Putin signs law giving Russian legislation precedence over international treaties
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law Tuesday giving Russia’s national legislation precedence over international treaties and rulings from international bodies. The bill was initially passed in the lower house, the State Duma, in late October, and then by the Federation Council. The law is one among many constitutional reforms approved by the Russian public between [...]
On November 25, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an emergency opinion in the case of Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, v. Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York (Application No. 20A87) ostensibly to protect the freedom of religion. The 5 to 4 decision appealing denials of a stay from [...]
Trump administration opens bids for oil and gas lease sales in Arctic refuge
The Trump administration on Monday announced formal proceedings to sell oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil companies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska State Office issued a call for nominations and comments on several lease tracts considered for the upcoming Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Lease Sale, approximately [...]
After the American Election: Overcoming Plague, Chaos and "Mass"
“The mass-man has no attention to spare for reasoning; he learns only in his own flesh.” – Jose Ortega y’Gasset, The Revolt of the Masses (1930) In the United States, prima facie, presidential elections represent a core fixture of democracy. Nonetheless, though necessary – and never more so than in the just-completed defeat of Donald [...]
On July 15, 2020, the New Jersey Supreme Court released an Order declaring that the Bar Exam would be administered online. This would be the first time the NJ Bar exam was ever administered online. The move to online seems like a good idea amid a global pandemic killing Americans at an exorbitant rate; however, [...]
On 9th January 2015, in front of the Jeddah Mosque, a Saudi activist and blogger named Raif Badawi was publicly given the first fifty out of the thousand lashes he was sentenced with, for ‘insulting Islam through electronic channels.’ The disturbing incident instantaneously became viral on social media and the #JeSuisRaif movement gained momentum. Saudi [...]
"Côtexit" from Access to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
On 29th April, Côte d’Ivoire announced its withdrawal from the special declaration of jurisdiction provided under Article 34(6) of the ‘Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights’. Article 34(6) of the Protocol reads that “the State shall make a declaration [...]
The Indian Constitution is not merely a static document containing a set of rules or laws through which the state governs its people, it is much more. The constitution is a dynamic phenomenon, ever-evolving in its contours, which was born with a task of protecting individuals who have been subordinated by the society in innumerable [...]
The Annihilation of International Law and the Right to Freedom of Speech: Julian Assange
Julian Assange is an Australian hacker, famous for revealing US secrets relating to war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. A whole cache of classified information was published by Assange’s organization WikiLeaks, which revealed the details of the ruthless murders of innocent civilians and the capture of hundreds of innocent civilians in the US’s Guantanamo [...]
EPA Takes a Toxic Turn by Backing Away from Mercury Regulation
Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on earth. When inhaled or ingested by humans, mercury can cause severe neurological damage, cardiovascular harm, endocrine disruption, kidney damage and muscle coordination issues. When pregnant women are exposed, their babies can suffer IQ and motor skills impairments that will last their lifetime. Through rain, snow or [...]
