The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a petition for certiorari on behalf of same-sex couples in Ohio with the US Supreme Court on Friday asking the court to resolve a circuit split on the issue of same-sex marriage. Earlier this month the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit became the first federal [...]
The UN commission of inquiry for the Syrian Arab Republic reported on Friday that the Islamic State (IS) is responsible for war crimes on a “massive scale” in Syria. The report is based on 300 witness accounts that detail the extent of IS’s abuse of Syrian civilians in areas under the group’s control. The UN [...]
Jose Luis Abarca, the former mayor of the Mexican city of Iguala, was charged Friday with six counts of aggravated homicide and one count of attempted homicide by prosecutors in the state of Guerrero. The charges stem from the September 26 disappearance of 43 students who who were en route to Iguala to protest lack [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that a term of good faith performance is now an implied requirement in all contractual agreements. The court found that Canadian courts’ resistance to ruling on the issue of good faith performance in contracts has created an “unsettled and incoherent body of law … which is difficult to [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Thursday reversed the US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin Court decision that a portion of the tax code giving clergy housing allowances, is unconstitutional. The plaintiffs challenged 26 US Code Section 107(2) , which excludes from taxation rental allowances given to clergy [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the motion to intervene on Wednesday in the case of Edward Peruta v. County of San Diego . In February 2013 the Ninth Circuit held the permit review process established by San Diego County infringed upon the rights of Californians under the Second Amendment of [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Wednesday denied Abigail Fisher’s petition for a rehearing en banc in the affirmative action case Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin . The judges for the Fifth Circuit voted 10-5 to deny the petition. The case is on remand from a June 2013 decision [...]
A UN human rights expert said Thursday that there is enough evidence to hold North Korean leader Kim Jong Un responsible for “massive” human rights atrocities committed by the state. In February the UN released a report concluding that North Korean security chiefs, and possibly Kim Jong Un, should face international justice for ordering systematic [...]
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, called on the government of Afghanistan and the international community on Thursday to adopt sustainable measures to address the causes and consequences of violence against women in the country. Although there have been “positive legislative and institutional developments” within Afghanistan, Manjoo asserts that violence against [...]
Amnesty International (AI) revealed court documents Thursday indicating Shell repeatedly underestimated the impact of two oil spills in Bodo, Nigeria. The documents were part of claims brought forth in a UK court by more than 15,000 people affected by oil pollution. In joint investigation reports, which determine compensation handed to communities after a spill, Shell [...]
