Gov. Newsom is acting like an extortionist. His threat to withhold university funding unless schools publicly oppose President Trump's demands is political coercion. Public universities should not be strong-armed into adopting the governor's preferred positions. Their mission is education and open inquiry, not serving as instruments of partisan pressure. What makes this especially troubling is the hypocrisy. Newsom built his political brand by criticizing Trump for using federal funds as a political weapon.
In January, AB 379 will take effect, reinstating a repealed law that criminalizes "loitering with intent to purchase commercial sex." Governor Gavin Newsom, signed the bill, saying it will help protect victims of human trafficking. However, critics are its unclear language will enable law enforcement to detain individuals based on the subjective suspicion of having an "intent to purchase a commercial sex act."
Some outlets interpreted Sotomayor's remarks as directly aimed at Pam Bondi, Stetson Law's most regrettable export, who declared the administration would use the Kirk killing as a pretext to crack down on "hate speech." But since Sotomayor said, "representative," she likely intended to cast a broader net in the direction of Capitol Hill. That said, the former Florida attorney general has made a career out of proving that a J.D. is not an inoculation against constitutional illiteracy, so the shoe fits.
"Lawlessness cannot come from the government. We're pushing the boundaries here. We're beyond the boundaries and something is going to have to break." Faruqui still took issue with the "charge first, ask questions later" mentality in the U.S. Attorney's office. "The Sixth Amendment doesn't get thrown out the window because the government has decided to make a show of arresting people," said Faruqui and the spectacle the administration has made while throwing out the constitution is "fundamentally damaging to our city."
