In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court made a significant decision regarding the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996. Let’s delve into the details:

1. Case Background:
   • The case was Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition¹.
   • The law in question aimed to restrict child pornography, but it faced constitutional challenges.
2. The Provisions Struck Down:
   • The Court struck down two overbroad provisions of the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996.
   • These provisions were found to be unconstitutional because they abridged “the freedom to engage in a substantial amount of lawful speech.”
3. The Plaintiffs:
   • The case was brought against the U.S. government by the Free Speech Coalition, a California trade association for the adult-entertainment industry.
   • Other plaintiffs included Bold Type, Inc., a publisher advocating the nudist lifestyle, and individuals involved in artistic expression such as painting nudes and creating erotic images.
4. The Court’s Ruling:
   • By striking down these provisions, the Court rejected an invitation to increase the amount of speech that would be categorically outside the protection of the First Amendment.

This ruling emphasized the importance of balancing free speech rights with the need to combat harmful content. While protecting children from exploitation remains crucial, the Court recognized that overly broad restrictions could infringe upon legitimate expression¹. The decision in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition shaped the legal landscape surrounding child pornography laws and constitutional rights.

Source: wiki and BingAI

April 16, 1862 – President Jefferson Davis signed a bill into law requiring all able-bodied white men between the ages of 18 and 35 to serve at least three years in the Confederate military. This was the first national draft in American history.

By this time, Federal forces were closing in on Richmond, New Orleans, and vital points along the Mississippi River and Atlantic coast. The Confederates had just lost thousands of men in the largest battle ever fought in America up to that time, and many men who had enlisted in the Confederate army for 12 months at the beginning of the war were about to go home.

All these factors led to a growing call for conscription, which had been intensely debated in the Confederate Congress. Opponents argued that it violated the same civil liberties southerners had seceded to uphold. Some claimed that forcing men into the army showed weakness by indicating that volunteerism alone was no longer enough to maintain the war effort.

For the complete article go to: civilwarmoths.com

314actionfund.org

Dr. Kelly Morrison (MN-3) – There isn’t a single pro-choice OB/GYN out of 535 members of Congress in the post-Roe era. Kelly and Kristin (featured below) are running to change that.

In 2018, Kelly ran for a reliably Republican seat in the Minnesota State Legislature and defied the odds when she won as a first-time candidate – by just 200 votes (less than 1% of the vote!). In the state legislature, she has led the fight to not only defend reproductive rights but to expand them in Minnesota.

Now, she’s running for the open seat vacated by Democrat Dean Phillips in a district that used to be reliably Republican. Her ability to keep this seat blue and make history depends on us.

Dr. Kristin Lyerly (WI-8) – As an OB/GYN in Wisconsin, Kristin is currently unable to treat patients and pregnant people without threat of criminal prosecution due extreme abortion restrictions. She was one of three doctors who sued to block the state’s abortion ban from going into effect – causing her to be sued and targeted by Republicans and anti-abortion groups.

She’s regularly commuted to Minnesota and Arizona to provide reproductive care and is now running for office for the first-time.

Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District is an open seat that Democrats were just three points shy of carrying in 2018 in the statewide Senate race. With your help, we can elect Kristin and secure a pro-choice majority that will act to codify Roe v. Wade.

Dr. Anita Somani (OH HD-11) – Anita has over three decades of experience as a healthcare professional and is currently serving her first term as a State Representative, where she is the only pro-choice OB/GYN in either chamber.

After seeing Ohio take an extremist turn on abortion and gun safety, Anita felt compelled to run for office for the first time and believed she could be a strong advocate for improving public health and evidence-based legislation.

Last November, Ohioans voted on a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution – which Anita traveled the state to rally support for. Alongside other 314 Action endorsed women, she authored the first bill to codify Roe v. Wade into law in Ohio after this measure passed.

Dr. Rita Fleming (IN HD-71) –

Rita Fleming is a retired OB/GYN who delivered over 7,000 babies throughout her career and taught medical students for a decade. Rita, like Anita, is the only pro-choice OB/GYN in her respective state legislature.

Rita has brought forward numerous pieces of legislation to protect contraceptive access and protect patients who require life-saving abortion care.

This month, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s near-total abortion ban violated a state law protecting religious freedom. With this moment, leaders like Rita will be critical in helping turn the tide and restoring abortion rights in the state.

Fort Pillow Massacre, Confederate slaughter of African American Federal troops stationed at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, on April 12, 1864, during the American Civil War. The action stemmed from Southern outrage at the North’s use of Black soldiers. From the beginning of hostilities, the Confederate leadership was faced with the question of whether to treat Black soldiers captured in battle as slaves in insurrection or, as the Union insisted, as prisoners of war.

For the complete article … go to

britannica.com

The Birmingham Campaign was a movement led in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which sought to bring national attention of the efforts of local black leaders to desegregate public facilities in Birmingham, Alabama. The campaign was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Reverends James Bevel and Fred Shuttlesworth, among others.

In April 1963, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) joined Birmingham’s local campaign organized by Rev. Shuttlesworth and his group, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR). The goal of the local campaign was to attack the city’s segregation system by putting pressure on Birmingham’s merchants during the Easter season, the second biggest shopping season of the year. When that campaign stalled, the ACMHR asked SCLC to help.

The campaign was originally scheduled to begin in early March 1963 but was postponed until April. On April 3, 1963, it was launched with mass meetings, lunch counter sit-ins, a march on city hall, and a boycott of downtown merchants. King spoke to Birmingham’s black citizens about nonviolence and its methods and appealed for volunteers. When Birmingham’s residents enthusiastically responded, the campaign’s actions expanded to kneel-ins at churches, sit-ins at the library, and a march on the county courthouse to register voters.

On April 10, 1963, the city government obtained a state court injunction against the protests. After debate, campaign leaders decided to disobey the court order. King contemplated whether he and Ralph Abernathy—SCLC’s second-in-command—should be arrested. King decided that he must risk jail. On Good Friday, April 12, 1963, King was arrested in Birmingham after violating the anti-protest injunction and was placed in solitary confinement. During this time, he wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on the margins of the Birmingham News, in reaction to a statement published by eight Birmingham clergymen condemning the protests.

blackpast.org