The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a new rule Monday, banning mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer agreements. The CFPB explained that mandatory arbitration agreements can prevent class action lawsuits and perpetuate harmful practices. The new rule will enforce the consumer’s right to take part in group lawsuits. The CFPB hopes that the rule will [...]
The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos , granted amnesty Monday to 3,252 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) . Since 2016, Colombia has granted renewed status to 7,400 guerrillas. As a result of the decree, “administrative amnesty” will be applied to political and related crimes. As a condition of protection under [...]
A group of Twitter users blocked by President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging the the action is a violation of their First Amendment rights. The group, represented by the First Knight Amendment Institute and Columbia University , argue that Trump’s account serves as a public forum that “has become an important source of [...]
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday suspended a government ban on cattle trading for the sole purpose of slaughter. In May Prime Minister Narendra Modi , a Hindu nationalist, decreed that cattle trade could only be conducted for agricultural purposes such as dairy production and plowing. Cows are considered holy in Hinduism and their [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist L. Ali Khan of the Washburn University School of Law discusses the rationale behind some proposed changes to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct… The American Bar Association (ABA) has proposed a model rule to discipline lawyers who in the practice of law harass or discriminate, by speech or conduct, on [...]
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the niqab, a full-face veil, in public spaces. The court dismissed two cases, Belcacemi and Oussar v. Belgium and Dakir v. Belgium , that asserted the ban was in violation of Articles 8, 9, 10 and 14 of the European Convention [...]
Amnesty International (AI) on Monday condemned Bahrain’s sentencing of a human rights defender. Nabeel Rajab was originally arrested in June 2016 after he tweeted about alleged torture in a Bahrani prison. A Bahrani court ordered his release in December 2016, but shortly after his release he was arrested on the current charges. Rajab was sentenced [...]
Cambodia’s National Assembly on Monday passed a bill which prohibits political parties from being affiliated with convicted criminals. Commentators believe the law is aimed at weakening the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) . The party’s former leader, Sam Rainsy, recently resigned from the party after he was sentenced to two years in prison on [...]
Two UN rights experts said Monday that Israel should reconsider the charges it is pursuing against Issa Armo, a Palestinian human rights defender. The Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Michael Lynk, and the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Michel Forst, made a joint statement in favor of Israel dropping charges against Armo, [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Monday against President Donald Trump’s election commission for lack of accountability in violation of federal law. The Federal Advisory Committee Act was created to ensure that all advisory committees were accountable to the public regarding procedure and operation. The ACLU’s complaint accuses the administration of [...]
