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NAACP Tag

While the legal challenges to the 2020 presidential election count in several states are not over, one thing is clear. To prevent future election mischief and theft, Republicans are going to have to fight as hard to tighten election security laws in 2021 and beyond as Democrats fought to weaken election security laws in 2020.

We have covered the radical Islamist group American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) extensively, especially as the group has increasingly framed its anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism as expressions of 'intersectional' social justice activism. In 2020, AMP has yet again used its largest annual event—the "Palestine Conference"—to hijack and foment existing racial tensions as a political warfare weapon against Israel.

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)—one of the most radical and controversial anti-Israel groups in the United States —spent this past week training anti-Israel activists to send them into lobbying meetings with members of Congress. Among AMP's partners in this effort were the anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace, UNRWA-USA, and even the NAACP.

There are multiple appellate fronts in the Gibson's Bakery v. Oberlin College case. First and most important, Oberlin College and Dean Meredith Raimondo have appealed seeking to overturn the massive compensatory and punitive damage verdicts. Numerous entities have come to their assistance by filing amicus (friend of the court) briefs, including certain Cleveland media entities. The Gibsons' response to the appeal is due by August 5.

The appeal brief of Gibson's Bakery opposing the appeal of Oberlin College and Meredith Raimondo is due on August 5, after Gibson's motion for a final extension of time was granted by the appeals court Magistrate. Gibson's previously filed its Cross-Appeal Brief, seeking reinstatement of the full punitive damages verdict. While the regular briefing has been pending, a group of media and other groups asked permission to file so-called Amicus (friend of the Court) briefs in support of the college's appeal.

Colleges and universities charge students fees so that the money collected can be dibursed to fund various student groups and activities. At Cornell University, the student government handed $10,000 worth of these funds over to a Black Lives Matter funding initiative which was not a recognized student group and which reportedly will transfer the funds to non-student groups. If you were a student, wouldn't you have a problem with your mandatory student activity fees being sent to non-student political advocacy groups? Many students do have a problem with what happened, and are speaking up.

Oberlin College has filed its Brief appealing the $11 million compensatory and $33 million punitive damage verdicts (later reduced to $25 million under Ohio tort reform caps) won by Gibson's Bakery. The Bakery also has filed its Cross-Appeal Brief seeking reinstatement of the full punitive damages verdict.