All-White Jury Convicts Karmelo Anthony. Georgia Election Lawsuit. Tennessee Map Challenge Dropped.

Carmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old Black student with a 3.7 GPA, was found guilty of first-degree murder by an all-white jury in a Dallas suburb for the stabbing death of Austin Medcaf. The incident escalated from a track meet altercation where Medcaf allegedly pushed Anthony. The defense argued self-defense, but prosecutors sought a long sentence, potentially 30-50 years, despite the victim's father forgiving Anthony. Panelists highlight the historical trend of longer sentences for Black men under 25 and the systemic racial bias in the justice system, suggesting the verdict might have been manslaughter if not for racial factors.

An all-white jury in a Dallas suburb found Carmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the stabbing death of Austin Medcaf. The jury deliberated for less than three hours. Anthony, 17, had a 3.7 GPA. Prosecutors argued Anthony provoked the incident, while the defense claimed self-defense after Medcaf shoved Anthony and he was surrounded. Anthony faces 5 to 99 years. Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali notes that half of incarcerated men with life sentences are African-American, and Black men under 25 often receive longer sentences. Zabora G. DEIA states, 'Carmelo should have been able to defend himself, but they don't look at our black children like they want us to look at their white children.'

Georgia's House Bill 369 mandates non-partisan elections for District Attorneys, Solicitor Generals, Tax Commissioners, and Superior Court Clerks in five specific counties (Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett). These counties are notable for being Democratic strongholds, led by Black women, and having large Black voting constituencies. The DeKalb County DA, Sherry Boston, filed a lawsuit arguing the law violates Georgia's uniformity clause and equal protection under both state and US constitutions by selectively targeting these counties without a rational basis, while leaving other county races (like sheriff) partisan.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston filed a state lawsuit against Georgia's House Bill 369, which makes key local races non-partisan in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. Boston states, 'They singled out five counties led by five Democratic black women... and left the other 46 district attorneys in the state as partisan.' The rationale given was to 'take politics out of public safety,' but sheriffs' races in the same counties remain partisan. The lawsuit cites violations of Georgia's uniformity clause, equal protection under US and Georgia constitutions, and Georgia's rejected bills clause, as the bill failed a Senate vote before being re-introduced by stripping another bill.

The episode highlights two alarming instances of AI misuse in Florida. First, a MAGA school board candidate used an AI-generated image of Black supporters, violating a new state law requiring disclosure of AI content. More critically, a man named Jalil Richardson was wrongfully jailed for three months in Florida after police used AI to identify him as a vehicle theft suspect from surveillance video. Richardson, who lives in North Carolina and had never visited Florida, lost his job, home, and child custody due to the false identification, exposing severe racial biases and lack of human oversight in AI systems used by law enforcement.

In Florida, a MAGA candidate used an AI-generated image of Black supporters for a campaign, which was later deleted after questioning. More significantly, Jalil Richardson was jailed for three months in Florida after police used AI to identify him as a vehicle theft suspect. Richardson lives in North Carolina and had never been to Florida; his time sheets proved he was at work. Mustafa Santiago Ali warns that AI can be a 'deity' for some, and facial recognition programs often have biases built into their data sets, requiring 'triple checkings' when people's lives are at stake. Zabora G. DEIA adds that AI systems are programmed with 'implicit bias embedded in it' from historical data of over-policing and unequal arrest patterns, leading to 'higher false positives for black communities.'

Republicans in South Carolina are threatening to defund South Carolina State University, the state's only publicly funded HBCU, as retaliation. This threat emerged after the university rescinded its invitation for MAGA Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette to deliver the commencement address, following student and community protests. State Representative Hamilton Grant argues this is political theater, reminding Republicans that defunding a state-owned institution ultimately harms the state and its taxpayers, especially given the state's existing debt of over $500 million to SCSU in unmatched 1890 land-grant funds.

South Carolina Republicans are discussing pulling back funding from South Carolina State University (SCSU) after the school rescinded its invitation for MAGA Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette to deliver the commencement address. State Representative Hamilton Grant states, 'Republicans forget that South Carolina State University is a state school, which means the buildings at our campus are owned by the state of South Carolina. So in their attempt to try to withhold funding as some kind of action of retaliation, they are in sense holding money from themselves.' He also notes that the Biden administration has indicated South Carolina owes SCSU over $500 million in unmatched 1890 money.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) faced a House Judiciary Committee hearing where Republicans, led by Jim Jordan, accused them of misusing donor money to 'grow extremist groups' and engaging in fraud. SPLC interim president Brian Fair defended their use of confidential informants as a critical tool to expose and dismantle hate groups, citing successful interventions like providing information to the FBI that prevented a mass terror attack. Democrats on the panel, particularly Rep. Joe Negay and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, framed the hearing as a politically motivated attack by Republicans who are 'pleased that they have been indicted' and are 'against the future of a multi-racial society.'

During a Capitol Hill hearing, SPLC interim president Brian Fair defended the organization's use of confidential informants to infiltrate extremist groups, stating they used donor money to 'pay confidential informants to infiltrate extremist organizations' to 'protect our staff and to protect the public.' He confirmed SPLC sent a 45-page memo to the FBI based on informant work, warning of violence at the 2017 Charlottesville rally. Rep. Joe Negay highlighted that SPLC's information from a paid informant helped the FBI prevent a mass terror attack at a Las Vegas synagogue under the Trump administration. Rep. Jasmine Crockett criticized the 'vast majority of white men' on the Republican side for 'lecturing people of color' and attacking SPLC because 'they are effective, not because they have done anything illegal.'