gov. Ron DeSantis’ redistricting plan that disenfranchises Black voters

Rep. Al Lawson

A congressional map approved by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and drawn by his staff is unconstitutional because it breaks up a district where Black voters can choose their representatives, a state judge said Wednesday.

Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith said he would issue a formal order Thursday or Friday to keep the maps from taking effect in November’s election. He made it clear he would rule in favor of voting rights groups challenging the maps.

The challenge focuses on a north Florida district now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Lawson. The district runs from Jacksonville west more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) to Gadsden County and nearly half of its population is Black.

Smith said that while the DeSantis map is more compact, the issue of allowing Black voters to choose their representatives is more important.

“The district that has since been enacted and signed into law by the governor does d

isperse 367,000 African American votes between four different districts,” Smith said in a video call with both sides. “The African American population is nowhere near a plurality or a majority.”

Smith said the order will likely replace the DeSantis map with one of two that the Legislature included in a bill and sent to DeSantis in March. The governor vetoed the bill and later called the Legislature back into special session. The Republican-dominated House and Senate chose not to draw a new map, and instead passed the DeSantis map.

“The judge recognizes that this map is unlawful and diminishes African Americans’ ability to elect representatives of their choice,” Lawson said in a statement emailed to news outlets. “DeSantis is wrong for enacting this Republican-leaning map that is in clear violation of the U.S. and state constitutions.”

[SOURCE: AP NEWS]

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Announces Run for Governor in 2023

Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron said he will run for governor in his state in a video announcement released on Wednesday.

Cameron, a Republican and the first black attorney general elected in Kentucky, filed paperwork to enter the 2023 gubernatorial race earlier on Wednesday morning.

Watch his video below:

I’m proud to announce that I am running for Governor of Kentucky to deliver Bold Conservative Leadership to the Commonwealth. Join us!https://t.co/67s5STj0Jy pic.twitter.com/pdMRIWfbsQ

— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronAG) May 11, 2022

NAACP Statement on President Biden's Plan to Lower Internet Costs

The NAACP released the following statement on President Biden's Plan to Lower Internet Costs:

"It's time to democratize the internet. The lack of internet access in America has hit Black and brown communities hard. President Biden's announcement today to provide free Internet to nearly 50 million households is a substantial stride toward building an inclusive economy. Internet access is a necessity in today's world. The pandemic has shined a spotlight on what we already knew to be true: the internet is essential as millions work and study from home, but it has not been afforded to all. Historic underinvestment in infrastructure in Black communities, intentional and as a result of neglect, has left Black communities behind. As we have shifted to a digital economy, this disparity has deepened gaps in achievement and success. The President's plan is a historic investment and proof that the Biden-Harris Administration understands this will be a big deal for families across America and communities of color."

Delaware State President Statement on Lacrosse Team Incident

A Message from University President, Dr. Tony Allen regarding the Delaware State University Lacrosse Team Bus Incident

To the University Community:

On April 20, an incident occurred in Georgia when the Delaware State University Women’s Lacrosse Team was returning home from a game in Florida. Traveling by contract bus, Georgia Law Enforcement stopped the team under the pretext of a minor traffic violation. The belongings of the student-athletes, including suitcases in the luggage racks beneath the bus, were searched by police and drug-sniffing dogs. Videos such as this one taken by one of the players clearly show law enforcement members attempting to intimidate our student-athletes into confessing to possession of drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.

To be clear, nothing illegal was discovered in this search, and all of our coaches and student-athletes comported themselves with dignity throughout a trying and humiliating process.

Our student-athletes, coaches, and the subcontracted bus driver are all safe. I have spoken with many of them, and in the course of investigating this incident in conjunction with our General Counsel and Athletic Director, I have also reached out to Delaware’s Governor, Congressional delegation, Attorney General, and Black Caucus. They, like me, are incensed. We have also reached out to Georgia Law Enforcement and are exploring options for recourse—legal and otherwise—available to our student-athletes, our coaches, and the University.

We do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass idly by. We are prepared to go wherever the evidence leads us. We have video. We have allies. Perhaps more significantly, we have the courage of our convictions.

News of this incident has hit social media in response to a May 4 article published in The Hornet Newspaper. Written by sophomore Mass Communications major and lacrosse player Sydney Anderson, the piece is thoughtful and well-written, supported by one of several videos taken of the incident. We have already begun to receive inquiries from local reporters. I would not be surprised if this story eventually extends beyond local coverage.

It should not be lost on any of us how thin any day’s line is between customary and extraordinary, between humdrum and exceptional, between safe and victimized. That is true for us all but particularly so for communities of color and the institutions who serve them. The resultant feelings of disempowerment are always the aggressors’ object.

This past January and February during the spate of bomb threats made against HBCUs, it was made clear then that personal nobility, individual virtue, and communal excellence do not exempt us from oppressive treatment. In fact, it seems the opposite holds true; too many people of color in this country, our students among them, experience what W.E.B. Du Bois dubbed “double consciousness,” a wasteful predicament in which people of color live doubly: in talented pursuit of their dreams and in self-conscious defense of their mental and, too often, physical safety.

However, as I said in January, we will never be bullied into believing anything other than what we are— Americans, learners, teachers, builders—useful and honorable people ready to soar. I am proud of our student-athletes, their coaches, the athletic department leadership, and the reporters and staff of the University newspaper. Our mission is a critical one and is as much a part of the American story as any.

Again, I say, “We shall not be moved.”

Together,

Tony Allen, Ph.D.

President