A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday ordered cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, Inc. to issue public corrective statements after decades of concealing the health risks and addictive qualities of cigarette smoking. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the company in 1999 alleging violations of the [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday held that New York can continue to require residents who seek to carry a concealed weapon to obtain a special license. The plaintiffs sought injunctive relief from a New York handgun law requiring licensing officials to have applicants prove “proper cause” to obtain licenses [...]

Nokia announced Wednesday that it filed litigation against Research In Motion (RIM) , the Canadian parent company of BlackBerry, in courts in the US, UK and Canada to block sales of BlackBerry smartphones. The move came after a Swedish arbitrator’s decision that ruled in favor of the Finnish company in a breach of contract case. [...]

Four gay men filed suit on Tuesday against a conversion therapy group in New Jersey which they claim had promised to make the men straight. The suit , the first of its kind in the US, alleges that Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) , a non-profit organization that “works with those struggling with [...]

Four female service members filed suit Tuesday against the US Army and the Department of Defense to end a policy which bars women from combat units and related posts. The suit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California , was also joined by the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) as [...]

Arizona has appealed a district court ruling that granted an injunction to the enforcement of a public funding law that would prohibit public funding from going to clinics that provide abortions, which would effectively defund Planned Parenthood Arizona . Arizona is asking the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to lift the injunction [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday denied a request by the state of Alabama to reconsider its August ruling partially striking down the state’s immigration law . The original challenge was brought by advocacy groups, including the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) , and individual plaintiffs. The court did [...]

A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed serious concern regarding Colombia’s proposed constitutional reform to their military justice system. The proposed reform seeks to alter the scope of Colombia’s military criminal justice system. Should the proposal be adopted, the investigations and trials of military personnel [...]

The Egyptian Court of Cassation on Wednesday suspended work until President Mohammed Morsi rescinds a decree he issued last week that removes judicial review of his actions and vastly expands his power, according to Egypt’s state television. In addition to these highest appeals courts, the lower appeals courts have resolved to suspend work as well. [...]

The US Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in US Airways, Inc. v. McCutchen on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) . The court is considering whether § 502(a)(3) of ERISA is susceptible to equitable principles of relief even where the plan’s terms give it an absolute right to full reimbursement. An attorney for US [...]