Another day, another lawsuit
Thursday, May 27, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
A conservative media outlet filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Mayor Lori Lightfoot over her decision this month to grant interviews only to reporters of color to mark her two-year anniversary in office.
Judicial Watch, another conservative organization, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Daily Caller News Foundation and reporter Thomas Catenacci, who covers labor, the economy and politics.
Lightfoot announced last week that she would only grant interview requests from reporters of color “on the occasion of the two-year anniversary” of her inauguration. The Daily Caller’s lawsuit wrongly suggests Lightfoot had announced an ongoing policy.
The complaint alleges that Lightfoot has since granted at least one interview request from a self-identified Latino reporter but denied or failed to respond to interview requests from white reporters, including Catenacci.
Catenacci sought an interview with Lightfoot on May 20 to ask how her administration would encourage more people to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the complaint. It alleges that Catenacci sent follow-up emails May 21 and again last Monday, but Lightfoot’s office did not respond.
I’d have to ban myself from my own blog if I told you what I think of this.
* Meanwhile…
Attorneys for the Geneva-based restaurant suing the governor over his COVID-19 orders barring indoor dining last year say their case is very much alive despite the Illinois Supreme Court rejecting a direct appeal motion.
“FoxFire is disappointed, but not surprised, by the [Illinois] Supreme Court’s denial of Leave of Appeal,” FoxFire attorney Kevin Nelson of the firm Myers, Earl, Nelson said Thursday morning.
The Illinois Supreme Court rejected the leave of appeal request Wednesday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration responded to the Illinois Supreme Court’s appeal denial through a political blog saying “the Governor is pleased the court rejected this request and sided with upholding Governor Pritzker’s ability to follow the science and protect the citizens of Illinois.”
Nelson said their case against the governor saying his orders were arbitrary and capricious is “still very much alive at the Trial Court level, and furthermore, we fully expect the Supreme Court take up the case of such importance – however, it turns out – once it is ultimately decided on the merits.”
- Nick - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 4:33 pm:
Ah judicial watch, of course
- Demoralized - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 4:34 pm:
I wasn’t aware that there was a guaranteed right for a reporter to be granted a one on one interview with someone.
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 4:36 pm:
Oh!…the poor white folks…call the waambulance.
- Anon III - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 4:42 pm:
=== “Lightfoot announced last week that she would only grant interview requests from reporters of color …” ===
Well, yes. Isn’t that identity journalism.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 4:49 pm:
“Coverage vs. Access”
Two different things.
Lightfoot went an odd way to make a point, but…
- Tony S - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 5:02 pm:
FoxFire must be flush with cash to be able to keep paying these attorneys. I assume that means they kept bringing in customers despite those pesky masks? Subquestion: isn’t the point of the lawsuit just about moot by now anyway?
- Annonin' - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 5:06 pm:
Seems like a clear pr stunt suit by the whack jobs…and it work. Next step? Issue fundraising appeal using story from the highly respected Capitol Fax blog and Sun Times….bingo bucks pour in
- low level - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 5:08 pm:
A reporter has some kind of constitutional right to interview someone? These strict constructionists are something.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 5:09 pm:
Really miss the days when the far right was staunchly opposed to frivolous litigation. Now it seems like their bread and butter.
- Levois J - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 5:12 pm:
Well someone is trying to open a door. What will become of this lawsuit?
- ArchPundit - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 5:31 pm:
===FoxFire must be flush with cash to be able to keep paying these attorneys. I assume that means they kept bringing in customers despite those pesky masks?
These lawsuits are likely being paid for by conservative foundations. Two of the named partners went to Liberty and Regent for Law School.
- Commonsesne - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 6:39 pm:
Can you imagine the uproar if say, JB Pritzker stated he would only allow whites to interview him? How is she allowed to literally ban a sector of journalists based on the color of their skin and be completely blatant should not be acceptable.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 6:50 pm:
=== How is she allowed to literally ban a sector of journalists based on the color of their skin…===
She can choose to speak with, or not speak with, anyone she pleases. I know you know this already, and you choose not to care, but she was making a larger point about the need for greater diversity in newsrooms. Clearly you don’t think that’s a problem worth highlighting. Other disagree.
There are victims here and no villains. But this definitely struck a chord with a lot of folks who tend to vote for Republicans. Ask yourself why this has become such a national story. Who is benefitting from this? Who is fundraising off of this?
Judicial Watch is suing and raising money on this and you’re egging them on. It’s like political anniversary interviews are some sort of official duty or something that only applies when it’s a person of color. It’s not like she’s removing other reporters from the press pool.
This is a non story that’s taken on a life of its own because she handled it poorly and there are a lot of racists who are feigning outrage over it.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 6:51 pm:
*others*
*no victims, no villains*
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:12 pm:
===Can you imagine the uproar if say, JB Pritzker stated he would only allow whites to interview him?===
Are you such a racist that you cannot see the gigantic hole in your idiotic rant? The reason she did this *for one day* was to highlight how few people of color there are in the Chicago political press corps. Harold Washington used to point out that fact all the time back in the day. Things haven’t changed nearly enough in the city’s news bureaus.
Now go crawl back in your hole.