WCS Superintendent Looney and TN Dept. of Education Fail to Produce Evidence ‘White Privilege’ Training Is Legally Authorized

By Tennessee law, the Williamson County School Board is required to approve In-service training plans for teachers. As reported, this year’s In-service training of Williamson County Schools teachers for the academic year 2018-2019 includes a “Cultural Competency” video series that preached “white privilege.” At present, there is no evidence that Superintendent Mike Looney ever prepared the statutorily required In-service training plan, nor is there any evidence the Williamson County School Board ever approved that plan, as is required by law, nor is their any evidence that Superintendent Looney submitted that plan to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) by June 1, 2018, as is required by law, nor is their any evidence that former Commissioner of Education Candace McQueen approved that plan, as is required by law. Superintendent Mike Looney is supposed to file that training plan with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE)  every June before the start of a new school year, and the plan may not be implemented without the approval of the Commissioner of Education. So, if those plans, and a document containing former Commissioner of Education Candace McQueen’s approval of those plans are on file with the TDOE, then surely members of that department have…

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OFF THE RECORD: Republican Legislators Support State Rep. David Byrd Despite Media Campaign to Force Him from Office

Several reporters from The Tennessean and other politically aligned media outlets in Tennessee descended on Capitol Hill Wednesday to “bull rush” Republican legislators into embracing their efforts to force State Rep. David Byrd (R-Waynesboro) from the legislature. The Tennessean has led an effort to force Byrd from the Legislature for more than a year, despite the fact that there have been no allegations of misconduct during his time in office, nor any charges (much less conviction) for any past conduct. After the allegations from three former players were reported in 2018 by WSMV Channel 4 in Nashville, related to their unsubstantiated claims of inappropriate behavior by their former coach more than 30 years ago, Byrd was re-elected by a more than fifty-five point margin. Under the guise of a “poll,” reporters questioned several legislators with virtually identical questions as to whether Byrd should resign or be forced out; whether he should be removed from the Education Sub-Committee Chairmanship; whether they were aware that one of the accusers met with Governor Bill Lee; and whether or not the issue is a distraction to the legislators. Several legislators told The Tennessee Star that the fact that his community, who knew of the allegations and know…

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Governor Bill Lee’s Proposal for Education Savings Accounts Passes Its First Hurdle in Tennessee House Subcommittee

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The bill that lays out the details of Governor Bill Lee’s proposal for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) passed its first hurdle in the House Curriculum, Testing & Innovation Subcommittee. The 16-page amendment that “makes the bill” was presented by Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), who is carrying the legislation as HB 0939 in the House before a standing room only House Hearing Room IV. Of note were the many attendees wearing “children are more than a test score” stickers, something with the color red, or red Vision 20/20 shirts showing support for the Tennessee Education Association, the state affiliate of National Educators Association, the largest union in the country. Earlier this year, Dunn was honored for his work on school choice when he was awarded the Tennessee Federation for Children’s 2019 Champion of Choice award, as reported by The Tennessee Star. In his introduction of the bill, Dunn said, it comes to us from Governor Bill Lee and his administration and deals with school choice and the idea that each student is a unique individual and unique circumstances lead to different needs when it comes to education. “We all know that Governor Lee, when he ran…

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Commentary: The Mueller Report Will Be a Hit Job

by Thomas Farman   The people who thirst for justice over Washington’s continued attempts to deny Donald Trump the power of the presidency make a mistake in treating Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe as an actual whodunnit. If this were an Agatha Christie novel, it would have ended with the revelation that the investigation was sourced in Hillary Clinton opposition research renamed for dramatic effect “the Steele dossier.” The “who” that “dunnit” was none other than Barack Obama’s CIA and FBI turning that facial absurdity into probable cause to go fishing into the life of Donald Trump to find something, anything, that might damage him. The object of the Mueller probe was never to investigate collusion because nobody could possibly believe something so idiotic. It was to create suspense in stupid people by generating headlines about Russia. The following definition of “suspense” is sometimes attributed to Alfred Hitchcock: Suspense is a feeling of pleasurable fascination and excitement mixed with apprehension, tension, and anxiety developed from an unpredictable, mysterious, and rousing source of entertainment. Hitchcock distinguished between suspense and the whodunnit. Suspense is a dramatic device to engage distracted people who lack sufficient intellectual curiosity to bother with actual causal connections.…

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Steve Gill Blasts The Tennessean Fake News Attacks on Governor Bill Lee and Speaker Casada on The Tennessee Star Report

In a specific discussion on Tuesday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Steve Gill talked in depth about The Tennessean newspapers fake news attacks on Governor Bill Lee and House Speaker Glen Casada. Gill described how The Tennessean has become a fake news, political, agenda driven news outlet instead of an unbiased reporting source for the people of middle Tennessee. I want to touch on a couple of the biased propagandized stories in the Tennessean today. First of all the Tennessean taking Governor Bill Lee to task I believe unfairly for taking his salary as Governor. The dude’s showing up for work right? The state provides a salary for the Governor of the State of Tennessee. Gets paid whether he’s a Democrat or a Republican, Conservative or Liberal. It’s the paycheck! Now President Trump, who’s a self described billionaire is donating his money to various federal agencies. No requirement to do so. Bill Haslam, worth billions. Some of which came from ripping off truckers and other individuals. But he made a lot of money from the family…

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The Tennessee Star Report’s Gill and Leahy Discuss WCS Superintendent Mike Looney and the ‘Unresponsive’ Williamson County School Board

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy discussed the legal implications of Williamson County schools Superintendent Mike Looney who has allegedly gone rogue and avoiding the law for implementing racist and anti-American un-authorized in-service teacher training modules. Towards the end of the segment, the men discussed the lack of response from the Williamson County school board members and the possible legal ramifications due to evidenced neglect for Tennessee State law. Gill: One of the lead stories at Tennessee Star today, focuses on again this Williamson County video series and it’s not X rated it’s just I rated for idiot. (Leahy laughs) Gill: It’s the I rated Mike Looney video series that promotes the racist idea that ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE RACIST and it’s WHITE PRIVILEGE if you’re not being successful and you’re not white it’s not your fault. It’s because of all those white people that are keeping you down. And that’s the agenda that Mike Looney and the Williamson County school board have decided needed to be taught as in-service training to teachers.…

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Students Tied to US College Admissions Scandal Could Face Expulsion

The University of Southern California said it may expel students linked to the largest college-admissions cheating scandal in U.S. history after it completes a review of their records. The school said on Monday night it has already “placed holds on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme,” preventing them from registering for classes or acquiring transcripts. “Following the review, we will take the proper action related to their status, up to revoking admission or expulsion,” the college said in a tweet on Monday night. The move would affect the daughters of “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli. The parents were among 50 people charged last week with participation in what federal prosecutors called a $25 million bribery and fraud scam. The mastermind of the scheme last week pleaded guilty to racketeering charges for bribing coaches, cheating on standardized tests and fabricating athletic profiles to help children of wealthy families gain admission to top universities including Yale, Stanford and Georgetown. A spokesman for Georgetown on Tuesday said the school would not comment on disciplinary action against individual students linked to the scandal but added that it is “reviewing the details of…

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Left-Wing Activist Justin Jones Walks Away, Knowing He Won’t Face Trial for Allegedly Disrupting Marsha Blackburn Rally

As it turns out, left-wing activist and Vanderbilt Divinity School student Justin Jones won’t face any consequences for allegedly disrupting a Marsha Blackburn rally in Nashville last fall. Stephen Hayslip, spokesman for Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk, confirmed the information to The Tennessee Star in an emailed statement Tuesday — but he offered no other comment. A judge dismissed Jones’ case in that matter Tuesday. Jones, on his Facebook page Tuesday afternoon, seemed to delight in the news. “The case from being arrested at Marsha Blackburn’s rally was dismissed by the judge,” Jones wrote. “Grateful for the friends who showed up from church, school, and the community, my lawyer Nick, and the cloud of witnesses surrounding us in prayers. There is much work to do to redeem the soul of this state- to make sure the rights and dignity of all people are respected, protected, and never neglected.” Nicholas Kiefer, courts director for state trial courts in Davidson County, said Dianne Turner, the judge who dismissed Jones’ case. “My information says it was a flat dismissal,” Kiefer said, adding he had little else to add. Turner, according to Ballotpedia, is a Democrat judge in Davidson County’s General Sessions Court Division…

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Commentary: The Mainstreaming of Political Fanaticism

by Bill Wirtz   The most fanatical of activists have an impact on actual policies. That is why they cannot be ignored. Greta Thunberg The 16-year-old Swedish student activist has now been nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her environmentalist activism. Thunberg protests the inability of governments to do more to reduce carbon emissions and has sparked large and regular student protests. “#YouthForClimate” has politicians making new demands: In the European Union, the Netherlands is now making the case for a new €7 ($8) tax on flight segments, a policy proposition currently backed by France, Belgium, and Finland. You’ll notice that the tax is supported by countries in which €7 is still affordable for large parts of the population; in Eastern European countries, however, this will present a significant increase, particularly for low-cost flights. Greta Thunberg is directly attacking the way of life of consumers. “If solutions within this system are so difficult to find then maybe we should change the system itself,” she says. The teenage activist is challenging the culture of availability of consumer goods, as well as capitalism itself. She also says we have to fundamentally change our habits in order to eliminate carbon emissions,…

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US Supreme Court Gives Trump Victory on Immigration Detention

The Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed U.S. government authority to detain immigrants awaiting deportation anytime — potentially even years — after they have completed prison terms for criminal convictions, handing President Donald Trump a victory as he pursues hardline immigration policies. The court ruled 5-4, with its conservative justices in the majority and its liberal justices dissenting, that federal authorities could pick up such immigrants and place them into indefinite detention at any time, not just immediately after they finish their prison sentences. The ruling, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, leaves open the possibility of individual immigrants challenging the federal law involved in the case on constitutional grounds if they are detained long after they have completed their sentences. In dissent, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer questioned whether the U.S. Congress when it wrote the law “meant to allow the government to apprehend persons years after their release from prison and hold them indefinitely without a bail hearing.” The Trump administration had appealed a lower court ruling in the case that favored immigrants, a decision it said would undermine the government’s ability to deport immigrants who have committed crimes. Trump has backed limits on legal and illegal immigrants since taking…

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Google VP Stepped in After Employees Offended by Christian Video on Marriage

by Peter Hasson   Google banned a video explaining Christian teaching on same-sex marriage from advertising on YouTube after backlash from upset employees, according to internal Google communications reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The video was flagged in June 2018 in an internal listserv, “Yes at Google,” which is run by Google’s human resources department, according to those communications and other internal documents, which a source shared with TheDCNF on condition of anonymity. The listserv has more than 30,000 members and is devoted to policing “microaggressions” and “micro-corrections” within the company, according to its official internal description. The internal backlash to the video grew large enough to merit a response from a Google vice president, who said the video would no longer be eligible to run as an advertisement, the human resources team announced to the listserv. Christian radio host Michael L. Brown argues in the video that gay people are welcome as Christians but that, like every other person, they are called to follow Christian teachings on sex and marriage. Brown has spoken out in the past against “homo-hatred” and “ugly rhetoric” directed at gay and lesbian people by fringe groups like the Westboro Baptist Church. In…

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State Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform, Sent For Summer Study, Now Dead For This Year

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The civil asset forfeiture reform bill was sent for summer study, thereby ending any further discussion or action this year by the Tennessee General Assembly. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville) had been working the bill for weeks, which was set to culminate on Tuesday at the bill’s first stop in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee with witnesses to testify on the matter. By the time the HB 0340 was set to be heard, it had 36 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House, including 14 of the 26 House Democrats. In addition, the Nashville Metro Council approved a resolution opposing civil asset forfeiture without a criminal conviction, as reported by The Tennessee Star. The resolution was sent to the Davidson County delegation of the Tennessee General Assembly. However, law enforcement and the Department of Safety had been lobbying hard against the bill. This despite the concerns expressed about the “Civil Rights Implications of Tennessee’s Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws and Practices,” as reported on in February 2018 by the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Commission found, “Tennessee’s civil asset forfeiture law lacks many procedure safeguards that are commonplace in other states,” and,…

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Kirsten Gillibrand’s Office Kept a Staff Member on Payroll After Being Accused of Sexual Misconduct

by Molly Prince   A second top staffer in presidential hopeful and Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s Senate office reportedly was accused of sexual misconduct. Marc Brumer, who served as Gillibrand’s communication director, was alleged to have made inappropriate comments toward a female scheduler, The Washington Examiner reported Monday. He ultimately resigned over the allegations in spring 2017. “As I said at the time, I am sorry that words used during a heated debate offended a colleague,” Brumer said of the incident. “By then, I had already been planning my departure and preparing to seek another opportunity. I resigned and ensured a smooth transition.” However, Gillibrand’s office continued to provide Brumer with a paycheck “for about three months” after the allegations were made, a former aide told The Examiner. During that time period, Brumer was not doing any work. The revelation comes a week after Politico published a report that another female staffer in Gillibrand’s office resigned citing mishandling of her sexual misconduct allegations against Abbas Malik, one of the New York senator’s top aides. “I trusted and leaned on this statement that you made: ‘You need to draw a line in the sand and say none of it…

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Warren Calls for Scrapping US Electoral College in 2020 TV Town Hall

Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of more than a dozen Democrats vying for the 2020 presidential nomination, on Monday called for the scrapping of the electoral college, the method used to elect U.S. presidents. It was the first time Warren has explicitly called to eliminate the system established by the U.S. Constitution, in which each state is allotted a set number of “electors” based on the combined total of the state’s representation in Congress. Warren was participating in a televised CNN town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, when she was asked how, if elected, she would expand access to voting, including for those convicted of felonies. Warren, 69, said there should be an amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing all citizens the right to vote, and called for the repeal of laws that make it more difficult to cast ballots. She then lamented that White House candidates do not spend much time in places like Mississippi, which is conservative, and therefore not considered a swing state in U.S. presidential elections. “Well, my view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting. And that means get rid of the electoral college…

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One America News Network’s Neil McCabe Talks to the Tennessee Star Report About the #Webuildthewall Rallies

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to One America News Networks Neil McCabe about the success of the We Build the Wall rally last week in both Cincinnati and Detroit. Further on in the discussion, they chatted about the overall passion and emotion displayed at the rally’s, the MAGA All-Stars that comprise the rallies, and the potential of where they may visit next. Leahy: Neil good morning. McCabe: Michael how are you? Leahy: Morning, thanks so much for joining us.  So, the big news Neil is you were the moderator of the Build the Wall event in Cincinnati last week. We reported on that. Our own Anthony Gowkowski was there. And then you also were the moderator of the Build the wall event in Detroit. Now tell us about those two events. McCabe: Yeah Michael, so what happens is that We Build the Wall scheduled these events and basically the idea is you know there is tremendous publicity when the founder, Brian Kolfage raised more than $20 million to build the wall…

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Trump Donates $100,000 of His Salary to Help Fund Immigration Enforcement

by Jason Hopkins   President Donald Trump announced that he is donating $100,000 of his salary to the Department of Homeland Security, following a promise he made before entering office. While the press doesn’t like writing about it, nor do I need them to, I donate my yearly Presidential salary of $400,000.00 to different agencies throughout the year, this to Homeland Security. If I didn’t do it there would be hell to pay from the FAKE NEWS MEDIA! pic.twitter.com/xqIGUOwh4x — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2019 “While the press doesn’t like writing about it, nor do I need them to, I donate my yearly Presidential salary of $400,000.00 to different agencies throughout the year, this to Homeland Security,” the president tweeted on Monday. “If I didn’t do it there would be hell to pay from the FAKE NEWS MEDIA!” Trump pledged not to accept a salary during the 2016 presidential campaign, but he is by law required to do so. After entering the Oval Office, he has opted to donate his annual $400,000 salary to various agencies every quarter. The president in January directed his $100,000 paycheck to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a department…

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Trump Says He’s Looking Into Reports of Facebook Targeting His Social Media Director

by Chris White   President Donald Trump indicated on Twitter Tuesday that his administration is looking into reports that Facebook censored his social media campaign director. “I will be looking into this!” Trump said before adding the hashtag: #StopTheBias. The president was likely referring to media reports showing that White House social media director Dan Scavino Jr. was temporarily blocked from making public Facebook comments on Monday evening. I will be looking into this! #StopTheBias https://t.co/ZTWQolvmdM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 19, 2019 Trump linked to a tweet from Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard that detailed the events that led up to Scavaino being temporarily blocked from the platform. Scavino posted a screenshot of the ban with the caption, “Dear Facebook— AMAZING. WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME from replying to comments followers have left me – on my own Facebook Page!!?? People have the right to know. Why are you silencing me??? Please LMK! Thanks.” Facebook’s warning to Scavino noted that “some of your comments have been reported as spam,” and that “to avoid getting blocked again,” he should “make sure your posts are in line with the Facebook Community Standards.” The message does not specify which comments were…

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Court-Packing Emerges as Litmus Test in 2020 Democratic Primary

by Kevin Daley   A growing number of Democratic presidential candidates are entertaining a push to add seats to the Supreme Court, as Republican success at filling the courts with judicial conservatives has infuriated progressive voters. Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, and Kirsten Gillibrand have expressed willingness to consider proposals for expanding the composition of the Supreme Court as of this writing. The Trump campaign charged that those suggestions, called court-packing, keeps with other structural reforms to the U.S. political system some Democrats have endorsed since the 2016 election. “This is just what the Democrats always do,” the Trump campaign told TheDCNF. “When they lose, they try to change the rules. This is no different from when they attack the Electoral College every time they lose the White House. Now it’s court-packing. They want to change our institutions to fit their own political desires.” Another presidential candidate, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, advanced a more modest proposition. Speaking Monday night on MSNBC, the senator said term limits for Supreme Court justices might be appropriate, but he seemed reluctant to endorse expansion of the Court. Democrats frame the issue as a credibility…

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Rep. Green to File Constitutional Amendment Bill to Freeze Supreme Court Bench at Nine Justices to Counter Democrats’ Push to Pack the Court

U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) says he will introduce a constitutional amendment to halt Democrats’ desire to pack the Supreme Court in a maneuver hearkening back to progressive president FDR. Green on Tuesday tweeted, “This Thursday, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of Supreme Court justices to 9 – the number of seats since 1869. The Supreme Court must remain a fair and impartial branch of government not beholden to party.” This Thursday, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of Supreme Court justices to 9 — the number of seats since 1869. The Supreme Court must remain a fair and impartial branch of government not beholden to party. https://t.co/QoHZZyIpb6 — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 19, 2019 Green also tweeted, “Schemes to pack the court are dangerous to the Founders’ vision of an independent judiciary that serves as a check on both the Executive and Legislative branches of government.” Schemes to pack the court are dangerous to the Founders' vision of an independent judiciary that serves as a check on both the Executive and Legislative branches of government. — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 19, 2019 The…

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REPORT: 50 Percent Renewable Energy Mandate Would Cost Minnesota $80 Billion by 2050

A shocking new report from the Center of the American Experiment found that a 50 percent renewable energy mandate would cost $80.2 billion in Minnesota alone by the year 2050. Minnesota’s current renewable energy mandate, or REM, requires that 25 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2025, but some Democratic lawmakers would like to see that number raised to 50 percent by 2030. Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) recently proposed making Minnesota 100 percent carbon-free by 2050. The Center of the American Experiment’s report chose to focus on the 50 percent by 2030 figure since research has shown that “using wind, solar and batteries to achieve 100 percent of electricity generations would be exponentially more expensive than a 50 percent renewable benchmark.” It’s important to note that Walz’s proposal calls for 100 percent carbon-free energy, rather than strictly renewable energy, meaning sources like nuclear energy could still be used heavily. The report’s first finding states that a 50 percent REM would “increase electricity costs by $80.2 billion to meet mandated renewable energy goals and maintain this electric system through 2050.” The report, titled “Doubling Down on Failure,” further finds that a 50 percent REM would “destroy 20,950…

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Experts Say DeWine’s Predicted Revenue Forecast Is Off by $705 Million

An expert analyst suggested that the revenue forecast in Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget proposal is $705 million too high during a testimony before the House Finance Committee Tuesday. According to Legislative Service Commission Director Mark Flanders, DeWine’s General Revenue Fund (GRF) tax revenue forecasts would come up $704.9 million short across the next three fiscal years. “Legislative Budget Office economists forecast somewhat lower baseline GRF tax revenues for the current fiscal year and the next biennium than are forecast for the executive budget,” Flanders said in his testimony. Specifically, Flanders said his economists came up with predictions that are $196.7 million lower than DeWine’s in Fiscal Year 2019, $347.3 million lower in Fiscal Year 2020, and $160.9 million lower in Fiscal Year 2021. “The outlook for state government revenues is greatly influenced by the course of Ohio’s economy and the economy of the nation. U.S. economic expansion was strong through much of last year, but recent economic indicators have been mixed,” Flanders said. But Kim Murnieks, director of the Office of Budget and Management, claimed Tuesday that the forecasts in DeWine’s budget are are “conservatively forecast.” “As we introduce this budget, the state is in strong fiscal condition, about to…

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Beto Defends Late-Term Abortions, Slams Trump Over Lordstown Comments During Cleveland Campaign Stop

2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke slammed President Donald Trump for his criticisms of Lordstown union leaders and defended late-term abortions during a campaign stop in Cleveland Monday. During one stop, O’Rourke was asked how he was “going to protect the lives of third-trimester babies.” “There’s really not a medical necessity for abortion. It’s not a medical emergency procedure because typically third-trimester abortions take up to three days to have. So, in that sense, if there was an emergency, the doctors would just do a c-section and you don’t have to kill the baby. So are you for or against third-trimester abortions?” an audience member asked. O’Rourke, however, framed the question to the audience as being about “abortion and reproductive rights.” “My answer to you is: that should be a decision that the woman makes. I trust her,” O’Rourke responded. Here’s Beto O’Rourke at a campaign event in Cleveland responding to a question about third-trimester abortions: “That should be a decision that the woman makes. I trust her.” pic.twitter.com/nBrlazlMob — Alexandra DeSanctis (@xan_desanctis) March 18, 2019 O’Rourke also responded to Trump’s latest criticism of the leaders behind the closure of the General Motors factory in Lordstown. “Democrat UAW Local 1112 President…

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Columbus Ohio Files Suit Against Ohio Over Gun Law

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced Tuesday the City of Columbus would sue the state of Ohio over new gun law passed late last year. As previously reported, House Bill 228 (HB 228) established: Through an override of Ohio Governor John Kasich’s veto, the Ohio congress passed HB 228, expanding a citizen’s right to self-defense. The bill was originally intended to be a ‘stand your ground’ law but shifted following the significant public controversy. As passed,  the law shifts the burden of proof in self-defense cases to the prosecution. Before passage, Ohio was the only state in America in which a defender had to prove that they were acting in self-defense. Columbus is suing the state on the grounds that the change made in the bill to “Ohio Revised Code Section 9.68, the state’s so-called ‘Right to bear arms – challenge to the law,’” strips the municipality of their sovereign rights to pass local gun ordinances that regulate gun laws within their jurisdiction. In addition, they change that the new law disproportionately favors the gun lobby, diminishing the municipality’s power even further. In a Press Release, Cleveland Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, in support of Attorney Klein, stated: We recognize that gun violence is a…

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