The US Senate Thursday voted 89-9 to approve legislation to amend the US patent system for the first time since 1952. The America Invents Act , sponsored by Congressman Lamar Smith (R) , proposes significant changes to the current US patent system. One of these would result in the conversion from a system of “first [...]
Telecom giant AT&T filed a response Friday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to the antitrust lawsuit initiated against it by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) . The DOJ filed suit last month attempting to block AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of cellular carrier T-Mobile USA , citing the important [...]
The US House of Representatives Friday voted 384-14 to pass a bill authorizing appropriations for intelligence activities for the next year after removing two provisions under a veto threat from the Obama Administration. The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support after after receiving a memo from the [...]
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern Friday over increased ethnic violence in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” region between Christians and Muslims. The report states that up to 70 people have been killed since August, and, in order to stop cycles of violence, local authorities must work to address the underlying [...]
The Supreme Court of Mississippi on Thursday ruled that an initiative seeking to redefine personhood can be placed on the November 2011 general election ballot. The initiative, Measure 26 , would amend the Mississippi Constitution to define the word “person” or “persons” to include “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday dismissed two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) . In Virginia v. Sebelius , the court held that Virginia lacked standing to sue and vacated the judgment of the district court , remanding the case with [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Thursday that France’s ban on the cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) maize was illegal. Although France has the right to impose a ban on GM maize, the court stated that France acted illegally by not following proper EU protocol . In order to impose a ban, EU [...]
The UK Department of Health (DH) announced Thursday that it will lift the lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have had sex with other men. Britain introduced the lifetime ban in the 1980s in an effort to quell the proliferation of HIV and AIDS . Men who have not had sex with another [...]
The Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Maureen O’Connor , on Thursday announced the formation of a joint task force between the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio State Bar Association that will review the procedures surrounding Ohio’s death penalty law. O’Connor indicated that the task force was being created not to judge [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF) on Thursday filed a lawsuit in the federal district court for the Eastern District of North Carolina challenging a North Carolina state law authorizing the use of pro-life license plates as a violation of the First Amendment . In June, the North Carolina General [...]
