Search Results for: Secrecy

Pope Francis released new papal documents Tuesday that eliminate the application of the “pontifical secrecy” rule in cases of sexual abuse. Catholic clergy in many countries, including the US, have long used “pontifical secrecy” as justification for not cooperating with police or victims in cases of sexual abuse. In February church leaders called for the [...]

A leak of highly classified documents from the Chinese government has exposed the manual used in operating China’s mass detention camps, including policing and surveillance tactics to prevent escape from the camps the Chinese government has labeled “vocational training institutions” that hold Muslim Uighurs and other minorities. According to a new report by the International [...]

Republican Representative Doug Collins, Ranking Member of the US House Judiciary Committee, submitted an amicus brief in the US District Court for the District of Columbia Thursday asserting that the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry has no legal basis. In the brief, Collins is asking the court to deny the committee’s application for an order authorizing the [...]

The US House Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a “Resolution for Investigative Procedures” into the potential impeachment of President Donald Trump. The investigation is looking into “alleged obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by President Trump, his associates, and members of his Administration.” Specifically, the resolution cites instances of Trump attempting [...]

The UK Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that decisions by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) are subject to judicial review.  Prior to the ruling, IPT decisions could only be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The IPT was established in 2000 to provide an avenue for redress for anyone who feels that they have [...]

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on Friday filed a lawsuit against two federal agencies over data they used to justify rolling back the landmark Obama-era vehicle emission standards, accusing the Trump administration of “willfully withholding” information. CARB sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) alleging failure to [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled Monday that Alabama cannot keep its lethal injection protocol secret from the public. At issue was the failed execution of Doyle Hamm in February 2018. After several failed attempts to insert a needle into his veins, the execution was called off. The Associated Press and [...]

The Arkansas Senate on Monday voted 25-9 in favor of measures to prevent the release of information that could identify manufacturers and suppliers of drugs used during state executions. The Senate justified its move to increase drug secrecy by citing a “well-documented guerilla war being waged against the death penalty,” where anti-death penalty advocates pressure pharmaceutical [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled on Monday that the District Court for the Middle District of Georgia appropriately ordered the release of grand jury records related to the Moore’s Ford Lynching of 1946. The Moore’s Ford Lynching is considered to be the last mass lynching in American history. Two African [...]

Special Agent Jeffrey Weiland on Tuesday filed a 31-page declaration in DC District Court to support finding that Paul J. Manafort, Jr.‘s testimonial statements in the DC grand jury last year were false. The 31-page document is a redacted version due to the law regarding grand jury secrecy. The information in the document, which is [...]