WJI's daily reads for Oct. 1, 2021

CNN: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor – There will be "a lot of disappointment in the law."

Roll Call: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh tests positive for COVID-19.

Crosscut: Seattle-area mental health responders ask for clarity on police participation.

“Our community’s ability to adequately respond to behavioral health crisis events is itself in crisis, reads a letter from the providers addressed to Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine, as well as members of county and city councils and law enforcement agencies. “Without urgent action, people living with behavioral health conditions, the staff and organizations who care for them, and the community at large are at serious risk,” the letter continues.

Their call for a meeting was granted, with a summit set to take place Oct. 5.

The summit will occur at a time when Seattle and King County continue to wrestle with the role of police in society, a controversial and often rocky introspection following the mass protests of summer 2020.

The New York Times: The U.S. Justice Department says Texas' mask ban may violate the rights of disabled children.

The department filed a formal statement on Wednesday with the federal district court in Austin that is hearing one of the lawsuits, saying that the ban violates the rights of students with disabilities if it prevents the students from safely attending public schools in person, “even if their local school districts offered them the option of virtual learning.”

The move signals a willingness by the federal government to intervene in states where governors and other policymakers have opposed mask mandates, using federal anti-discrimination laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Justice Department has often used similar statements of interest to step in to cases involving civil rights.

WAOW: Wisconsin in top 10 for OWIs, report says.

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