Feds to appeal ruling that dismissed female genital mutilation charges in Michigan

posted by Christopher W Holton Federal prosecutors say they’ll ask an appeals court to reinstate genital mutilation charges thrown out by a Detroit federal judge. https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/20/feds-to-appeal-ruling-that-dismissed-female-genital-mutilation-charges-in-michigan/

Continue reading

Richard Kirk: Does the Commerce Clause Protect Female Genital Mutilation?

Three weeks ago U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman declared that the twenty-two-year-old federal law banning female genital mutilation was unconstitutional.  This ruling took Dr. Jumana Nagarwala and seven others off the legal hook for allegedly “circumcising” the genitals of nine girls from Michigan and two adjacent states, girls who were…

Continue reading

Congressional Law Fails to Reach Female Genital Mutilation

posted by Christopher W. Holton by Phyllis Chesler https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2018/12/05/congressional-law-fails-to-reach-female-genital-mutilation/ On November 20, 2018, the United States District Court in Michigan ruled that the federal law which criminalized Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) more than twenty years ago is “unconstitutional”, and cannot be used to prosecute the doctors and mothers of the very…

Continue reading

Gov. Snyder signs legislation to lay framework for prior felons to gain employment with MDOC

LANSING, Mich. (WLUC) – A framework to allow individuals with a prior felony conviction to pursue employment at the Michigan Department of Corrections will be created under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Rick Snyder. Creating opportunities for previous offenders to have successful reentry into society was one of the key priorities…

Continue reading

House OKs bill to raise federal penalty for genital mutilation

In a bipartisan show of support, a proposed law to increase the federal penalty for female genital mutilation was passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 5. Sponsored by Rep. Dave Trott, a Republican from Birmingham, the Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act establishes a maximum 15-year prison…

Continue reading

House increases penalty for female genital mutilation

Washington — The U.S. House on Tuesday unanimously approved a bipartisan bill sponsored by Michigan Rep. Dave Trott that would increase the maximum federal penalty for female genital mutilation from five years in prison to 15 years. The vote was 409-0. Trott, R-Birmingham, said he was moved to introduce the legislation…

Continue reading

Senate passes Rep. Peter Lucido’s bill to protect children from mutilation

LANSING, Mich. – State senators unanimously approved Rep. Peter Lucido‘s legislation allowing the termination of parental rights for anyone who forces their child to undergo female genital mutilation. According to Lucido’s office, the legislation was inspired by a February incident where two young girls from Minnesota were subjected to the procedure at a Livonia clinic.…

Continue reading

Doctor in genital cutting case freed on a $4.5M bond

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, the lead defendant in an historic genital cutting trial, was freed Tuesday on a $4.5 million bond, secured by generous friends. After seven months in jail, a doctor charged with cutting the genitals of numerous minor girls as part of a religious tradition was freed Tuesday after16 ofher friends offered…

Continue reading