A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Wednesday struck down Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Three lawsuits, including one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of 15 people, all sought to challenge parts of Indiana Code Section 31-11-1-1 , which bans all [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday in Fifth Third Bancorp v. Dudenhoeffer that employees of Fifth Third Bank can proceed with a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duties over an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). As part of the benefits Fifth Third offers to employees, they are able to contribute to an ESOP that [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Joshua Block of the American Civil Liberties Union discusses whether colleges and universities should be forced to officially recognize and fund student groups who discriminate… Should colleges and universities be forced to officially recognize—and provide funding to—religious student groups with membership policies that discriminate based on race, gender or sexual orientation? Four [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist Ryan Seelau of The Project for Indigenous Self Determination discusses Justice Clarence Thomas’ dissent in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community… On May 27, 2014 the US Supreme Court handed down its decision in Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community. The decision was widely regarded as a victory for US Tribes. But [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police officers must obtain a warrant before searching a person’s cell phone data, even at the time of arrest. In Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie , the court considered the question of whether a search of cell phone data without a warrant violates a person’s [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Wednesday against Aereo , an online service that streams and records publicly broadcast television programming without paying the broadcasters. In American Broadcasting Cos. v. Aereo, Inc. the court held that Aereo performs petitioners’ works publicly within the meaning of the Transmit Clause of the Copyright Act. Aereo charges users [...]
China’s highest Court on Tuesday overturned the death sentence of a woman convicted of killing her abusive husband in 2010. The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) remanded the case of 43-year-old Li Yan to a high court in China’s Sichuan province, finding that her first trial lacked sufficient evidence and factual clarity. Yan beat her husband [...]
Increasing militarization of police forces is putting citizens at risk rather than protecting them, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) . The report titled, “War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing,” analyzed data from 800 SWAT deployments conducted by 20 law enforcement agencies during the years [...]
Fatou Bensouda , Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced Tuesday that a preliminary investigation into North Korean attacks on South Korea did not satisfy the Rome Statute requirements necessary to initiate a full ICC investigation. The preliminary investigation was launched in 2010 in the wake of two North Korean attacks on the South: [...]
Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday dismissed two judicial investigations into allegations of Chinese genocide and human rights violations, due to a new law limiting Spanish judges’ involvement in international cases. Earlier this year, Spain put an end to its use of universal jurisdiction . Under the new law, Spanish courts would be able to prosecute [...]
