A federal judge on Wednesday found Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in contempt of court for violating a preliminary injunction regarding registering voters in his state. Chief Judge Julie A. Robinson of the US District Court for the District of Kansas ordered Kobach to allow some potentially ineligible voters to remain eligible to cast [...]
The US Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution expressing disapproval for a rule intended to prevent racial discrimination in auto loans. The original rule was issued in 2013 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and was titled the “Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.” Under this rule, automobile lenders [...]
The Supreme Court of Ohio ruled on Wednesday that the state’s death penalty statute does not violate the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of “the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury” Maurice Mason, a former death row inmate, unsuccessfully challenged the role given to the judge during the sentencing phase of capital [...]
The House of Lords passed Wednesday two amendments that hinder the UK’s effort to leave the EU known as Brexit. The amendments address the EU (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 and require ministers to explore possibilities for remaining in the EU customs union. The debate over the amendments lasted nearly five hours with lords expressing concern over [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday morning in two cases: the first concerns tribal fishing rights, and the second asks whether certain costs are compensable losses under the Mandatory Victim Restitution Act. The first case, Washington v. US , concerns northwest Indian tribes’ rights to fishing as guaranteed in several treaties. The treaties [...]
Another federal lawsuit has been filed against the US Census Bureau regarding a controversial citizenship question added to the 2020 Census. The City of San Jose and Black Alliance for Just Immigration, a California non-profit corporation, filed a joint lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California San Jose Division Tuesday [...]
After a 10 day visit to Ghana, the UN Special Rapporteur for extreme poverty and human rights released a preliminary report Wednesday urging Ghana to address growing inequality and poverty. The full report will be forthcoming in June and focuses on the progress and promise in the West African nation. The report lauds Ghana for [...]
The Burundi government has “killed, beaten, and intimidated perceived opponents of a constitutional referendum … that would enable the president to extend his term in office,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday. This referendum could allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to serve until 2034. According to HRW, there have been 19 confirmed cases of abuse since [...]
The UN Human Rights Committee issued two decisions Wednesday finding, in the cases of former MPs Rebeca Delgado Burgoa and Eduardo Maldonado Iporre , that Bolivia violated their human rights by denying access to mayoral elections. The Delgado and Maldonado contended that Circular 71/2014, issued by the Supreme Electoral Court of Bolivia , which barred [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that Poland broke EU law by logging in the Białowieża Forest , one of Europe’s last ancient forest, according to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Convention (UNESCO) . Poland began logging in the Białowieża Forest in 2016. Since then, Polish authorities have drastically [...]
