NAACP Interim President and CEO makes statement on scheduled expiration of a Federal Stimulus Package for Food Stamp Program

BALTIMORE, Md. – A reduction of federal stimulus funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been set. Funding is set to decrease by 5.4 percent.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for families of three, the cut will be $29 a month — a total of $319 for November 2013 through September 2014, the remaining months of fiscal year 2014, and SNAP benefits will average less than $1.40 per person per meal in 2014. In response, Lorraine Miller, NAACP Interim President and CEO, released the following statement:
“The reduction in vital food assistance benefits is endangering millions of families in the United States,” said Lorraine C. Miller, NAACP Interim President and CEO. “Our elected officials have dropped the ball during a time when too many American families are still suffering from high rates of unemployment and increased homelessness. It is deplorable that in this day and age some politicians are unwilling to take care of their fellow citizens in need. Congress must act immediately to restore these essential funds.“

 NEW YORK, N.Y. – The NAACP has condemned a federal appeals court for granting a stay that will block implementation of changes to New York City’s stop-and-frisk program, and also for removing Judge Schira Scheindlin from the case.

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous:
“’Stop-and-frisk’ policing is nothing less than the largest racial profiling program in the country, and Judge Scheindlin was right to rule it unconstitutional. No matter the outcome of this appeal, the people of New York City have already voted to reform the program despite the best efforts of Mayor Bloomberg. Legalized racial profiling has been discredited and will ultimately be relegated to the dustbin of history.”

NAACP Criminal Justice Director Dr. Niaz Kasravi:
“This is a disappointing roadblock in the effort to fight profiling on New York City’s streets. Judge Scheindlin’s decision responded to vast amounts of evidence that the NYPD profiled based on race, ethnicity, LGBT-status, and faith. We will continue to fight until we end bias-based policing in New York City and across the country.”

New York NAACP and New York City NAACP President Hazel Dukes:
“Communities of color across New York City have been discriminated by law enforcement for far too long. We have fought too long and too hard to stop fighting now. We will continue to demand protections for our civil and human rights.”

Earlier this summer, in Floyd, et al. v. City of New York, et al, Judge Schiendlin ruled that the NYPD violated the Constitution in the way it carried out its program of stopping and questioning people. She assigned a federal monitor to help the police department change its policy and training program.
In August, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of the Community Safety Act, a bundle of legislation that bans racial and religious profiling, establishes an NYPD Inspector General Office, and provides greater protection against unlawful search and seizure.
New York City appealed the case, and this afternoon the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it would stay the decision, as well as Judge Scheindlin’s remedies.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.
Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
“This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country. We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves. Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling.” Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail.
Other characteristics of this scam include:
•    Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
•    Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
•    Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
•    Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
•    Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
•    After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:

•    If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 800-829-1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
•    If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
•    If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments of your complaint.

Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.
More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.
You can reblog the IRS tax scam alert via Tumblr.

Court records say DFCS let child stay with abusive stepmother




By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State child services dismissed 2010 allegations against the woman now accused of murder in the starving death of a Gwinnett County 10-year-old, according to court documents.
Emani Moss was found dead, her body burned, in a garbage disposal early Saturday morning, police said.
Her father, Eman Moss, and her stepmother, Tiffany Moss, have been charged in connection with the death and with trying to hide the body of a child officials say may have been dead since Wednesday.
According to Gwinnett County Superior Court records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, officials with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services signed off on a plea deal by then-Tiffany Nicole Brown that would give her five years probation on child cruelty charges for beating Emani in March 2010.
Eman and Tiffany Moss, both 30, are now in jail facing felony murder, first-degree child cruelty and concealing a death charges.
Gwinnett County police responding to a suicide call from Eman Moss early Saturday morning found the burned body of his daughter Emani Moss in a garbage can near his apartment building.
According to arrest warrant affidavits obtained by The AJC for Eman Moss and Tiffany Moss, the couple allegedly “caused the death of the victim … by denying the victim enough food to live.”
Police claim that Emani had been kept from eating for as many as a dozen days, according to the arrest warrants.
“It appears as though the victim was emaciated,” Gwinnett County police Detective Collin Flynn told reporters on Monday.
Previous encounters with police document a history of abuse and cruelty allegations dating back to Emani’s infancy.
Gwinnett police said Eman Moss was charged with battery and second-degree child cruelty in 2004 for allegedly attacking Emani’s biological mother in front of a then-1-year-old.
In March 2010, Cooper Elementary School officials called police after Emani said she was afraid to go home with a bad report card.
Police found whelps, scabs and bruises on the girl’s chest, arms, back and legs from being beaten with what was described as a broken belt, according to police reports.
Emani was 6 at the time.
Tiffany Moss, whose name was Tiffany Brown at the time and who was a teacher, according to police, was arrested and charged with first-degree child cruelty.
She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years on probation as part of the state’s First Offender program.
At her sentencing hearing, Tiffany Brown’s attorney, Eric J. Carter, told the court that DFCS dropped its case against her and Emani’s father, according to court documents.
“They have met with DFCS,” Carter said in the court transcript obtained by The AJC. “DFCS has dismissed their case against them. Her and (her) husband both have taken parenting class and everything that DFCS has requested.”
DFCS spokeswoman Ashley Fielding declined to comment late Monday.
In July 2012, police responded to reports of abuse but weren’t able to find evidence proving Emani’s claims, so her father and stepmother weren’t charged.
Police said Emani ran away from home later that month. When she was found, she was charged as a runaway juvenile and with violating curfew and returned to her home, according to police reports.
“We charged her so that we could get her back into court,” Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Ed Ritter said. “We forwarded the case to DFCS.”
Eman Moss called 911 shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday claiming he wanted to kill himself, police said.
“We think the intention of the suicide call was to get us out there,” Ritter said.
When Gwinnett County police officers arrived at the Landmark at Coventry Pointe Apartments at Veranda Chase Drive in unincorporated Lawrenceville, Moss told officers his daughter Emani “drank some chemical and was dead.”
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s office has determined Emani’s death was a homicide, but is waiting for toxicology reports to say exactly how she was killed. Still, police disputed Eman Moss’ claims that the girl had ingested something that might have poisoned her.
“We do not believe there were any chemicals,” Flynn said.
According to the police incident report, Moss told police that “he panicked and did not know what to do,” and that he placed the girl’s body in a trash can outside his apartment building and tried to burn it.
Tiffany and Eman Moss were arrested and both are being held at the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond.
The first court appearance for both is scheduled for Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett County Magistrate Court.
 Staff reporter Aaron Gould Sheinin contributed to this article.

WASHINGTON – U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, for the fourth consecutive year, announce the 2014 “Best Law Firms” rankings.
Firms included in the 2014 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.
“U.S. News has more than two decades of experience in providing the public with the most accurate and in-depth rankings of a wide range of institutions, including our Best Law Schools rankings,” says Tim Smart, Executive Editor of U.S. News & World Report. “Law firms are an integral part of our rankings and a natural accompaniment to the law school rankings.”
The 2014 rankings are based on the highest number of participating firms and highest number of client ballots on record. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America©, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S.
“Because we combine hard data with peer reviews and client assessments,” says Steven Naifeh, President and Co-Founder of Best Lawyers, “more and more clients inform us ours are the most thorough, accurate, and helpful rankings of law firms ever developed.”
Ranked firms are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Awards were given in 74 national practice areas and 120 metropolitan practice areas. One “Law Firm of the Year” is named in 87 of the ranked practice areas.

The following firms were honored with a National Tier 1 ranking in Birmingham:

Firm Name                                                                                                                  Practice Area
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC                                            Construction Law
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC                                            Litigation – Construction
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP                                                                            Construction Law
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP                                                                            Litigation – Construction
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP                                                                            Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions                                                                                                                                                 Defendants
Jackson Lewis LLP                                                                                                           Employment Law – Management
Littler Mendelson P.C.                                                                                                     Employment Law – Management
Littler Mendelson P.C.                                                                                                     Labor Law – Management
Littler Mendelson P.C.                                                                                                     Litigation – Labor & Employment
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.                                                       Employment Law – Management
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.                                                       Labor Law – Management
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.                                                       Litigation – Labor & Employment

The 2014 “Best Law Firms” rankings can be seen in their entirety by visiting bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

Physician may continue personal volunteer pro-life work without fear of University reprimand
 
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – Liberty Institute, on behalf of Dr. Byron C. Calhoun, M.D., a West Virginia University School of Medicine Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Virginia University Hospital’s Charleston Division, successfully resolved a dispute with the University triggered by Dr. Calhoun’s personal volunteer pro-life activities. In August, Dr. Calhoun was threatened with a written, professional reprimand from the University shortly after some of his volunteer work in the pro-life arena received media attention. Dr. Calhoun serves as the national medical advisor for the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates.
Dr. Calhoun, whose volunteer pro-life work is anchored in his religious convictions, turned to Liberty Institute for help. Under the threat of legal action by Liberty Institute, the University backed off, claiming it never officially filed the reprimand against Dr. Calhoun – despite having provided him with a copy.
“The University made the right decision to withdraw its threat of a reprimand,” said Roger Byron, Liberty Institute attorney.  “A government entity must never be allowed to intimidate, threaten or penalize anyone for their religious exercise and related activities. We are pleased that Dr. Calhoun may continue his invaluable volunteer pro-life work without fear of reprisal from WVU.”
The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates trains and provides legal counsel to life-affirming pregnancy resources centers with the aim of developing faith-based resource centers in every community across the nation.
Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches, in our military and throughout the public arena. Liberty’s vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.