Democracy & Rights Channel

Welcome to the Newsmast Democracy & Human Rights Channel. A curated feed from the Fediverse, handmade by @newsmast@newmast.social, and broadcasting to Bluesky (if you've opted-in via @bsky.brid.gy)!

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Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
2025-11-30

Sharon K. Sobotta: Unsung heroes fight #censorship. Local #librarians resist book bans and uphold intellectual #freedom

"Amidst political backlash, censorship and the denial of gender identities, librarians may be the most undersung heroes of #democracy. American filmmaker Kim A. Snyder’s 2025 documentary, The Librarians, shines a light on that."

#bookbans #LGBTQ #documentary #film #libraries

eastbayexpress.com/unsung-hero

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Patrick deHahnpdehello
2025-11-30

US halts all asylum decisions after deadly National Guard shooting in Washington, furthering president Donald Trump's anti-migrant policies theguardian.com/us-news/2025/n

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
WhatWeGon' DoLuv?JazzyKindaFella@zirk.us
2025-11-30
Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Michael Fenicheldrmike
2025-11-30

Evil never rests, under Sir.

https://.com/krassenstein/status/1994493294743884286?s=20

> BREAKING: President Trump declares that any document signed with President Joe Biden's "autopen" is hereby terminated

>NOTE: THIS IS ILLEGAL and Trump used an autopen hundreds of times.

of

For Sir, all good is bad and must be punished - things like & & , , etc.

But criminals get rewards!

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:

A Major Court Win for IMLS, Libraries – Book Riot

A Major Court Win for IMLS, Libraries

Trump and his administration are barred from dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services, thanks to a judge’s ruling.

By Kelly Jensen, Nov 24, 2025

U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell ruled in favor of 21 state attorneys general suing Donald Trump over the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and several other small federal agencies. This permanent injunction means that the Trump administration cannot do further harm to the IMLS.

McConnell wrote in the first paragraph of his decision:

By now, the question presented in this case is a familiar one: may the Executive Branch undertake such actions in circumvention of the will of the Legislative Branch? In recent months, this Court—along with other courts across the country—has concluded that it may not. That answer remains the same here.

On March 14, the Trump administration announced via an Executive Order that the only federal agency dedicated to public libraries and museums, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) would be dismantled. Since that time, employees have been laid off and federal funding has been revoked and reinstated nationwide. The Trump-appointed acting director of the agency, Keith Sonderling, made clear that the purpose of the agency going forward would be state propaganda.

The ripples of these federal decisions have made their way to the state level, with state libraries laying off employees and cuts to public library services at the local level impacted. Two lawsuits (Rhode Island v. Trump and The American Library Association v. Sonderling) were filed against the cuts, both of which remain in the federal courts. A full timeline and look at the impact of the IMLS dismantling can be viewed here.

In making his decision, the judge pointed to the lack of standing the administration made related to the Tucker Act, as well as failure of the administration to act reasonably when terminating grants and IMLS staff. The judge also emphasized that the administration’s decision to dismantle the IMLS was unconstitutional, violating both the “Take Care” and “Separation of Powers” clauses.

McConnell’s decision also pointed to the evidence submitted by the 21 states as proof that the dismantling of the IMLS wasn’t immaterial or imagined:

The Court finds Defendants’ argument unavailing, as the record paints a markedly different picture. For instance, consider the public libraries in New Mexico, New Jersey, Maine, and Oregon that would have to close branches, implement hiring freezes, and/or cease providing services that aim to foster literacy and support learning among its patrons were IMLS to be dismantled. ECF No. 75 at 43-46; ECF No. 92 at 25-26. Or consider the State universities in Hawai‘i, Maryland, and Arizona that would be forced to eliminate their student programming, default on their contracts, and/or terminate their employees absent continued funding from MBDA.22 ECF No. 92 at 24-25. Next, consider the State entities in Rhode Island, Illinois, and Minnesota that face the very real prospect of work stoppage and negotiation impasses should their labor disputes go unresolved without the critical support of FMCS mediators. ECF No. 92 at 26-27. And finally, consider the loss that Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin would suffer without the research-based and community-specific expert assistance that each State’s agencies have continuously relied on in their efforts to support unhoused individuals.ECF No. 75 at 53-55. All this to say: the injuries alleged are to the States themselves and are far more than merely economic or speculative.

We have already seen that services like Interlibrary Loan (ILL) have been directly affected by the loss of IMLS funds. South Dakota shut down ILL services early on the IMLS dismantling, while Iowa saw their courier service slashed from twice a week ro once. Florida lost ILL services statewide on October 1.

The decision in this case applies to grants in all states in the US, not just those whose states brought the case to court. That means the grants available via the IMLS will continue and they will be available to all 50 states. Funding cannot be arbitrarily halted. We saw this happen as three states had their grants canceled–California, Connecticut, and Washington–over the inclusion of the word “equity” in their application.

The administration is also barred from taking further action in dismantling the agency.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for the rule of law and a clear rejection of executive overreach. Congress created the Institute of Museum and Library Services to serve the American people, and no president can erase that mandate by fiat. We are grateful to the 21 plaintiff states who stood up in this case and defended the statutory rights of libraries, museums, and their communities,” said John Chratska, Executive Director of EveryLibrary. “Their courage has not only protected IMLS but also the entire federal framework for access to information, learning, and culture. As Congress resumes work on the FY2026 appropriations bills, we urge lawmakers to fully fund IMLS, especially the Grants to States program, and reaffirm the agency’s role as an essential partner to every library in the nation.”

See Also: Other posts on the blog about this court ruling & IMLS.

 Continue/Read Original Article Here: A Major Court Win for IMLS, Libraries

#21States #americanPeople #bookRiot #censorship #executiveBranch #imls #instituteOfMuseumAndLibraryServicesImls #judgeJohnJMcconnell #legislativeBranch #majorCourtWin #permanentInjunction #trump #tuckerAct

Gavel image, WP AI.
Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
WhatWeGon' DoLuv?JazzyKindaFella@zirk.us
2025-11-30

Tech Giant Says AI Has A First Amendment Right To Raise Your Rent
Fresh off a Trump settlement, #RealPage is trying to overturn New York’s anti-rent-gouging law.

HOUSING
DAVID SIROTA

#tech #housing #trump #technology #economy #usa #democracy #tiktok @democracy @socialmedia @povertyandinequality @BLKNewsNow @law #newyork #welfarenotwarfare #socialhousing #ai #cdnpoli

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Rich Stein (he/him)RunRichRun
2025-11-30

Goebbels takes up residence in the White House. The lies are growing bigger, as are the crimes they are intended to cover up.
fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
2025-11-30

EFF Warns About the Rise in Efforts to Ban VPNs

Governments are increasingly turning towards the idea of banning VPNs. The EFF is warning that this is a bad idea.

freezenet.ca/eff-warns-about-t

#Censorship #News #Technology #EFF #legislation #US #VPN

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Santa Clara County Dem Partysccdp@sfba.social
2025-11-30
Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Rich Stein (he/him)RunRichRun
2025-11-30

Lifestyles of the faux rich and famous — one dark side of influencer culture. I am sure there are more.
nytimes.com/2025/11/25/nyregio

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
2025-11-29

🎸🤘 Heavy metal diplomacy: Taiwan displays its soft power in Finland

taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ar

#Taiwan #Finland #metal #music #台灣 #TWmusic

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Rich Stein (he/him)RunRichRun
2025-11-29

It's a shame that it is so easy to make fun of Hegseth. He is bringing dishonor to the military. His incompetence is also breathtaking.
theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Rich Stein (he/him)RunRichRun
2025-11-29

Primordial black holes (PBHs): not worth losing sleep over — so they say! 😉
dagens.com/science/scientists-

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Rich Stein (he/him)RunRichRun
2025-11-29

The world has made so much progress as a result of public health and we continue to do so — except for those who consciously choose to deny science and those who suffer as a result. There is no good reason for measles cases to rise in the world.
bsky.app/profile/did:plc:niay7

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Killer Rabbit 90killer_rabbit90
2025-11-29
Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
Canvases By PeterCanvasesByPeter
2025-11-29

When you're so hard on *drug trafficking* & serial-kill boatloads of fisherman month after month and deport thousands out of the country.. Yet you happily pardon an _ACTUAL_ drug trafficker, proving your harsh & illegal treatment of people had NOTHING to do with drugs at all.

"DT to pardon Honduran president's drug trafficking sentence"

9news.com.au/world/trump-says-

Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
2025-11-29

/r/Tennessee doesn't want people posting about the Tuesday election

Edit: Oops, it is /r/Tennessee, not /r/ProgressiveHQ

A screenshot of a poster on Reddit /r/Tennessee trying to post about the election, and a mod removing the post while not really pretending there's a good reason to remove it
Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
2025-11-29

"Democracy is not self-repairing. It requires constant attention and renewal, especially during periods of rapid technological and social change and economic uncertainty." Fiona Hill, There is Nothing For You Here
#quotes #democracy #FionaHill #USPolitics #government

An American flag, painted on a white wall, with a crack running through it.
Democracy & Rights Channel boosted:
2025-11-29

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