Afternoon Briefs: New charges filed in George Floyd case; state chief justice decries court system bias
Protesters march in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody last week. Image from Shutterstock.com.
Officer faces increased charge in George Floyd case; others also charged
Prosecutors have added an upgraded charge against the Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd by pressing his knee into his neck. Derek Chauvin was previously charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He now faces a charge of second-degree murder, court documents show. Three other officers at the scene will be charged with aiding and abetting a second-degree murder, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. (The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the amended complaint)
North Carolina chief justice says biases still plague court system
The first black female chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court is calling for the judicial system to recognize protesters’ message “even when we are saddened by the way it is delivered.” In a livestreamed news conference Tuesday, Chief Justice Cheri Beasley said the courts can be part of the problem. “In our courts, African-Americans are more harshly treated, more severely punished and more likely to be presumed guilty,” she said. (The News & Observer via How Appealing, the Winston-Salem Journal)
Alabama AG sues mayor over removal of Confederate monument
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit Tuesday that claims that the city of Birmingham, Alabama violated state law for removing a Confederate monument from a city park. Marshall says the removal violates the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act, which protects monuments that are located on public property for 40 years or more. (AL.com, NBC News, Marshall’s press release, the lawsuit)
Publishers sue Internet Archive over free electronic books
Four publishers have sued the Internet Archive for copyright infringement for offering scanned, electronic books in a “National Emergency Library” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plaintiffs are the Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley & Sons Inc. and Penguin Random House. (The New York Times, the Associated Press)
Judge tosses suit claiming Fortnite copied dance moves
U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm has dismissed a lawsuit that accuses the makers of the Fortnite video game of misappropriating the identities of two basketball players by copying their dance moves. Former University of Maryland players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley had alleged invasion of privacy, unfair competition, unjust enrichment, trademark violations and false designation of origin. Grimm said the common law claims by were preempted by the Copyright Act, and the trademark claims failed to allege a trademark. (The Associated Press)
