Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill Wednesday tightening security regulations to protect clients and patients at abortion clinics from abusive protests and demonstrations. The Act to Promote Public Safety and Protect Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities was proposed in reaction to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the state’s prior 35-foot “buffer zone” [...]
A federal judge on Wednesday imposed a $1.27 billion penalty on Bank of America after a jury found them liable for mortgage fraud. Judge Jed Rakoff for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled after a jury found that Bank of America, the second largest bank in the US, had [...]
Two major human rights advocacy groups on Tuesday voiced their opposition to the “unfair trial” that led to the conviction of 26 Algerian activists on charges of holding an “armed gathering” and violence against the police. Nine activists were sentenced to six months in prison. The remaining 17, convicted in absentia, received prison sentences of [...]
A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled on Tuesday to overturn a 2012 Mississippi state law that would have closed Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) , the only abortion clinic in the state. The law required that all physicians associated with an abortion facility must have admitting privileges [...]
US Representative Scott Perry (R-PA) on Monday introduced a bill to nationally legalize cannabidiol (CBD) oil, or marijuana extract, which has been shown to treat seizures in children suffering from epilepsy. Although the bill, called the “Charlotte’s Web Medical Hemp Act of 2014,” does not legalize all forms of marijuana for medical use, it does [...]
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday issued a report documenting what it refers to as “the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine” and calling for greater care to prevent civilian casualties in the region. While issuing a news report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, [...]
US Federal Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. on Saturday ruled that the District of Columbia law prohibiting the carrying of pistols in public is unconstitutional. It is reported that Judge Scullin issued an order addressed to the city and police department to end the ban on firearms. However, it has been undetermined if actual notice [...]
The European Court of Human Rights handed down two rulings finding the Polish government in violation of European human rights laws based on the establishment of prison center used for illegal detainment and torture of terrorist suspects. Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday reported that the secret prison was established by the Polish Government in an [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit announced Friday that it will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans in Indiana and Wisconsin before a panel of three judges in August. The states requested that their arguments be heard en banc, but the court rejected the request . Federal judges [...]
The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill that would make it legal for individuals to open the digital locks on their cellphones. The process, known as unlocking or jailbreaking, is currently illegal , punishable by fines of up to $500,000 and five years in jail for unlocking cellphones without the authorization of [...]
