The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit Nov. 4 challenging the constitutionality of State Question 755, which amends the state constitution to ban the use of Islamic or international law in state court decisions. The suit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, seeks to block the Oklahoma State Board of Elections from certifying this week's election results, in which voters approved the measure by a vote of 70 to 30%. CAIR argues that the law violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The law would prevent Oklahoma courts from "look[ing] to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures," requiring them only to look to legal precedents of other states for guidance, provided that state does not use Islamic law.

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Oct. 25 struck down a portion of an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. The court held that the law, Proposition 200, was inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), which was passed with the intent of increasing voter registration and removing barriers to registration imposed by the states. The NVRA requires voters to attest to the validity of the information on their registration form, including their citizenship, but does not require them to provide additional proof of citizenship. Proposition 200 went beyond the federal statute, requiring applicants to show proof of citizenship before registering to vote.

A protest was held in Albuquerque, NM, on Sept. 18, demanding police intensify their search for a culprit in a mass grave discovered at West Mesa on the outskirts of the city last year. The protest, called by the group Justice of the West Mesa Women, was held outside the city police headquarters, with marchers carrying crosses draped in women's clothing. In February 2009, authorities in West Mesa found the bodies of 11 women, including one who had been pregnant, in a mass grave. At least 10 other women in the West Mesa area have been reported missing, and authorities fear that there are more missing persons that may have gone unreported. Most of the women went missing between 2001 and 2005. The case has drawn parallels to the Ciudad Juárez femicide. (The Scribe, University of Colorado, Sept. 20; KOB-TV, Albuquerque, Sept. 18)

Federal agents searched homes of anti-war activists in Chicago and Minneapolis Sept. 24 in an investigation of possible links with terrorist organizations. Some 20 FBI agents spent most of the day searching the Logan Square residence of activists Stephanie Weiner and Joseph Iosbaker. In Jefferson Park, neighbors saw FBI agents carrying boxes from the apartment of community activist Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network. Chicago activist Thomas Burke said he was served a grand jury subpoena that requested records of any payments to Abudayyeh or his group.

Here we go again. From the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 8:

Self-styled communists helped fuel Westlake clash with police
When the Los Angeles Police Department faced hundreds of protesters on the streets of the Westlake District, some were people drawn to the event from other parts of the city for political reasons.

Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer on Aug. 27 called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to remove any mention of Arizona and its passage of SB 1070 from a human rights report issued by the State Department. The report, submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as part of a universal review, discussed the passage and current injunction of portions of SB 1070 within a section entitled, "A commitment to values in engagements across our borders." Brewer's sternly-worded letter called inclusion of any mention of SB 1070 "offensive" in light of the membership of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), including Cuba and Libya.

US Army Private First Class Nasser Abdo, 20, is seeking a discharge on the ground that his religious belief as a Muslim forbids him from fighting in any war as a member of the US military. He applied for conscientious objector status on June 7, and if granted would be discharged from the military under the provisions of AR 600-43. Despite PFC Abdo's efforts to seek CO status, his unit has decided to deploy him from Fort Campbell, KY, to Afghanistan—possibly as soon as late August or early September.

From the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Aug. 13:

Washington, DC – In a special session, the US Senate unanimously approved $600 million in emergency spending for border security. This comes on the heels of the 2010 Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Bill (HR 6080) passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Included in the $600 million is $176 million for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to form a "strike force" that would be deployed along the Southwest border as needed; $32 million for drones to do unmanned surveillance on the border; and $80 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including $50 million for new personnel.