Close Menu
World Forbes – Business, Tech, AI & Global Insights
  • Home
  • AI
  • Billionaires
  • Business
  • Cybersecurity
  • Education
    • Innovation
  • Money
  • Small Business
  • Sports
  • Trump
What's Hot

Healthy workday snacks include a smart mix of energy-boosters

July 10, 2025

Americans see child care costs as ‘major problem,’ AP-NORC poll finds

July 10, 2025

Jane Birkin’s original Hermès bag is up for auction

July 10, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Trending
  • Healthy workday snacks include a smart mix of energy-boosters
  • Americans see child care costs as ‘major problem,’ AP-NORC poll finds
  • Jane Birkin’s original Hermès bag is up for auction
  • Hindu music singer inaugurates project to spread yoga in Brazil’s favelas
  • Billionaire Immigrants From Iran, Cuba, Pakistan And Israel Discuss Current Climate
  • Franck Sorbier fuses Andean splendor with Parisian pageantry
  • The 5 best vehicles for campers, according to Edmunds
  • Trump’s big bill cuts Medicaid, SNAP: How it could affect babies
World Forbes – Business, Tech, AI & Global InsightsWorld Forbes – Business, Tech, AI & Global Insights
Thursday, July 10
  • Home
  • AI
  • Billionaires
  • Business
  • Cybersecurity
  • Education
    • Innovation
  • Money
  • Small Business
  • Sports
  • Trump
World Forbes – Business, Tech, AI & Global Insights
Home » Head of NAACP disinvited from speaking to Texas state bar over suit against Trump administration
Education

Head of NAACP disinvited from speaking to Texas state bar over suit against Trump administration

adminBy adminApril 23, 2025No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Telegram Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Post Views: 93


HOUSTON (AP) — The State Bar of Texas rescinded a speaking invitation to the NAACP’s president after the civil rights group challenged the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Education Department, citing new rules over speaking topics the bar says could be deemed political.

Derrick Johnson, the NAACP’s president and CEO, had been set to speak during the state bar’s annual meeting in June in San Antonio. He said Wednesday he was shocked his invitation to speak was taken away.

“They have decided to censure free speech on notions of being political when it’s not political,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “This is the State Bar of Texas. These are lawyers who are sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States. And nothing about our actions is contrary to the very principles that they have sworn to uphold. And so, I find it ironic to say the least that a lawsuit would generate a rescission of the invitation.”

Johnson was set to speak on the Juneteenth holiday, which marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free.

At issue is a lawsuit the NAACP and other civil rights and education groups filed in March against President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department. The lawsuit argues the administration’s cuts will hobble mandated functions like protecting students from discrimination or funding educational programs.

Trey Apffel, the executive director of the state bar, said his organization rescinded the speaking invitation because the NAACP’s lawsuit violated state bar rules that call for it to be politically neutral. He said the bar had been unaware of the lawsuit until learning about it in the press.

The bar is required by law, including a November 2023 ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, to limit what information it can communicate to issues related to the practice of law.

The bar, which regulates the legal profession in Texas, is also mandated by the Texas Supreme Court, which has administrative control over the group, to stay clear of anything “even having the perception of being political or ideological,” Apffel said.

The bar views the NAACP’s lawsuit as “political because it is taking on the federal government on an executive order of the president,” Apffel said.

Johnson said he disagrees with Apffel’s view of the lawsuit.

“It is a case questioning whether or not there is constitutional authority for the president to take a certain action. That’s not political. That’s the job of lawyers. That is the job of the NAACP,” Johnson said.

During a phone call in February with Apffel and other state bar leaders, Johnson said, he was asked to not make his speech political in any way and he agreed.

In a letter sent to Apffel and the bar earlier Wednesday, Johnson said there was a “glaring inconsistency” in the group’s decision to rescind his invitation but to allow former U.S. Attorney General William Barr to speak at the 2023 annual meeting.

The bar was criticized by some of its members for inviting Barr to speak, citing his actions during the first Trump administration, including authorizing federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue allegations of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election had been certified despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

Apffel said when Barr spoke in 2023 he was a former officeholder “whose role as the attorney general and thoughts on legal matters, both pro- and anti-Trump, were relevant to a legal audience.”

In a column written before Barr’s appearance, Laura Gibson, a former president of the state bar, defended the decision to have Barr speak.

“It is easy to defend the rights of speakers we agree with, but it is essential to the rule of law that we also defend the rights of speakers with whom we disagree,” Gibson said. “In these polarized times, it seems we’re in danger of losing that. As lawyers, we should be in the forefront of protecting unpopular or controversial speech.”

With tighter restrictions in place today by the bar on what can be said, Barr would not have been allowed to speak, Apffel said.

“I have great respect for Derrick Johnson and his position as president of the NAACP,” Apffel said. “And I have great respect for the NAACP and what they do and what they stand for.”

He said Johnson’s replacement, former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, who is Black, will speak on the significance of Juneteenth.

“We are in an intersection point in our democracy,” Johnson said. “Are we going to uphold the Constitution and ensure that this speech is something that we value, or are we going to take a different approach?”

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70





Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
admin
  • Website

Related Posts

What to know as Trump administration targets tuition breaks for students without legal status

June 5, 2025

New York won’t rescind Native American mascot ban despite Trump threat

June 5, 2025

Foreign students accepted to Harvard in limbo under Trump ban

June 5, 2025

International student enrollment becomes a liability for Ivy League colleges

June 5, 2025

Teacher in Nigeria loses dozens of relatives and pupils in devastating floods

June 5, 2025

Trump moves to block US entry for Harvard-bound foreigners

June 4, 2025
Add A Comment
Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Don't Miss
Billionaires

Billionaire Immigrants From Iran, Cuba, Pakistan And Israel Discuss Current Climate

July 10, 2025

Not all of the record 125 American immigrants on Forbes’ ranking of the world’s wealthiest…

Mamdani Doesn’t Think We Should Have Billionaires. Here’s Why That Will Never Happen.

July 8, 2025

How The Blake Lively Saga Led A Billionaire To Shut Down His Foundation

July 7, 2025

This Florida Homebuilding Billionaire Doesn’t Own Any Stocks Or Bonds

July 5, 2025
Our Picks

Healthy workday snacks include a smart mix of energy-boosters

July 10, 2025

Americans see child care costs as ‘major problem,’ AP-NORC poll finds

July 10, 2025

Jane Birkin’s original Hermès bag is up for auction

July 10, 2025

Hindu music singer inaugurates project to spread yoga in Brazil’s favelas

July 10, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

About Us
About Us

Welcome to World-Forbes.com
At World-Forbes.com, we bring you the latest insights, trends, and analysis across various industries, empowering our readers with valuable knowledge. Our platform is dedicated to covering a wide range of topics, including sports, small business, business, technology, AI, cybersecurity, and lifestyle.

Our Picks

After Klarna, Zoom’s CEO also uses an AI avatar on quarterly call

May 23, 2025

Anthropic CEO claims AI models hallucinate less than humans

May 22, 2025

Anthropic’s latest flagship AI sure seems to love using the ‘cyclone’ emoji

May 22, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • DMCA Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
© 2025 world-forbes. Designed by world-forbes.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.