The International Criminal Court (ICC) will not prosecute Tony Blair for war crimes related to the 2003 Iraq War, according to the Telegraph. The ICC said Saturday that the decision “by the UK to go to war in Iraq falls outside the Court’s jurisdiction.” The ICC also said that it will be analyzing the “Chilcot [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted on Thursday in favor of appointing an independent expert to report on and investigate worldwide violence and discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The appointment passed by a vote of 23 to 18 with 6 abstentions. Supporters of the initiative referenced the recent violence [...]
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Alaskan government’s challenge in a case determining the right of Alaskan tribes to place land in a federal trust. Alaskan tribes originally sued the Department of the Interior in 2007 to place land in a trust. Though the Interior Department found that denying such rights would be [...]
The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned for the year on Friday after making only minor changes to the state’s highly criticized House Bill 2 . Legislators altered the original law by restoring the right to sue in state court for discriminatory employment discrimination. The legislators, however, expressed no intention to change the controversial provisions that [...]
California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday signed 20 bills into law , six of which were bills altering the gun laws in the state . Brown stated that he signed the bills “to enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.” [...]
A federal judge on Thursday ruled that a Mississippi law allowing for religious objections to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is unconstitutional . HB 1523 , set to go into effect Friday, sought to protect three religious beliefs: “(a) Marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and [...]
US District Judge Robert Hinkle issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday blocking provisions of a new Florida law that would cut state funding to clinics that provide abortions. Though the law was planned to take effect on Friday, Planned Parenthood affiliates challenged the law’s constitutionality. Hinkle found that cutting funding to certain abortion clinics would [...]
The UN Human Rights Council called on the African Union (AU) Friday to respond to a report that detailed gross human rights violations in Eritrea. The report found that systemic and widespread gross violations in the detention facilities and military camps may even amounts to crimes against humanity. The council had previously called on the [...]
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Thursday announced a new policy that allows transgender individuals to serve openly in the military, effective immediately. The announcement , promised last week, lifted the ban that not only prevented transgender persons from serving in the military but also made a transgender identity grounds for discharge. The policy shift [...]
JURIST Guest Colomnist Graciela Jasa Silveira discusses potential legal and constitutional consequences as a result of Mexican President Peña Nieto’s initiatives to support same-sex family rights… Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto made public two bills to make-constitutional the right to marriage, and to amend federal family law to guarantee same-sex partners access to marriage and [...]
