U.S. Department of Justice

Republicans Have an Image Problem Because They Insist on Acting Like Republicans

The op-ed page of our only local daily newspaper is full of talk today about the national Republican Party's big overnight discovery and wake-up call: in a document called the "Growth and Opportunity Report" published by the Republican National Committee, Republicans are being informed that they are ... More >>

Obama & Romney's Country-Club Sopranos

American banks are on a massive crime spree. The Presidential candidates hope you won't notice.

Ask Fan Landers: Is My Band Accidentally Aiding A Right-Wing Extremist?

Are you a musician? Is your band having issues? Our new advice columnist, Fan Landers (a.k.a. Jessica Hopper), is ready to give you Real Talk about any problems your musical outfit might be having -- whether professional, practical, or sartorial. Send your problems here; confidentiality is assured, ... More >>

Justice Departent Swoops in to Prevent Parking Monopoly in Dallas (and Elsewhere)

If you've ever wondered who controls any given parking lot downtown, the answer is probably either Central Parking Corporation or Standard Parking Corporation. Central owns more than a dozen locations there, according to its website. Standard owns several more, though its website doesn't say exactly ... More >>

The Gay Selma

Schools ignore gay bullying at their own peril

Feds: Voter ID Law "Legally Unenforceable," Can't Rule Out "Discriminatory Purpose"

State legislation requiring voters to present state-issued identification such as a driver's license, a concealed-carry permit, or a U.S. passport or military ID was rejected Monday morning by the U.S. Department of Justice. "Because we conclude that the state has failed to meet its burden of dem ... More >>

As Shamrock Protests Near An End, Local NAACP President May Be On Her Way Out

Anthony Bond, founder of the Irving chapter of the NAACP, looked at what was happening in South Dallas, at the Diamond Shamrock Kwik Stop on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and decided: Enough's enough. Those protests at the Korean-owned convenience store had to stop, as did calls for its owner Th ... More >>

Feds Think Texas's Voter ID Law May Be Racist, So the State Sues to Implement It Right Away

Given Texas's dicey history with electoral rights, the Obama Administration has expressed concern in recent months about the state's new Voter ID law, which requires voters to bring government-issued identification to the polls. So the state, naturally, is suing to put the new and allegedly discrimi ... More >>

Last Week, Several From Dallas City Hall Took a Couple of Field Trips to the Justice Department

Photo by Anna MerlanDomingo Garcia and Delia Jasso at last night's redistricting confab​The answer is no, the question being: Will we ever stop writing about the city redistricting process? But it's been a little while, so let's review. Then we can discuss the dueling delegations who apparentl ... More >>

Jasso Acknowledges She's Drawing a New Redistricting Map to Present to City Council

Photo by Patrick Michels​So far, there's been little indication that the council has any interest in reopening the debate over the new council-districts map approved (barely) on October 5 and dispatched to the Department of Justice three weeks later. As you may recall, six council members did ask ... More >>

The Myth of the All-Girl, Pimp-Controlled Trafficking Trade

Lost Boys: New child-sex-trafficking research demolishes the stereotype of the underage sex worker.

DoJ: Texas's New Election Maps Seek to Deny Hispanics Voting Rights, Especially in DFW

​Overnight, several Friends of Unfair Park sent different versions of the same story, which says: The state quite deliberately submitted to the Department of Justice new election maps that discriminate against the Hispanic voter -- especially in Dallas-Fort Worth. As in: "There is direct and circu ... More >>

New Council Map Now Out of City's Hands and In the Possession of the Department of Justice

The council-approved map​City Hall just sent word: At long last the city has submitted to the Department of Justice the new council districts map approved by the council on October 5. But that is hardly the entirety of the package sent to the DoJ yesterday: If you click here you'll find the massiv ... More >>

"We Shouldn't Be Afraid of That Passion": A Chat With Mayor Rawlings About Redistricting

The mayor presiding over the (very, very, very, very long) redistricting debate two weeks ago​Had a brief chat with Mayor Mike Rawlings last night concerning what appears to be the never-ending process of redistricting, about which the city council will get an earful this morning from Latino leade ... More >>

Turns Out We May Not Be Done With Fighting Over Redistricting Map After All

​And here Anna thought she was done with redistricting. Hah!A Friend of Unfair Park just sent us an invite to wingding Domingo Garcia's throwing at Tejano Restaurant on West Davis scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. Says the come-one-come-all signed by the redistricting commissioner:"The Dallas cit ... More >>

At Last, The Adopted Redistricting Map

​I swear: Every other item today won't be a redistricting item. Even Anna's moved on for now: She was out with the Occupy Dallas folks, and her recap of the march to the Dallas Fed is forthcoming. But the Redistricting Commission just made available the map and data packet accompanying the version ... More >>

Feds, Researchers Raise More Questions About Texas's New Voter ID Law

​The voter ID law passed by Texas lawmakers in May continues its circuit among activists, lawmakers, academics and social commentators as a discriminatory, unjustified and absolutely necessary measure, depending on who's yelling. Words like "voter fraud" on the right and "disenfranchisement" o ... More >>

Mayor Mike's "Considering" His Own Redistricting Map. Meanwhile, at the DOJ ...

Photo by Mark Graham​During the morning portion of today's city council meeting, Mayor Mike Rawlings told his colleagues he's been "doing some thinking" about redistricting. Lord, haven't we all. In reviewing what the Redistricting Commission has done, he said, "I believe the transparency was ther ... More >>

Area Gun Dealer Pretty Sure That New Two-Per-Customer Law Won't Solve Border Violence

Via.So long as we can still get one of these​An edict from the Justice Department to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives paved the way Monday for tighter regulation of repeat purchases of semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines in border states. The feds' f ... More >>

Arlington Man Pleads Guilty to "Ethnically Motivated" Attacks on Mosque Last Summer

​Last July, you may recall, the FBI and Arlington Police Department confirmed that they were investigating a series of incidents at the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center on Mansfield Road in Arlington, where a playground was set on fire and "explicit images" were spray-painted on the parking lot. Said an ... More >>

Victory Park-Based PrimeLending Pays $2 Mil After Feds Say It Overcharged Black Borrowers

​On the other side you'll find a lawsuit I came across this morning while looking for something completely unrelated: United States of America v. PrimeLending. The residential mortgage lender, HQ'd in Victory Park, is a subsidiary of PlainsCapital, which, maybe you remember, took $87.6 mil in TARP ... More >>

DOJ, FCC Settle With HP (For $16.25 Mil!) Over E-Rate Fraud In Dallas, Houston ISDs

Ruben Bohuchot​Back in June 2009, you may recall, the Dallas Independent School District and the U.S. Department of Justice settled up over the misuse of funds provided to the district for the feds' E-Rate program, which was created in 1996 to give "affordable access to telecommunications services ... More >>

No Justice: We've Bailed Out the Banks. When Do We Go After the Crooks Behind Our Financial Collapse?

DOJ to Dallas ISD: Pay Up. And Say Adios to $150 Million in Federal Funding Requests.

This just in from the U.S. Department of Justice's press department: The government and the Dallas Independent School District have settled their dispute involving the misuse of funds provided to the district for the so-called E-Rate program, created in 1996 to give "affordable access to telecommuni ... More >>

Do Mexicans beat their wives? No more than gabachos do.

Janet Napolitano’s Sorry Service in Arizona Makes Her a Terrible Choice for Homeland Security Secretary

If You're Feeling Supressed, Feel Free to Contact Sarah Saldaña

Yeah, So, Not Only Dave & Buster's Had Its Credit Card Numbers Swiped

No, Really, Will This Get Me Audited?

Ask A Mexican

It's a multilingual world. Get used to it.

Mock the Vote: Or, Looking Into Voter Suppression in Dallas.

Items of Interest, Far As You Know

Dallas Can't Spin Latest Jail Lawsuit

The County can't get away from the latest bad news on its troubled jail

That Local Holy Land Trial is Making a Mess All Over the Place

Wait, Wait. Don't Leave.

Someone Needs an Income Tax Extension

Fed-up Feds

U.S. Justice Department investigators find horrid conditions at Dallas County's jail

Exclusive: Feds Damn County Jail as "Grossly Inadequate"

The Backdating Scene

Wright Deal Not Right? Maybe. Probably?

You Can Call Him Al

Waste Not, Want Not

Sheriff Who?

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez was a revolutionary candidate--as a leader, not so much

Go, Joe, Go

And Justice for All

Gang Bang

Trifecta

Wading in the city's dirty water

Avast, Ye Pirates

Get yourself--and Congress--ready for the next wave of absurd anti-file-sharing tactics

Black, white, and blue

Dallas' African-American cops say they are being unfairly disciplined by a racist department. The numbers suggest they're right.

Temper, temper

Judge John Henry McBryde ruled his court like a minor despot, angering lawyers and fellow judges. Now they're lined up to depose him, and the Constitution be damned.