The Countdown: Supreme Court case pits free speech vs. LGBTQ rights
In this edition of 'The Countdown,' we detail the latest clash of religion and gay rights at the Supreme Court.
The justices heard arguments from a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples.
It's a blockbuster case that pits free speech rights against laws designed to protect LGBTQ Amercians and others from discrimination.
We put that question to Todd Sears, Founder and CEO of the group called Out Leadership.
Here are the other headlines from Monday's show:
NYC hate crimes statistics
Hate crimes were up 70% last month in New York City compared to the same month a year earlier, led by a surge in antisemitic attacks, which rose 125%. There were 45 hate crimes motivated by antisemitism in November versus 20 in November 2021, according to data released by the NYPD Monday. Antisemitic hate crimes have been on the rise throughout the year, amid concerns about racism on social media.
Trump Organization deliberations
Deliberations are spilling into a second day Tuesday as jurors weigh charges that the Trump Organization helped executives dodge personal income taxes on perks such as Manhattan apartments and luxury cars. The case went to the jury Monday follow a monthlong trial featuring testimony from seven witnesses, including the company's longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg and Senior Vice President and Controller Jeffrey McConney.
Brian Benjamin charges
Bribery and fraud charges against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin were tossed out Monday by a federal judge, leaving Benjamin to face only records falsification charges and prompting his lawyers to say it was tragic that the case was ever brought.
You can watch 'The Countdown' live Monday-Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7NY.com or our ABC7NY app on Roku, FireTV, Apple TV and Android TV.
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