The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit yesterday to block North Carolina’s new voter suppression law that would disenfranchise more than 300,000 voters, mostly African American, young people and seniors. In a press conference, Attorney General Eric Holder said the law passed by the Republican-dominated legislature and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory (R) in August was a deliberate attempt to exclude voters of color. 

While working families, civil rights groups and people from all over gathered in cities across the United States yesterday to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, AFL-CIO affiliate unions, constituency groups and allies also expressed their shock over the verdict. 

AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in the fight for justice, it's time to stand our ground.

Sending a strong signal that voter suppression efforts won't be tolerated, the Justice Department sent a letter Thursday evening to Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner demanding the state cease purging its voting rolls because its process has not been cleared under the Voting Rights Act, according to Talking Points Memo (TPM), which broke the story.