Gillibrand Blasts Ruling on Wal-mart Discrimination Case - Canandaigua, NY by Julie Sherwood- MPNnow

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U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to overturn the lower court’s ruling that would have allowed more than one million women to proceed with a class-action discrimination lawsuit against Wal-mart.

“I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the lower court’s decision and deny the largest civil rights class action suit in our history from moving forward. Pay discrimination in the workplace is unacceptable and all too real. Women in this country will continue to face an uphill battle until Congress fulfills its obligation to level the playing field and close existing loopholes by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. The time to end discrimination is now and I will continue to work with my colleagues to end this economic injustice"

Following Pressure By Rep. Weiner, Justice Clarence Thomas Admits Spouse Earned Up To $150,000 More From Anti-Healthcare Group

Virginia Thomas’ Salary From Anti-Health Care Firm Only Adds to Clear Conflict of Interest, Need for Recusal

  

Today, after months of pressure from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn), Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas publically released his financial disclosure forms, which reveal that he has an even greater conflict of interest in cases related to health care reform than was originally speculated, with his wife having received salary from Liberty Central, an organization that actively supports the repeal of health care reform. This latest filing casts even further doubt on Justice Thomas’ impartiality.

See Thomas’ filing HERE

“We knew that Justice Thomas’s family had a financial stake in opposing health care reform.  Now we know even more,” Weiner said. “It’s pretty clear the Justice has one option here: recusal.”

Earlier this year, Rep. Weiner and 90 of his colleagues sent a letter to Justice Thomas calling on him to recuse himself from deliberations on health care reform due to the appearance of a conflict of interest related to income his spouse, Virginia Thomas, has received from groups that oppose health care reform. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed petitions calling for Justice Thomas to recuse himself.

What Was Known:

•  Justice Thomas failed to cite his wife’s income on financial disclosure forms for 20 years.
• Recently, he was forced to amend earlier financial disclosure forms after he failed to list $685,000 in salary his wife received from the Heritage Foundation, an organization that actively opposes health care reform
• Separate IRS documents released by Liberty Central, seen HERE, reveal that Ms. Thomas may have received upwards of $150,000 from the organization in 2010, and was slated to receive as much as $165,000 in 2011 and $180,000 in 2012, if she had continued to work there beyond 2010.

What Was Learned Today:

• Financial disclosure forms finally made public by Justice Thomas this afternoon confirm for the first time that his wife was also being paid salary and benefits by Liberty Central, another right-wing organization that is currently working to overturn health care reform
• If Thomas was in fact paid up to$150,000 by Liberty Central in 2010, that would mean she’s received a total of nearly $850,000 from anti-health care organizations, including the previously disclosed $685,000 from the Heritage Foundation – all the more reason Justice Thomas needs to recuse himself.
• Justice Thomas for the first time also filed a value of $15,000 or less in gross value for Liberty Consulting, Inc, the new anti-health care lobbying firm recently founded by his wife in late 2010.

Bench Press: Colbert: 'You Want To Interrupt And Belittle People? Get Your Own Show on Fox" to Anthony Weiner - The Colbert Report

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Bench Press - Anthony Weiner

Anthony Weiner wants to ensure that the Supreme Court upholds a standard of ethics by asking Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from health care cases. (05:25)

Rep Weiner Responds to Speech by Justice Thomas Declaring Agreement with Spouse on Health Care Reform

Following a speech on Saturday by Justice Clarence Thomas at Virginia Law School's 30^th Annual Student Symposium in which he criticized those who have called upon him to recuse himself from considerations of health care reform and at the same time aligned himself with the same values as his spouse, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn), the author of a letter signed by 90 Members of Congress calling on the associate justice to recuse himself, released the following response:

"This only confirms the need for Justice Thomas to recuse himself. By declaring his support and shared views of his spouse, he adds to the perception that his mind is made up. He undermines confidence in our highest court."

Justice Thomas Too Close to the Koch Brothers? - Rachel Maddow Show

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Conflict of Interest Questions Continue to Swirl Around Justice Clarence Thomas
Common Cause submitted a letter to the Department of Justice on January 19th raising questions about whether Justices Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia had attended closed-door strategy and fundraising sessions sponsored by Koch Industries.

The Supreme Court responded that Justice Thomas' involvement was limited to "a brief drop by." But that answer, coupled with a Common Cause review of financial disclosure statements, raises more questions than it answers.

Read more in the New York Times.

Press release: Feb. 14 letter to the Supreme Court clerk

The Story of Citizens United v. FEC - The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

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http://storyofcitizensunited.org ---- Season Two launches on March 1st with The Story of Citizens United v. FEC , also our first film for 2011, and it's an exploration of the inordinate power that corporations exercise in our democracy.

I know you are but what am I?

by Annie Leonard

I’m a person.

Chances are if you’re reading this you’re a person too.

Exxon? Not a person.

But one year ago today, five members of the U.S. Supreme Court got this simple truth all wrong.

In the case Citizens United v. FEC they ruled that the limited existing restrictions on corporate spending on U.S. elections were unconstitutional because corporations are entitled to the same first amendment speech protections that individual citizens–people–enjoy in our democracy.

And boy did corporations put this ruling to good use:

According to a new report by our friends at Public Citizen, spending by outside groups during the 2010 midterm elections in the United States jumped to $294.2 million, up from just $68.9 million in the 2006 cycle. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce alone spent $31.2 million to influence election outcomes.

That means that unless we act, our concerns–from good jobs to clean air to safe products–will take even more of a backseat to the concerns of Walmart, Exxon, and Dow than they do now.
Which is why on March 1st we’re launching Season Two of our on-line movie series with The Story of Citizens United v. FEC: Why Democracy Only Works When People are in Charge.

I made The Story of Stuff back in 2007 because I wanted people to understand that there’s a system behind the way we make, use and throw away Stuff. Many of us spend so much time feeling guilty about the consumer choices we make in life that we sometimes forget an important truth: the choices that got us into our current environmental and economic mess had very little to do with which light bulb or shampoo we buy.

It wasn’t you or I who decided to gut public transportation funding in favor of the interstate highway system, or to turn a blind eye to oil rig safety, or to put carcinogens in our products. At least, I didn’t!

I founded The Story of Stuff Project because I knew we’d never be able to take on and change this system unless people got engaged–not only as conscious consumers, but also as active citizens. Unfortunately, there’s a big obstacle in our way: corporations have way too much influence in our democracy.

Our team believes that getting corporations out of our democracy (and getting people back in) is critical to making progress on a huge range of issues that we Americans, and many others around the world, care about.

So on March 1st, we’re jumping in.

Rep Weiner and 73 Other Democratic Representatives Calls on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Recuse Himself on Health Care Bill - The Ed Show - msnbc

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Congressman Anthony Weiner talks about why he and 75 other members of Congress are calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from ruling on any health care legislation while his wife is actively engaged in defeating it...The Ed Show - msnbc.com

Rep Weiner & 73 House Members Call on Thomas to Recuse Himself from Health Care Reform Case

Impartiality Questioned after Revelations of Financial Gain and Disclosure Lapses

Following reports that the spouse of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a lobbyist who has gained financially from efforts to overturn health care reform, a conflict of interest the associate justice failed to disclose, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn) and 73 of his House colleagues sent a letter to Justice Thomas calling on him to recuse himself from any deliberations on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Full text of the letter below:

The Honorable Justice Clarence Thomas

United States Supreme Court Building

1 First Street Northeast

Washington D.C., DC 20543

Dear Justice Thomas:

As an Associate Justice, you are entrusted with the responsibility to exercise the highest degree of discretion and impartiality when deciding a case. As Members of Congress, we were surprised by recent revelations of your financial ties to leading organizations dedicated to lobbying against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We write today to respectfully ask that you maintain the integrity of this court and recuse yourself from any deliberations on the constitutionality of this act.

The appearance of a conflict of interest merits recusal under federal law. From what we have already seen, the line between your impartiality and you and your wife's financial stake in the overturn of healthcare reform is blurred. Your spouse is advertising herself as a lobbyist who has “experience and connections” and appeals to clients who want a particular decision - they want to overturn health care reform. Moreover, your failure to disclose Ginny Thomas’s receipt of $686,589 from the Heritage Foundation, a prominent opponent of healthcare reform, between 2003 and 2007 has raised great concern.

This is not the first case where your impartiality was in question. As Common Cause points out, you “participated in secretive political strategy sessions, perhaps while the case was pending, with corporate leaders whose political aims were advanced by the [5-4] decision” on the Citizens United case. Your spouse also received an undisclosed salary paid for by undisclosed donors as CEO of Liberty Central, a 501(c)(4) organization that stood to benefit from the decision and played an active role in the 2010 elections.

Given these facts, there is a strong conflict between the Thomas household’s financial gain through your spouse’s activities and your role as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. We urge you to recuse yourself from this case. If the US Supreme Court's decision is to be viewed as legitimate by the American people, this is the only correct path.

We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

ANTHONY D. WEINER

Member of Congress

Current co-signers include:

Reps. Al Green, EB Johnson, Wm. Lacy Clay, Russ Carnahan, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Karen Bass, Richard E. Neal, Peter Welch, Judy Chu, John A. Yarmuth, Betty Sutton, Ed Perlmutter, Gerald E. Connolly, Dennis Kucinich, Greg Meeks, Allyson Y. Schwartz, Lloyd Doggett, Gwen Moore, Jared Polis, Maxine Waters, Donald M. Payne, Bobby L. Rush, Steve Cohen, Joe Crowley, Eliot L. Engel, David N. Cicilline, Susan Davis, Albio Sires, Michael F. Doyle, Louise McIntosh Slaughter, Jim McDermott, Nydia Velazquez, John Garamendi, Andre Carson, Michael E. Capuano, Shelley Berkley, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Tim Bishop, Barbara Lee, Joe Courtney, Rosa L. DeLauro, John Conyers, John Larson, George Miller, Leonard L. Boswell, Donna F. Edwards, Lois Capps, Xavier Becerra, Theodore E. Deutch, Steve Israel, William L. Owens, Laura Richardson, Yvette Clarke, Mazie K. Hirono, Gary Ackerman, Keith Ellison, Raul M. Grijalva, Chris Murphy, Lynn C. Woolsey, Peter A. DeFazio, Jesse Jackson Jr, Silvestre Reyes, Carolyn Maloney, Robert E. Andrews, Bill Pascrell Jr, Bob Filner, Paul Tonko, Marcia L. Fudge, Maurice Hinchey, Michael M. Honda, Anna G.Eshoo, Frank Pallone Jr, Fortney Pete Stark

Addisleigh Park, Historic Black Neighborhood in Queens, Gains Landmark Status by Alice Speri - NYTimes.com

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Welcome to the landmark district: a house at 178th Place and Linden Boulevard in Addisleigh Park, Queens.

The predominantly African-American neighborhood of Addisleigh Park, an enclave of brick and stucco house in southeast Queens and the former home of luminaries like Jackie Robinson, W.E.B. Du Bois and Ella Fitzgerald, is now a historic district, New York City’s 102nd.

The vote Tuesday by the Landmarks Preservation Commission protects a triangular swath containing 426 buildings, many of them Tudor and Colonial Revival homes, roughly bounded by Linden Boulevard, Dunkirk Street and 112th Avenue.

The area, part of the St. Albans neighborhood and developed between the 1910s and 1930s, was built as an exclusively white community, and restrictive covenants prohibited the sale of any of its properties to blacks.

In the 1940s, two lawsuits were filed against homeowners by their neighbors, who accused them of having sold their houses to African-Americans. In a 1947 case, a judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs but noted that several African-Americans already lived in the neighborhood, including the singer and actress Lena Horne and the jazz musician Count Basie.

Map of Addisleigh Park Historic District

In 1948, though, the United States Supreme Court held that racially restrictive covenantsviolated the equal-protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and more and more blacks moved to the neighborhood.

In 1952, the magazine Our World called Addisleigh Park home to the “richest and most gifted” African-Americans in New York.

The jazz great Fats Waller, one of the first African-Americans in Addisleigh Park, lived there until his death in 1943. Other notable residents have included the jazz musicians John Coltrane and Milt Hinton, the Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella and the boxer Joe Louis.

Addisleigh Park’s history “illuminates African-Americans’ struggle for and achievement of the basic civil right of home ownership,” read the proposal to protect the site as a historic district.

Today, the neighborhood, now about 90 percent African-American, with an average household income of around $80,000, remains a distinct and relatively upscale pocket of residential Southeast Queens. Its asymmetrical houses with steeply pitched gables and wooden porches are sited back from the street and separated by spacious, well-landscaped lawns.

Locals Concerned About Shops at Atlas Park Future with Center Set for Auction by Nicholas Hirshon - NY Daily News

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The Shops at Atlas Park have been run by a court-appointed receiver for two years

A foreclosed Queens mall is set to be auctioned Friday, marking a turning point for the embattled Shops at Atlas Park as locals wonder how a new owner will operate its mix of stores and eateries.

The Glendale complex, which has been run by a court-appointed receiver for two years, will go up for bids at the 11 a.m. sale at Queens Supreme Court.

At stake is the future of Atlas Park, an outdoor shopping center with a movie theater, a Borders bookstore and chain restaurants. Many of the mall's smaller businesses have slumped through recent years.

Insiders said it's hard to predict the sale's outcome.

"It's either going to be anti-climactic or you're going to have four bidders going hot and heavy on this thing," said lawyer Dennis Cappello, appointed by the court to run the sale.

The banks that mortgaged the mall, Credit Agricole and Société Générale, hope to snare at least $119 million - about the amount of the loan to the mall's founders, Atlas Park LLC.

Among the parties rumored to be in the mix for the auction are Cypress Equities, once affiliated with football legend Roger Staubach, and the mall founders, the family of ex-MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger.

Cypress has denied interest in bidding. Hemmerdinger's son, Damon, once the mall's development director, declined comment.

Locals figured a national mall operator could also swoop in.

The powerhouse Chicago firm McCaffery Interests, once considered a frontrunner to land Atlas Park, dropped out last fall.

But the bidding war may not play out. The auction will be postponed if Atlas Park LLC files for bankruptcy before the sale. Sources said that scenario is unlikely.

Cappello said the banks had not decided as of yesterday morning on an "upset price," or the minimum amount at which the mall can be sold.

If the banks set an upset price and no bidder goes that high, the mall becomes bank property.

In that case, the banks would probably seek to sell the property as soon as possible rather than manage the mall, sources said.

An attorney for the banks declined comment.

Questions linger about the mall's direction under a new owner, who might decide to shift its focus from upscale to more affordable stores - or even raze the place for an entirely new project.

Residents are counting on the sale to end a tumultuous period for the Cooper Ave. center.

"We need to move forward," said Kathy Masi of the Glendale Civic Association.

Ellen Strickland, 80, Says She Was Fired from Home Depot Because of Her Age by Thomas Zambito - NY Daily News

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Ellen Strickland, 80, was fired after 19-year career at Home Depot for crediting her bank card while making store purchases

An 80-year-old Home Depot checkout lady known as "Mom" to co-workers says she was canned over a 6-cent screw.

But Ellen Strickland says her September firing had more to do with her age than the screw.

She's suing the home-improvement giant for age discrimination in Queens Supreme Court.

Strickland says she was called into her boss' office and told that her habit of ringing up 6-cent screws to get cash back on her debit card and avoid ATM fees was a no-no.

Strickland, who worked as a bookkeeping supervisor for 15 years before she moved to the register, agreed to stop. By then she had done it four times.

"I used to handle millions of dollars for this company and for 24 cents I'm told I'm going to have to leave?" Strickland said. "There was not a penny missing."

A spokeswoman for the South Ozone Park Home Depot could not be reached for comment.

Strickland says the move stunned her since she had recently been honored at an employee luncheon for registering above-average grades for "cashier friendliness" and a stellar "wait to checkout" time.

Her lawyer, Esther Goldbas, says Strickland was fired despite "a flawless record."

Strickland "performed an action that was common practice among store employees....Plaintiff was the only employee terminated for this action, while younger employees were not," the lawsuit claims.

The firing forced Strickland to leave a place that became a second home after the death of her husband five years ago.

"I enjoyed getting out and seeing the kids," Strickland says. "I was enjoying getting up and going to work every day."

Over 19 years she attended weddings, baby showers and other major events in the lives of co-workers who called her Mom. On days off, they would travel to Atlantic City together.

She says she proved a quick study when Home Depot moved her to the cash register in 2008. She didn't mind standing for eight-hour shifts and rarely took breaks except for lunch. "I couldn't be bothered," she said. "I went ahead and worked....I could outwork most of the younger kids."

For now, she's filling the time by swimming at a recreation center near her Jamaica, Queens, home.

"I'm not one of these 80-year-old people who are just going to sit at home," she said.

Cathie Black Leaps Over Final Hurdle to Claim Schools Post; Judge Confirms Education Commish's Call by Erin Einhorn - NY Daily News

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Cathie Black can now take city schools chancellor spot after Albany judge knocks down suit.

Cathie Black is in the clear.

Mayor Bloomberg's pick to run the city schools got the OK from an Albany court Wednesday after a group of parents and politicians sued over her lack of credentials.

The parents argued that state education commissioner David Steiner broke the law when he granted Black a waiver to be chancellor.

"The appointment of someone who appears to require on-the-job training ... will just further erode the ability of the education system to adequately prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st century," said Brooklyn Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a plaintiff.

But Albany Supreme Court Justice Gerald Connolly affirmed Steiner's right to make that call.

The plaintiffs say they're mulling an appeal. "Mayor Bloomberg has won this round and our children have lost," Jeffries said.

Bloomberg said the decision should "allow us all to focus on what matters most: continuing to improve the quality of education we offer New York City's public school children."

Black takes over for outgoing chancellor Joel Klein on Monday.

Parents Vow To Continue Fight For Quality Education In NYC - NYC Kids Pac

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Albany Supreme Court Judge Sides With Education Commissioner; Rejects Challenge To Steiner-Black Waiver

On Wednesday, December 29, Judge Gerald Connolly of the Albany County Supreme Court denied the petitions submitted on behalf of 13 parent Petitioners and one teacher challenging New York State Education Commissioner David Steiner’s waiver of employment requirements for Cathleen Black so she could assume the office of Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education.

The Petitioners, including New York State Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries (D-57) and members of the Deny Waiver Coalition, contend that Ms. Black does not have the qualifications necessary under New York State law to oversee the educational system that serves their children and, furthermore, that Commissioner Steiner misinterpreted State law and exceeded his authority in granting the waiver to Ms. Black.

Attorney Norman Siegel, representing the 14 Petitioners, stated the following: “We are disappointed with the Court’s decision. We believed that there would be a different outcome and that Ms. Black’s waiver would not be allowed to stand. I will be consulting with the parents and teacher to determine their next step.”

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a parent Petitioner, said, “The decision by Judge Connolly is extremely disappointing but we will not throw in the towel with respect to the effort to improve our public schools system. Cathie Black remains unqualified to be chancellor. We will make a determination about whether to appeal shortly.”

Parent Petitioner Mona Davids said, “I am disappointed in Judge Connolly’s decision but not surprised. The decision to grant a waiver to Black who is clearly unqualified shows our children that it’s not what you know but who you know. The appointment of unqualified Black has served as a catalyst to mobilize parents throughout the city to fight for a quality education for our children.”

Noah E. Gotbaum, parent Petitioner, stated, “This case is just the beginning of the movement of parents and educators to fight for our 1.1 million kids and to stand up against the current business model of education and its constituency of out-of-touch billionaires.”

Teacher Petitioner Julie Cavanagh was unhappy with the decision. “I am saddened by the decision handed down today, but I am inspired by the brave parents, educators and citizens who stood up and fought for justice and for their voice to be heard. I stand firm in the beliefs held by the Deny Waiver Coalition; our children deserve a qualified Chancellor with the education credentials the law requires.”

Parent Petitioner Patricia Connelly said, “While I am profoundly disappointed with today’s decision by Judge Connolly, I for one am not ready to let this illegal and immoral waiver stand. I join my fellow petitioners in demanding that the public be restored to our rightful place at the table in protecting and promoting a truly democratic public education system here in New York City.”

Parent Petitioner Shino Tanikawa, said, “I am deeply disappointed and puzzled by Judge Connolly’s decision. However, I am, along with the others, determined to continue fighting for what is right.”

Chris Owens, a parent Petitioner, expressed his frustration with the perspective of Commissioner Steiner and the Court. “Unfortunately, this judge ignored the true intent of the Education Law – to protect the quality and integrity of education management in New York State. Given the current state of our streets, I am uncomfortable with someone who only has management credentials handling this City’s education storm and the future of my two sons.”

Ms. Black was nominated by Mayor Bloomberg on November 9, 2010 to succeed outgoing Chancellor Joel Klein. Commissioner Steiner granted the waiver on November 29.

Attorneys Norman Siegel and Herbert Teitelbaum, representing the 14 Petitioners, were joined by attorneys Roger Wareham and Eric Snyder, each representing additional New York City public school parents who are also challenging the Steiner waiver. Three separate Article 78 petitions challenging the waiver had been filed and were consolidated during the court hearing.

Parent Petitioners were Assemblyman Jeffries (Brooklyn), Hon. Chris Owens (Brooklyn), Ms. Mona Davids (Bronx), Mr. Noah Gotbaum (Manhattan), Ms. Khem Irby (Brooklyn), Ms. Lydia Bellahcene (Brooklyn), Ms. Patricia Connelly (Brooklyn), Ms. Monica Ayuso (Queens), Ms. Mariama Sanoh (Manhattan), Mr. John Battis (Brooklyn), Ms. Latrina Miley (Manhattan), Ms. Shino Tanikawa-Oglesby (Manhattan) and Ms. Maria Farano-Rodriguez (Staten Island), as well as teacher Petitioner Julie Cavanagh (Brooklyn).