Judge Restores NY Democratic Presidential Primary on June 23
The Crisis Gripping Brazil ; Meatpacking and the Specter of Coronapolitics ; and More Picks
VIDEO: The Grave, Three-Pronged Crisis Crippling Brazil (Russ)
The author writes, “Brazil currently faces a confluence of at least three grave crises — one of public health, another economic, and other political and corruption-related — that has left the largest country in Latin America and the world’s sixth-most populous nation in greater turmoil and danger than at any time since its 1985 redemocratization. … One man — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro — has single-handedly caused and … radically escalated each of these crises.”
Is a Major Change to Military Justice in the Works? (Dana)
From Lawfare: “In the most recent National Defense Authorization Act, Congress directed the secretary of defense to make a recommendation as to whether the Uniform Code of Military Justice should be amended in a way that will change the basic structure of the court-martial system. Specifically, Congress asked if it should give the discretionary power to charge service members with serious crimes (defined as anything that could result in a sentence of a year or more) to a specially designated senior judge advocate (that is, a military lawyer).”
Texas Supreme Court Says Restrictions on Business ‘May Not Survive Judicial Scrutiny’ (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “In turning down a case challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s order allowing certain Texas businesses to reopen, the Texas Supreme Court hinted Tuesday that it is sympathetic to constitutionality concerns raised by coronavirus restrictions. The state’s highest civil court declined to take the case — spearheaded by a Dallas salon owner whose decision to open in defiance of the order prompted demonstrations and TV spots over the past few weeks — saying lower courts should first consider whether the restrictions should stand. The Texas Supreme Court is generally the ‘court of last resort.’”
Cash Cows: Meatpacking and the Specter of Coronapolitics (Chris)
From the Baffler: “That slaughterhouses have emerged as coronavirus ‘hot spots’ is not a coincidence. The very forces that define modern meatpacking are those that drive the pandemic. The slaughterhouse relies on poorly paid workers in cramped conditions, who have limited power inside the workplace or out. Many of these workers are also undocumented, giving them poor access to government services and few options for alternate employment.”
Inside One Man’s Bizarre, Brilliant Journey to Walk Every NYC Block (Russ)
From the New York Post (2018): “[One] nomadic New Yorker has covered more than 9,000 miles as part of a quest to walk every block in the city. The 38-year-old Virginia native quit his engineering desk job to tackle the project, which is beautifully chronicled in Jeremy Workman’s documentary The World Before Your Feet.”
