Late Wednesday evening, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062 adding Arizona to the swiftly growing list of states that have tried and failed to pass discriminatory laws against gay citizens under the guise of protecting religious freedom. The bill was far from the first of its kind, though it was the first “religious freedom” bill to make it through the state legislature and onto a governor’s desk. This latest defeat is more than just part of a recent pattern of state sponsored bills. It’s also a part of a larger movement that certain individuals and corporations are engaging in to deny rights to certain groups due to strongly held religious beliefs.
On Sunday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, we’ll discuss the delicate balancing between expression and oppression when it comes to upholding our constitutional rights. And while we actually don’t yet have a constitutional right to vote, you remember last week when we updated you on the state of voting rights in Ohio, right? (Check out last week’s segment at right.)
We shared the news that Governor John Kasich had signed laws curtailing the Ohio’s early voting period. Well, don’t call it a rerun. This week we’re back on the Buckeye State and its newest push to curb voting rights since… last week. Now, it’s Secretary of State Jon Husted who shortened early voting even more, eliminating Sunday voting (no more “Souls at the Polls”) and weeknight voting after 5:00pm.
It is no secret that America’s prison is in dire need of reform. Politicians and activists alike have called for greater attention to overcrowding, solitary confinement, the death penalty, mandatory minimums, and a host of other issues. However, recently, there’s a new voice advocating for prison reform: conservatives. Some on the Right — including Newt Gingrich, who ardently advocated for harsher sentences in the nineties — have had a change of heart and are coming out in favor of reforming the system. Now that it appears both parties have come to the table on prison reform, a solution could be in sight.
But does political consensus necessarily mean these politicians will come up with new policy? Picking up a bit from where we went on Saturday, we’ll dive deep into a conversation about prison reform on Sunday’s MHP. Lastly, attorney and AVVO.com legal analyst Lisa Bloom will be on set to discuss her new book Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It. Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch MHP Sunday at 10 a.m. EST on MSNBC! Ari Melber, co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle, will be in for host Melissa Harris-Perry. Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
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