Political Pulse is a weekly column with the goal of giving objective, to-the-point information to readers on current political events.
Sports and politics collide in #SaveTheCrew movement
Ohio Attorney General and Republican candidate for governor Mike DeWine joined the City of Columbus in suing Major League Soccer and Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt this week over the proposed team move to Austin, Texas.
The lawsuit is based on the “Art Modell Law,” which was passed in Ohio after the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore under the direction of former owner Art Modell in 1996.
The law was meant to protect cities who use tax money to support sports teams.
“An owner must have permission from the locality to move or give six months’ notice and a chance for the city or local investors to buy the team,” the law states.
Precourt and the MLS issued a joint statement in response outlining their chagrin at the lawsuit.
“Precourt Sports Ventures and Major League Soccer are disappointed that the Ohio Attorney General and the City of Columbus have chosen to commence litigation rather than encouraging public officials in Columbus to engage in constructive discussions about the future of Columbus Crew SC,” the statement reads.
Furthermore, the statement challenged the basis of the lawsuit and the interpretation of the law.
Department of Justice sues the state of California
In a continuation of his policy to take on so-called sanctuary cities, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a lawsuit Wednesday against the entire state of California related to its immigration policies.
The Department of Justice lawsuit against the state argues federal laws supersede state laws, and in his press conference Wednesday in Sacramento, Sessions said the state should be ashamed of its direct opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
“I’m afraid this is an embarrassment to the proud state of California,” Sessions said in the press conference.
Sessions in particular singled out Libby Schaaf, the mayor of Oakland, for her role in warning an immigrant community of an impending Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid.
Sessions said, “So here’s my message to Mayor Schaaf,” to Mayor Schaaf: “How dare you, how dare you needlessly endanger the lives of our law enforcement officers to promote a radical open borders agenda?”
California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, responded to Sessions in an appearance with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in Sacramento shortly after Sessions’s own appearance.
“This is basically going to war with the State of California,” Brown said.
Legal battles are a long process so it is anyone’s guess as to where this confrontation is headed, but Sessions made it clear there was an issue between the two entities.
“California, we have a problem. A series of actions and events have occured here that directly and adversely impact the work of our federal officers,” Sessions said.
