A judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona on July 28 issued a preliminary injunction against several provisions of the controversial Arizona immigration law, set to take effect the next day. The injunction comes at the request of the US Department of Justice (DoJ), which filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the law earlier this month. Judge Susan Bolton rejected the DoJ's argument that the law should be enjoined in its entirety, finding that the individual provisions were severable.

Two lawsuits were filed July 21 seeking injunctive relief against a Fremont, Neb., ordinance banning the hiring, harboring or renting property to "illegal immigrants." The ordinance, passed by city voters in a referendum last month, requires all employers in the city to register for the E-Verify program and makes it a crime to rent to "illegal" immigrants. The ordinance also voids any lease entered into by an undocumented immigrant and requires every person seeking to rent residential property to obtain an occupancy permit from the city, requiring the applicant to sign a declaration affirming his or her US citizenship or otherwise provide a visa or employment authorization number.

From the Los Angeles Times, July 11:

OAKLAND, Calif. — As business owners boarded up broken windows and scrubbed graffiti here Friday, Oakland officials assessed the damage wrought by protesters after the verdict in a high-profile police shooting case and blamed outside agitators for the worst of it.

From the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), June 30:

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit on behalf of 10 US citizens and lawful residents who are prohibited from flying to or from the United States or over US airspace because they are on the government's "No Fly List." None of the individuals in the lawsuit, including a disabled US Marine Corps veteran stranded in Egypt and a US Army veteran stuck in Colombia, have been told why they are on the list or given a chance to clear their names.

More than 560 were arrested in Toronto over the weekend as the G20 meeting was held behind the tightest security cordon in the summit's history. Violence began after a small group of "black bloc" anarchists broke away from the main march to smash the windows of banks and chain stores and torch two police cars. But hundreds of peaceful protesters were swept up by police who used batons, tear gas, pepper spray and plastic bullets. It is said to be the first time Toronto police have used tear gas.

In a 5-4 decision in the Michigan murder case Berghuis v. Thompkins, the Supreme Court's conservative majority further eroded Miranda rights for criminal suspects June 1. Justice Anthony Kennedy in the majority opinion said that when Miranda warnings are properly given, a person wishing to invoke the right to remain silent must do so explicitly. The court overturned a ruling by the Sixth Circuit appeals court, which held that the defendant's nearly three-hour silence in response to questioning constituted a desire not to waive his rights. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent, said the decision "turns Miranda upside down."

The New York Times in a front-page story May 26 said that President Barack Obama will send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border and seek increased spending on enforcement there to combat drug smuggling. The decision was disclosed after Obama met the previous day with Republican senators to discuss the issue.

Why is there more outrage in the national media about mosques being built than about mosques being vandalized?
From the Detroit News, May 16:

Vandals hit Downriver mosque twice within a week
Brownstown Township — Police are investigating two incidents of vandalism that happened within a week at a local mosque. Windows were broken and doors were smashed at the Masjid Umar-bin-Khattab Mosque on May 9 and again on Saturday, with the second attack caught on videotape, said spokesman Muhammad Khan.