BRIDGEPORT, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management will be temporarily closing the Travertine Hot Springs in Mono County from 4 p.m., Wed., Oct. 30, to 4 p.m., Wed., Nov. 6, for use by a local Tribe. The public lands described in this order will be closed to all forms of public access, including but not limited to, vehicular, pedestrian, and camping activities.  

“The Travertine Hot Springs has a long history intertwined with the cultures and people of the region,” said Sherri Lisius, Bishop Field Manager. “We ask that visitors to the area respect the privacy of the local Tribe throughout the duration of this important closure and find other areas to recreate during this time.”

The closure area begins at the existing gate near the junction of the access road to the Hot Springs and Jack Sawyer Road. It also includes any other roads and trails that provide access to the Hot Springs. The public can review this map for the full closure area. 

The gate on the access road to the Hot Springs will be locked. All access points will be signed with the closure order. Visitors are encouraged to visit Mono County or California National Conservation Lands for alternative recreational opportunities in the area.

BLM California is committed to managing federal lands and waters in a manner that seeks to protect the treaty, religious, subsistence, and cultural interests of Tribal Nations; that such management is consistent with our nation-to-nation relationship; and fulfills our unique trust obligation to Tribes and their citizens.

More information is available from the BLM Bishop Field Office at 760-872-5000 or BLM_CA_Web_BI@blm.gov.

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mother Lode Field Office is temporarily closing motorized vehicle access to the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road in Mariposa County, where it crosses onto BLM lands, approximately one mile from the junction of Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road with Bear Valley Road. The closure is effective today, Thursday, August 15, and will be in effect until fire restrictions are lifted for the season. The closure of the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road is not to be confused with the Hunter Valley Road which remains open. The Hunter Valley Road is located approximately two miles east of the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road along Bear Valley Road. The temporary closure order can be found on the BLM website.

“This closure is necessary to protect public health and safety; and prevent wildfire,” said Mother Lode Field Manager Jeff Horn. During the recent Pedro Fire, which burned BLM lands along the northern portion of the Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road, it was discovered that target shooting was occurring in multiple locations along this road. Target shooting is not permitted during fire restrictions because hot bullet fragments, exploding targets and metal from recreational shooting can spark a wildfire.

The temporary closure on Hunter Valley Mountain Access Road will remain in effect until seasonal fire restrictions are rescinded.

Visit www.wheretoshoot.org for alternative recreational target shooting locations. To learn how you can do your part to prevent wildland fires visit www.readyforwildfire.org. Fire restrictions for all California BLM-managed public lands can be found on online. For more information, please visit the Mother Lode Field Office website or call 916-941-3101.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office is issuing an emergency closure of the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area in Tulare County, due to wildland fire danger from the nearby Coffee Pot Fire. This temporary closure is effective immediately, until further notice.

The Coffee Pot Fire started Saturday, Aug. 3, and has burned more than 1,600 acres of heavy brush and ground fuels as well as burning through the giant sequoia groves near the Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area and in Sequoia National Park.  

Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area, which is approximately 20,000 acres of BLM-managed public land located near the town of Three Rivers, in Tulare County, contains the only Sequoia grove complex managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The complex is comprised of six distinct sequoia grove units, which total about 444 acres. The area is also part of the Milk Ranch Peak Wilderness Study Area and the nearly 20,000-acre Kaweah Area of Critical Environmental Concern, which is designated for protection of the Case Mountain giant sequoia groves, other sensitive plant and animal species, riparian areas, and cultural resources.

The area is closed to all forms of public access to provide for public and firefighter safety in relation to the Coffee Pot Fire and management of that fire. For specific questions related to the closure, please contact the Bakersfield Field Office at 661-391-6000. For information about the Coffee Pot Fire, please email 2024.coffeepot.ca@firenet.gov, or call 559-492-9988.

MARINA, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management Central Coast Field Office is issuing an emergency closure of the Condon Peak Recreation Area and Campground in Fresno County, due to wildland fire danger from the nearby Boone Fire and existing evacuation orders. This temporary closure is effective immediately, until further notice.

The Boone Fire started Tuesday, Sept. 3, and has burned more than 17,000 acres of brush and grass fuels as well as burning in the area previously affected by the 2020 Mineral Fire.  

Clear Creek Management Area, which is approximately 63,000 acres of BLM-managed public land located in the San Benito Mountain Range in San Benito, Fresno, and Monterey counties. This closure order includes the Serpentine Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Oak Flat Campground, Jade Mill Campground, Condon Peak Recreation Area and Campground, and all roads included within the Clear Creek Management Area.

The area is closed to all forms of public access to provide for public and firefighter safety in relation to the Boone Fire and management of that fire. For specific questions related to the closure, please contact the Central Coast Field Office at 831-582-2200. For information about the Boone Fire, please email Andy.VanSciver@ventura.org, or call 559-356-5041.

1. Home
2. Daily News
3. State Bar of Wisconsin’s diversity clerkship…

Bar Associations

State Bar of Wisconsin’s diversity clerkship program ‘discriminates behind closed doors,’ suit says

By Debra Cassens Weiss

December 21, 2023, 11:18 am CST

The State Bar of Wisconsin is facing a lawsuit claiming that its diversity clerkship program for law students is violating the First Amendment rights of a lawyer who pays mandatory dues.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed the suit Tuesday on behalf of lawyer Daniel Suhr, report Reuters, Above the Law, Law360, Courthouse News Service and a press release.

The suit describes the program as offering “a special path to coveted career opportunities at top Wisconsin employers.” Eligibility requirements and selection discriminate among students based on race, according to the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Suhr contends that the program violates his First Amendment right to free speech under Keller v. State Bar of California. The 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision held that compulsory state bars can use lawyer mandatory dues to fund activities to regulate the legal profession and improve the quality of legal services but not for unrelated political or ideological activities.

Suhr also says the bar is violating his First Amendment right to freedom of association by forcing him to be a member of an association engaged in unconstitutional activity.

The suit cites the Supreme Court’s June decision striking down race-conscious college admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The programs violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Supreme Court held in the cases known as Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.

“Affirmative action for student internships is just as unconstitutional as affirmative action for student admissions,” Suhr’s suit says.

The State Bar of Wisconsin does allow reduced dues for attorneys who object to political or ideological activities, but the diversity program is not categorized as such an activity for the dues reduction, according to the suit.

The State Bar of Wisconsin website says the diversity fellowship is open to first-year students at Wisconsin’s two law schools who demonstrate a “commitment to diversity” and a record of academic achievement, Reuters reports.

Suhr’s suit says the bar changed the language describing the diversity program after the Students for Fair Admissions decision. But the program still discriminates, according to the suit.

“Even if the program appears technically neutral on its face, its operation, results and rhetoric make clear that it discriminates behind closed doors, which is just as illegal,” the suit says.

Larry Martin, executive director of the State Bar of Wisconsin, said in a statement provided to Reuters and Law360 the bar will “”vigorously defend” the diversity program.

“Neither race nor ethnicity is an eligibility factor or requirement for purposes of participation,” Martin said.