Elections

Law professor who addressed Jan. 6 Trump rally won’t return to university

Published

11 months ago

January 14, 2021

Staff Writer

The law professor who spoke at President Donald Trump‘s January 6 rally in front of the White House before rioters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol will not be returning to his teaching job at Chapman University, The Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.

Due to the comments Dr. John Eastman made at the “Save America” rally, university president Daniele Struppa announced Wednesday morning that Dr. John Eastman would not be coming back to his job. Eastman had taught at the Southern Californian institution for more than two decades and formerly served as the Fowler School of Law’s dean.

“After discussions over the course of the last week, Dr. John Eastman and Chapman University have reached an agreement pursuant to which he will retire from Chapman, effective immediately,” Struppa’s statement reads. “Dr. Eastman’s departure closes this challenging chapter for Chapman and provides the most immediate and certain path forward for both the Chapman community and Dr. Eastman. Chapman and Dr. Eastman have agreed not to engage in legal actions of any kind, including any claim of defamation that may currently exist, as both parties move forward.”

Also on Wednesday, in his own statement published on the website of the conservative Claremont Institute, Eastman announced “with mixed feelings” his retirement from Chapman.

He stated that his retirement was partially due to “some of my ‘colleagues’ on the campus or to the few members of the Board of Trustees who have published false, defamatory statements about me without even the courtesy of contacting me beforehand to discuss.”

Furthermore, Eastman was angered by a “defamatory” letter signed by about 160 university faculty members who accused him of “participation” in the deadly Capitol riot. Speaking at the rally beside Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, Eastman promoted allegations of election fraud.

He denied the claim that he “participated in a riot that incited” violence at the Capitol, arguing it was untrue.

“I participated in a peaceful rally of nearly ½ million people, two miles away from the violence that occurred at the capital and which began even before the speeches were finished,” Eastman said.

Moreover, the former law professor took the opportunity to double down on a series of election fraud claims that he promoted at the rally, notably defending his claims of “secret folders” in the voting machines that can allegedly add extraneous votes to a candidate’s vote total.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Elections

New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2021

Staff Writer

New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.

“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.

“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Fox News reports:

Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”

The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.