On Tuesday the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari for eight new cases. In Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Company , the Court is asked to determine whether the “sue or be sued” provision of the Federal National Mortgage Association’s (“Fannie Mae”) federal charter confers original jurisdiction to federal courts in all cases involving [...]
A Norwegian court on Monday denied a request by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden seeking a guarantee that he would not be extradited to the US if he were to visit Norway. The Norwegian chapter of PEN International awarded Snowden the 2016 Ossietzky Prize in recognition of his “outstanding efforts for freedom [...]
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Monday held that Google and Viacom are not liable for planting “cookies” on children’s computers to gather data for advertisers. In a class action lawsuit, parents claim that the companies are illegally collecting data about children who watch videos and play video games on [...]
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his support for the end to torture under all circumstances on Monday. Speaking on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture , Ban called the legal prohibition of torture “crystal clear,” and stated that the practice can “never be used at any time or under any circumstances, including [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari for two new cases next term, and noted probable jurisdiction to another. In Life Technologies Corporation v. Promega Corporation the Court has been asked to determine whether the sale of a single component of a multiple part invention from the United States constitutes a patent infringement under [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled 6-2 in Voisine v. United States that a state law conviction on reckless domestic assault is sufficient to bar possession of a firearm under federal law. Stephen Voisine and William Armstrong had pleaded guilty to violating a Maine statute that makes it a misdemeanor to “intentionally, knowingly or [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously in McDonnell v. United States that former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell’s conduct did not constitute an “official act” sufficient to support his corruption conviction. McDonnell was found guilty of official corruption in 2014 after accepting gifts and loans from the CEO of dietary supplement company Star Scientific [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled 5-3 in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt that a Texas law imposing certain requirements on abortion clinics and doctors creates an undue burden on access to abortion, and is therefore unconstitutional. A collection of Texas abortion providers challenged provisions of HB2 requiring doctors who perform abortions to have [...]
Recent measures taken by Brazil’s interim president, Michel Temer , are “negative steps for a country known for its solid commitment to freedom of opinion and expression,” according to a joint statement by UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye and OAS Inter-American Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression Edison Lanza. Several recent actions by Temer’s government [...]
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Saturday announced that search companies must abide by new internet regulations. The CAC stated that search companies must produce results in line with national interests and must clearly distinguish normal results from paid ads which may display illegal and misleading information. Search companies are also required to properly [...]
