The Iowa Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a state law forbidding convicted felons from voting, even after serving their sentences. The American Civil Liberties Union brought suit in Griffin v. Pate on behalf of Kelli Jo Griffin, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense, arguing that the “infamous crimes” standard used to restrict voting [...]
The Brussels Court of Appeals on Wednesday found that the Belgian courts do not have jurisdiction over Facebook’s collection and processing of data from users in Belgium. The court noted that Facebook is an American company that bases its European operations, including data processing for European and some North American customers, in Ireland. As such, [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging a provision in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) allowing for criminal prosecution based on access that “exceeds authorized use.” The ACLU contends that the broad interpretation of the prohibition on unauthorized use to obtain “information from any protected computer” allows for [...]
JURIST Guest Columnists Stephen Cooper and Donnie W. Bethel discuss the effect of the behavior of Prosecutors who parade their cases to the media has on the Criminal Justice system… Call us ‘old school’, but like the Honorable Scott Milne Matheson, Jr. put it, “lawyers, especially prosecutors, should not in judgment, ‘try their cases in [...]
The Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday denied certioriari in Stormans Inc. v. Wiesman , a case challenging a Washington regulation requiring pharmacies to sell birth control despite potential religious objections of employees. The petitioners, a pharmacy and two pharmacists, challenged the applicability of rules promulgated by the Washington Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission [...]
Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling for the removal of Saudia Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) . The groups are urging the General Assembly to invoke a provision of Resolution 60/251 allowing for suspension of membership in the HRC for states who have [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Larry Eaker, former Professor at the American University of Paris discusses the possible legal consequences of the UK’s decision to exit the EU… As a historian, I fear Brexit could be the beginning of the destruction not only of the EU but also of Western political civilization in its entirety. Donald Tusk, [...]
The Supreme Court of the Maldives on Monday upheld the 13-year prison sentence of former President Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism-related charges. Nasheed was originally sentenced in March 2015 after he was found guilty of unilaterally arresting then-Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed on corruption charges. Facing international pressure, the government appealed Nasheed’s sentence, arguing that he was [...]
Two justices of the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday declined to rule on a petition challenging the constitutionality of the country’s law prohibiting sex between consenting adults of the same sex. The petitioners, several prominent LGBT celebrities, had argued that their lives had been inexorably constricted and their rights infringed by Section 377 of [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Jessica Henry of Montclair State University discusses the recent additions to Louisiana’s hate crime legislation… Last month, Louisiana passed a “Blue Lives Matter” amendment to its hate crime statute. Under the newly-amended law, it is now a hate crime in Louisiana to target someone’s “person or property” for a crime “because of [...]
