The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Wednesday. In Glossip v. Gross the court heard arguments on whether Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocol is unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment . The case originated when four death row inmates filed a complaint against the director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for the use [...]
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that courts have authority to review whether the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has fulfilled its duty under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to attempt conciliation. Additionally, the court ruled that the appropriate scope of judicial review of the EEOC’s conciliation activities is narrow, [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday in Williams-Yulee v. The Florida Bar that states may ban judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign donations. In an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court found that such restrictions do not violate the First Amendment . Roberts wrote: Judges are not politicians, even when they come [...]
The Giza Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced 69 Muslim Brotherhood supporter to 25 years in prison for attacking and burning a church in a village near Cairo in 2013 during protests against former president Mohamed Morsi . In addition, Judge Mohamed Nagi Shehata also sentenced two other juvenile defendants to 10 years in prison without [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Wednesday restricted bans on blood donations from homosexual men. Since 1983, France automatically and permanently banned blood donations from all men who had ever had sex with another man, calling it a measure of safety against spreading the HIV virus. This ban was seen by many critics as [...]
A Dutch appellate court ruled Wednesday that Gen. Thom Karremans, who ordered Bosnian Muslims away from a UN peacekeeping compound during the 1995 Srebrenica massacre , will not be prosecuted. Karremans, along with two other soldiers, faced charges for forcing three Bosnian Muslim men to leave the UN compound during the massacre, which ultimately led [...]
Eight convicted drug smugglers were executed in Indonesia early Wednesday despite international criticism and pleas for clemency. Among those executed by firing squad were Australian nationals Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, part of the so-called “Bali Nine,” who were arrested in 2005 for recruiting seven others to smuggle heroin from Indonesia into Australia. Also executed [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on same-sex marriage . The court heard two-and-half hours of oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges , which was consolidated with three other cases. The first question before the court was “Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the [...]
A UN independent board of inquiry announced Monday that it uncovered evidence that at least 44 Palestinians were killed by “Israeli actions” while sheltering at UN locations during last year’s Gaza war. The investigation also found that at least 227 Palestinians were injured. In response to the findings, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated : The [...]
Amnesty International (AI) USA Executive Director Steven Hawkins on Tuesday urged Baltimore police to exercise restraint during protests, prioritize non-violent means and limit the use of force. The statement comes amid protests over the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray while he was in police custody. Hawkins also addressed the right to protest and peacefully [...]
