Category: Opinion

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(NNPA)—The coming resignation of Justice John Paul Stevens from the Supreme Court sets up a new fight for his successor and a question that I and others have. Will President Obama appoint someone as liberal as Stevens has become? An indication of where the president might be coming from is the comment that he made when the Citizens United case was decided last year.

Then, he said it was a victory for powerful interests like banks, oil companies and etc. that, “marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”

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Category: Opinion Written by Judge Greg Mathis

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Much has been made about the debate between two of our most respected Black leaders: Tavis Smiley and Rev. Al Sharpton. The two men, both activists in their own way, disagree on whether or not President Obama should openly pursue an “urban agenda.” Smiley thinks Obama should be more aggressive in pursuing a Black agenda and thinks Black leaders are being too soft on him. Sharpton thinks pushing such a plan would put the president in a vulnerable position and that Black leaders, not the president, should pursue a plan for urban improvement. Reverend Sharpton is correct.

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Category: Opinion

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(NNPA)—“I apologize:” This call came at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (April 7)—right at the Free Press deadline.

The caller: Gov. Bob McDonnell. After exchanging pleasantries, the governor immediately told the editor/publisher the reason for his call.

Unsurprisingly, his urgent communication on this occasion was about his Confederate History Month.

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Category: Opinion Written by George E. Curry

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(NNPA)—Solicitor General Elena Kagan, said to be President Obama’s leading choice to replace Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, would be a poor appointment and would be unlikely to mirror Stevens’ progressive voting record.

Kagan, former dean of the Harvard Law School, was a finalist when Sonia Sotomayor was appointed by Obama to the court last year. Because she has already been vetted—and has won praise from some conservative quarters—White House sources have stated that she heads Obama’s short list of candidates to replace Stevens, the leader of the four-member progressive bloc of Supreme Court justices.

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