JURIST Contributing Editor Gabor Rona, International Legal Director of Human Rights First, says that the Obama administration must place an enhanced focus on disclosing its drone policy…
The District Court of The Hague on Wednesday ruled that the designs of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, 8.9, and 7.7 produced by Samsung Electronics do not infringe designs patented by Apple . In deciding whether Samsung’s tablets were so similar in design to Apple’s iPad to constitute design infringement, the Dutch court relied on a [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases on Wednesday pertaining to jurisdiction. The first, Arlington v. FCC , addresses whether Chevron USA v. NRDC allows a federal agency to determine its own jurisdiction. The provision at issue, 47 USC § 332(c)(7) of the Federal Communications Act, states that “nothing in this chapter [...]
The City Court of Berezniki, Russia on Wednesday denied the appeal of an imprisoned member of the feminist rock band Pussy Riot to defer serving her sentence for hooliganism until her five-year-old son reaches the age of 14. Specifically, band member Maria Alekhina argued that separation from her child Fillip would cause psychological damage to [...]
International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced Wednesday that her office has officially launched an investigation into possible war crimes committed in Mali. The decision was based on information gathered through preliminary investigations and used to publish a report on the current situation in Mali. Bensouda claims there is sufficient evidence to believe [...]
A Canadian human rights group unveiled research Tuesday indicating that a number of nations are using American-made Internet surveillance technology which could be used to censor content and track their citizens. The group, Citizen Lab , published its report entitled “Planet Blue Coat: Mapping Global Censorship and Surveillance Tools,” which found that technology that can [...]
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed legislation intended to impose tighter restrictions on gun and ammunition sales. By enacting the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 (NY SAFE) , New York becomes the first state to amend its gun control laws following the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting . Cuomo’s [...]
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced on Tuesday that he will file legislation to repeal capital punishment in the state of Maryland . O’Malley stated that the death penalty was expensive and ineffective. The governor had previously attempted to repeal the death penalty in Maryland in 2007, but the attempt failed. Following the failed repeal, O’Malley [...]
Myanmar repealed a law on Tuesday that was used by the nation’s military junta to impose long prison sentences on dissidents. The law, which was revoked by President Thein Sein , banned protests against the national convention and allowed for prison sentences of up to 20 years for writing or delivering speeches that pose a [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach that a houseboat permanently docked to land is not a vessel for purposes of 1 USC § 3 and thus is not under federal maritime jurisdiction . The majority opinion was delivered by Justice Stephen Breyer. Echoing the oral arguments before the [...]
