New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the Sweeney Bill (SB 2061) into law on Thursday, increasing the accidental death benefits for surviving children of fallen state troopers to 70% of final compensation. The Sweeney Bill amendments change the benefit distribution criteria as they relate to New Jersey’s State Police Retirement System (SPRS) and Police and [...]
The UN Security Council expressed regret on Friday regarding postponed elections in Somalia. The council called on all parties to implement the 2016 electoral calendar without delay. The parliamentary elections, planned to take place sometime between late September and early October, were originally scheduled to take place in August. The parliamentary elections were delayed because [...]
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay of execution on Friday for murder accomplice Jeffrey Lee Wood. Wood and Daniel Reneau attempted to rob a gas station in 1996. Wood waited in the car while Reneau went inside the store and ultimately shot and killed the store’s clerk. In Texas, the distinction between [...]
The United Nations (UN) issued a report on Thursday detailing the “terrible atrocities” committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against the Yezidi people and other ethnic and religious groups. The report was put together by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner [...]
A group of human rights experts for the UN called upon Turkey’s government to uphold its international human rights obligations, despite declared emergency following failed coup. In particular, the experts ask that Turkey does not invoke Article 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) , which allows governments to relax obligations [...]
Polish prosecutors said Thursday that they have begun an investigation into Constitutional Tribunal head, Andrzej Rzeplinski, to determine if he abused his power in preventing judges appointed by the ruling party to take part in decisions. Likely the investigation is meant to discredit the judge, who is immune from prosecution by virtue of his position. [...]
Angela Merkel, through the Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere , said on Friday that women should be banned from wearing a face veil in various areas, including in school and while driving. On the partial face veil ban, which is part of a larger security declaration presented by the regional interior ministers for Merkel’s Christian [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida on Thursday permanently blocked portions of a Florida law that would stop funding to Planned Parenthood following Governor Rick Scott’s decision to not pursue further legal action. The judge, Robert Hinkle, had previously enjoined the law on June 30, and held the [...]
According to a report issued by Mexico’s independent National Human Rights Commission , 22 civilians were executed during a May 2015 drug raid in Michoacan. The report states that among the 43 individuals killed during the drug-bust, including one police officer, 22 civilians died as a result of “arbitrary execution,” and an additional four were [...]
The Deputy US Attorney General announced Thursday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will phase out privately operated prisons. The report states the DOJ’s intent to focus on the rehabilitative aspects of incarceration will be better both for society and the taxpayer, and outlines the ultimate goal of housing all federal inmates in bureau facilities. [...]
