Immigration Reform Passed In The Senate!

Bipartisanship works.

The low approved U.S. Senate has passed the immigration reform.

A great move by the Democrats and the very few Republicans who put aside their differences for the sake of those who dream to become leaders. And of course, for the sake of their overwhelmingly White political party.

First they'll claim it's them who are credited for Civil Rights of 1965. Now it's going to be a redo of Republicans claiming credit for Immigration Reform of 2013.

Who gives a crap about the Democrat presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Barack Obama?

I never get enough of those ridiculous Republican commentators saying that if it wasn't for them, things couldn't get done.

No, it's because of the Republicans, nothing isn't getting done.

You have many members of the Senate (i.e. Republicans like Ted Cruz (Texas), Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma), Rand Paul (Kentucky), Rob Portman (Ohio) Mike Lee (Utah), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina)  Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby (Alabama), John Cornyn (Texas) and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) who will rule the day they voted against immigration reform.

These Republicans will doom their party.

Enough about them. This historical bipartisan vote was 68-32 on a measure that sits atop President Barack Obama's second-term domestic agenda. But the bill's prospects are highly uncertain in the Republican-controlled House, where party leaders are jockeying for position in advance of expected action next month.

Republican co-sponsors Senators John McCain (Arizona), Marco Rubio (Florida), Jeff Flake (Arizona) and Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) were joined in voting "yes" with Lamar Alexander (Tennessee), Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire), Jeff Chiesa (New Jersey), Susan Collins (Maine), Bob Corker (Tennessee), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Dean Heller (Nevada), John Hoeven (North Dakota), Mark Kirk (Illinois), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).

Spectators in galleries that overlook the Senate floor watched expectantly as senators voted one by one from their desks. Some onlookers erupted in chants of "Yes, we can" after Vice President Joe Biden announced the vote result.

There is a high influx of African and Asian immigrants.

After three weeks of debate, there was no doubt about the outcome. Fourteen Republicans joined all 52 Democrats and two independents to support the bill.

In a written statement, Obama coupled praise for the Senate's action with a plea for resolve by supporters as the House works on the issue. "Now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this bipartisan effort apart so they can stop commonsense reform from becoming a reality. We cannot let that happen," said the president, who was traveling in Africa.

In the final hours of debate, members of the so-called Gang of 8, the group that drafted the measure, frequently spoke in personal terms while extolling the bill's virtues, rebutting its critics - and appealing to the House members who turn comes next.

A great message.

"Do the right thing for America and for your party," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who said his mother emigrated to the United States from Cuba. "Find common ground. Lean away from the extremes. Opt for reason and govern with us."

Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said those seeking legal status after living in the United States illegally must "pass a background check, make good on any tax liability and pay a fee and a fine." There are other requirements before citizenship can be obtained, he noted.

He, too, spoke from personal experience, recalling time he spent as a youth working alongside family members and "undocumented migrant labor, largely from Mexico, who worked harder than we did under conditions much more difficult than we endured."

A piece of America includes immigrants.

The legislation's chief provisions includes numerous steps to prevent future illegal immigration - some added in a late compromise that swelled Republican support for the bill - and to check on the legal status of job applicants already living in the United States. At the same time, it offers a 13-year path to citizenship to as many as 11 million immigrants now living in the country unlawfully.

Under the deal brokered last week by Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee and the Gang of 8, the measure requires 20,000 new Border Patrol agents, the completion of 700 miles of fencing and deployment of an array of high-tech devices along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Those living in the country illegally could gain legal status while the border security plan was being implemented, but would not be granted permanent resident green cards or citizenship.

A plan requiring businesses to check on the legal status of prospective employees would be phased in over four years.

Senators Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) (center), Mike Lee (R-Utah) (left) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) couldn't muster enough members to filibuster the immigration reform bill.

Other provisions would expand the number of visas available for highly skilled workers relied upon by the technology industry. A separate program would be established for lower-skilled workers, and farm workers would be admitted under a temporary program. In addition, the system of legal immigration that has been in effect for decades would be changed, making family ties less of a factor and elevating the importance of education, job skills and relative youth.

With the details of the Senate bill well-known, House Speaker John Boehner said at a news conference the separate legislation the House considers will have majority support among Republicans. He also said he hopes the bill will be bipartisan, and he encouraged a group of four Democrats and three Republicans trying to forge a compromise to continue their efforts.

He offered no details on how a House bill could be both bipartisan and supported by more than half of his own rank and file, given that most of the bills that have moved through the House Judiciary Committee recently did so on party line votes over the protests of Democrats. None envisions legal status for immigrants now in the country illegally.

Boehner declined to say if there were circumstances under which he could support a pathway to citizenship, but he made clear that securing the border was a priority.

"People have to have confidence that the border is secure before anything else is really going to work. Otherwise, we repeat the mistakes of 1986," he said, referring to the last time Congress overhauled the immigration system.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, also said he favors a bipartisan approach. At the same time, she noted that Democratic principles for immigration include "secure our borders, protect our workers, unite families, a path to legalization and now citizenship for those" without legal status.

Hopeful that the House Republicans get things done. But I doubt it. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio isn't likely going to do any favors for the president or his Republican majority.

They've threaten to usurp him if he compromises with the Democrats.

The Associated Press and Huffington Post contributes to a portion of this article.

Here's a few assholes who continues to slide the Republican Party into the abyss of ignorance.



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Witness: Trayvon Martin Called Shooter A Racial Slur!

The key witness in the trial of idiot accused of killing Trayvon Martin. Rachel Jantel gives a tearful testimony. The racist extremists in the conservative movement are outraged over teen uttering racial slur about idiot after being followed. The teen was unarmed when he was confronted by the idiot. The idiot will face face life in the iron college if they could prove he reckless killed the teen.

"Who is this creepy-ass cracker?" That's the words from the key witness prosecutors wanted on the stand in the trial of that idiot who is facing a second degree murder charge of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

Rachel Jeantel was the last person to talk to Martin when he got into the confrontation with that idiot.

The idiot could get life in the iron college if he's found guilty.

We here at Journal de la Reyna want a fair trial for that idiot. The individual is innocent until proven guilty.

The 19-year old woman was on the phone with Trayvon Martin when she overheard the confrontation between the teen and the idiot. The racist extremists in the conservative movement are already trying to tear apart her testimony by looking into the woman's social networking websites.

These racist extremists believe that the media is taking the side of the victim. Of course, people like That Guy Who Helped Obama Win and That Guy Who Throws Shit To The Wall have maintained the narrative that the idiot was defending himself from a thug who wanted to start trouble. The victim may have had problems in school, smoking weed, and having tattoos and did utter a racial slur about the idiot: But once again, Trayvon Martin didn't have a firearm, that idiot did.

Besides I could say that members from that idiot's family have said racial slurs about Blacks. Just a few months ago, the idiot's brother and father have made some disgusting comments about Black youth.

So what does this testimony have to do with the trial?

The idiot at his trial in the death of unarmed teen.

According to the prosecutors, Jeantel's testimony may unravel that idiot's excuse of self-defense.

While on the phone with Jeantel, the teenager spotted the idiot and told the young woman that he was being followed by that "creepy ass cracker". The woman told the teen to run away from the idiot. I guess what the teen did was try to outmaneuver the idiot through the gated community.

The racist extremists in the conservative movement already assume the victim is at fault.

The junk food media's obsession with Black youth. It's the perception that all Black men are "natural born criminals". That's what that idiot thought. That's what these racist extremists think. They just don't see that the teen was minding his business. They see the victim as a criminal who deserved his untimely fate. They don't see this young teen as one of their own. They're quick to blame President Barack Obama, the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder, Tracey Martin, and Sybrina Fulton for meddling in the affairs.

Instead of working one solving problems, the racist extremists would rather continue on the downward spiral of blame. Blame the victim. Blame the Democratic Party for the problems of Black youth. Blame the president for every crime that occurs in urban America.

Martin's father Tracey wipes tears. His mother Sybrina Fulton is on the left. 

The junk food media already want to make the case about the key witness and not the suspect. Who cares about what she does in the comfort of her home. She wasn't the one with the gun.

Who's the one who carried firearm? The idiot on trial.

This is a tactic from those in the defense. They're so incompetent it's almost likely they'll have a mistrial based on how they've started off with the ridiculous joke and the cross-examination of the young woman.

They asked the woman why she didn't attend the funeral of the victim. The woman was distraught and didn't want to react like most people who see the deceased in a box.

The suspect is the one who had killed the victim. He's on trial, not the witness, not the victim. If the victim was alive, he would have a story to tell. But since he was taken out with a slug to the chest, the young teen can't say well that "Nigga is following me!"

Racist extremists are more concerned with his social networking websites than slug in his chest.

ABC News reports that Jeantel said she told Martin to run but that he responded that he was almost home.

"I say, 'Trayvon,' and then he said, 'Why are you following me for?'" Jeantel testified today. "And then I heard a hard-breathing man come say, 'What you doing around here?' ... And then I was calling, 'Trayvon, Trayvon.' And then I started to hear a little bit of Trayvon saying, 'Get off, get off.'"

At times during her early testimony with the prosecution, Jeantel dabbed away tears, as did Trayvon Martin's father, Tracey Martin.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Don West tried to dig into the chain of events preceding Martin's death. West asked why Jeantel didn't call law enforcement after the phone died.

"I thought he was going to be OK because he was right by his daddy's house, but his daddy was not home," Jeantel said as Martin's father cried in court.

Tracey Martin eventually reached out to Jeantel after looking at his son's phone log, Jeantel said. She added that she expected law enforcement to reach out to her.

But none did, apparently, until the Florida Department of Law Enforcement contacted her much later.

The defense later moved to impeach Jeantel after accusing her of telling lies under oath, including her whereabouts during Martin's wake.

"Under oath, you created a lie and said you went to hospital?" asked West.

"Yes," responded Jeantel.

She said she lied because she didn't want to see the body.

Jeantel became increasingly agitated during the cross-examination and court ended for the day when she scoffed about having to continue testifying Thursday.

Jeantel's testimony followed testimony from the first witness to say she thought she knew who was screaming for help in the fatal altercation.

Jayne Surdyka testifies.

Jayne Surdyka was in her home on the night Trayvon Martin was shot and killed and said she could hear a "loud, dominant" voice 20 to 30 feet from where she was. She said she opened her window and could "see two people on top of the ground and one on top of the other."

She said she could hear a "boy's voice" crying for help.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda then played Surdyka's emotional 911 call as Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, and Surdyka dabbed tears from their eyes.

During cross-examination, Surdyka described the altercation and cries for help as a life-or-death struggle.

"It was, as if nothing else, a plea for mercy?" West asked.

"A plea for someone to save them," Surdyka said.

Mark O'Mara, the idiot's high profile attorney cross exams prosecutors star witnesses.

Zimmerman, who has said he was defending himself, has claimed he was the one screaming that night and that he shot and killed the unarmed teenager after Martin repeatedly banged his head on a concrete sidewalk. Prosecutors suggested it was Martin who was screaming.

But Manalo said she did not know who was punching whom.

The testimony followed a key ruling in the trial by Circuit Judge Debra Nelson to allow jurors to hear several non-emergency calls the former neighborhood watch captain made to police well before the encounter with Martin.

Zimmerman is heard asking during the calls for police to come to his subdivision and check on suspicious strangers, often black. The prosecution argued they should be submitted into evidence because they show his mind-set in the days and months leading up to the shooting.

"The defendant made the calls, he created these tapes, he created these situations. He shouldn't complain," prosecutor Richard Mantei said.

Zimmerman's lead defense attorney said the calls were irrelevant and would confuse jurors, but Nelson overruled his objection today.

Before I go, I have a YouTube page that is currently following the trial. Visit AxiionAmnesia for all the latest updates on this trial.

Deen Dong!

The celebrity is distraught about the situation. But the remorse is a little too late when they're pulling the money out of her cookie pots.

Celebrity agitators are still in shock over chef Paula Deen's awkward and yes tearful apologies for uttering NIGGER to her Black patrons. But so far the damage is done and she's paying for it by the lost of major sponsors.

Just like our friend on talk radio, King Hippo, Deen made herself famous on the theme of reality television and the day to day activities being monitored by the camera. Her mouth got her in trouble and the boycotts towards her business and trademarks are suffering.

It took a White whistleblower to expose the celebrity and her brother for downright sexist, racist and outright ignorant comments towards the president, Blacks, and Hispanics.

The agitators are seeing the free fall of the Southern gourmet chef.

Over 30 sponsors have severed ties with her. The Food Network has fired her and put an abrupt end to her longtime programs.

Some of her most loyal fans are demanding retribution by boycotting the network and attending her restaurants.

Celebrity meets a Black chef.

Is that enough?

I think not.

You start to notice that there's pictures circulating the internet with the celebrity being in the presence of Black entertainers and athletes.

Yeah, many Americans including myself loved Paula Deen. She was the charming and yet outspoken advocate for heavy calorie food. Her key to successful dishes was a stick of margarine (butter).

She had to cut back on that stuff after she was revealed she had Type II diabetes.

She had to make drastic health changes and lost over 50 pounds.

Now Lisa Jackson, a former employee of restaurants owned by Deen and her brother, Earl "Bubba" Hiers, filed a lawsuit alleging racial and sexual discrimination. In a story initially reported by the National Enquirer, Deen stated in her deposition that she has used the "N-word" at times, saying "Yes, of course. But that's just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the '60s in the south."

Deen said she employed the term when telling her husband about an incident “when a black man burst into the bank that I was working at and put a gun to my head. I didn’t feel real favorable towards him,” Deen said of the bank robber."

Pictures circulate with celebrity embracing Black people.

Deen also admitted she was sure that she’d used the word since that incident. Jackson’s attorney responded by asking Deen to explain how the N-word might be used in a “non-mean way.” Specifically, Deen said she probably used the word while repeating a conversation between blacks. She also said that her family, including Hiers, do not discriminate against any race and object to the N word “being used in any cruel or mean behavior.” Deen also described wedding plans for her brother with a "true Southern plantation-style theme". She planned to employ black male servers to represent slaves in the antebellum era, although she denied having used the word "nigger" when discussing the wedding waitstaff.

As a result of the controversy, Food Network announced that it would not renew her contract when it expires at the end of June 2013.

For the same reason, in June 2013, Caesars Casinos, Walmart, Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.

Again, are you forgiving of Paula Deen?

Will you be willing to give her a second chance?

In the age of President Barack Obama, should any White celebrity get a pass if they utters some negative theme to piss off women, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and the LGBT community?

Or should they be scrutinized for it?

Zimmerman Trial! [NSFW]

Big trial for idiot. The idiot is accused murdering unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.

This story contents include images that may appear disturbing. Take discretion in reading this.

The former neighborhood volunteer is on trial for the second degree murder of an unarmed teenager in the gated community near Sanford, Florida.

The legal proceedings start off with the prosecutors delivering the bombshell audio recordings of this idiot's frequency of calls. The vulgar laced phone call describes the suspicious individual (i.e. the victim) as a "fucking punk" and even made the comment that "they always get away!"

Racism spawned by websites like this one.

Could you imagine that the idiot's defense team started off with a joke that fell flat?

We'll here's the story from the Associated Press.

Several times in six months, neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman called police to report suspicious characters in the gated townhouse community where he lived. Each time, when asked, he reported that the suspects were black males.

On Tuesday, the judge at Zimmerman's murder trial in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin listened to those five calls and weighed whether to let the jury hear them, too.

Prosecutors want to use them to bolster their argument that Zimmerman was increasingly frustrated with repeated burglaries and had reached a breaking point the night he shot the unarmed teenager.

A clear picture of shooting victim Trayvon Martin.

The recordings show Zimmerman's "ill will," prosecutor Richard Mantei told Judge Debra Nelson.

"It shows the context in which the defendant sought out his encounter with Trayvon Martin," Mantei said.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara argued that the calls were irrelevant and that nothing matters but the seven or eight minutes before Zimmerman fired the deadly shot into Martin's chest.

The prosecution is "going to ask the jury to make a leap from a good, responsible, citizen behavior to seething behavior," O'Mara said.

The judge did not immediately rule on whether to admit the recordings as evidence.

Prosecutors played the calls with the jurors out of the courtroom at the beginning of a day in which a former Zimmerman neighbor testified about what she saw of the confrontation.

Also, prosecutors presented graphic photos of Martin's body, a police officer described trying to revive Martin as bubbling sounds came from his chest, and a police manager described how she helped Zimmerman set up the neighborhood watch.

In the calls, Zimmerman identifies himself as a neighborhood watch volunteer and recounts that his neighborhood has had a rash of recent break-ins. In one call, he asks that officers respond quickly since the suspects "typically get away quickly."

One shot to the teenager's chest killed him.

In another, he describes suspicious black men hanging around a garage and mentions his neighborhood had a recent garage break-in.

Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder for gunning down Martin as the young man walked from a convenience store. Zimmerman followed him in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after the teenager jumped him and began slamming his head against the concrete sidewalk.

Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has denied the confrontation with the black teenager had anything to do with race, as Martin's family and its supporters have charged.

On Tuesday, Day 2 of testimony, prosecutors called to the stand a former Zimmerman neighbor, Selene Bahadoor, the first witness to say she saw part of the struggle.

She described the sound of movement from left to right outside her townhouse and said she heard what sounded like someone saying, "No" or "Uh."

She said that when she looked out a window she saw arms flailing in the dark. She said she left to turn off a stove and then heard a gunshot. The next time she looked out, she saw a body on the ground, she testified.

In cross-examining her, O'Mara accused Bahadoor of never mentioning the left-to-right movement in previous interviews.

Zimmerman contends he lost track of Martin and was returning to his car when he was attacked. But Bahadoor's testimony appeared to suggest Zimmerman was moving away from his vehicle.

O'Mara later confronted her with a post she made on Facebook in which she "liked" a petition that championed the arrest of Zimmerman following the shooting.

A Sanford police sergeant who was the second officer to arrive on the scene also testified. Sgt. Tony Raimondo said he tried to seal a bullet wound in Martin's chest with a plastic bag and attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Bubbling sounds indicated air was escaping the teen's chest, Raimondo said. Martin was pronounced dead a short time later.

During Raimondo's testimony, prosecutors showed jurors a photo of a dead Martin face-down in the grass, another of Martin's body face up with his eyes slightly open, and a third of the bullet wound. Martin's father, Tracy Martin, walked out of the courtroom during the testimony.

Wendy Dorival, former coordinator of the Sanford Police Department's neighborhood watch program, testified how she had worked with Zimmerman to set up a watch in his neighborhood.

When asked by prosecutor John Guy if neighborhood watch participants should follow or engage with suspicious people, she said no.

"They are the eyes and ears of law enforcement," Dorival said. "They're not supposed to take matters into their own hands."

Similarly, Donald O'Brien, president of Zimmerman's homeowners association, said it was his understanding that neighborhood watch members are supposed to "stay at a safe distance" and "let the police handle it."

But Dorival said she was impressed with Zimmerman's professionalism and dedication to his community.

"He seemed like he really wanted to make changes in his community, to make it better," she said.

O'Mara told CNN on Tuesday night that defense attorney Don West was trying to bring levity to the proceedings when he began his opening statement Monday with a "knock-knock" joke, but that "it probably should have been rethought."

Photo of Martin laying on the grass face down.

Asked about Martin's parents leaving the courtroom at a few difficult moments in the proceedings, O'Mara said he understood, but that both sides need to steer clear of "a maneuver or showboating" that could influence jurors.

O'Mara said he wouldn't make a decision about putting Zimmerman on the stand until seeing more of the state's case.

"In this case, they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt not only that the crime was committed and that it was in fact a crime, but that George didn't do so in self-defense," O'Mara told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "They have to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. If I think that they ever get to that burden, then we might consider whether we have to present any case at all."

BREAKING: SCOTUS Strikes Down DOMA And Prop. 8!

Historical decisions was handed today.

The LGBT community and President Barack Obama can relish in a huge victory. The Supreme Court had handed the conservatives a defeat. Another devastating blow to the right wing extremism. This will be discussed by the usual suspects in the junk food media.

Now you'll hear from our conservative agitating buddies about how this is going down. They'll say that this was an activist court decision. The Supreme Court has been criticized for this decision as well as the striking down of the Voter Rights Act.

Wow, what a monumental decision. The liberal wing of the Supreme Court assisted with Justice Anthony Kennedy, struck down the controversial Defense of Marriage Act, a legislation that devolved marriage between a man and woman.

Again, I throw my hat to those who fought for this victory. They deserve the right to marry and it's not hurting anyone!

The law passed both houses of Congress by large majorities and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. Section 3 of DOMA codified the non-recognition of same-sex marriages for all federal purposes, including insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security survivors' benefits, immigration, and the filing of joint tax returns.

Clinton and key legislators have changed their positions and advocated DOMA's repeal. The Obama administration announced in 2011 that it had determined that section 3 was unconstitutional and, though it would continue to enforce the law, it would no longer defend it in court. In response, the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives instructed the House General Counsel to defend the law in place of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Section 3 of DOMA has been found unconstitutional in eight federal courts, including the First and Second Circuit Court of Appeals, on issues including bankruptcy, public employee benefits, estate taxes, and immigration.[n 1] The U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor, declared Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional on June 26, 2013, "as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.

United States v. Windsor is a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York's decision in Windsor v. United States, which found Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, as it defines the term marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" and spouse as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife".

The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in December 2012 and heard oral arguments on March 27, 2013. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Windsor on June 26, 2013, striking down Section 3 of DOMA and declaring the provision unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.

There are over 30 states that have gay marriage bans. This decision will eventually null and void these bans.

The California Proposition 8 was a ballot measure that allowed citizens to discriminate. It was voted in and placed into a state constitutional amendment after the November 2008 state elections. The measure added a new provision, Section 7.5 of the Declaration of Rights, to the California Constitution, which provides that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

By restricting the recognition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, the proposition effectively overturned the California Supreme Court's ruling of In re Marriage Cases that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The wording of Proposition 8 was precisely the same as that which had been found in Proposition 22, which had passed in 2000 and, as an ordinary statute, had been invalidated by the State Supreme Court in 2008. California's State Constitution put Proposition 8 into immediate effect the day after the election.

The proposition did not affect domestic partnerships in California, nor same-sex marriages performed before November 5, 2008.

Hollingsworth v. Perry is a case before the United States Supreme Court, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. There, a three judge appellate panel held that California's Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to allow only opposite-sex couples to marry, was unconstitutional.

Lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 were filed in state and federal courts nearly immediately after the initiative's passage. In Strauss v. Horton (2009), the California Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 8 was a valid enactment under California law. However, in August 2010, Judge Vaughn Walker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Proposition 8 violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The judgment was stayed pending appeal.

On February 7, 2012, a divided three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision of the district court, though it did so on much narrower grounds than the District Court did.

On June 5, 2012, the Ninth Circuit denied a request for a rehearing en banc.

The proponents of Proposition 8 appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 31, 2012.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case by granting a writ of certiorari on December 7, 2012. Oral arguments were heard on March 26, 2013.

On June 26, 2013, the Court held that the parties who had intervened to defend Proposition 8 (after the state of California declined to defend it) did not have standing. The Supreme Court remanded the case to the Ninth Circuit with instructions that the appeal be dismissed.

The case has long been regarded as a landmark case by supporters of both the plaintiffs and the defense.

The plaintiffs' attorneys, Theodore Olson and David Boies, were listed on the 2010 Time 100 for "their nonpartisan and strong legal approach to challenging Proposition 8".

The Defense of Marriage Act, the law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages legalized by the states, is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday by a 5-4 vote.

"The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. “By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”

Justice Kennedy delivered the court’s opinion, and was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito all filed dissenting opinions. Justice Clarence Thomas joined Scalia's dissent in whole and parts of Alito's opinion.

DOMA, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, prevents same-sex couples whose marriages are recognized by their home state from receiving the hundreds of benefits available to other married couples under federal law. During the Obama administration, the Justice Department initially defended DOMA in court despite the administration’s desire to repeal it. But the Justice Department changed course in early 2011, finding that the law was unconstitutional and declining to defend it any longer. House Republicans have since spent hundreds of thousands of dollars taking over that defense.

Plaintiff Edie Windsor, 84, sued the federal government after the Internal Revenue Service denied her refund request for the $363,000 in federal estate taxes she paid after her spouse, Thea Spyer, died in 2009.

During the March oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, a majority of the court seemed to express doubts about the constitutionality of DOMA. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that supporters of the law seemed to want "two types of marriage," likening same-sex unions to the "skim milk" version of marriage.

The Associated Press and Huffington Post contribute to the remainder.

Another Round For Chris Brown!

On set of his music video. The troubled entertainer is facing the music for an apparent hit-in-run.

Troubled celebrity yet again in the spotlight. The washed up 24 year old celebrity is going to the iron college if they can prove that he's a reckless driver.

Of course, here a no duh answer for ya!

Does Rihanna and Frank Ocean ring a bell?

If he's convicted of a hit-and-run in Los Angeles, he could face up to a year in the iron college.

He currently lives in Los Angeles and the neighbors aren't a big fan of his stewardship.

The entertainer is in Los Angeles County Court. TMZ, the celebrity news agitator reports the L.A. City Attorney has filed 2 criminal charges against Brown, in connection with a minor accident last month where Chris rear-ended a Mercedes and allegedly refused to fork over his driver's license number and gave bogus insurance info and then left the scene.

The City Attorney has charged Chris with hit-and-run -- for leaving the scene without exchanging proper information.  He's also been charged with the crime of driving without a valid license. The crimes are punishable by a maximum of 6 months for each offense.

We've also learned the City Attorney will refer the matter to the L.A. County D.A. for a possible probation violation in the Rihanna beating case.  Worst case scenario -- if the judge in that case concludes Chris broke the law and thereby violated his probation, he could be sentenced to the iron college for 4 years.

Well done, Mr. Brown.

Another temper tantrum moment will put the brakes on your already dismal career.

Chris Brown appears on RCA Records.
Rihanna appears on Def Jam. She is affiliated with Motown Records.

SCOTUS Watch!

Big decision coming from Supreme Court.

Controversial decisions on the Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act are coming.

The LGBT community is patiently waiting on the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The conservative wing of the Supreme Court includes Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clearance Thomas, and Samuel Alito are not approving. The swing resides in Chief Justice Roberts and Kennedy. They are the swing justices.

The liberal wing of the Supreme Court includes Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are likely going to favor the rights of the LGBT community.

President Barack Obama last year came out in favor of gay marriage and there are over 12 states that have legalize gay marriage.

This decision could impact a lot of Americans who love their partners and want to have the rights as straight couple to marry.

Again, gay marriage doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me that two loving people want to celebrate unison of love.

Who are we to stop them?

Wednesday and Thursday will be the day of reckoning for all who fought for the right to marry.

Developments will continue.

SCOTUS Gives Voting Rights The Ax!

Conservative wing of the Supreme Court struck down provision that prevents voter discrimination.

In a major decision, the conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act that advocated for Southern states to be monitored for scheming during elections.

The progressive movement is outraged by the decision. Many figured that the Supreme Court is now acting like a bunch of activists. The 5-4 decision once again proves that each decision made by the court will greatly affect everything.

In Shelby County v. Holder, the United States Supreme Court struck down Section 4(b) of the Act and its formula for requiring preclearance as unconstitutional based on current conditions, saying it was rational and needed at the time it was enacted but is no longer necessary, notwithstanding the fact that Congress had nearly-unanimously reauthorized the Act in 2006. Preclearance itself was not struck down, but has no effect unless Congress passes a new formula.

That portion of the Act in question was designed to prevent discrimination in voting by requiring all state and local governments with a history of voting discrimination to get approval from the federal government before making any changes to their voting laws or procedures, no matter how small. In an opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts that was joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito, the Court did not invalidate the principle that preclearance can be required.

Petitioner Shelby County, in the covered jurisdiction of Alabama, sued Attorney Genera Eric Holder in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C, seeking a declaratory judgment that sections 4(b) and 5 are facially unconstitutional, as well as a permanent injunction against their enforcement. The District Court upheld the Act, finding that the evidence before Congress in 2006 was sufficient to justify reauthorizing §5 and continuing §4(b)'s coverage formula. The D. C. Circuit affirmed. After surveying the evidence in the record, that court accepted Congress’s conclusion that §2 litigation remained inadequate in the covered jurisdictions to protect the rights of minority voters, that §5 was therefore still necessary, and that the coverage formula continued to pass constitutional muster.

BREAKING: Nelson Mandela Gravely Ill!

Former South African president Nelson Mandela health has taken a toll for the worse.

The former South African president and ambassador of peace in the last African nation occupied by White rule is gravely ill and the nation is preparing for his departure.

Nelson Mandela, age 94 is suffering from a lung infection that is considered severe. He was admitted to a Pretoria Hospital after it became apparent that treatments aren't working.

We here at Journal de la Reyna will continue to follow this story.

Embarrassing Pictures Force Woman To Sue Former School!

Chelsea Chaney is suing her former high school after a picture of her turned up on public websites.

Since this is an issue of what you post on the social networks, we will clearly explain this story.

Even though this has nothing to do with him, Snoop Dogg (or known as Snoop Lion) continues to be in the news. This controversy once again shows that whatever you post on the internet is there "FOREVER".

I've learned this. And hopefully she'll learn this.

At least on this message she will now make sure that everything posted stays just simple. She will keep her posting on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube smaller and it may drive her away from them.

I've done it. Millions of others have too.

A woman from Georgia is suing her former high school after it was revealed that some of her pictures on the social network Facebook were turning up on the school's rules of the media policy website.

She wants $2 million in damages for the embarrassing photo being seen. She is standing near a cuttout poster of Snoop Lion. She is wearing a scantly clad bikini.

The Daily Nothing has covered this. Of course I am guessing they were hoping that Big Snoop would have some role in this so they could blame President Barack Obama for this. They reporting that Chelsea Chaney, who is now a freshman at the University of Georgia, said the photo was taken on a family vacation when she was 17 years old. She took the picture sometime ago.

Chaney posted the photo on her Facebook page, believing that only people she had accepted as Facebook friends (and, of course, their friends) would be able to see it.

The director of technology at Starr’s Mill High School then decided to show the image during a well-attended district-wide seminar focused on the long-term dangers of social media.

In the seminar, which allegedly occurred when Chaney was a student at the school and a minor, the caption of Chaney’s bikini-clad photo was allegedly: “Once it’s there, it’s there to stay.”

“I was embarrassed. I was horrified,” Chaney told a WSB-TV reporter. “It never crossed my mind that it would ever — that this would ever happen to me.”

The school official allegedly failed to obtain — or, apparently, even try to obtain — Chaney’s or her parents’ permission.

The unnamed school official did later apologize, in writing, explaining that the image had been “randomly chosen.”

Chaney did not accept the apology. She also remains skeptical of the motive.

“I just don’t think it was random,” she said. “It wasn’t my main picture. You had to go looking through it.”

Pete Wellborn, an attorney now representing Chaney and her family, told the ABC affiliate that he has filed a lawsuit on her behalf for $2 million, alleging that the school district violated federal law, state law and Chaney’s constitutional rights.

Wellborn maintains that a person does not cede rights to others by posting images on Internet sites such as Facebook.

“Their idea that putting something on Facebook gives them a license to steal it and carte blanche to do with it what they did is wrong ethically, it’s wrong morally and it’s absolutely wrong legally,” the attorney argued.

“I just don’t want this to happen to another student,” Chaney added, according to the station.

The school district denied legal liability but otherwise declined to comment on the litigation.

Snoop Dogg appears on Doggystyle Records/RCA Records.

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Lil' Snupe Passes Away!

Teenage rapper Lil' Snupe was gunned down. Many in the entertainment industry are expressing condolences to the rapper. Meek Mill and Rick Ross are devastated over the lost.

We here at Journal de la Reyna express our condolences to family of Lil' Snupe.

Okay, the internet is buzzing about an inspired rapper named Lil' Snupe. The 18-year old rapper was tragically gunned down in Louisiana. Many in the entertainment industry are expressing their condolences to the rapper.

MTV News reports that less than 48 hours after Lil' Snupe was shot and killed, authorities have identified a suspect in the death of the Meek Mill protégé.

According to a statement released to MTV News by Louisiana's Winnfield City Police Department on Friday (June 21), warrants have been issued for the arrest of 36-year old Winnfield resident Tony Holden.

The convicted felon stands 5'8" and weighs approximately 215 pounds, according to police records, and has black hair and brown eyes.

Police officials are asking that anyone with knowledge of Holden's whereabouts to contact the Winnfield Police Department immediately at 318-628-3511.

"Holden has not been located at this time and is considered armed and dangerous," the police department told MTV news in a statement, accompanied by a color photograph of the accused.

The WPD's investigation revealed that the shooting death of Lil' Snupe (born Addarren Ross) at the Maplewood Apartments at 1901 South Jones Street in Winnfield, Louisiana, was the result of an altercation that erupted during a private video-game session a friend's apartment. The R.N.I.C. (Real Nigga In Charge) MC was in town visiting from Jonesboro when he was fatally shot twice in the torso.

The 18-year old rapper was signed to Meek Mill's Dream Chasers record label on the spot late last year after the two met during the MMG (Maybach Music Group) rapper's Grambling State University tour stop. After hearing Snupe's demo, the Dreams & Nightmares spitter knew that he had to sign the upstart lyricist and guide him away from the streets.

"He was spittin' so much pain, he's from the south with a flow like an East Coast guy," Meek told MTV News back in February during NBA All Star weekend. "Like with that bounce flow, all over the place, he really can spit, and he was talking that talk that I can really relate to. I seen potential in him."

The "Nobody Does It Better" spitter was poised to become one of the most sought-after new artists in hip-hop with weighty co-signs from the likes of Rick Ross, who wanted the young upstart to contribute a few bars to Maybach Music's new compilation LP, Self Made, Vol. 3 and "Take Over" collaborator DJ Khaled.

We do not endorse or condone this behavior of the young rapper. We do respect his talents and ability to use his given. This young entertainer would of had a future. How could a callous individual take such a young life.

You notice that in Black America, our society is stuck in the cultural ills that the junk food media paints us out to be! They paint young Black teens as "natural born criminals" and "violent".

It's not fair, but that's the perception by Whites and even some Blacks.

Trayvon Martin was killed by a reckless fool. They painted Martin as the thug and that fool as the hero. The junk food media always painted the victim as the aggressor. Look at how they've handled the Stuebenville case in which the girl was painted as a slut.

Meek Mill appears on Maybach Music Group/Atlantic Records. He is affiliated with Dream Chasers Records.

Rick Ross appears on Def Jam. He is affiliated with Maybach Music Group.

Lil' Snupe appears on Dream Chasers Records.

Loserville Defends Controversial Talker Bill Cunningham!

Controversial talk radio/talk show host Bill Cunningham runs afoul with "phony" liberal agitator Tamara Holder.

The fake liberal Tamara Holder got into a heated confrontation with conservative agitator Bill Cunningham on That Guy Who Helped Obama Win show a couple of days ago.

Cunningham told Holder to shut up and know her place.

Now Loserville is discussing how to be a little more civil in discussion.

Unfortunately Chief Roger can't stomach a network that's civil. The chief loves constant agitation. He's built his fortune on the formula of his boss Rupert Murdoch.

Cunningham is a controversial talk radio and reality television host. He's based out of Cincinnati. He often on his weekday program on WLW 700 AM talking about issues in the city and on the Sunday show, he looks at That Guy Who Throws Shit To The Wall's website to get his daily talking points. During the days off, he heads off to Greenwich, Connecticut to film his daily talk show that deals with issues he complains about on radio. He has a syndicated show on The CW network.

Cunningham is good friends with That Guy and King Hippo. They each respect each other and have a strong dislike for President Barack Obama.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) had to distance himself from Cunningham after the agitator made reference to Barack Obama's middle name being Hussein. The reason was to paint the president as a Muslim and dictator.

Cunningham, Holder and That Guy are frequently attacking the president over petty nonsense.

Again, Loserville finds controversy where there is none. Look at the IRS scandal for example. A bunch of poor uninformed citizens defend billionaires and corporations. Because the Tea Party groups aren't grassroots organizations, they are businesses masquerading as political organizations.