The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal by Uber of a federal district court order that certified a class of nearly 160,000 drivers in California who challenge their status as independent contractors. Uber’s attorneys argue that the drivers signed away their right to participate in class-action [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed summary judgment issued by a Hawaii federal district court denying an exemption to Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii, Inc. from federal laws prohibiting the possession and distribution of cannabis. The case arose from an incident in 2009 involving a member of the [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday called on Iraqi forces to allow aid such as food and medicine into Fallujah as the armed siege is producing acute shortages. The city has found itself besieged by governmental forces since the Islamic State (ISIS) made it a territorial strong hold in 2014. HRW is calling on the [...]
UN Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Serge Brammertz announced on Wednesday that he will appeal the recent acquittal of Serbian politician Vojislav Šešelj. The ICTY acquitted Šešelj, president of the Serbian Radical Party and former Assembly member of Serbia, of all crimes against humanity and war crimes in connection [...]
Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) , Melchior Wathelet, stated on Thursday that providing a hyperlink to images without the owner’s consent does not amount to copyright infringement. The case involves a website, GreenStijl, which posted hyperlinks to another website’s unlawfully posted Playboy pictures. Wathelet stated that “hyperlinks which [...]
The Fukuoka High Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal filed by citizens of Japan seeking to stop the operation of the only two remaining nuclear reactors in the country. The suit was originally raised by 12 residents in the Kagoshima District Court in April 2015. Wednesday’s decision upholds the ruling from last year. The No. [...]
The French Parliament on Wednesday passed legislation which will make it illegal to pay for sex within the nation. The new law will punish those who solicit prostitutes by issuing fines and ordering the completion of mandatory classes about the harmful effects of prostitution. It is reported that the fine for the first offence will [...]
The Tennessee Attorney General on Wednesday issued an opinion that states that fantasy sports amounts to illegal gambling within the state. Attorney General Herbert Slatery said in his opinion that all fantasy sports games, including those on daily sports sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings, are illegal within the state. The opinion also says that [...]
The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court on Tuesday ordered the legislature to commence impeachment proceedings against Vice President Michel Temer. Judge Marco Aurelio Mello overruled a previous rejection from a high ranking member of the Brazilian legislature. Brazil is in the midst of a political and economic crisis, tied to widespread corruption. Impeachment proceedings are already [...]
The Puerto Rico legislature passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow the island territory to enter into a state of fiscal emergency and begin the process toward a debt moratorium. The bill would allow the moratorium, primarily concerned with the debt of the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico, to be in effect for [...]
