Court: Middle finger protected by the constitution

TAYLOR, Mich. (AP) — When it comes to the middle finger, police might need a thicker skin.

A federal appeals court says a Michigan woman’s constitutional rights were violated when she was handed a speeding ticket after giving the finger to a suburban Detroit officer in 2017. The decision means a lawsuit by Debra Cruise-Gulyas can proceed.

In a 3-0 decision Wednesday, the court said Taylor Officer Matthew Minard “should have known better,” even if the driver was rude.

Minard stopped Cruise-Gulyas and wrote her a ticket for a lesser violation. But when that stop was over, Cruise-Gulyas raised her middle finger.

Minard pulled her over again and changed the ticket to a more serious speeding offense.

Cruise-Gulyas sued, saying her free-speech rights and her rights against unreasonable seizure were violated.

https://www.apnews.com/0b7b3029fc714a2986f6c3a8615db921

Opinion…point of interest on whats happening out in MSM news…

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

CLAIM: Photos purport to show wreckage from the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157.

CLAIM: Photo shows girls in Michigan wearing hijabs and displaying “Down with U.S.A.” written on their hands.

CLAIM: “Donald Trump takes off his hat at Mar-a-Lago forgetting he’s not wearing his toupee.”

This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online.

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https://apnews.com/7763e8c0b78d401f980b159ff12665a7

>>5735040

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just for fun…

>>5735254

Institute founded by Sanders’ wife, son is shutting down

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Sanders Institute, a think tank founded by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ wife and son, is shutting down, at least for now, amid criticism that the nonprofit has blurred the lines between family, fundraising and campaigning.

The Vermont-based institute has stopped accepting donations and plans to suspend all operations by the end of May “so there could not even be an appearance of impropriety,” Jane Sanders told The Associated Press.

The unexpected move by the institute’s board of directors comes as Bernie Sanders, a leading candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination, prepares for a wave of intense scrutiny into his political network and his family’s role in its operation.

As a candidate in 2016, Sanders criticized Hillary Clinton over her family’s nonprofit, saying the foundation run by Clinton’s husband and daughter amounted to a back door for foreign leaders and others seeking to buy access and influence. The Sanders Institute could open the Vermont senator to charges of hypocrisy.

The institute was founded to promote liberal policies less than two years ago by Sanders’ family with the backing of pro-Sanders celebrities and advocates— though Sanders himself had no formal role. While it operates at a fraction of the scale of the Clinton Foundation, it has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars during its brief existence and has declined to disclose its donors.

…more…

https://apnews.com/9e4794da89ab448399f3ff1457464d1b