I understand if on this Fourth of July, you don’t quite feel like celebrating. With the rise of gun violence, Supreme Court rulings and future agendas, and a divisive political landscape that has unwoven through the last decade– it makes sense not to feel pride in this country. 

But if celebration isn’t what you feel up to, then perhaps what we need is national reflection instead. Despite our shortcomings, I do believe in our democratic process and the progress we have made in broadening our liberties, but that does not mean we are without faults. Change is never clean, it’s complex and implosive– breaking, building, breaking, and rebuilding again into an imperfect statue worn by the will of the people. 

We have faltered in women’s and reproductive rights recently, yet we are ahead of over a dozen countries where aboritons are completely illegal. That isn’t to say we should just stop at where we’re at and be “grateful”, but rather it’s a sign that we should fight harder to strengthen our rights because it shows that we can secure them. Roe v. Wade’s very existence is proof that the American people will not back down when bruised and we can work to have it returned and codified into law.

It may also seem to many Americans that the debate over gun violence and the Second Amendment is a hopeless one due to powerful groups such as the NRA. However, Congress’ recent bipartisan bill on gun control shows that they can be reminded they are the people’s house, not the PAC’s. Of course, such legislation should have been enacted long before tragedy could strike again, but every past example not acted upon is a future lost. 

Furthermore, I do see the potential of this country upon reflection. I’m still amazed that for a nation this large and with this much diversity, we have not shattered under the weight of our own differences. Many other nations have broken apart from being ethnically heterogeneous, unable to bind. We have certainly been tested on this and continue to experience episodes of shameful bigotry– but from those struggles we’ve seen proud voices from Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, and many more leaders and community members that remind this country of its roots as pursuers of freedom and the unyielding movement for civil rights.

Yes, we exited the Paris Climate Agreement– but by the will of the people, we have pledged to it with a plan to cut carbon emissions in half. Even when we had initially departed,  four-hundred and eighty-six cities within the country stood defiant in their own allegiance to improving the quality of our planet for future generations. Even when our lawmakers deafen their ears, the voice of the American people will be heard around the world. 

I reflect upon these moments not as an erasure of the problems we face, but as a reminder of our ability to overcome them. I too look at all the errors that reappear in this country and ask “how many times more must it be said again?” And yet, I am reminded that the voice of the people never tires and that the pride in our country has never truly been that of pomp or vanity, but in the courage to look forward and complete the job that remains unfinished. 

So if the work of our progress must be done again, as it has so many times before, then let us strive on to finish it. If you are not proud of this country, then I ask you to reflect as I have– and after the fireworks settle and the sun rises on July the fifth, I hope that you will join me as we work towards this country, the United States of America, an unfinished journey we will walk together forevermore.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. A ruling of such that restricts the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants that markedly contribute to the climate crisis. The Court reasoned that the Clean Air Act, a landmark law since 1970 that granted the EPA the power to control several pollutants that were known to be harmful, does not give the EPA the authority to do so. According to the New York Times, while it is true that the Clean Air Act does not explicitly address carbon dioxide, the law was intended to give the EPA flexibility in addressing environmental hazards not yet known— asking the agency to regulate pollutants that “endanger human health.” In 2009, in response to a Supreme Court order, the agency concluded that carbon dioxide did indeed fit that description.

Never mind that, as CNN reports, the Court ruled that the Clean Air Act does not permit the EPA to limit emissions and force power plants to shift away from fossil fuel use and look toward renewable energy instead. Rather, the Court invoked the “Major Questions” Doctrine— a conviction that prevents federal agencies from implementing major policies without definite permission from Congress. Harvard Law Professor Richard Lazarus expresses that this is a huge deal because the EPA will not be able to get that permission from Congress given that Congress is “essentially dysfunctional.” Justice Elena Kagan, in dissent, echos the same fear, indicating how alarming it is that the Court appointed itself to be the decision-maker on climate policy instead of the expert-agency. The expert-agency which, prior to today, would have been deferred to by the Court.

So, why does this ruling feel like a win for GOP lawmakers? In actuality, the GOP’s celebration has nothing to do with combating climate change at all, which makes sense considering this ruling does anything but. According to NPR, the GOP claims that the EPA’s rules are “job killers.” Between cost, paperwork, and delay, they say that companies feel they can no longer operate in the U.S. Although the EPA has implemented rules that companies are required to follow, Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor, says that there is no evidence to back up the argument that those rules stifle job growth. Alternatively, McCarthy indicates that they actually create jobs and do not negatively impact the economy.

Regardless, while this ruling essentially helps ensure inaction on climate change continues to become significantly more costly each year, endangers the health of Americans, and works toward an uninhabitable planet, Michael Regan, the EPA’s administrator, insists that they will use every legal remedy possible to move forward despite this setback.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

 

The Supreme Court has recently had multiple landmark decisions that were incredibly polarizing. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was a decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc. v. Buren ruled that people can carry weapons in public for self defense. All of these decisions have truly been unprecedented, but it is a long-lasting effect of the Trump Administration. 

These contentious decisions are not sitting well with Americans: an abysmal 40% of US citizens approve of the Supreme Court. We have a court (which is only 9 people) in this country who is making decisions that the majority of Americans disagree with. And, surprisingly, they could have even more polarizing decisions in the future. Justice Thomas in his Dobbs decision hinted that there could be challenged to same-sex marriage and contraceptives. 

With the Supreme Court making these horrific decisions, what is an effective solution to curtail this ultra-conservative court? The most common solution is a method called “packing the court”. The Constitution does not set out the number of justices that should be on the court, which leaves the exact number up to the legislative branch. If Democrats had the ability to pass legislation, they could theoretically pass a bill increasing the amount of justices on the court and giving them a majority. But, many legal scholars advise against this pathway as if/when Republicans gain power, it could set a precedent where they could increase the number of justices to give them a majority creating this cycle. The solutions to this problem are difficult, and nuanced. If anything, this shows the importance of voting in all elections, especially presidential, as it will determine the outcomes of the Supreme Court for decades. 

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst financial crisis since their independence in 1948. On Wednesday, the people of Sri Lanka marched in the streets to protest their government’s inability to address a crumbling economy. The country is so low on fuel that essential workers like nurses don’t even have enough gas to get them to work. Since June 24, no fuel tankers with supplies have arrived in the island nation while the state-run fuel retailer Ceylon Petroleum corporation says no new orders have been placed. As a result of the fuel queues thirteen people have died due to exhaustion.  

Shortages of food and fuel have caused prices to soar. Inflation is running at 30%. Additionally, power cuts and the lack of medicine have brought their health system to the verge of collapse.  Recently, the struggling country has been in talks with the IMF where they have been unable to reach an agreement. However, according to Squawk Box Asia “ [Sri Lanka is] very close to reaching what is called a staff level agreement [with] the Fund [on] the set of policies and programs that Sri Lanka would undertake in order to bring down the fiscal deficit and make the fiscal debt sustainable.”In order to reach this agreement, the IMF says- Sri Lanka needs a more concrete plan on debt restructuring and step up structural reforms to address corruption vulnerabilities. 

The president of the country Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Mahinda who he appointed to prime minister are taking most of the blame from the public. President Rajapaska introduced tax cuts in 2019 that are responsible for the country losing $1.4 billion in revenue a year. After the tax cuts, Sri Lanka has a new prime minister and says he plans on addressing this failing economy by printing money to pay employee’s salaries. With inflation already at 30%, Sri Lanka is on the verge of total financial collapse.

This post is a part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are in the Phoenix area looking for aid in criminal defense, personal injury, or immigration, contact CIMA Law Group today to get your worries squared away.

Tuesday June 28^th, Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the Jan. 6 committee provided an inside perspective of the former president’s actions on the day of the insurrection.

The testimony of Mark Meadows’ former aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, suggests that Trump was aware that some of the attendees at his rally were carrying firearms. According to Hutchinson, Trump said, “I don’t effing care that they have weapons — they’re not here to hurt me. Take the effing [magnetometers] away and let my people in.” Following this statement, Trump instructed the crowd to march to the Capital building and “fight like hell” against the 2020 presidential election results.

Further, Hutchinson also disclosed disturbing details about how the former president responded to the crowd’s cries for Mike Pence to be hanged. She reaffirmed evidence that Trump was not only aware that the former Vice President Mike Pence’s life had been seriously endangered that day, but also that he was either careless or actively encouraged Pence’s peril.  

Trump took to his Truth Social service to discredit Hutchinson. He claimed to barley have known her and also stated Hutchinson is “bad news”.

Whether or not the Justice Department decides to charge Trump with a crime may depend on the testimony Hutchinson gave. Due to the newly disclosed material, the hearings surrounding January 6 have been extended, and Hutchinson will most likely give additional testimony.

This is a CIMA Law Group blog entry. CIMA Law Group is located in Arizona and specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations. If you live in Arizona and need legal assistance CIMA Law Group can help.

On Christmas Day of 2021, NASA launched the James Webb telescope into orbit. The $10 billion successor to the Hubble space telescope was built to study the early universe, around 100 million years after the Big Bang.

The telescope looks into the past by looking into the distance. As light takes time to travel through space, we can see into the past by looking at the fainter, more distant objects. When we look at an object 100 million light years away, we are actually seeing its light from 100 million years ago.

The telescope is able to see these extremely faint objects because of its size. The larger the mirror in the telescope, the more detail you are able to see. The James Webb telescope is the size of a tennis court, meaning that it is able to see extremely faint, and therefore distant and old, objects.

On June 8, the James Webb telescope was hit by micrometeoroids. Fortunately, though the strike was larger than anticipated, only minimal damage was sustained by the telescope.

The telescope has spent the past few months getting into position in the shadow of the earth so that the sun does not interfere with the telescope’s ability to see faint objects. After all this preparation, the first images will be ready for public viewing at 10:30 AM ET on July 12.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin cited the eastward expansion of NATO as a reason to launch a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Four months later, and Putin’s goal of weakening the military alliance and deterring other countries from joining has seemingly failed as Sweden and Finland have been formally invited to join NATO. Finland becomes the sixth country that borders Russian territory to join NATO. This marks a historic shift for the two Nordic nations that for decades have practiced an official nonaligned status between the West and Moscow. Public support in Sweden and Finland of becoming a NATO member rose dramatically after the invasion.

Sweden and Finland submitted applications in May, but faced opposition from Turkey. Under NATO rules, just one member state can veto a new applicant’s membership. Although restrictions on arms exports also form part of Turkey’s misgivings over the 30-state alliance’s enlargement, it is the presence of people linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, that forms the foundation of Turkey’s concerns. After weeks of negotiations, the three countries’ leaders signed a joint agreement on Tuesday. In response to the possibility of more NATO expansion on Russia’s borders, President Putin said “Russia wants to inform you that it has no problems with these states (Sweden and Finland).Therefore, in this sense, expansion on account of these countries does not pose a direct threat to Russia.”

The process of officially becoming a member state will take months. The legislatures of all 30 member states must approve the Accession Protocol. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, expects the approval process to go quickly.

It is estimated that 12 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine. Around five million have escaped the country, most heading for neighboring Poland. While it is difficult to obtain an accurate death toll, the Ukrainian government stated that they are losing up to 200 soldiers a day, not to mention the tens of thousands of innocent civilians who have lost their lives.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

A 5-year-old boy has died after being left in the car for hours in the Texas summer heat.

The mother of the little boy claimed to be in a rush after arriving home with her two children. While being in a hurry, she forgot to unbuckle her child from the car seat and bring the 5-year-old boy in the home with her.

Hours later, after spending about two-three hours preparing for her other child’s birthday party, the mother realized that something was missing in her house and it all instantly clicked. That was the moment when she knew she had accidentally left her son in the car. Unfortunately, it was too late.

The temperature on the day of the incident was reported to be around 100 degrees.

For situations like this, it is extremely important that precautious be taken seriously, especially in the heat. According to the National Safety Counsel, on average, 38 children under the age of 15, die from the cause of a heatstroke as a result of being left in the car. It is important to recognize that although situations like this are more dangerous during the summer, this is also something that can occur in any month of the year.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.