The US Supreme Court on Monday denied a Kentucky county clerk’s bid to continue refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples pending an appeal. Kim Davis, the clerk for Rowan county, has declined to extend marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges , claiming that to [...]
White House spokesperson Josh Earnest on Monday said President Barack Obama is considering a “wide array” of options for closing the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While Earnest said that Congressional consent would be the best means to shut the facility down, he would not rule out executive action as a last resort. [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Jordan Lorence of Alliance Defending Freedom argues that a recent decision of Ohio Board of Professional Conduct compelling state judges to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is unreasonable and unaccommodating … The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct has issued a scorched-earth policy against state judges who decide to stop performing all [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday granted former Virginia governor Robert McDonnell’s emergency application to stay his mandated jailing while the court decides whether to hear his appeal. The order will keep McDonnell out of jail either until the Supreme Court rules in his favor, rules against him or denies certiorari. Had the Justices denied [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Mohamed Abdelaal of Alexandria University Faculty of Law discusses Egypt’s anti-terrorism law… After the revolution of 2011, which resulted in President Hosni Mubarak being forced to step down, delegating his powers to the armed forces, Egypt witnessed a huge wave of factional protest movements and escalated violence, nearly paralyzing the country’s facilities [...]
The Law Commission of India has recommended that the death penalty be abolished as a mode of punishment for all crimes except terrorism. This is the first time the Commission has addressed the death penalty since 1967, when they recommended the retention of the death penalty in India. The Supreme Court of India has upheld [...]
Ukraine’s parliament , on Monday, voted to give eastern regions a special status through constitutional changes in hopes of weakening their separatist drive. The bill was approved on a first reading, but still faces legislative and judicial hurdles. The resolution, aimed at decentralization of power, would divide Ukraine into “communities” which would be the “primary [...]
The Indian Supreme Court on Monday stayed an order from the Rajasthan High Court that would have made the practice of Santhara , or voluntarily fasting to death practiced by the Jains , a crime. The Rajasthan High Court said that there was no dignity in the practice and it was essentially suicide, which is [...]
Myanmar President Thein Sein signed the Monogamy Bill into law on Monday, prohibiting marriage to more than one spouse or living with an unmarried partner, which many view as an attack on the minority Muslim population in the country. The bill is one of four recent laws backed by the Committee for the Protection of [...]
Burkina Faso’s Constitutional Council rejected opposition presidential candidate Eddie Constance Konboigo on Saturday ahead of the elections scheduled for October. Konboigo was head of ousted president Blaise Compaore’s Congress for Democracy and Progress party, and he was one of six candidates rejected on Saturday. The country is currently being run by a transitional government, with [...]
