The Australian Senate on Sunday rejected a proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage. The bill was defeated 29-33 even though Attorney General George Brandis had warned that “the cause of marriage equality will be delayed for years.” The bill had proposed a public vote next February to gauge voters’ thoughts on the issue of same-sex marriage, [...]
The US Supreme Court on Friday granted certiorari in Coventry Health Care of Missouri, Inc. v. Nevils to determine if health care companies are precluded from recouping reimbursements under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Act (FEHBA) . At issue is whether the supremacy clause would bar an insurance provider from recovering costs issued to an [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled Friday that Title VII’s protection from employment discrimination based on sex extends to sexual orientation. The ruling came as the court refused to dismiss a case where the plaintiff alleged discrimination based on his LGBT status creating a hostile work environment [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey declined to rule Saturday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has engaged in poll intimidation. The decision was spurred by an order late last month for the RNC to provide information in regards to “any efforts regarding poll watching or poll observation,” [...]
Following an emergency application filed by the state of Arizona, the US Supreme Court issued an order Saturday allowing Arizona’s “ballot harvesting” law to remain in effect, overturning a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit just one day prior. The Arizona law, HB 2023 , makes it a felony for [...]
The Ivory Coast Constitutional Council on Friday affirmed the results of a referendum backing a new constitution, rejecting requests from several political parties, including that of former president Laurent Gbagbo , who boycotted the vote that the referendum be annulled. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara stated that the new constitution will help the country put [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Colorado on Friday blocked Colorado officials from enforcing laws that prosecute or cite voters who take selfies at the ballots. Colorado Rev. Stat. § 1-13-712(1) prohibits a voter from “show his ballot after it is prepared for voting to any person in such a [...]
The Turkish Government on Friday arrested eight pro-Kurdish political party members, including the party’s two leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, then arrested an additional nine party members Saturday. All arrestees are members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party , accused of terror-related acts and were members of the nation’s largest opposition political party. These arrests [...]
Kansas district court judge Larry Hendricks on Friday ordered a stop to Kansas’ voting registration system that would have prevented more than 18,000 people from voting in federal elections for failing to follow particular registration rules. Hendricks ruled that the state’s justification of avoiding voter fraud was far outweighed by the disenfranchisement of thousands of [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday denied a motion for preliminary injunction challenging the New York law that makes it a misdemeanor crime for voters to post pictures of their ballots on social media. The plaintiffs had challenged the law last week, claiming that banning [...]
