The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that it will be filing a statement of interest in the multi-district opioid lawsuit against distributors and manufacturers. In the statement of interest, the DOJ will assert that the federal government should be reimbursed for the significant costs caused by the opioid crisis through enacting treatment programs [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on torture expressed concerns Tuesday after allegations of torture and human rights violations committed by Turkish police arose following the end of his visit in December 2016. According to Nils Melzer, those suspected of being involved with the Gülenist Movement or the armed Kurdistan Workers’ Party are allegedly subject to brutal [...]
The US House of Representatives voted 388-25 Tuesday to approve a bill meant to curb online sex trafficking. HB 1865, introduced last April, would amend Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 , which limits online service providers’ liability regarding presentation of online material created by other entities. The amendment seeks to clarify that [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of California granted summary judgment for the Trump administration Tuesday, allowing construction of a border wall between the US and Mexico to proceed. Plaintiffs, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Animal Legal Defense Fund , the state of California [...]
Two women sued the college town of Starkville, Mississippi, Monday after it denied a permit for a gay pride parade. The women had submitted an application for a parade permit to the city of Starkville, following the city’s guidelines. Most of the time, the applications are addressed without publicity through a standard yes or no [...]
The European Commission on Wednesday released a draft agreement for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. An accompanying press release credits the Commission’s transparency policy for the draft’s publication and highlights its main points. These include: the length of the transitional period, the status of goods already entered into the common market and the rights [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday granted the government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s 2 for 1 executive order that mandated agencies eliminate two existing regulations for each new one created. Judge Randolph Moss dismissed the lawsuit finding that the plaintiffs, Public Citizen, [...]
A Democratic group headed by former US attorney general Eric Holder sued Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Monday on behalf of several Wisconsin Democrats for his refusal to hold a special election to fill two vacancies in the state legislature. The two seats have been vacant since December when two GOP lawmakers—Sen. Frank Lasee and Rep. [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday in Merit Management Group v. FTI Consulting , a case concerning bankruptcy courts’ power to recover fraudulent property transfers. The matter originated with Merit Management Group’s 30percent stake in a company called Bedford Downs Management Corporation, a company that attempted to obtain a harness-racing license in Pennsylvania in [...]
The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday for two cases, United States v. Microsoft Corp. and Lozman v. City of Riveria Beach, Florida . United States v. Microsoft Corp. concerns the application of a 20 year-old statute, the Stored Communications Act (SCA) , to modern technology. The case, which began in 2013, centers around [...]
