The Swiss Parliament voted 93-87 on Friday against a bill which would ban burqas and other face coverings in public places. Proponents of the bill argued that banning burqas would promote gender equality and improve national security. Those against the bill argued that it was an excessive measure because so few women in Switzerland wear [...]
Bank of America (BOA) announced Friday that it has agreed to pay $2.43 billion to settle a class action lawsuit with investors over its $18.5 billion acquisition of Merrill Lynch in January 2009. Investors alleged that BOA failed to disclose information about Merrill and made misrepresentations about Merrill’s financial health. BOA stated that it denied [...]
The National Assembly of Panama on Wednesday approved a controversial new copyright law that allows authorities to fine infringers without a trial or civil lawsuit. The bill would grant broad powers to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to impose fines of up to USD $100,000 on individuals found to be in unlawful possession of [...]
The UN Human Rights Council on Friday passed a resolution extending the mission of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) in Syria. The panel of independent experts is charged with investigating the human rights situation in the country amidst the prolonged and violent conflict between government and opposition forces. The COI last week [...]
Drug trafficking and violent crime in Central America and the Caribbean threaten the rule of law in those regions, according to a report released Thursday by the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) . The report concluded that cocaine trafficking and the associated violence are the main source of the threat. The UNODC expressed [...]
Lawyers for Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Thursday announced the state’s plan to appeal a preliminary injunction currently blocking the provision of the controversial Arizona immigration law that criminalizes the harboring and transportation of illegal immigrants. The part of the law in question makes it illegal to transport, shield or harbor an illegal immigrant within [...]
JURIST Contributing Editor Gabor Rona, International Legal Director of Human Rights First, argues that the new wave of lawsuits regarding the NDAA stem from the poor detention policies of the US…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Thursday urged the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop delegating federal immigration authority to state and local law enforcement agencies, claiming this leads to racial profiling. Specifically, the ACLU contends that the 287(g) program has promoted the racial profiling of Latinos and that the ICE should [...]
The Arkansas Supreme Court announced Thursday that it would allow a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana on the November ballot. The decision came as part of a lawsuit brought by the Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values (CPAV) which fought the inclusion of the measure on the ballot based on the theory that the Arkansas [...]
A Dutch court on Wednesday ruled that three Congolese witnesses who testified in an International Criminal Court (ICC) case against militia leader Germain Katanga must be allowed to remain in the Netherlands to seek asylum. The three unnamed witnesses were originally awaiting trial as prisoners in the Democratic Republic of Congo , but were transferred [...]
