PrawfsBlawg posts on the recurring angst by some over Citizens United. My own theory about the internal dynamics at work considers the history of individual justices, namely Justice Kennedy. Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the case Citizens United overturned, was decided in 1990, during Justice Kennedy’s first full term on the Court, and Kennedy […]

PrawfsBlawg posts on the recurring angst by some over Citizens United. My own theory about the internal dynamics at work considers the history of individual justices, namely Justice Kennedy. Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the case Citizens United overturned, was decided in 1990, during Justice Kennedy’s first full term on the Court, and Kennedy […]

Matt Boyle at the Daily Caller has this funny story about the hotheaded and often thin-skinned DOJ Press spokeswoman Tracey Tracy Schmaler.  Apparently Schmaler saw imaginary misspellings and lectured Matt. “Because DOJ spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler has not answered TheDC’s questions about Fast and Furious for months, TheDC asked her if Holder would do an interview on the […]

Matt Boyle at the Daily Caller has this funny story about the hotheaded and often thin-skinned DOJ Press spokeswoman Tracey Tracy Schmaler.  Apparently Schmaler saw imaginary misspellings and lectured Matt. “Because DOJ spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler has not answered TheDC’s questions about Fast and Furious for months, TheDC asked her if Holder would do an interview on the […]

Retired U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon gave a speech full of hyperbole and misstatements about the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court.
Birmingham News.

The Voting Rights Act, Clemon said, “has almost been interpreted out of existence.
“With the rise of the Rehnquist court, our wall against the flood became the flood itself. We have seen, in the past quarter century, civil rights on the scaffold.”

“Clemon also criticized the “racist laws” passed by Arizona and Alabama that target illegal i
immigration and the “rank and unprotected discrimination” that homosexuals are subject to.

…

Mark Mayfield, board member of the Mississippi Tea Party says it isn’t fair that Mississippi is subjected to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act after 50 years of progress. …

For Immediate Release:  Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Contact:  Pamela Weaver, Director of Communications

Secretary of State addresses Derogatory Comments allegedly made by Department of Justice
Employee

Remarks are Irresponsible

Jackson, MS—Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann addressed the comments allegedly made by a Department of Justice (DoJ) employee, calling her remarks irresponsible.

Allegedly, United States Justice Department employee Stephanie Gyamfi posted the following statements on the social networking site, Facebook: 

“They never do…disgusting and shameful. Hey, that should replace the state motto!  “Mississippi: Disgusting and Shameful.”…forget the magnolia state
motto.”

“I find these comments unprofessional, unwarranted, irresponsible, and misguided, particularly with Mississippi’s pending voter identification submission before the Department of Justice,”
says Secretary Hosemann. “I respectfully request the Department of Justice take appropriate disciplinary action against Ms. Gyamfi and to publicly clarify its own position that such a statement does
not reflect the opinions of its department.”

“I do not believe,” adds Hosemann, “an employee who makes such statements should review any voter identification application by the State of Mississippi, or, for that matter, any state
subject to Section 5.”

Federal law requires any voting change in Mississippi to receive preclearance from the United States Department of Justice. Gyamfi’s job description for the Department of Justice includes
reviewing whether these voting changes meet the requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

In a conversation with Secretary Hosemann, Gyamfi said the statement was taken, “out of context.”

“A Justice Department employee stating our state is ‘disgusting and shameful’ is another indication Mississippi’s voter ID submission will not receive fair consideration,” says Secretary
Hosemann. “The real problem is not the current culture of Mississippi, but the current culture of the Justice Department.”

“Our Agency has taken great strides to educate voters on the implementation of voter ID. During the initiative process, we held nine public hearings on the issue in geographically
dispersed areas of the State, when State law required we only hold five,” adds Hosemann. “Those hearings were transcribed and are currently …

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann today publicly addressed questionable comments about Mississippi
reportedly made by a DOJ employee:

“I find these comments unprofessional, unwarranted, irresponsible, and misguided, particularly with Mississippi’s pending voter identification
submission before the Department of Justice. I respectfully request the Department of Justice take appropriate disciplinary action against Ms. Gyamfi and to publicly clarify its own position that
such a statement does not reflect the opinions of its department.”

Hosemann was responding to comments allegedly made by Department of Justice employee Stephanie Gyamfi , who reportedly posted on
Facebook:  
“They never do…disgusting and shameful. Hey, that should replace the state motto! “Mississippi: Disgusting and Shameful.”…forget the magnolia state motto.”

“A Justice Department employee stating our state is ‘disgusting and shameful’ is another indication Mississippi’s voter ID submission will not
receive fair consideration,” said Hosemann.“I do not believe an employee who makes such statements should review any voter identification application by
the State of Mississippi, or, for that matter, any state subject to Section 5.”

GulfLive.com has the
full story.

"http://images.quickblogcast.com/2/4/3/2/5/261625-252342/Hosemann.jpg?a=65" width="285" height="197">

…

The Scoop from the Magnolia
Report:

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on the Second
Floor of the State Capitol Rotunda. Secretary Hosemann will address recent comments allegedly made by a United States Department of Justice Voting Rights Division employee calling Mississippi
“Disgusting and Shameful.”

Anita
MonCrief, ACORN whistleblower and National Spokesperson for "Verdana">True the Vote, is also expected to
attend the news conference.

Last week "http://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2012/04/29/doj-employee-contempt-for-mississippi-citizens-on-facebook/">it was revealed "FONT-SIZE: 12px" face="Verdana">that Stephanie Celandine Gyamfi , a DOJ employee responsible for reviewing election law preclearance applications from states subject to Section 5 of the Voting
Rights Act, had THIS to say about Mississippi, via her Facebook page:

“Disgusting and shameful. Hey, that should replace the state motto… Mississippi: Disgusting and Shameful…
Forget the magnolia state motto.”

Hosemann has
said that he hopes to have Mississippi’s voter ID law precleared and in place by November.

…

On Wednesday the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held hearings on
the serious subject of Oversight of the Justice
Department’s Voting Rights Enforcement.

But Rep.
Jerry Nadler (D-NY) chose to use his time to scold witness Eric Eversole, of the Military Voter Protection Project, for omitting from his oral
testimony some details of a MOVE Act enforcement case against New York. In fact, Eversole did include complete facts of the case in his written testimony submitted in advance to the
committee (which Nadler later acknowledged after actually reading face="Verdana">Eversole’s submission).

Nadler also spent time on a “point of privilege” to defend ACORN – an organization
found guilty of
operating an illegal voter registration scheme and whose "http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2010/01/inside-acorn-vote-fraud-scam.html">name is practically synonymous with voter fraud "FONT-SIZE: 12px" face="Verdana">.  In his defense of ACORN, Nadler denied he ever "http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124182750646102435.html">“agreed to consider the request” to hold a hearing on ACORN, before he
concluded that a hearing was “unwarranted”.  Seriously? 

Nadler did pose a (leading) question to Wendy Weiser of the Brennan Center for Justice, asking her to
“describe how voter ID laws disenfranchise certain classes of voters.” To which Weiser responded that “study after study” “confirmed repeatedly” that minority registered voters “won’t be able to
vote” under photo voter ID laws. That conclusion improbably presupposes that minority voters who don’t currently have a photo ID (but had adequate ID to register) will find it impossible to
get an ID.  Weiser also used the tired – and "FONT-SIZE: 12px" color="#0000ff" face="Verdana">debunked – “more likely to be struck by lightning” voter fraud denial to justify allowing
unidentified people to cast votes. Seriously?
…