Search Results for: Commonwealth

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court found Wednesday in two rulings that the state cannot enforce a regulation directed by executive order to make power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions because it was created without legislative approval, dealing another setback to the centerpiece of former Governor Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming. [...]

Matthew Hedges, a British academic and researcher, was arrested and accused of espionage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May 2018. There were allegations that Hedges was tortured while in detention. According to reports, he was subjected to solitary confinement, physical assault, prolonged interrogation and denial of basic rights during his imprisonment. The UAE [...]

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the nation’s upcoming referendum on the Voice to Parliament will take place on October 14, 2023. Australia’s constitution can be amended only by way of referendum, invoked by section 128 of the Australian Constitution. Significantly, a referendum requires that the proposed constitutional change is approved by a [...]

As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop, it is time to reexamine the ways in which lyrics are used in legal proceedings by examining the bias held for the art form. While the birth of hip hop has spurred international conversations about the realities of living in under-resourced communities, it has also been [...]

“Each state is expected, perpetually, to aid and enforce the law of nations, as part of the common law, by inflicting an adequate punishment upon the offenses against that universal law.” William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Law of England (Book 4) After January 6, 2021, it was disclosed by the special investigating committee of the [...]

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday that Australians will vote on October 14 on whether to alter the Australian Constitution to recognize First Nations people by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice in Parliament. Australia has not held a constitutional referendum since the last one in 1999.  Australia’s legal system requires a [...]

UK Minister for Africa Andrew Mitchell announced Tuesday that the UK would send evidence to the UN of alleged war crimes in Darfur, Sudan. In a joint statement with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Mitchell said that the UK was “extremely concerned by the growing body of evidence of serious atrocities against civilians [...]

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled Tuesday that the state police (PSP) must disclose its social media monitoring policy to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania under the state’s right-to-know law (RTKL). The case is an appeal from the Commonwealth Court of Pennslyvania. Justice David N. Wecht authored the opinion of the court. [...]

Sanctioned businessman Eugene Shvidler lost his attempt on Friday to overturn UK-imposed sanctions at London’s High Court. In their Friday ruling, the court found the sanctions imposed on Shvidler following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to be lawful, disagreeing with his position that they were disproportionate and discriminatory. The case marks the first time a British [...]

Former UK Police Commissioner Ian McGrail called on Friday for an independent investigation by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office into corruption in Gibraltar, in a statement from his lawyer to the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). McGrail was arrested in March 2022 on suspicion of conspiracy to obtain unauthorized computer material, misconduct and violations of [...]