NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
_1 Voter ID law: A federal judge who has compared Texas’ voter ID requirements to a “poll tax” on minorities once again blocked the law this week, rejecting a weakened version backed by the Trump administration and dealing Texas Republicans another court defeat over voting rights. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos rejected changes signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott this summer as not only lacking but also potentially chilling to voters because of new criminal penalties. The new version didn’t expand the list of acceptable photo identifications — meaning gun licenses remained sufficient proof to vote, but not college student IDs.
_2 Visa limits: The Trump administration is poised to impose visa restrictions on four Asian and African nations refusing to take back their citizens who’ve been deported from the U.S., officials said Thursday. The officials said Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone would soon be subject to sanctions. They’re meant to coax “recalcitrant” countries into accepting the return of individuals the U.S. tries to remove.
_3 Seeking compensation: A Detroit man who served 25 years in prison for murder based on sham evidence has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $100 million. Desmond Ricks was released in May after making the extraordinary claim that Detroit police framed him for a fatal shooting outside a restaurant in 1992. An analysis of two bullets shows they didn’t match a gun that was presented as the murder weapon. Attorney Wolfgang Mueller says Ricks was a victim of “horrific” misconduct. He filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday on behalf of Ricks and two daughters. At trial, prosecutors said a gun belonging to Ricks’ mother was used in the slaying. But tests on bullets still in police storage eliminated any connection.
_4 Florida execution: Florida has put a man to death with an anesthetic never used before in a U.S. lethal injection, carrying out its first execution in more than 18 months on an inmate convicted of two racially motivated murders. Authorities say 53-year-old Mark Asay, the first white man executed in Florida for killing a black man, was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. Thursday at the state prison in Starke. His death followed a threedrug injection that began with the anesthetic, etomidate, which has been criticized by some as being unproven in an execution.
_5 Traffic stop settlement: A lawyer arrested for not answering questions during a traffic stop for suspected speeding in New Jersey will receive $30,000 under a settlement with the state, court records show. Dashcam video of the 2015 arrest shows state troopers telling Rebecca Musarra that she has the right to remain silent after they arrested her for not answering their questions. When the Philadelphia lawyer told them that it was not illegal to stay silent, they told her to get out of the car and handcuffed her. The Trenton Police Department has not admitted wrongdoing.
Chronicle News Services