The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Gabriela Knaul urged world governments Thursday to guarantee the right to legal aid at the highest level possible and to consider enacting specific legislation to establish a comprehensive legal aid system that is accessible, effective, sustainable and credible. Knaul discussed these recommendations in a [...]
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals for the Fourth District ruled Thursday that Wisconsin Act 23 , a law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, is constitutional. The ruling reverses Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess’s March 2012 decision, which held that the law’s photo ID requirement would disenfranchise voters who lack the [...]
Then UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Christof Heyns on Thursday urged the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to impose a moratorium on lethal autonomous robotics (LAR’s), also known as “killer robots.” A key concern to Heyns is whether future weapons systems will be allowed to make the decision to kill on [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled Wednesday that Florida Governor Rick Scott cannot require all state employees to take random drug tests. Executive Order 11-58 , issued in March 2011, would subject all state employees to drug testing, regardless of whether they were suspected of drug use. The decision by the [...]
London-based Public Interest Lawyers on Wednesday accused the UK military of holding at least eight men without charge at the UK temporary holding facility in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Their clients have allegedly been held for over eight months without charge and without access to lawyers in what could be a breach of international law. Applications [...]
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called Wednesday for the participation of Libyan women in the Constitution Drafting Assembly. The UNSMIL noted that the preparation and drafting of the constitution is a significant part of Libya’s democratic transition, and the representation and participation of women throughout the process will greatly contribute to the growth [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Eric Segall of the Georgia State University College of Law evaluates the implications of same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court, and their effect on upcoming challenges to affirmative action…
The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning the most recent Syrian attacks in Al-Qusayr and calling for an end to the violence. In a speech on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay noted that the recent fighting in Al-Qusayr has left the town with shortages of food, water [...]
A Russian court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot against their sentence for a protest against Vladimir Putin . Last year the group was convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” and sentenced to two years in prison. Moscow City Court chair Olga Yegorova denied that the [...]
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted six Bosnian Croat political and military leaders Wednesday for persecuting, expelling and murdering Muslims during the Bosnian Civil War . The sentences, ranging from 10 to 25 years, were handed down by a three-judge panel for crimes including murder, rape, illegal expulsion and torture of [...]
