Vol. 16, No.1 (Fall 2006)

Civil Rights Monitor

The CIVIL RIGHTS MONITOR is a quarterly publication that reports on civil rights issues pending before the three branches of government. The Monitor also provides a historical context within which to assess current civil rights issues. Back issues of the Monitor are available through this site. Browse or search the archives

Vol. 16, No.1 (Fall 2006)

IN THIS MONITOR,
we review legislative activities related to the Voting Rights Act, immigration, and D.C. vote; discuss an anti-affirmative action ballot initiative in Michigan; and provide updates of developments on the Supreme Court and at key civil rights enforcement agencies. We also summarize Leadership Conference activities, including new initiatives on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and on the intersection of civil rights and communications policy.

Inside.....

On the Hill

Federal Judicial Nominations

President Bush ensured continuing battles over court nominations by resubmitting the names of five controversial nominees that had been returned to the White House unconfirmed when the Senate recessed in August.

The Contentious Immigration Debate of 2006: H.R. 4437, S. 2454, and S.2611
Three pieces of legislation spurred the debate over immigration in the 109th Congress, resulting in splits not only within lawmakers' parties and within the American public, but also among civil rights groups.

Voting Rights Preserved
After numerous hearings and a lengthy debate, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 (VRA) was signed into law by President Bush on July 27, 2006, having passed both the House (390-33) and Senate (98-0).

Civil Rights Organizations Call for Anti-Predatory Lending Legislation
Predatory lending, a term used to describe an abusive set of home lending practices that deprive homeowners of equity, has been estimated by the Center for Responsible Lending to cost U.S. consumers $9.1 billion each year.

Support for D.C. Vote Goes Global
The disenfranchisement of the District of Columbia took on international dimensions with the July 28, 2006 determination of the United Nations Human Rights Committee that D.C.'s lack of voting representation constituted a human rights violation.

Executive Branch

Civil Rights Agencies Come under Fire

The nation's principal civil rights enforcement agencies have come under fire from advocates concerned about the agencies' commitment to enforce civil rights laws.

In the Courts

The Supreme Court Moves to the Right

Seismic changes occurred in the Supreme Court's 2005 term. A new chief justice took his seat just days before the term began, a new associate justice joined halfway through the term, and a new swing voice on many closely-divided issues began to emerge.

In the States

Support for Michigan Anti-Affirmative Action Measure Drops as Initiative Vote Nears

Three years after the Supreme Court approved key elements of the University of Michigan's law school and undergraduate program, Michigan voters face a ballot initiative that would undo affirmative action in the state.

LCCR Activities

Film, Publisher, Are Humphrey 2006 Awardees

The film "Crash" and Mónica Lozano, publisher and CEO of La Opinión, the nation's leading Spanish language daily newspaper, were honored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) at this year's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 4, 2006 in Washington, D.C.

LCCREF Activities

Civil Rights and Communications Policy

These days, most of the discussion about communications policy has been reduced and marginalized to talk about the proper mechanis

ms to induce competition and hype about which new gadgets will create the new consumer utopia.

Post-Katrina, Every Day is Still a Challenge
One year after Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of thousands of Gulf residents are still struggling to put lives back together, rebuild homes and schools, and find steady work, even as new issues and events have taken precedence over their plight in the public's and the media's eyes.