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ACLU sues Washington to stop “Parents Bill of Rights” from becoming law

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ACLU sues Washington to stop “Parents Bill of Rights” from becoming law


A group of legal advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington Thursday to prevent a hotly debated voter initiative from taking effect next month.

The organizations claim that the measure, Initiative 2081, conflicts with youth privacy laws and could “result in harm to LGBTQ+ students, youth of color, and students from other marginalized backgrounds,” according to a press release. A court hearing on the lawsuit could happen next week.

I-2081 was one of three Republican-backed voter initiatives that the Legislature approved in March. It’s known as the so-called “Parents Bill of Rights” and outlines more than a dozen rights for parents to oversee their kids’ education and school medical records.

At the time, Democratic lawmakers who decided to vote for the measure said they support parents being involved in their children’s schooling but were concerned about the possibility that the measure didn’t mesh well with existing education policy. A legislative staff analysis showed much of the langauge in I-2081 is duplicative, or in some cases less precise, than state and federal regulations around parental access to school materials and student records — and some lawmakers interpreted this to mean than the measure wouldn’t drastically change current practices.

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Several legislators have vowed to keep a close watch on the implementation of I-2081, and said they’d be quick to make changes to the law if it caused harm to young people, particularly LGBTQ youth, or confusion among school administrators.

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties of Washington, Qlaw, and Legal Voice jointly filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10 plaintiffs to prevent the measure from taking effect on June 6.

The lawsuit alleges that the measure violates the state constitution.

“Our state constitution requires that new laws properly identify how they impact existing laws, and 2081 fails to do that,” said Adrien Leavitt, ACLU staff attorney. “The way that the initiative was written is confusing, and it’s vague and it’s misleading — and it doesn’t explain what important rights that it actually impacts for the youth that attend our state’s public schools.”

The plaintiffs in the case include several nonprofits, like Lavender Rights Project, Sexual Violence Law Center and MomsRising. Two individuals, as well as South Whidbey School District, are also named as plaintiffs in the case.

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“Black and Indigenous students rely upon sexual health resources, information, and care within public schools and school-based clinics, and to erode confidentiality in those spaces will acutely impact those students,” Leavitt added.

The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing saga of recent voter initiative action in Washington.

A group called Let’s Go Washington started working in 2023 to qualify a handful of voter initiatives for consideration in this year’s legislative session, including I-2081.

Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood said in a statement that the ACLU’s lawsuit is antidemocratic.

“The ACLU has made their disdain for the democratic process abundantly clear,” Heywood said. “We expect [Attorney General] Bob Ferguson to uphold his duty within the law to protect the will of the people and shut down this frivolous attempt by the ACLU to deprive parents of their civil liberties.”

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Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) chairs the Washington State Republican party and filed the paperwork for I-2081. He called the lawsuit an attack on rights for families.

“ACLU Washington is damaging its credibility by aligning with several radical left organizations to file an eccentric lawsuit,” he wrote in a text message.

Once I-2081 received enough support from registered voters to be considered in Olympia, Republicans were eager to hold hearings and pass the measure into law. Democrats, who have majority control in the Legislature, expressed concerns about the initiative, but enough of them voted with Republicans to approve it.

Legislative leaders said in March their decision to approve I-2081 and two other voter initiatives was multifaceted. One major point of consideration: Enacting these initiatives in the Legislature – as opposed to letting voters decide on them – preserved lawmakers’ ability to make prompt adjustments to those measures once they became law.

Three additional initiatives are going to the ballot in November. If voters pass any of these initiatives, changing them would require a two-thirds majority in the Legislature for the first two years the voter-approved policies are in effect — a relatively high bar to meet. Legislature-approved initiatives, meanwhile, can be adjusted just like any other part of state law.

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Washington

Wizards Named Trade Candidate for Warriors Rising Star

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Wizards Named Trade Candidate for Warriors Rising Star


The Washington Wizards should absolutely be on the lookout for young talent, and the Golden State Warriors may have the answer for them.

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has named Warriors young forward Jonathan Kuminga as a potential trade target for the Wizards this coming season.

“Another high-upside player on their rookie deal who hasn’t agreed to an extension with his team, Kuminga would bring a great deal of excitement to Washington,” Swartz wrote.

Swartz added that Kuminga would make even more sense if Kyle Kuzma is traded, which may very well happen.

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The question is whether or not Golden State would actually want to move Kuminga.

Of course, Washington could always trade Kuzma in a deal for Kuminga, but the Warriors may not be so open to such a move.

Golden State seems to really like Kuminga, who had sort of a breakout year this past season when he averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds over 26.3 minutes a night on 52.9/32.1/74.6 shooting splits.

The 21-year-old took major strides offensively during the 2023-24 campaign, and while the consistency is not yet there on the defensive end, he has certainly shown flashes of being a terrific defender.

The Wizards are certainly in need of more young pieces. The quintet of Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, Daniel Gafford and rookie Bub Carrington is solid, but Washington doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of elite talent there.

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Kuminga would represent a breath of fresh air for a Wizards team that won just 15 games a year ago and will absolutely be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick this coming season.

The Warriors are trying to figure out a way to contend with Stephen Curry while not completely mortgaging their future. It’s quite a tightrope, and Golden State has to find a happy medium.

Would that entail trading Kuminga for a player who could help the Dubs more right now? It remains to be seen. Perhaps Washington could get a third team involved in a potential trade.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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Chipotle workers say DC woman made violent threats toward them

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Chipotle workers say DC woman made violent threats toward them


A D.C. woman is facing charges after workers at a Chipotle restaurant in Columbia Heights say she made violent threats.

Chanae Ridian Watson, 32, entered the restaurant on 14th Street NW with her mother Monday evening, angry because her mom had slipped on uneven pavement outside the restaurant, according to police.

Employees who did not want to be identified for safety concerns said Watson demanded the restaurant make repairs.

“We told the guy that we were going to take into consideration what happened, but the problem was not with us, it was with the building. We were going to let the manager of the building know about the situation,” one employee said.

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The employees said Watson and her mother eventually left, but Watson returned. They said she became irate when the workers spoke Spanish with each other.

Watson threatened to shoot up the business and to come back and wait for them outside, according to a police report. 

“Threatening to kill, threatening to hurt us,” an employee said. “Also, offending the other workers. Started just calling out really horrible names.” 

Security asked the suspect to leave multiple times, according to the police report. She refused and escalated the situation. 

The police report quotes Watson as saying: “They don’t speak English; they don’t understand. You aren’t even born here, you are not a citizen, and she is going to vote for Trump.” Watson also said, “This is America. Learn English,” according to police.

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The workers said they felt intimidated.

“I feel very unsafe, and every day, I and our team feel not safe coming to work,” one said.

Police stopped Watson outside the restaurant. She was visibly loud, angry and hysterical and refused to cooperate, the police report says. 

Watson was arrested and charged with making threats to kidnap or injure, unlawful entry, and hate crime based on racial group animus. Police said the crime is being investigated as potentially being motivated by hate or bias. Watson pleaded not guilty.

“We come here to work and support the country,” an employee said. “We do a lot of things that other people don’t want to do it, and they see how we work, but I feel unappreciated.” 

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“It’s not really ever good just to look at somebody and discriminate against them just by the way they look without getting to know them or knowing them in general,” another employee said. “I felt very disappointed in a way.”

The employees said they’re continuing to work but they’re anxious and worried it could happen again.

Watson could not be reached for comment.

“We are aware of the incident that occurred at our 3113 14th Street NW Washington, D.C., restaurant and thankful that no team members were harmed by this senseless act,” Chipotle said in a statement to News4. “We are working cooperatively with the authorities handling this investigation and hope justice will be served for the individuals who did not treat our employees with the respect that they deserve.”



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Rudy Giuliani Stripped of Legal License in Washington D.C.

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Rudy Giuliani Stripped of Legal License in Washington D.C.


In the worst week to be a New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani was officially disbarred in Washington D.C. by the district’s highest court on Thursday. The decision follows a string ethics proceedings connected to the former mayor’s efforts to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election.

According to the D.C. Court of Appeals, Giuliani’s disbarment stemmed from New York proceedings in July which led to him losing his license to practice law in his home state. The now-disgraced attorney did not respond when given an opportunity to object to his latest disbarment.

Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s spokesperson slammed the decision as a “politically motivated decision,” before claiming “The people coming after Mayor Giuliani can’t take away the fact that he remains the most effective prosecutor in American history, who did more to improve the lives of others than almost any other American alive today.”

Giuliani’s woes in Washington go beyond the high court’s decision. He faced a number of disciplinary proceedings from the D.C. Bar regarding his involvement in a 2020 election lawsuit attempting to discard thousands of votes in Pennsylvania.

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In June, the organization’s Board on Professional Responsibility concluded that “America’s Mayor” should be stripped of his ability to practice law in the nation’s capital.

Meanwhile, the year prior, a disciplinary board for the Washington-based bar also recommended the former federal prosecutor be disbarred for his “frivolous and destructive” actions surrounding the 2020 election.

“He claimed massive election fraud but had no evidence of it,” the three-member panel wrote in their decision. “By prosecuting that destructive case Mr. Giuliani, a sworn officer of the Court, forfeited his right to practice law.”

The ex-New York Mayor turned GOP insider is one of several former Trump attorneys with ongoing professional disciplinary proceedings for their participation in the former president’s election subversion efforts.

In Giuliani’s case, however, he also faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona related to election subversion, to which the former federal prosecutor pleaded not guilty. In Georgia, two election workers won a $148 million defamation suit against him for false allegations made after the 2020 election that sparked a swarm of racist comments and threats being sent to the employees.

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The former legal advisor to Trump filed for bankruptcy shortly after being found liable.

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Rudy Giuliani is under increased pressure to pay a $146 million judgement after two Georgia election workers successfully sued him for defamation.

Bonnie Cash/Reuters

Giuliani’s representative said the defamation lawsuit was “designed to censor and bully the mayor.”

His comments echo remarks made by current New York City mayor Eric Adams who was indicted on several federal criminal charges on Thursday. “I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target—and a target I became,” Adams claimed.

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