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Odas Nicholson
Odas Nicholson (March 25, 1924 – March 10, 2012) was an attorney, activist and judge in Illinois. Nicholson was a delegate to and secretary of the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, which produced Illinois' first new constitution in 100 years. In that capacity she is credited with two key provisions of the Constitution of Illinois: the prohibition on gender discrimination and the language in the preamble numbering among the purposes of the constitution to "eliminate poverty and inequality". Nicholson was closely associated with the Richard J. Daley, Daley machine. Litigation contesting her election as a constitutional convention delegate gave rise to the Shakman Decree, which shaped Illinois and Chicago politics for decades. She was the first African American woman in a number of roles, including being the first to graduate from DePaul College of Law, the first to helm the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, and the first to serve as a judge in the Law Division of ...
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Pickens, Mississippi
Pickens is a town in Holmes County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 920. History The town was named for landowner James Pickens and was incorporated in 1858. On May 9, 1919, an African American veteran was lynched as part of the Red Summer of 1919 because of an “improper note” written to a white woman. Geography Pickens is located in the southeast corner of Holmes County at (32.886672, -89.970092), on the west side of the Big Black River. It is bordered to the south by Yazoo County and to the east across the Big Black by Attala County. U.S. Route 51 passes through the town, leading northeast to Goodman and south to Canton. Mississippi Highway 17 follows US 51 through Pickens, but leaves the highway south of town to lead southeast to Camden, and splits from US 51 north of Pickens to lead north to Lexington, the Holmes County seat. Mississippi Highway 432 leads west from Pickens to Benton. Interstate 55 passes west of Pickens, ...
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Albert Raby
Albert Anderson Raby (1933 – November 23, 1988) was a teacher at Chicago's Hess Upper Grade Center who secured the support of Martin Luther King Jr. to desegregate schools and housing in Chicago between 1965 and 1967. Raby was a part of the civil rights movement and helped create thCoordinating Council of Community Organizations(CCCO), the mission of the CCCO was to end segregation in Chicago schools. Raby tried to stay out of the media and public eye, which limited information known about him. Early life Albert Raby was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1933, dropping out of school in the eighth grade. He became involved in a union, and, after a stint in the army, earned his grammar school diploma at age 24. He went on to earn his high school diploma immediately after that. He attended day and evening school to earn his high school diploma. In 1960, he earned a teaching degree from Chicago Teachers College and entered the profession. CCCO formation Raby was a member of the Teachers ...
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Judicial Inquiry Board (Illinois)
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law in legal cases. Definition The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets, defends, and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary can also be thought of as the mechanism for the resolution of disputes. Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make statutory law (which is the responsibility of the legislature) or enforce law (which is the responsibility of the executive), but rather interprets, defends, and applies the law to the facts of each case. However, in some countries the judiciary does make common law. In many jurisdictions the judicial branch has the power to change laws through the process of judicial review. Courts with judicial review power may annul the laws and r ...
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Second Reading
A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, or failing to become, legislation. Some of these readings may be formalities rather than actual debate. The procedure dates back to the centuries before literacy was widespread. Since many members of Parliament were illiterate, the Clerk of Parliament would read aloud a bill to inform members of its contents. By the end of the 16th century, it was practice to have the bill read on three occasions before it was passed. Preliminary reading In the Israeli Knesset, private member bills do not enter the house at first reading. Instead, they are subject to a preliminary reading, where the members introducing the bill present it to the Knesset, followed by a debate on the general outlines of the bill followed by a vote on whether to send it ...
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Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. The first version of an ERA was written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced in Congress in December 1923. In the early history of the Equal Rights Amendment, middle-class women were largely supportive, while those speaking for the working class were often opposed, pointing out that employed women needed special protections regarding working conditions and employment hours. With the rise of the Second-wave feminism in the United States, women's movement in the United States during the 1960s, the ERA garnered increasing support, and, after being reintroduced by Representative Martha Griffiths in 1971, it was approved by the United States House of Representa ...
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Elmer Gertz
Elmer Gertz (September 14, 1906 – April 27, 2000) was an American lawyer, writer, law professor, and civil rights activist. During his lengthy legal career he won some high-profile cases, most notably parole for notorious killer Nathan Leopold and the obscenity trial of Henry Miller's novel ''Tropic of Cancer'', a book published in France but banned in the United States because of its "candid sexuality" in describing the author's life in Paris. In addition to accounts of his cases and career, he also reviewed books and edited a collection of works by Frank Harris, whom he represented as literary agent for a while. He is best remembered in the legal world, however, for a case in which he was not an advocate but a plaintiff: ''Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.'', a libel action he brought against the John Birch Society in 1969 after it accused him of being part of a Communist conspiracy to discredit local police departments. He prevailed, but only after a 14-year battle that saw the cas ...
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Shakman Decrees
The Shakman decrees were a series of Federal court orders regarding government employment in Chicago, which were issued in 1972, 1979, and 1983, in response to a lawsuit filed by civic reformer Michael Shakman. The decrees barred the practice of political patronage, under which government jobs are given to supporters of a politician or party, and government employees may be fired for not supporting a favored candidate or party. Shakman filed his initial lawsuit in 1969 and continued the legal battle through 1983. The decrees were compromises, but are considered a victory for Shakman, as political patronage was largely abolished in Chicago. Background Politics in Chicago and in the government of surrounding Cook County had long been dominated by political patronage. Most city and county employees were expected to belong to the political party of the elected official who controlled that agency. (Police officers, firefighters, school teachers, librarians, and health care workers we ...
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Hyde Park (Chicago)
Hyde Park is the 41st of the 77 community areas of Chicago. It is located on the South Side, near the shore of Lake Michigan south of the Loop. Hyde Park's official boundaries are 51st Street/Hyde Park Boulevard on the north, the Midway Plaisance (between 59th and 60th streets) on the south, Washington Park on the west, and Lake Michigan on the east. According to another definition, a section to the north between 47th Street and 51st Street/Hyde Park Boulevard is also included as part of Hyde Park, although this area is officially the southern part of the Kenwood community area. The area encompassing Hyde Park and the southern part of Kenwood is sometimes referred to as Hyde Park-Kenwood, which includes the neighborhoods of East Hyde Park and Indian Village. Hyde Park is home to a number of institutions of higher education; among these are the University of Chicago, Catholic Theological Union, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and McCormick Theological Seminary. T ...
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Better Government Association
The Better Government Association (BGA) is a Chicago-based investigative journalism non-profit organization. History The BGA was established in 1923 to increase voter participation in Chicago elections, and was originally intended to serve as a non-partisan guide to better government. This was also part of an effort to thwart Al Capone's influence from local politics during the Prohibition era. However, the organization started to focus more on watchdog journalism during the 10-year tenure of George E. Mahin as executive director. Under Mahin's leadership, the BGA began investigating the administration of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. The BGA has also developed a strong relationship with the media, often working together with journalists on investigations. This was especially apparent during the tenure of George William Bliss as the BGA's chief investigator from 1968 to 1971. Bliss had previously worked for the ''Chicago Tribune'', and would later return to the ''Tribune'' as ...
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Cook County Bar Association
The Cook County Bar Association (CCBA), the nation's oldest association of African-American lawyers and judges, was founded in Illinois in 1914. Arkansas attorney Lloyd G. Wheeler, moved to Illinois in 1869 to practice law and he, along with 31 other Black lawyers, began to meet informally to plan protests against discrimination in hotels, theaters, and restaurants, and to address judicial elections and school desegregation. Among the group of Black lawyers was Ida Platt, the first Black woman admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, and the third Black woman lawyer in the nation. This informal collaboration lasted until 1914, when a younger generation of lawyers decided to form the Cook County Bar Association. Edward H. Wright was elected the first CCBA president. On March 5, 1920, the CCBA was formally incorporated by the State of Illinois. In 1925, CCBA members C. Francis Stradford, Wendell E. Green, and Jesse N. Baker were among the founders of the National Bar Associati ...
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National Bar Association
The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students. The NBA is organized around 23 substantive law sections, 9 divisions, 12 regions, and 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world. The current and 75th president is Juan R. Thomas of Aurora, Illinois. Structure and activities The National Bar Association (NBA) is governed by a Board of Governors, mostly elected from the membership but also including NBA's officers and representatives of groups such as the NBA's Divisions. The National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, chaired by Khyla Craine, represents the new members of the legal profession, and membership is open to NBA members who have been admitted to practice for less than 10 years or are under 40 years old. The association ...
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