A woman facing devastating complications in her pregnancy must have every medical option available to her. Today this court has upheld instead arbitrary and dangerous limits based not on sound medical judgment or concern for women's health, but on an extreme anti-choice agenda. Anyone concerned with the erosion of constitutional rights in the U.S. and the intrusion of government into the lives and private decisions of individual citizens should be profoundly disturbed by today's decision.

This is the latest development in the ongoing reproductive rights controversy [JURIST backgrounder]. Earlier in July, a federal judge blocked a Mississippi law [JURIST report] that would have effectively shut down the state's only abortion clinic. Two weeks ago, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt appealed a ruling [JURIST report] by a district court judge that held that an abortion ultrasound bill is unconstitutional. Earlier last month, Louisiana Governor Bob Jindal signed a bill increasing abortion restrictions in the state [JURIST report]. In May, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill allowing pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs [JURIST report] that they "reasonably believe" might result in the termination of a pregnancy. Earlier that month, a judge for the District Court of Oklahoma County ruled [JURIST report] that a law restricting how doctors may use abortion-inducing drugs to treat patients was a violation of the Oklahoma Constitution. In March, Utah passed a law requiring a woman seeking an abortion to wait 72 hours [JURIST report] prior to obtaining the procedure.

Collecting DNA from individuals arrested for violent felonies provides a valuable tool for investigating unsolved crimes and thereby helping to remove violent offenders from the general population. Crimes for which DNA evidence is implicated tend to be serious, and serious crimes cause serious injuries. That Maryland may not employ a duly-enacted statute to help prevent these injuries constitutes irreparable harm. ... Accordingly, the judgment and mandate below are hereby stayed pending the disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari.

Lower courts have been split on this issue. In February the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that buccal mouth swabs may be used to extract DNA samples from any adult arrested or charged with a felony in California, thereby upholding a 2004 voter-enacted provision [Proposition 69 materials] of the DNA and Forensic Identification Database and Data Bank Act of 1998 [text]. It also reversed a decision [JURIST report] issued last August by a three-judge panel for the California First District Court of Appeals [official website] holding that DNA samples cannot be taken broadly from any adult arrested or charged with a felony. In January the Minnesota Supreme Court [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that a state law requiring the collection of DNA samples by people convicted of crimes does not violate the Fourth Amendment.

The issues regarding personhood initiatives and their possible ramifications [JURIST comments] have long been controversial. The initiative to redefine "personhood" under the Oklahoma Constitution [text] was originally challenged [JURIST report] in March. If the amendment ever passes, it would effectively outlaw all abortions, many forms of birth control, and various treatments for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages. In February the Virginia House of Delegates passed a similar "personhood" bill [JURIST report] that defines "life" at the beginning of conception. Last fall, a similar lawsuit challenging the Mississippi personhood ballot initiative was dismissed and eventually rejected [JURIST reports]. In 2007 the Supreme Court of Colorado allowed [JURIST report] an anti-abortion group's personhood ballot initiative that similarly defined a fertilized egg as a "person."

Egypt's has faced political turmoil since the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak last year. Earlier this month, newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi issued a statement [JURIST report] saying he will respect the ruling of an Egyptian court suspending his decree to reconvene the parliament. Morsi issued the decree [JURIST report] earlier that week despite the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling that the parliament was elected illegally. Also this month, a former candidate in Egypt's presidential election and several non-government organizations filed a lawsuit challenging Egypt's interim constitution [JURIST report], alleging it gives the Egyptian military unlimited power. Last month, an Egyptian court struck down a government decree that restored broad arrest powers to Egyptian military officials. The Ministry of Justice issued the decree earlier that month, restoring some of the power previously granted to the military through the emergency law, which expired [JURIST reports] in May after being in effect for nearly 30 years. Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern [JURIST report] about the growing power of the Egyptian military rulers.

Cooke had issued a preliminary injunction [JURIST report] in the case in September. She found that the law in no way affects the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. In July 2010 the Chicago City Council [official website] unanimously approved a new gun control law that bans gun shops in the city and prohibits gun owners from stepping outside their homes, including porches and garages, with a handgun. Shortly thereafter a group of Chicago citizens, supported by both the National Rifle Association and the National Association of Firearm Retailers [advocacy websites], filed suit against the city [JURIST report] claiming the new ordinance infringes on their constitutional rights. In June 2010 the US Supreme Court ruled in McDonald v. Chicago [opinion; JURIST report] that the Second Amendment applies to states and municipalities as well as the federal government, thereby overturning Chicago's ban on handguns and raising considerable uncertainty about what amount of regulations of firearms was permissible. Two years earlier the US Supreme Court [official website] ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] that the Second Amendment protects the right to possess a handgun for the purpose of self-defense, overturning the District of Columbia's restrictive firearms law.

Corruption continues to be a problem throughout the world. Earlier this month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile; JURIST news archive] called on [JURIST report] the government of Kyrgyzstan [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] to ensure the protection of human rights and the rule of law while mentioning that corruption is one of the main problems the country faces affecting every aspect of society, undermining the "rule of law, the police, the judiciary, and trust in both local and national authorities." The same day, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert [official profile; JURIST news archive] was acquitted [JURIST report] of two major counts of corruption but found guilty of a third lesser charge on Tuesday in the culmination of a three-year trial. In June Bolivian authorities arrested [JURIST report] a former chief of the country's armed forces on corruption charges including illicit enrichment, dereliction of duty and abuse of influence.

Technological advancements allowing the tracking and storage of mass amounts of information has sparked legal controversy in recent years. The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [JURIST report] in January that the government's attachment of a global positioning system (GPS) device to a vehicle, and its use of that device to monitor the vehicle's movements, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment [text]. Last August the ACLU announced that their affiliates were sending approximately 375 requests for information in 31 states to reveal how law enforcement uses location data tracking on cell phones [JURIST report]. Smartphones now come with built-in global positioning systems (GPS), allowing users' movements to be tracked by law enforcement agencies, sometimes prior to having the phone in custody. In January 2011 the Supreme Court of California ruled that law enforcement officers can legally search text messages [JURIST report] on a suspect's cell phone without a warrant incident to a lawful custodial arrest. The California decision represents a split from the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2010 ruling and a 2009 decision [JURST reports] by the Ohio Supreme Court holding that police must obtain a warrant before searching data stored on a cell phone.

The Trial Chamber finds that the Tribunal's Statute and Rules guarantee to an accused person all the relevant and necessary rights to a fair trial mandated under international human rights law and take into account the case-law of institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Human Rights Committee. No breach of any right guaranteed under international human rights law has been identified. The Trial Chamber is thus satisfied and finds that the Tribunal was "established by law" in that it was established by a body that was competent to establish it, namely the United Nations Security Council, and that its Statute and Rules guarantee to the Accused all fundamental human rights.

Earlier this month, STL upheld [JURIST report] the decision to try four accused in absentia. The tribunal rejected the defense motion [motion, PDF] that challenged the legality and jurisdiction over the case. The STL could not find any error of legal reasoning in the February decision [decision, PDF] that could lead to unjust treatment of the four accused. In February, the STL granted [JURIST report] the prosecution's office permission to proceed with the case against the four accused assassins. The four members of Hezbollah [CFR backgrounder] have been accused of being involved in a February 2005 truck bombing that killed Hariri along with 20 others. The court reasoned that the prosecution and the national authorities have undertaken all reasonable steps to apprehend and inform the accused. Last August, the STL announced [JURIST report] that it would investigate three additional bombings that is believed to be connected to the February 2005 bomb attack. Two days earlier, the UN-backed tribunal unsealed [JURIST report] the indictment [text] against the assassins of Hariri after a pre-trial judge confirmed the indictment and ordered the lift of confidentiality. In June 2011, the STL released [JURIST report] the indictment along with an arrest warrant against the accused to local authorities.

Earlier this month Hungarian prosecutors charged Csatary [JURIST report] with the "unlawful torture of human beings," a war crime that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Csatary is at the top of the SWC's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals [BBC backgrounder], and the SWC had already called on the Hungarian government to prosecute the Nazi war criminal [JURIST report] when the center issued its annual report in April. Nazi prosecution continues regardless of the ages of the criminals. In January the Ingolstadt Prosecutor's Office [official website, in German] filed a motion [JURIST report] to jail Klaas Faber, a Dutch native who fled to Germany after being convicted in the Netherlands in 1947 of Nazi war crimes. Germany reopened investigations into former Nazi death camp guards in October, which stemmed from the conviction of John Demjanjuk [JURIST reports], a former guard at a camp in Poland who was deported to Germany to stand trial for his alleged Nazi crimes. Last September alleged Nazi Sandor Kepiro died while he awaited an appeal [JURIST report] on his acquittal on war crimes charges.

Governments worldwide have struggled in recent years to prevent the spreading of HIV while balancing the rights of their citizens. Earlier this month a UN commission reported that laws in all countries of the world are limiting assistance and options available [JURIST report] to individuals infected with HIV/AIDS. The commission found that a variety of laws and practices worldwide affect individuals' ability both to prevent exposure to the virus and to seek help after infection. Last September, the UK Department of Health announced that it would lift the lifetime ban [JURIST report] on blood donations from men who have had sex with other men. Britain introduced the lifetime ban in the 1980s in an effort to quell the proliferation of HIV and AIDS. The US Department of Health and Human Services in July 2011 asked experts to review a similar US policy [ABC report] that bars gay men from donating blood. In November 2010 a Chinese court ruled against [JURIST report] a man who claimed he was denied a teaching job because he is HIV-positive, finding that the city education officials properly assessed his unsuitability for the position base on health standards.

Hindu-Muslim relations are largely peaceful on the subcontinent but violence does occur. Last month New Delhi police arrested a key suspect [JURIST report] in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive], Abu Hamza, who is an alleged member of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) [CFR backgrounder]. In February a New Delhi court confirmed charges [JURIST report] against US citizens and a Canadian citizen who have been accused of being involved in the 2008 attacks. Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], a Pakistani gunman in the attacks who was captured and convicted in 2010, had his execution stayed [JURIST reports] last year so he could appeal his death sentence. The 2008 Mumbai attacks killed 166 people.

The arrest of the chief justice and the resulting unrest in Maldives sparked weeks of tension and unrest that drew international attention. Earlier this month the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) claimed that press freedom in the country has been deteriorating since Nasheed's resignation in February [JURIST reports]. In April the Maldives Police Service referred the case against Nasheed to the Prosecutor's General Office two months after an arrest warrant [JURIST reports] against him was issued. Nasheed has claimed that the arrest and charges against him were politically motivated. A group of Maldives lawyers in January asked [JURIST report] the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website; JURIST backgrounder] to review the legality of the arrest of Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed. During the same month, the Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs had asked [JURIST report] the UN to help them to resolve the unrest arising out of the arrest of the chief justice.

Earlier this month, a Ukrainian appeals court postponed [JURIST report] the appeal hearing challenging Tymoshenko's corruption conviction and seven-year sentence. This marked the third postponement in the case. The case was last postponed in June [JURIST report]. The new date was set to August 16 following the request of the prosecution. Tymoshenko is reportedly suffering from a spinal condition which causes her debilitating pain. In May, the ECHR ended an investigation [JURIST report] into the health care conditions of Tymoshenko, finding that the Ukrainian government provided her with adequate care. She previously alleged that prison guards were beating her [press release, in Ukrainian], and refused to be treated [JURIST report] by prison doctors for back problems, believing they were under the direction of political rival President Viktor Yanukovych. Tymoshenko has already been sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption charges. Ukrainian prosecutors have also indicated that she will face charges [JURIST reports] in a 1996 contract killing.

Last month Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) [advocacy website] reported that North Korea's caste system leads to human rights abuses [JURIST report] in the country, with members of the lower castes being classified as "class enemies" and not afforded basic human rights. In November UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights Marzuki Darusman criticized North Korea's human rights record [JURIST report], particularly its treatment of prisoners, echoing a UN General Assembly [official website] resolution [text] passed the same week. In March 2010 the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution condemning North Korea for human rights abuses [JURIST report]. Earlier that month the UN Special Rapporteur for North Korea reported to the UNHRC that the North Korean human rights situation was continuing to deteriorate [JURIST report]. In October the US Congress gave final approval to three free trade agreements, one of which was with South Korea [HR 3080 text], marking the first time in several years that the US has formed a trade partnership. The South Korea agreement will lower or eliminate tariffs that US exporters face [JURIST report] in the country and take steps to better protect intellectual property and improve access for American investors there.

The HHS mandate has raised concerns in religiously affiliated institutions across the country. There are currently 24 separate lawsuits challenging the mandate. Last week, the Thomas More Law Center filed a motion [JURIST report] in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan asking the court to block the mandate before it goes into effect on August 1. Earlier this month, Wheaton College [official website], a Christian institution in Illinois, filed a lawsuit [press release] challenging the HHS mandate. In May, more than 40 Catholic dioceses and other Catholic institutions around the US filed lawsuits [JURIST report] against the Obama administration alleging the mandate violated their right to religious freedom. In a statement, the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, said that the lawsuit was not about access to contraception, but rather "it is about whether the government may force religious institutions and individuals to facilitate and fund services which violate their religious beliefs."

Basescu survived a similar referendum in 2007 [JURIST report] with 74 percent of the vote and only 44 percent turnout. In 2009 the Constitutional Court declared then-incumbent Basescu the winner of that year's disputed presidential election [JURIST report], returning him to office after unanimously rejecting a complaint by Basescu's opponent alleging voter fraud and bribery. Last week the Constitutional Court upheld a parliamentary change to the country's referendum law that lengthened voting times by an four extra hours [JURIST report], an effort led by Ponta and the USL to increase voter turnout for Sunday's referendum. A week earlier interim president Crin Antonescu [personal website, in Romanian] signed a law reinstating the 50 percent turnout threshold [JURIST report] after the Constitutional Court's ruling that it was improperly eliminated by Parliament. Also this month the Constitutional Court accused Ponta of overstepping his authority [JURIST report] by attempting to seize control over the judiciary system, after which European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso [official website] summoned Ponta to Brussels to discuss concerns over some of the prime minister's policies, urging Ponta to respect the full independence of the Romanian judiciary and expressing the EC's desire that Romania maintain a democratic system of checks and balances.

Rights groups and politicians in Russia have expressed concern over other recently passed laws they say are aimed at restricting civil rights. Last week, Putin signed [JURIST report] into law a bill that labels all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive foreign funding as "foreign agents" and requires them to register with the Justice Ministry. Opponents of this new law say that its purpose is to curb free speech [RFE/RL report] and limit information available to the public. Earlier this month, Russian politicians asked [JURIST report] the country's constitutional court to review a recently passed law that increases penalties against protesters who violate regulations. The State Duma also recently approved a bill regulating Internet use that some fear the government will use to oppress speech. In May Russia also for the first time convicted a gay rights activist [JURIST report] under a law prohibiting the spread of "homosexual propaganda" to minors, which caused concern from human rights groups.