Travel Ban Before SCOTUS
On Wednesday, April 22, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether or not President Donald Trump could legally restrict travellers from several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States with his controversial “travel ban.” Trump’s lawyers argued that the ban, which has now been revised twice, has nothing to do with religion. Though Supreme Court justices do not make their rulings during oral arguments, the Supreme Court is expected to support the President, as conservatives make up five of the nine justices on the Supreme Court. Four of the conservative justices expressed sympathy for the ban on Wednesday, while conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy appeared conflicted. The four liberal justices made their dissent clear but seemed unable to convince their more conservative colleagues. A final decision is likely to be released by the end of June.
Attack in Toronto
10 people were killed and 14 more injured on Monday, April 23, when a rented van plowed into pedestrians on a busy Toronto street. The perpetrator, 25-year-old Alek Minassian, was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder on Tuesday. Though authorities have yet to determine Minassian’s motive, many reports have speculated that his actions may have been rooted in misogyny. Minassian self-identified as an “incel,” or “involuntary celibate,” a term that refers to online groups of men who unite through their lack of sexual experience. Minutes before he carried out the attack, Minassian posted on Facebook praising Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in 2014 in an attempt to punish women for rejecting him. The Toronto police have said that Minassian’s victims were mostly female.
Anti-Semitism in Germany
Thousands all across Germany marched on Wednesday, April 25, to protest anti-Semitism in response to rising concerns over the issue. Protestors marched in solidarity with Germany’s Jewish community, with the march coming a day after Josef Schuster, the head of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, warned against Jewish men wearing a kippa in public. In response, those marching wore the head covering as a display of solidarity. The largest demonstration took place in the city of Berlin, while other peaceful marches were held in the cities of Cologne, Potsdam, Erfurt, and others. The marchers were of all different faiths.
Golden State Killer Caught
72-year-old Citrus Heights resident and former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr. was arrested in his home in Sacramento, California on Wednesday, April 25 by authorities who suspect that he is the “Golden State Killer,” a California serial killer believed to have murdered 12 people and raped at least 50 between the years 1976 to 1986. DeAngelo was arrested after investigators matched discarded DNA from his home to DNA evidence from some of the crime scenes. Though the crimes took place over 30 years ago, interest was recently renewed. A book,
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
, was published in February 2018, while an HLN series on the crimes,
Unmasking a Killer
, aired around the same time. DeAngelo is currently being held without bail in Sacramento and faces capital murder charges.
Asaram Bapu Rape Case
On Wednesday, April 25, a court in India sentenced self-proclaimed spiritual guru Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment for the rape of a 16-year-old girl in 2013. The guilty verdict was declared amidst social unrest surrounding the prosecution of rapists in India. Many Indian citizens have recently protested that rapists should be held more accountable for their crimes under the law, placing pressure upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enact such changes. Asaram Bapu is one of India’s best-known spiritual gurus, and many people also took to the streets to protest his arrest. Asaram’s spokesperson Neelam Dubey told reporters that Asaram’s legal team will be challenging the guilty verdict in India’s High Court. As outrage over sexual violence grows in India, the country’s Cabinet also recently passed an executive order to make the rape of a girl under 12 years of age punishable by the death penalty.
