"rights"

Too many poor people in the U.S. lack access to lawyers when they confront major life challenges, including eviction, deportation, custody battles and domestic violence, according to a new report by advocates at Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic.

Two reports released on the eve of White House visit by Pakistan’s prime minister allege that the U.S. has “violated international law with top-secret targeted-killing operations that claimed dozens of civilian lives in Yemen and Pakistan,” as McClatchy Newspapers writes.

The Justice Department has filed suit against Texas under the Voting Rights Act, claiming that the state requirement for voter identification discriminates against minorities.

By a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has struck down a key provision of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act that establishes a formula to identify states that may require extra scrutiny by the Justice Department regarding voting procedures.

In two big employment law cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has made it harder for employees to bring discrimination suits over workplace harassment and retaliation.

The Justice Department’s voting rights unit suffers from “deep ideological polarization” and a “disappointing lack of professionalism” including leaks of sensitive case information, harassment and mistreatment among colleagues who have political differences, department watchdogs concluded Tuesday.