Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds — we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
SCOTUS Allows Trump’s Transgender Military Ban To Go Into Effect
In Trump’s first year in office, the president tweeted that transgender people wouldn’t be allowed to join the military. Legal actions were taken quickly after against the transgender ban, but the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Trump’s transgender military ban will go into effect, CNN reports.
In July of 2017, Trump announced in a series of three tweets that transgender individuals wouldn’t be allowed to join the military. CNN reported that a judge in October of 2017 blocked the ban from going into effect, and later ruled that the administration had to allow transgender people to join the armed forces on Jan. 1, 2018. Since then, transgender people have been able to enter the military.
Say it with me!! #TransRightsAreHumanRights ??
#YouAreBeautiful #YouAreEnough pic.twitter.com/VppwvDqW3u— Amelia Rose Blaire Dechart (@AmeliaRBlaire) January 22, 2019
The Justice Department asked in December that the Supreme Court to let the administration to enforce the ban. According to CNN, this would cancel the other judge’s rulings as the cases moved forward in the judicial the system. The Supreme Court voted in a five to four decision to allow the ban to go into effect, during this process, as The New York Times reports.
Transgender activists have spoken out against the ban. “Let’s be clear: the attempted ban on transgender service members is based on reasoning that has been thoroughly dismissed by medical organizations, military leadership, and budget analysts,” Charlotte Clymer, Army veteran and director of communications at the Human Rights Campaign, tweeted. “Its sole purpose is to erase trans people from the public square. That’s all this is.”
The case will likely be picked back up again by the Supreme Court once it has made its way through the lower courts.
Democratic Senator Reveals “Stop Stupidity Act” To Prevent Future Government Shutdowns
On Tuesday, Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner introduced the Stop Stupidity Act that could prevent future government shutdowns.
The “stupidity” part of the legislation is apparently an acronym for “Shutdowns Transferring Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage In The Coming Years.” Warner’s act would stop future government shutdowns from withholding funds for federal government agencies, according to The Washington Post. But, this doesn’t include the president’s office or the legislative branch.
Warner said in a press statement, per Newsweek, that the bill “takes the aggressive but necessary step of forcing the president and Congress to do the jobs they were elected to do. Workers, business owners, and taxpayers are currently paying the price of D.C. gridlock and my legislation will put an end to that.”
The government shutdown is currently the longest in history, and around 800,000 federal workers have been without pay. The shutdown is a result of an budget impasse between Trump and Congress; he has demanded for $5.7 billion to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
In a tweet, Warner demanded that government employees received their paychecks.
Stop the STUPIDITY. End the shutdown. Pay federal workers and contractors. https://t.co/ozdB3Kadbu
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) January 22, 2019
As of right now, it looks like no further developments will happen.
Parts Of The U.S. Court System Could Close At The End Of January, According To New Report
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced on Tuesday that the federal court system will have funds to sustain operations through January 31.
The agency, which supports the federal courts, said it has explored ways to conserve funds and maintain its paid operations.
“In recent weeks, courts and federal public defender offices have delayed or deferred non-mission critical expenses, such as new hires, non-case related travel, and certain contracts,” said a statement from the AO. “Judiciary employees are reporting to work and currently are in full-pay status.”
According to The Hill, this is the third extension that the agency has entered. But, the agency announced in the statement that they won’t be about to receive another extension past February 1 if a budget isn’t approved.
If spending budget isn’t signed by the end of the month, the AO said the federal courts would cover only crucial and critical tasks under the Anti-Deficiency Act. The Justice Department has urged some courts to suspend or postpone any civil cases involving the government, but The Hill reports some have declined to do so. The courts have also been pushed to work with their districts U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal and Federal Protective Service to keep staff onboard only if needed to continue court operations.
the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts now estimates that they federal courts have enough money to fund operations through january 31 pic.twitter.com/06I49zu3FX
— kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) January 22, 2019
What To Look Out For….
Spotify will soon release a new feature that will let you block music from an artist.