US President Barack Obama granted 64 pardons and 209 commutations yesterday, including commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning. Manning worked as a low-level intelligence analyst where she leaked documents regarding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in 2010 to WikiLeaks which exposed abuses of detainees and civilian deaths. The commutation will release Chelsea Manning on May [...]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on everyone on Tuesday to recognize the value of diversity by drawing strength from the principles of inclusion, tolerance and mutual understanding. The statement was included in a video at an event aimed at combating anti-Muslim discrimination and hatred , noting that these acts are increasing. He stated: Anti-Muslim hate [...]
The Supreme Court of Missouri ruled Tuesday that the Kansas City Board of Commissioners must place a minimum wage proposal on the upcoming ballot. The proposed ordinance would set a minimum wage for the city above the minimum wage for the state, which violated a state statute. The court held that the state’s precedent does [...]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that a Lithuanian prisoner was improperly denied Internet access in violation of his rights. Citing Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights , which states “everyone has the right to freedom of expression,” the court held that security concerns were not a sufficient reason [...]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld a whole-life sentence for convicted killer Arthur Hutchinson on Tuesday. Hutchinson, who was convicted of murdering the parents and brother of a bride in 1983, argued that his punishment amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. However, the court did not find a violation of Article 3 of [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday invited the Solicitor General to file a response in the cases concerning the regulation of New Jersey Sports betting. Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association and New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association v. National Collegiate Athletic Association involve attempts to increase the amount of state regulatory authority over the practice [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases on Tuesday. In Lynch v. Dimaya the court is deciding whether 18 USC § 16(b) , which defines a crime of violence, is unconstitutionally vague. Section 16(b) has been incorporated into the Immigration and Nationality Act provision governing an alien’s removal from the US. Petitioner [...]
The UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported Monday that more than 100 journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2016. While the number is lower than the 115 killed in 2015, it is a rise from the 90 and 98 killed in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and averaged a journalist’s death [...]
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by several large banks asking to dismiss lawsuits brought by private investor groups accusing them of conspiring to manipulate the Libor benchmark interest rate. The investors alleged that Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. conspired to suppress the London Interbank Offered [...]
The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that Russia was wrong to ban US citizens from adopting Russian children. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that Russia’s ban was discriminatory and found Russia responsible for the legal fees of American citizens seeking to adopt children from the nation. The case was brought by [...]
