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

Carmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old Black man, was convicted of first-degree murder by an all-white jury in a Dallas suburb for the stabbing death of Austin Medaf. The defense argued self-defense, citing that Medaf and others provoked the incident by pushing Anthony and ordering him to leave, while prosecutors contended a shove should not be met with a stabbing. Panelists highlighted the historical disparity in sentencing for Black men, especially those under 25, and the likelihood of a severe sentence (5 to 99 years) due to racial bias in the justice system.

An all-white jury convicted Carmelo Anthony. Prosecutors sought a long sentence despite the defense's self-defense argument. Panelists cited statistics on longer sentences for Black men and the tragic impact on both families.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, along with DAs from Clayton, Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties (all Black Democratic women), filed a state lawsuit against Georgia House Bill 369. This law selectively changes DA, solicitor general, tax commissioner, and superior court clerk races from partisan to nonpartisan in these five Democratic-leaning, majority-Black counties, while leaving other counties and sheriff races partisan. The DAs argue the law violates Georgia's uniformity clause and the Equal Protection Clause of both the US and Georgia Constitutions, and was passed via a 'rejected bills clause' violation.

DA Sherry Boston stated the law 'singled out five counties led by five Democratic black women' and left other DAs partisan. The rationale given (taking politics out of public safety) was deemed illogical as it didn't apply statewide or to sheriffs. The lawsuit cites three constitutional grounds: uniformity clause, equal protection, and rejected bills clause violation.

Jalil Richardson was jailed for three months in Florida, losing his job, home, and child custody, after police used AI facial recognition to identify him as a vehicle theft suspect from surveillance video. The critical error was that Richardson had never visited Florida and his time sheets proved he was at work when the crime occurred. This case exemplifies the severe racial bias embedded in AI systems, which are often trained on biased data sets and created primarily by white men, leading to higher false positives for Black individuals and a lack of human oversight in critical applications.

Jalil Richardson was identified by AI, jailed for three months, and lost his job, home, and custody despite never being in Florida and having an alibi. Panelists discussed how AI is 'made, white people are the ones who are largely creating these models. The bias is in there.'

A House Judiciary Committee hearing saw Republicans, led by Jim Jordan, accuse the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) of misusing donor money, aligning with the KKK, and creating extremist groups. The SPLC's interim president, Brian Fair, defended the organization's 55-year mission to fight racial terror and white supremacy, emphasizing its use of confidential informants to expose and dismantle hate groups, often providing critical information to the FBI that prevented violence. Democratic representatives countered that the accusations were politically motivated attacks against an effective civil rights organization.

Jim Jordan questioned SPLC's use of donor money for field sources, citing a 'superseding indictment.' Brian Fair stated SPLC 'fought racial terror, white supremacy, and other forms of discrimination and hate.' Congressman Negase highlighted SPLC's role in providing FBI with information that prevented a mass terror attack.

South Carolina Republican lawmakers are discussing pulling funding from South Carolina State University (SCSU), the state's only publicly funded HBCU. This threat comes after SCSU rescinded an invitation for the MAGA Lieutenant Governor, Pamela Evette, to deliver the commencement address, following student and community protests. State Representative Hamilton Grant called this 'political theater' and 'petulant children's' behavior, emphasizing that defunding SCSU would hurt the state's own assets and taxpayers, particularly Black residents who contribute to state funds.

Republicans are 'discussing pulling back funding' from SCSU. The action is in response to SCSU rescinding the Lieutenant Governor's commencement invitation. State Representative Hamilton Grant stated it's 'political theater' and would 'hurt South Carolina State University from holding back funds is actually going to hurt them as well.'