UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called Tuesday for Iran to release jailed human rights defenders, lawyers and political prisoners, citing COVID-19 concerns. Iran is the country worst-affected by the pandemic in the region, and conditions in prisons create a breeding ground for the virus. The prisons have a history of being overcrowded and [...]
The US Supreme Court on Thursday declined to act on a request from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reinstate federal regulations requiring patients seeking abortion-inducing pills to pick up the medication in-person at the hospital or clinic, instead of receiving them by mail or delivery. A federal judge blocked the FDA’s requirements [...]
The UN adopted a proposal on Tuesday from the Human Rights Council to postpone the investigations into human rights violations in Libya due to lack of funds. The Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission in June to identify violations and abuses of human rights “since the beginning of 2016, with a view to prevent [...]
Judge Steven Logan of the US District Court for the District of Arizona issued an order Monday extending Arizona’s voter registration deadline to October 23 due to the impact of COVID-19. The voter registration deadline in Arizona was originally October 5. On October 2, two non-profit organizations sought an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order [...]
A US federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump overstepped his authority when he suspended the issuance of certain types of work visas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Jeffrey S. White of the US District Court of Northern California granted a preliminary injunction in favor of several associations (Intrax, Inc, the National Association of Manufacturers, the US [...]
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a bill confining protestors to a 1 km radius (0.6 miles) from their homes in a national effort to slow the spread COVID-19. The bill is called The Special Powers for Dealing with the Novel Coronavirus Bill (Temporary Order) Amendment No. 2), 2020. It allows the government to declare a “special [...]
Several voter rights groups joined two Texas voters Thursday in filing a lawsuit against governor Greg Abbott after the governor issued an executive order, which will limit each Texas county to a single ballot drop-off location. The governor’s order, also issued on Thursday, purports to enhance ballot security by requiring all in-person delivery of mail [...]
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Friday that Governor Gretchen Whitmer did not have the authority to extend her executive orders regarding the Covid-19 pandemic after April 30. The decision in the case comes as part of a lawsuit by three medical centers against the governor, challenging an executive order that prohibited non-essential medical procedures. That lawsuit [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Thursday granted Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s request to restore COVID-19 restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings. Four counties in Western Pennsylvania sued Wolf arguing that his executive orders issued to combat the COVID-19 pandemic violated their constitutional rights. More specifically, plaintiffs alleged that Wolf and [...]
California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would promote the rehire of employees laid-off due to Covid-19. Under Assembly Bill 3216, an “employer shall offer its laid-off employees . . . all job positions that become available . . . for which the laid-off employees are qualified.” The bill requires employers to notify [...]
