This article by Jim Saunders was published in the Orlando Weekly on July 29th, 2019. State governments don't just stop at preempting gun laws. For instance, back in 2014, the citizens of Denton, Texas banned hydraulic fracturing within its city limits. Months later the State of Texas stepped in and overruled the local law with [...]
Tactics to keep duly-qualified citizen ballot measures off local ballots raise constitutional concerns in Ohio and Washington. This press release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on July 22, 2019. MERCERSBURG, PA: Residents petitioning for municipal laws to expand human, civil, and ecosystem rights, while governing corporate activities, are facing administrative run-arounds, legal [...]
Following a Daily Show profile of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, the Ohio legislature has agreed on a new state budget that bans Rights of Nature enforcement. This media release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on July 18th, 2019. COLUMBUS, OH: Yesterday, the Ohio Senate and House agreed on a new state budget [...]
This article by Amy Oberlin appeared on the kpcNews website on July 14th, 2019. BRYAN, Ohio — A Williams County, Ohio citizens’ charter initiative to establish home role is running up against road blocks and deadlines. Monday, the Williams County Board of Elections deemed the charter — signed by 2,534 Ohio residents — unconstitutional. Tish [...]
Board of Elections refuses to certify signatures, deems county charter unconstitutional The media release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on July 11th, 2019. BRYAN, OH: On Monday, the Williams County Board of Elections (BOE) attempted to block a proposed county charter initiative brought forward by residents seeking to protect the Michindoh Aquifer [...]
Revolution and Counterrevolution: The People vs. the Federalists A blog post by Ben Price of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund published on July 3rd, 2019. Fourth of July celebrations commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, not the U.S. Constitution of 1789. We should be thankful for that. The wealthy Federalists who overturned [...]
A pending state ban on Rights of Nature. Anonymous legislators. A lawsuit to enforce the lake’s rights. A new county petition… This press release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on July 1st, 2019. COLUMBUS, OH: The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) made history when 61 percent of Toledo, Ohio, voters approved [...]
Both the House and Senate have approved language to ban Rights of Nature enforcement. A press release published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on June 27th, 2019. COLUMBUS, OH: This Sunday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is scheduled to sign off on a new state budget for 2020-2021. Hidden within the 3,000+ page document are [...]
This press release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on June 27th, 2019. Today, citizens of Toledo, Ohio will be filing a Pro Se Complaint to validate the Lake Erie Bill of Rights at the Lucas County Courthouse, 10 a.m. As citizens of the City of Toledo, Michael Ferner, Bryan Twitchell, and [...]
Reflections on Community Rights from Rural America is a monthly column by CR activist and organizer Curt Hubatch. Curt is an unschooling father of two young children and one young adult. Currently he works as a substitute rural letter carrier for the USPS. He lives in a cordwood house that he built with his wife, [...]
