A Pardon, A Directive, A N.J. School Law, A Transgender Doll

A Pardon: After former Sheriff of Arizona, Joe Arpaio, was pardoned, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) warned that requiring U.S. officers to enforce immigration law puts them at “risk of being found guilty of significant legal violations.” The charge against Sheriff Arpaio was racial profiling while enforcing immigration law.

That was the issue in December 2011 when a U.S. District Judge ordered Sheriff Arpaio and his deputies to stop detaining Latino drivers suspected of being illegal aliens. When the sheriff continued his strategy another 18 months, he was charged with civil contempt. Almost six years later on July 31, 2017 he was found guilty and, at age 85, he faced six months in jail. His sentencing was scheduled for October 5th, but President Trump pardoned him August 25, 2017.

A Directive: In a directive on the same day, President Trump banned transgender individuals from military service. Section 1 of the directive explains the last president’s June 2016 reversal of military policy. That reversal authorized transgender individuals to join and serve openly in the military, where they would receive unlimited healthcare, such as sex-reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. For transgenders already enlisted, the directive cancelled military-funded sex reassignment surgery, unless interruption of treatment would be harmful to the patient.

Full implementation is set to begin 2018, under a plan the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security will develop. It must (a) uphold military effectiveness and deadly force, (b) work within the budget, (c) adhere to law, and (d) address enlisted transgender personnel issues.

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