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WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Neil Gorsuch is speaking this weekend to the conservative legal group that boosted his Supreme Court candidacy, in a session at a Florida resort that is closed to news coverage. Gorsuch is billed as the banquet speaker Friday at the Florida chapter of the Federalist Society’s annual meeting, which is being held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista. The schedule on the organization’s website notes, “The banquet is closed to press.” Neither the Federalist Society nor the Supreme Court immediately offered any explanation. The two-day meeting also will feature former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as a session billed “The End of Roe v. Wade?” that will be moderated by a federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump. The high court is weighing a major rollback of abortion rights, and could overrule the 1973 Roe decision. The Federalist Society typically allows reporters to cover its meetings. That was the case in 2017, when Gorsuch addressed more than 2,000 people at a black-tie dinner at Washington’s Union Station, seven months after he joined the Supreme Court. Gorsuch’s ascension to the nation’s highest court owes at least in part to his inclusion on a list of possible nominees that the Federalist Society helped compile and that Trump issued during his 2016 campaign for the presidency. Shortly after taking office, Trump nominated Gorsuch for the seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. Republicans who controlled the Senate refused to confirm former President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland. With DeSantis and Gorsuch on the schedule, the meeting features two prominent public figures who have made a point of not wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic. At high court arguments in January, Gorsuch was the only justice who did not wear a mask on the bench. His seatmate, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, has had diabetes since childhood and did not attend arguments in person, although she did not ascribe her absence to Gorsuch’s decision. Disney’s website says, “Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) in all indoor locations, regardless of vaccination status.”

Media barred from Justice Gorsuch talk to Federalist Society at Walt Disney World in Florida

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — A $100 million public safety proposal from Democrats in the Minnesota House that focuses on community partnerships and community policing as essential to violence prevention got its first hearing on Tuesday. The House public safety committee focused on just the first part of the bill: law enforcement partnerships. It allocates $40 million for “innovation in community safety grant program” that would prioritize areas with a combination of low average incomes and the highest rates of violent crime. There would be $10 million each year in the future. Funds could be used for things like community violence interruption, victim services and mental health; this money wouldn’t go to police. Other parts of the bill will be discussed later this week include implementing body cameras in departments without them and money for cops on patrol with beats. “I’m confident that after this process, we will have a package that will provide a public safety framework that responds to this national moment, matches the scale of the challenge before us and will begin to turn the tide of this national crime wave’s impact on Minnesota,” said Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, who authored the legislation. The meeting came just as news broke of a shooting outside a school in Richfield that killed one student and critically wounded another—an example in real-time of how public safety is top of mind for Minnesotans. Republicans and Democrats alike vow to make public safety a priority and acknowledge that crime is a problem that demands attention, making it one of the key issues this session. Patrick Sharkey, a sociology professor at Princeton University, testified before the committee about his study of policing nationwide and consequences of violence, underscoring that it impacts not just victims, but entire communities. He said relying on police as the “primary institution” for public safety can be effective at reducing violence, but can come with a “great cost” and is unfair to law enforcement to take it on alone. He called the package pitched by Frazier as “essential to reducing violence.” “What I find most compelling about this bill is that it represents an investment in a different set of actors to play a more central role in creating strict safe, strong neighborhoods,” Sharkey said. “But it is also an investment in a new style of policing that can build trust and make the police more effective.” Republicans, too, say public safety is their top priority, though their ideas include more funding for police, recruitment and retention incentives and tougher penalties for certain crimes like carjacking. On Wednesday, a proposal to require Senate confirmation for members of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission will get a hearing, after the group stirred controversy for a tabled recommendation that would have eliminated stronger penalties for certain re-offenders. Law enforcement groups express some concerns about parts of the DFL proposal, most of which weren’t discussed Tuesday but will be later this week. “While some aspects of this bill may be acceptable, there are many we cannot support,” said Brian Peters, executive director of the Minnesota Peace and Police Officer Association, in a letter to the committee. “Our focus is, and always will be, to properly support our communities and law enforcement simultaneously.”

House DFL Public Safety Proposal Gets 1st Hearing As Response To Rise In Crime Is Focus At Capitol

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico family says they tried to warn authorities about a mom they say was giving her teenage daughter drugs. They say the 14-year-old died from a fentanyl overdose. Now family members are trying to get custody of her five-year-old brother. Story continues below Crime: Man accused of killing child in crash near River of Lights arrested Money: Should I expect a smaller refund if I got child tax credit checks? New Mexico News Podcast: COVID intensifies backlog in New Mexico’s justice system Weather: Heavy snow expected Tuesday evening through Thursday APD’s Crimes Against Children Unit is investigating the death of Ava Kersey. Her family tells us they’re heartbroken to find out the cause of death was drug-related. “I’m just devastated to know that she was 14 and had her whole life ahead of her and now you know it’s just gone.” Family members tell us 14-year-old Ava Kersey was rushed to the hospital on Jan. 26th after being found unresponsive. She died two days later from a fentanyl overdose. The family believes her mother is responsible. “I know M**** has always been on things like that. I just never thought she was going to show it or give it to her baby.” Family and friends say they had reported the girl’s mother to CYFD multiple times for neglect and allowing the girl access to drugs along with her 5-year-old brother. Ava Kersey’s grandmother Kimberly Maese says, “I don’t understand if they kept getting complaints, they kept getting phone calls, why is that we have to bury my granddaughter before anything gets done about it.” Family members say that back in July the freshman at Sandia High School also called CYFD herself to try and get help, reporting her own mother. “She was telling me that she was trying to stay away from her mother.” Then just a few weeks ago Ava disclosed to family members that she was using drugs. “She was addicted to fentanyl,” her cousin explains. “It still doesn’t make sense to me why she would give it to her. 14 years old… are you serious?” Now the family is pleading with CYFD to help them place her five-year-old brother with his grandparents. “I want people to hear Ava’s story. I want people to actually look into things like that. Even if it’s from friends’ reports, I want CYFD to look into it.” While the family blames Ava’s mother, so far no charges have been filed against the mother. “If it is the way it seems and she’s the one that did this then you know she has to pay the price for it,” says Maese. According to court documents, the five-year-old boy’s grandparents who live out of state filed an emergency petition for guardianship back in September. Those court documents do say that CYFD has been involved with this family, but it doesn’t reveal to what extent. KRQE News 13 reached out to CYFD Monday night to ask how many times they’ve been called, and what they did in response. They did cite child privacy laws that restrict what they can release. That does change when a child dies, but still, they only have to release very limited information and only when their investigation is complete. so at this point, they haven’t provided any answers.

Family speaks out after 14-year-old girl dies from alleged Fentanyl overdose