The US Supreme Court on Monday reversed a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, finding that the circuit court did not have authority to review the trial court’s decision where the trial court had not violated defendant’s due process rights during the penalty phase of his criminal trial. In Jenkins [...]
A judge for the US District Court of the Northern District of Florida ruled Monday that a large cross erected in a Pensacola park is in violation of the First Amendment , specifically the Establishment Clause. The Freedom From Religion Foundation and the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Legal Center filed the suit on behalf of [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Roy Lee discusses the applications of principles from the Star Wars film series to contemporary issues in international relations… In the ever-popular Star Wars series, the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance are pitted against the Sith and the Galactic Empire, a dictatorship based on “tyranny, xenophobic hatred of non-humans, power projection through [...]
The US Supreme Court agreed Monday to review Gill v. Whitford , a partisan-gerrymandering case from Wisconsin. The state is appealing the decision of a three-judge panel for the US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin , which struck down a redistricting map that was created by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature on the [...]
The US Supreme Court held on Monday that California courts lack specific jurisdiction to hear the claims brought against Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) . BMS manufactures and sells Plavix, a prescription drug that prevents blood clots by thinning the blood. Nearly 700 plaintiffs, only 86 of whom are California residents, filed eight separate complaints in [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 4-2 Monday in Ziglar v. Abbasi that Muslim men detained in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks cannot sue top US officials. The three consolidated cases center on the arrest and detention of Middle Eastern men illegally present in the US when they were arrested for immigration violations. The men [...]
The US Supreme Court held on Monday in Packingham v. North Carolina that North Carolina’s statute § 14-202.5 , which banned sex offenders from using commercial websites accessed by minors, violates the First Amendment . The statute was implemented to protect young adults from predatory practices often employed by sex offenders who target minors. The [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Matal v. Tam that a law prohibiting disparaging trademarks is a violates the First Amendment . The Lanham Act provides that no trademark shall be refused registration on account of its nature unless, inter alia, it “onsists of … matter which may disparage … persons, living or dead, [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated on Friday that millions of pregnant and married girls across Africa are being denied education due to discriminatory policies. More than 49 million girls in sub-Saharan African are out of primary or secondary school, with another 31 million out of post-secondary education. Early marriage and teenage pregnancy are leading factors [...]
The Cuban government on Saturday responded to President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse steps taken by the Obama administration to thaw relations between Cuba and the US. Last Friday, Trump announced that travel and commerce between the countries will be restricted until Cuba resolves its human rights abuses. According to Trump, the Cuban government is [...]
