A lender’s “unconscionable, vexatious and opprobrious” conduct in attempting to foreclose on a Long Island home has prompted a state judge to cancel the mortgage on the property.
IndyMac Bank v. Yano-Horoski, 2005-17926, came before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey A. Spinner as the result of a state law mandating pre-foreclosure settlement conferences between lenders and borrowers of subprime, or high-cost, home loans.
Read more about this foreclosure case...
The state Legislature has passed a bill that will give New York state homeowners and renters more protection during foreclosures.
It will expand the mandatory 90-day pre-foreclosure notice to all types of home loans.
Read more about foreclosure protection...
For heaven’s sake, do something.
That’s the advice the president of the Illinois State Bar Association gives to those who have gotten word – or just suspect – that their home faces foreclosure. Read more about avoiding foreclosure...
The Huffington Post recently spoke with Senator Byron Dorgan, noting that he opposed the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. This law kept investment banks separate from commercial banks. Its repeal opened Pandora’s box, unleashing a financial beast upon the American people.
In an explosive exposé, the newspaper company, McClatchy, reveals that Goldman Sachs colluded with financial rating agencies to pass off risky securitized mortgages as AAA-rated securities. According to McClatchy, these mortgage-backed securities consisted of subprime loans that were presented to foreign investors as being safe. These investments were junk bonds.
There’s one particularly revealing part of the McClatchy exposé:Read more...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/28/about-whether-we-value-one-another
Today President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, legislation that will extend new federal protections to people who are victims of violent crime because of their sex or sexual orientation. It is an update to the federal hate crimes statute that Congress first passed in 1968. For the first time, the law that previously protected people from attacks motivated by race, religion or ethnicity will also protect gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people.
The President will host a reception commemorating the enactment of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the East Room of the White House this evening. This afternoon, before signing the bill, he said:
"...After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are. "I promised Judy Shepard, when she saw me in the Oval Office, that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought so hard for this legislation. And Vicki and Patrick, Kara, everybody who's here, I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help this day -- make this day possible..."
"...After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are.
"I promised Judy Shepard, when she saw me in the Oval Office, that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought so hard for this legislation. And Vicki and Patrick, Kara, everybody who's here, I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help this day -- make this day possible..."
Here’s an excerpt from an editorial in the Washington Post this morning:
PRESIDENT OBAMA is scheduled to sign Wednesday what is being described as the nation's first significant pro-gay rights legislation. Attached to the defense authorization act, the measure would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list of protected classes under the 1969 federal hate-crimes law…The law doesn't outlaw bigotry or "thought crimes." It applies only to "violent acts motivated by" the characteristics of the victim -- acts, not thoughts or speech. But crimes that target someone because of race or sexual orientation are more than offenses against that individual. They can terrorize whole communities.http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/28/about-whether-we-value-one-another
PRESIDENT OBAMA is scheduled to sign Wednesday what is being described as the nation's first significant pro-gay rights legislation. Attached to the defense authorization act, the measure would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list of protected classes under the 1969 federal hate-crimes law…
The law doesn't outlaw bigotry or "thought crimes." It applies only to "violent acts motivated by" the characteristics of the victim -- acts, not thoughts or speech. But crimes that target someone because of race or sexual orientation are more than offenses against that individual. They can terrorize whole communities.
This is the final week of the GreenGov Challenge, and I urge everyone to view some of the remarkable sustainability ideas submitted thus far by government and military employees.
And for those readers who are government or military employees, I urge you to share your suggestions. Though nearly 6,000 have been submitted thus far, that good idea in your mind right now could rewrite the way the Federal government reduces energy use, conserves water, reduces waste, and supports clean technology.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/26/good-ideas-good-people-greengov-challenge-rounds-final-turn-with-nearly-6000-sustain
To view the webcast of President Obama's speech from Kresge Auditorium on October 23, 2009, click on the appropriate link below. Closed Captioning is available only through the Windows Media Video links.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients/
Barack Obama will recognise the accomplishments of actors, activists, athletes and the world's foremost living theoretical physicist today when he awards the presidential medal of freedom to 16 people.
Among recipients of the United States' highest honour for a civilian will be Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge University physicist and mathematician known for his work on black holes; former Irish president and one-time UN human rights commissioner Mary Robinson, and retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Other recipients include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, a leader in global anti-poverty efforts who pioneered providing "microloans" to provide credit to poor people who lack collateral.
Film star Sidney Poitier, civil rights leader the Rev Joseph Lowery and tennis legend Billie Jean King were also among those to receive the medal as well as Democratic senator Edward Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer, and Sandra Day O'Connor, former US supreme court justice.
Kennedy will remain on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, following the death of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, but the senator's spokesman said his children will attend the ceremony and his daughter, Kara, will accept the award on his behalf.
Obama, awarding his first presidential medals, also will make posthumous awards to Jack Kemp of New York, the football quarterback-turned-politician who died in May, and gay rights activist and San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.
The White House has said the individuals were selected for their work as "agents of change".
US president Harry Truman established the medal of Freedom in 1945 to recognise civilians for their efforts during the second world war. John F Kennedy reinstated the medal in 1963 to honour distinguished service.
Other recipients are: Joe Medicine Crow, the last living Plains Indian war chief who fought in the second world war wearing war paint beneath his uniform. Chita Rivera, an actor, singer, dancer and winner of two Tony Awards for Broadway roles. Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G Komen for the Cure, a leading breast cancer grass-roots organisation. Dr Pedro Jose Greer Jr, assistant dean of academic affairs at Florida International University School of Medicine. Dr Janet Davison Rowley, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/12/medal-of-freedom-obama-list
Posted by Katherine Brandon
The President announced today the 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilan honor. The President praised the recipients for breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens: "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."The awards will be presented on August 12. Here is a little bit about this year’s recipients:
See the official release for a little more detail.
Sotomayor Sworn In As Supreme Court Justice (VIDEO)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124973431689116795.html
Sonia Sotomayor has been sworn in as America's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, after a summer of debate over her nomination.
Justice Sotomayor, 55, becomes only the third woman to sit on the court.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Justice-Sonia-Sotomayor/
THURSDAY, JULY 30TH,
2009 Medal of Freedom Recipients
Sotomayor clears committeeBy: Manu Raju July 28, 2009 12:03 PM EST
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court on a sharp party-line vote, handing President Barack Obama a victory and putting the federal judge one step closer to becoming the nation’s first Latina justice. Following a two-hour debate, the vote was 13-6, with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham the lone Republican joining all the committee’s Democrats in support of the nomination. With the GOP vowing not to filibuster the nomination, the Senate is expected to confirm her to the bench as early as next week. And while her nomination is falling largely along party lines, the Judiciary Committee vote marks a much-needed victory for Democrats suffering through weeks of internal rancor over health care. Graham stood alone among Republicans with his support. “This is the first Latina woman in the history of the United States to be selected for the Supreme Court. Now that is a big deal,” Graham said. “I would not have chosen her, but I understand why President Obama did. I gladly give her my vote because I think she meets the qualifications test that was used in [Antonin] Scalia and [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg.” But the nomination failed to win a big bipartisan majority in the Judiciary Committee, instead tracking along the usual party lines that the White House was hoping to avoid. The 13-6 committee vote sets the stage for another partisan battle over the nominee that follows Sotomayor – especially if that pick would change the ideological balance of power on the court. Sotomayor would fill the seat vacated by Justice David Souter, considered to be one of the more liberal members of the court. At Tuesday’s committee vote, Republicans said Sotomayor failed in her four days of testimony to answer questions about several speeches that they said suggest a judicial bias, including her infamous remark that a “wise Latina” could render a better judgment than a white male. At the hearings this month, Sotomayor expressed regret for her statement, and said that her 17-year record as a federal judge proves she puts fidelity to the law above anything else. “Based on her record as a judge and her statements, I am not able to support her nomination,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), top Republican on the committee. “In speech after speech, year after year, Judge Sotomayor set forth a fully formed judicial philosophy that conflicts with American philosophy of blind justice to the law.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who in his six terms in the Senate has voted for every Supreme Court nominee he’s faced, said he examined her entire record “with the more exacting scrutiny appropriate for Supreme Court nominations.” But in criticizing Sotomayor’s testimony, the GOP sought to repudiate Obama’s previous statements that a judge should consider “empathy” in his or her decision-making. In her testimony, Sotomayor said she does not empathize with those appearing before her in court. “This radical empathy standard stands in stark opposition to what most of us understand to be the proper role of the judiciary,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), whose “no” vote against Sotomayor marks the first time he’s voted against a Supreme Court nominee in his 29 years in the Senate.
Democrats said that the GOP was unfairly treating the nominee, whose record senators from both sides have agreed is within the mainstream and who the American Bar Association has said is well qualified to serve on the high court. “It’s interesting to me to hear the comments of those who will not vote for this judge; for me I look at her very differently – I look at her as a most impressive person on a number of different levels,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “She has shown a dedication of the law, this has been tested and tested. ... I find no example of infidelity to the law.” Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), pushed back hard against the Republican opposition. “In her 17 years on the bench there is not one example, let alone a pattern, of her ruling based on bias or prejudice of sympathy,” said Leahy. “She has been true to her oath and faithfully and impartially performed her duties as set forth by the Constitution.” Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) voted for her nomination and called her well qualified. But he criticized the confirmation process, saying that nominees including Sotomayor have increasingly hid their views on a host of critical matters by saying they could not take a position on a matter that could come before the court. “These hearings have become little more than theater,” Feingold said. In his analysis of Sotomayor, Graham said she was well qualified, would not upset the ideological balance of the court and that Obama should have the latitude to choose a Supreme Court nominee. And he said that he wanted to return to the days where senators simply gauged whether to vote for a nominee based on his or her qualifications – not extraneous and political factors. “I do not want to set a standard here that people who are aspiring to be a judge will never have a thought, never take on an unpopular cause,” Graham said, referring to concerns over her speeches and her work with a Puerto Rican advocacy group before she became a judge. “It is OK to advocate a position that is different than we would advocate ourselves.” Sotomayor will pick up a handful of Republican votes on the Senate floor next week, including that of Cuban-American Sen. Mel Martinez. “As an Hispanic-American, it makes me immensely proud that there will be a Hispanic on the Supreme Court,” said Martinez. “That’s not why I decided to support Judge Sotomayor, but it does make me very proud to know that someone of my heritage will be sitting on the Court.” Kathryn McGarr contributed to this story.
© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=106076196383&h=lZlXT&u=iTpqD&ref=mf
Rahm Emanuel's brother, Doctor Zeke, on health care reform - See this link, & click on "watch this program:"
http://www.booktv.org/Program/10145/Healthcare+Guaranteed+A+Simple+Secure+Solution+for+America.aspx
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Judge-Sotomayors-Opening-Statement/
Good Morning,
Yesterday, Judge Sonia Sotomayor made her opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee and moved another step closer to taking a seat on the United States Supreme Court. In case you missed it, watch the video of her opening statement here:
As President, there are few responsibilities more serious or consequential than the naming of a Supreme Court Justice, so I want to take this opportunity to tell you about the qualifications and character that informed my decision to nominate Judge Sotomayor.
Judge Sotomayor's brilliant legal mind is complemented by the practical lessons that can only be learned by applying the law to real world situations.
In the coming days, the hearings will cover an incredible body of work from a judge who has more experience on the federal bench than any incoming Supreme Court Justice in the last 100 years. Judge Sotomayor's professional background spans our judicial system — from her time as a big-city prosecutor and a corporate litigator, to her work as a federal trial judge on the U.S. District Court, and an appellate judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
And then there is Judge Sotomayor's incredible personal story. She grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx — her parents coming to New York from Puerto Rico during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she lost her father, and her mother worked six days a week just to put food on the table. It takes a certain resilience and determination to rise up out of such circumstances, focus, work hard and achieve the American dream.
This character shined through in yesterday's opening statement: Watch the video.
In Judge Sotomayor, our nation will have a Justice who will never forget her humble beginnings, will always apply the rule of law, and will be a protector of the Constitution that made her American dream and the dreams of millions of others possible. As she said so clearly yesterday, Judge Sotomayor's decisions on the bench "have been made not to serve the interests of any one litigant, but always to serve the larger interest of impartial justice."
In anticipation of today's first round of questioning, I hope you'll share this email widely, because Judge Sotomayor's confirmation is something that affects every American. It's important for these hearings to be about Judge Sotomayor's own record and her capacity for the job — not any political back and forth that some in Washington may use to distract you. What members of the Judiciary Committee, and the American people, will see today is a sharp and fearless jurist who does not let powerful interests bully her into breaking from the rule of law.
Thank you, Barack Obama
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee kicked off the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. In her opening statement, Judge Sotomayor pledged a "fidelity to the law:"
Check out the full video of Judge Sotomayor's opening statement here:
Ayer el Comité Judicial del Senado comenzó las audiencias de confirmación para la Jueza Sonia Sotomayor, nominada para la Corte Suprema. En sus declaraciones iniciales, la Jueza Sotomayor prometió ": ser fiel a la ley".
En el último mes, muchos senadores me han preguntado sobre mi filosofía judicial. Es muy simple: ser fiel a la ley. La labor de un juez no es formular leyes sino aplicar las leyes. Y en mi opinión, está claro que mi historial en dos tribunales refleja mi riguroso compromiso con interpretar la Constitución según sus términos; interpretar los estatutos según sus términos y lo que se proponía el Congreso y ceñirme fielmente a los precedentes establecidos por la Corte Suprema y mi Corte de Distrito. En cada caso en los que he participado, he aplicado la ley a los hechos en cuestión.
Vean el video completo de las declaraciones iniciales de la Jueza Sotomayor aqui, con capciones en español:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Las-declaraciones-iniciales-de-la-Jueza-Sotomayor/
www.whitehouse.gov
From Vice-President Joe Biden:
Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin Monday, and that means we're one step closer to getting her on the Supreme Court.Since President Obama nominated her back in May, Judge Sotomayor's brilliance and unique legal qualifications have stood strong against fierce scrutiny. Law enforcement officials have praised her tough-mindedness and experience as a prosecutor and trial judge, and just this week she earned the highest possible rating from the American Bar Association. There's no doubt -- the President picked the right person for the job.Next week, the Senate hearings will once again focus the press on this historic nomination, and those who are desperate to play politics with the President's nominee will see this as their last, best chance. Your support for Judge Sotomayor at this critical step will make a big difference.Visit Organizing for America's online action center where you can write a letter to a local paper, call your senators, and share the facts with friends and neighbors.Judge Sotomayor has earned praise from across the political spectrum. Her vast legal experience and commitment to the rule of law, widely recognized brilliance, and common sense understanding of how the law affects our daily lives makes her an outstanding choice for the Supreme Court.Unfortunately, some people would rather try anything to score political points than debate honestly about the facts. Some people are even trying to say Judge Sotomayor's proud record as a civil rights advocate in the Latino community is evidence of "extremism." Well, there was a time when standing up for the disadvantaged and fighting for equal rights was called extreme -- but now we just call it doing what's right.Now is the critical moment for us to stand up and fight back against these attacks. Together, we'll make our case to the public, the media, and decision makers in the Senate that the Supreme Court needs a strong defender of justice like Sonia Sotomayor.Visit our online action center now, and show your support for this great nominee. The action center has all the tools you need to write a letter to the editor, tell your senators why Judge Sotomayor should be our next Supreme Court Justice, and spread the word to everyone you know. I've been through many confirmation hearings, and believe me, what you say and do right now matters a lot. So please join me in becoming a part of this historic moment for the Court and our country.Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor? I can't wait.Thank you,Vice President Joe Biden www.whitehouse.gov
Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin Monday, and that means we're one step closer to getting her on the Supreme Court.Since President Obama nominated her back in May, Judge Sotomayor's brilliance and unique legal qualifications have stood strong against fierce scrutiny. Law enforcement officials have praised her tough-mindedness and experience as a prosecutor and trial judge, and just this week she earned the highest possible rating from the American Bar Association. There's no doubt -- the President picked the right person for the job.Next week, the Senate hearings will once again focus the press on this historic nomination, and those who are desperate to play politics with the President's nominee will see this as their last, best chance. Your support for Judge Sotomayor at this critical step will make a big difference.Visit Organizing for America's online action center where you can write a letter to a local paper, call your senators, and share the facts with friends and neighbors.Judge Sotomayor has earned praise from across the political spectrum. Her vast legal experience and commitment to the rule of law, widely recognized brilliance, and common sense understanding of how the law affects our daily lives makes her an outstanding choice for the Supreme Court.Unfortunately, some people would rather try anything to score political points than debate honestly about the facts. Some people are even trying to say Judge Sotomayor's proud record as a civil rights advocate in the Latino community is evidence of "extremism." Well, there was a time when standing up for the disadvantaged and fighting for equal rights was called extreme -- but now we just call it doing what's right.Now is the critical moment for us to stand up and fight back against these attacks. Together, we'll make our case to the public, the media, and decision makers in the Senate that the Supreme Court needs a strong defender of justice like Sonia Sotomayor.Visit our online action center now, and show your support for this great nominee. The action center has all the tools you need to write a letter to the editor, tell your senators why Judge Sotomayor should be our next Supreme Court Justice, and spread the word to everyone you know. I've been through many confirmation hearings, and believe me, what you say and do right now matters a lot. So please join me in becoming a part of this historic moment for the Court and our country.Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor? I can't wait.Thank you,Vice President Joe Biden
