The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that state plans by Maryland and New Jersey impeded upon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) authority under the Federal Power Act . The states were subsidizing their in-state energy companies to build new electricity capacity in return for the option for those companies to market the energy [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday in favor of a transgender Virginia high school student who sued his school for discrimination. Gavin Grimm, 16, of Gloucester County, Virginia, sued his school for not allowing him to use the boys bathroom. The school had decided on a policy that boys and [...]
A panel of federal judges on Monday rejected a motion by Representative Corrine Brown challenging the current congressional district boundaries in Florida. Brown has long argued that the current boundary system violates federal voting laws by diminishing the rights of minorities. Brown also argued that her district now includes a dozen prisons, which alters the [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Tuesday. In US v. Bryant the court heard arguments to determine whether a conviction in an Indian tribal court without counsel used to satisfy the predicate offense requirement of 18 USC § 117 , which criminalizes domestic assault when the defendant has at least two [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Monday affirmed a settlement agreement concerning the National Football League (NFL) and payouts to retired players with certain medical conditions . The settlement, originally a $765 million agreement, was changed due to worries of not surviving the settlement term of 65 years. As it was [...]
A UN rights expert on Tuesday released a expressed concern over the state of media independence and the public right of access to information in Japan, citing laws and personal stories that are making these more difficult than recommended . David Kaye , the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, [...]
UN expert Alfred de Zayas on Tuesday warned against investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in trade agreements, saying that they “are incompatible with democracy, the rule of law and human rights.” ISDS mechanisms, which according to Zayas, provide for “privatized or semi-privatized dispute settlement” he warns, work against the public interest and allows calculated risks [...]
Several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) on Monday urged the Gambian government to investigate the death of Solo Sandeng , a Gambian human rights activist, who died on Saturday while in detention for protesting. Calling his death “suspicious” as there have been reports that he was tortured, the [...]
A UN human rights expert on Tuesday called on the government of Georgia to address the reasons why children in the country are placed under protective care. UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography Maud de Boer-Buquicchio praised the use of temporary shelters but said that the country must [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday that Russia’s Constitutional Court has rejected a binding decision of an international human rights body as “non-executable.” The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in 2013 that Russia must reform an absolute ban on voting rights for prisoners. The ECHR had decided that Russia’s absolute ban on prisoners [...]
