The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Salman v. United States . The court is faced with an insider trading crime and must determine whether the personal benefit element requires proof of “an exchange that is objective, consequential, and represents at least a potential gain” or may merely be satisfied by proof that [...]
A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Tuesday that Zeid is “seriously concerned” about human rights violations in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir . Rupert Colville, the spokesperson from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) , released the press briefing and also urged India [...]
The Harare High Court in Zimbabwe on Tuesday upheld a 30-day ban against protests in the capital. The lawsuit was brought by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on behalf of many organizations, and challenged the ban based on the right to demonstrate provided for in the country’s Constitution . Although the court rationalized the [...]
Myanmar has abolished a law from 1950 that was used by the military to jail dissidents within the country. Myanmar’s President, Htin Kyaw, signed new legislation abolishing the Emergency Provisions Act on Tuesday. The Act provided the military the ability to impose seven-year prison terms for those deemed to be dissidents. Such behavior could include [...]
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday refused to hear a claim by the Marshall Islands that the world’s nuclear powers failed to halt the nuclear arms race. The court found that they could not hear the case because they did not have jurisdiction over the matter. The Marshall Islands was the site for [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) sent a delegation to Israel and Palestine Wednesday for a five-day visit aimed at education and outreach in the region. The ICC stated that the trip will not serve to gather evidence or make assessments pertaining to alleged crimes falling under its jurisdiction. A statement by the court distinguished between [...]
The UN expert on freedom of religion or belief Tuesday condemned Yemen for the nation’s arbitrary arrest and detention of people belonging to the Bahá’í religious community. The expert, Heiner Bielefeldt , explained that “ny arrest or detention based on the exercise of the freedom of religion is arbitrary.” Bielefeldt called on Yemen to release [...]
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday ruled that same-sex couples that never marry are entitled to the same parental rights as heterosexual couples. This decision arose out of a suit seeking parental rights filed by Karen Partanen, former partner of Julie Gallagher, who was impregnated by artificial insemination. The couple ended their relationship when [...]
US District Judge Henry Autrey has dismissed a lawsuit filed by participants of the Ferguson riots that alleged police abuse. The complaint , filed by nine individuals, alleged that police were unlawfully violent when quelling riots in the wake of the 2014 Michael Brown killing, and sought $41.5 million in compensation. Autrey disagreed, and granted [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Bravo-Fernandez v. United States . The court is being asked to decide whether an unconstitutional, vacated conviction can “cancel” out the preclusive effect of an acquittal under the double jeopardy clause of the US Constitution. The case arises out of a federal prosecution in Puerto Rice [...]
