Rights Laws

The Clinton administration may be on the verge of undermining federal enforcement of civil rights after 12 years of Reagan-Bush neglect and regression. Instead of restoring the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to its proper role as vigorous guardian of minority rights, it is about to embroil that beleaguered office in a troubling quarrel. President Clinton has nominated a brilliant but provocative law professor, Lani Guinier, to become assistant attorney general in charge of civil rights.

WASHINGTON - To the surprise of civil rights advocates, the Supreme Court strengthened workplace anti-discrimination laws yesterday, ruling that employees who say they were punished for complaining of bias can sue for damages. In a pair of decisions, the court concluded that claims of retaliation are covered by long-standing civil rights laws, even though this kind of discrimination was not mentioned specifically in the statutes. This expansion of employee rights stands in sharp contrast to a series of pro-business rulings limiting the rights of workers that were made last year by the Supreme Court.

THE YEAR 2000 has emerged as the most critical period in the history of the gay rights movement. During the next eight months, state legislators, the U.S. Supreme Court and voters will determine in important ways how gay and lesbian relationships are recognized, how effectively civil rights laws can be used to promote homosexual equality, and which side is ascendant in the culture war over America's most controversial minority. Tuesday, California voters will decide a bitterly contested ballot initiative on whether that state should recognize something so cutting-edge that it's not yet legal: marriage between members of the same sex. Also, legislators in Vermont are struggling with an order from that state's high court to grant gay couples the same rights as married heterosexuals.

LONDON - Britain's highest court ruled yesterday that the British government cannot indefinitely detain foreigners suspected of terrorism without charging or trying them. It called the process a violation of European human rights laws. A specially convened panel of judges in the Law Lords ruled 8-1 in favor of nine foreign, Muslim men who have been in detention, most of them in Belmarsh Prison in London, for as long as three years. The prison has been called "Britain's Guantanamo" by human rights groups.

FEW PEOPLE had ever heard of racial profiling a few years ago. But now it's a household phrase, because former Attorney General Janet Reno's lawyers proved many police departments were treating skin color as if it were a highway crime, pulling over minority drivers for one reason -- their race. It was an important reminder that discrimination is still very much alive in America. During Ms. Reno's tenure, Justice Department lawyers delved into problems in employment, fair housing and lending, education, public accommodations and voting.

This is National Crime Victims' Rights Week -- a time for the nation and our state to ask about the meaning of justice, both present and future, for those harmed by crime. Our theme this year, "Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past," calls on us to not only reflect, but also to act. Our first duty is to never forget the impact of crime. I am a crime victim. My husband, Michael, was murdered in a convenience store robbery in 1994. I was left to raise our four boys on my own. I'm happy to report that they have all become wonderful, productive adult men despite what they lost that day. But, even now, the anniversary of that day can bring us to our knees.

Pro-Criminal SunI read with great interest your editoorial (Dec. 26) opposing the proposed victims' rights amendment. Although reasonable people can certainly disagree, I found your position irresponsible and arrogant.I found it unbelievable that The Sun shows more concern and regard for the rights of convicted criminals than the rights of victims. You were concerned about "excessive advocacy of victims' rights." I am concerned about putting violent criminals behind bars and keeping them there.

Gut-wrenching stories of crimes at the hands of a father, a drunken driver and a pair of violent teens were among those retold and relived at a town hall meeting Tuesday night in Columbia. Most of the speakers' voices were calm as they advocated for change in the criminal justice system and for victims' rights. Residents of Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Harford and Howard counties were invited to talk about their experiences as victims or relatives of victims before a panel at Long Reach High School, the second of four regional meetings planned statewide.

Tomorrow, Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to sign into law the most comprehensive gun control legislation Maryland has seen in at least 25 years, a bill that will not only help guard against a mass shooting incident, like December's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but will also help fight the day-to-day violence that plagues Baltimore and other communities. The bill has become doubly important with the failure - at least for the moment - of attempts to tighten gun laws on the federal level, both because it will make Marylanders safer and because it can serve as a model for other states as they seek ways to address gun violence.

DENVER -- A Denver district judge ruled yesterday that a ballot issue passed by Colorado voters banning gay rights laws violates the United States Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.In light of the ruling, groups that had been calling for a boycott of Colorado said they were suspending their campaign, which had cost the state about $38 million in lost convention business.Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton said the state would appeal the ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court, but the court LTC has already indicated that it would almost certainly strike down the measure, which was passed by voters a year ago.The referendum, known as Amendment 2, which was never enforced, would have repealed laws in Denver, Boulder and Aspen prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals in jobs and housing, and it would have forbidden the passage of any such law in the state.