SCOTUS dispatch: government lawyer grilled for an hour on meaning of federal corruption statute
Gijs de Bra is a JURIST Assistant Editor and SCOTUS special correspondent, and a 2L at Cornell Law School. When, if ever, does a person “corruptly” solicit or offer a gift with intent to influence government action? That question kept Colleen Sinzdak, counsel for the US government, busy for almost all of her argument before [...]
Tunisia journalist union demands immediate release of detained reporter
The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) issued a public statement Friday demanding the immediate release of prominent journalist Mohamed Boughalleb, who was detained by the police for 48 hours on suspicion of insulting a public official. The spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office told TAP that Boughalleb’s detention stems from a complaint filed by [...]
Denmark intelligence service finds elevated terrorism threat due to Israel-Hamas war
The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) published its assessment report on Thursday, finding that the threat of terrorism in Denmark and against its interests abroad had increased because of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and a series of Quran burnings in Denmark in 2023. The PET rated the overall terrorist threat in Denmark as [...]
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK authorised charges Tuesday against a sixth person suspected of conducting espionage for the Russian Federation. Tihomir Ivanchev, a Bulgarian national, has been accused of “conspiring to obtain, collect, record, publish or communicate documents or information which might be or was intended to be directly or indirectly useful [...]
Australia MPs pass motion calling for return of Julian Assange
Australian Federal MPs voted Wednesday in favour of a motion supporting the return of Wikileaks’ founder Jullian Assange to Australia, ahead of a US extradition hearing next week in London’s High Court of Justice. In an unprecedented show of political support for Assange, the Australian Parliament called upon the US and UK to bring the [...]
Hong Kong activist Tang Kai-yin pleaded guilty on Wednesday to “perverting the course of justice” at Hong Kong’s District Court, according to local media outlet The Witness. Tang attempted to flee Hong Kong for Taiwan on August 23, 2020, via speedboat while facing charges over the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Tang was en route to [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled on Friday that three Georgia citizens under 21 years old have standing to sue county probate judges over the state law that disallows issuing carry licenses to people under 21. The case is an appeal from the US District Court for the Southern District of [...]
Hong Kong court convicts 4 activists over rioting on anniversary of handover
The District Court of Hong Kong convicted Hong Kong activists Gregory Wong, Ng Chi-yung, Ho Chun-yin and Lam Kan-kwan on Thursday over rioting at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Complex on July 1, 2019. The riot occurred on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China and occurred in the broader context of the 2019 Hong [...]
Pennsylvania Supreme Court orders reconsideration of Medicaid abortion coverage limits
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered a lower court to reconsider whether a state law limiting Medicaid funds for abortion violates the equal protection rights of low-income individuals. Under the 1982 Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act, abortion care can only be covered by Medicaid — a government-funded health insurance program for low-income individuals and families — [...]
US federal appeals court rules seizure of 700 safety deposit boxes unconstitutional
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the seizure of 700 safety deposit boxes under the process of civil asset forfeiture went beyond the warrant issued and violated the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure. The case began in 2021, when the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) obtained a warrant to [...]
