Legal News

The most senior Chinese official in Hong Kong, chief of the Liaison Office Luo Huining, said Wednesday that the city should introduce new national security legislation “as soon as possible” in reaction to protests last year that undermined mainland China’s influence in the region. These remarks came during a speech for China’s National Security Education [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday commented on “issues of national importance regarding the interplay between the government’s compelling interest in protecting public health and safety from COVID-19 and citizens’ fundamental right to free exercise of religion,” ultimately siding with a Mississippi church. On April 7, the city of Greenville issued an “Executive [...]

Judge Tim Sulak, a Travis County District Court judge in Texas, ruled Wednesday that Texas voters could mail in their votes during the COVID-19 outbreak. The hearing, which took place on Zoom, concluded with a ruling that Texas voters could vote by mail in the upcoming July and November elections. The application for mail-in voting [...]

The Turkish parliament passed a legal amendment on Tuesday to release thousands of prisoners in an effort to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The bill was introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party), as well as the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The same day that the law was [...]

The Polish Parliament began debating two controversial bills Wednesday amid an ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of the bills, titled “Stop Abortion” will, if passed, impose a near-total ban on abortion. Amnesty International has criticized the Polish government for choosing to debate these bills during the lockdown, accusing the Sejm (Polish parliament) [...]

The Nanterre Court of Justice in France issued an order on Tuesday limiting the types of products Amazon France is allowed to ship for the next 30 days. The order comes in response to a complaint filed by a French trade union on April 8. The complaint accused Amazon France of continuing normal shipping operations [...]

A federal district judge issued an injunction Tuesday against Arkansas’ COVID-19 outbreak abortion restrictions. On April 3, the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) issued a directive that banned abortion as an elective procedure in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The governor then ordered that violation of the ADH directive would be a misdemeanor and providers [...]

The Board of Trustees of the State of California announced Tuesday their proposed recommendations to the California Supreme Court regarding both the July 2020 Bar Exam and the June 2020 First Year Law Exam. The Board plans to propose two possible scenarios to the California Supreme Court. Under the first scenario, the First Year Law [...]

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed an announcement he made last week: The US will halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) while the country reviews the organization’s conduct. During a coronavirus update, the president stated, “I am instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organization while a review is [...]

The El Salvador Legislative Assembly extended its COVID-19 state of emergency law Sunday by a 68-12 vote despite human rights concerns. The extension is effective until April 16. The state of emergency law allows the El Salvador government to detain those who violate lockdown orders. This provision has concerned human rights groups. According to the [...]