Nick Sibilla Press Release | September 30, 2020 California Eases Restrictions on Nurse Practitioners Late Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will significantly ease restrictions on nurse practitioners (NPs), nurses with advanced degrees who can diagnose symptoms, treat patients and prescribe medicine. Prior to reform, California was one of 22 states that barred NPs from working, or even volunteering in hospitals, unless they were supervised by…

Conor Beck Press Release | September 29, 2020 Tennessee Parents Vow to Appeal Court Ruling Against School Choice Program Arlington, Va.—This afternoon, The Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Nashville ruled that the Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program Act, enacted in 2019 to give thousands of Tennessee families greater school choice, is unconstitutional under the Home Rule Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution. Natu Bah and Builguissa Diallo, two Tennessee parents who planned to…

Andrew Wimer Press Release | September 29, 2020 Second California Man Joins Suit for the Right to EMT Certification Despite firefighter shortage, former inmates trained to fight forest fires are often blocked from full-time positions SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Fernando Herrera served in one of California’s inmate fire camps. He credits the experience with helping him turn his life around. Even so, Fernando is unable to get certified as a first responder because of his record. Now, Fernando is joining an existing lawsuit from the Institute for Justice (IJ) that challenges California’s ban…

J. Justin Wilson Press Release | September 29, 2020 After Being Arrested for Speaking Out, a Texas Woman Sues to Hold Gov. Officials Accountable Last year, Sylvia Gonzalez—a 72-year-old retiree—was elected to the Castle Hills, Texas city council on the promise that she’d work to make the city more responsive to citizens’ needs. But Gonzalez’s reform agenda did not sit well with the incumbents—representing the city’s entrenched interests—including the mayor and city manager, who residents complained did little to…

Anthony Sanders Center for Judicial Engagement | September 22, 2020 Judicial Restraint Is a Bargain You Can’t Win Earlier this month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld Florida’s slap-dash system of forcing convicted felons to pay outstanding fines and fees before being allowed to vote. The full court voted 6 to 4 that despite many problems, Florida could continue denying voting rights to tens of thousands of former felons…

Andrew Wimer Press Release | September 22, 2020 South Side Pitch Competition Transforms to Help Businesses Confronting the Challenges of 2020 Public invited to pick their favorite applicants in the competition’s semi-final round CHICAGO—Small businesses across the South Side of Chicago are finding creative solutions to confront the economic challenges of 2020. For a seventh year running, the South Side Pitch business competition will highlight inspirational individuals determined to improve their lives and their community. However, unlike the past, this year the competition will focus on existing small…