Russia’s constitutional order is being threatened by the current government practices, according to an open letter signed by more than 50 of Russia’s leading legal experts on Tuesday. The letter accuses the government of systematic rights abuses and efforts to silence political opponents and eliminate forms of legal protest: How can we speak about a [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled 9-5 Monday that an ordinance barring undocumented workers from renting property within the city of Farmers Branch, Texas , is unconstitutional. The ordinance requires that prospective renters provide proof of their immigration status, and allows for anyone found to be undocumented to be evicted from [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on Monday ruled in favor of two men seeking recognition of their out-of-state same-sex marriage. Ohio law prohibits same-sex marriage but recognizes marriages solemnized outside of the state. James Obergefell and his partner, John Arthur, who suffers from a terminal illness, married [...]
An appeals court in Kuwait on Monday overturned the criminal convictions of three former members of parliament for criticizing the Emir, the nation’s leader. The Kuwait Society for Human Rights helped break the story internationally via Twitter, when its director posted a short statement regarding the acquittal. The three men were convicted in February of [...]
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is on the decline around the world , according to a comprehensive new report released Monday by UNICEF . FGM/C refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Most procedures are based in traditional [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of North Dakota on Monday temporarily blocked a North Dakota abortion law, calling it unconstitutional. HB 1456 is one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country and would prohibit abortions after the point at which cardiac activity can be detected in a pregnancy, [...]
Cephans Lumina , the UN Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and human rights, called upon Japan Monday to adopt a rights-based approach to international development . As one of the largest providers of development assistance in the world, Lumina recommended that Japan make a “more explicit commitment to incorporating human rights principles [...]
A Jordan military court on Sunday rejected a bail application by radical cleric Abu Qatada , who faces terror charges in Jordan following his deportation from Britain. Abu Qatada was charged on July 7 with “conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts” following his deportation after Jordan’s Parliament approved a treaty with the UK. Qatada pleaded [...]
The San Diego County Clerk filed a petition with the Supreme Court of California on Friday seeking to require county clerks to enforce Proposition 8 , California’s same-sex marriage ban. County Clerk Ernest Dronenburg Jr. argues that last month’s US Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8 applies only to the couples named in the lawsuit [...]
A judge for Michigan’s Ingham County Circuit Court ruled Friday that Detroit’s bankruptcy filing is “unconstitutional” and must be withdrawn. Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said that Detroit’s bankruptcy filing violates the Michigan Constitution , which bans any action that threatens to cut the pension benefits of public employees. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said he [...]
