As Americans cast their votes in a historically contentious and consequential presidential election, trust in the electoral process stands at an unnerving crossroads. Recent data from the World Justice Project (WJP) paints a sobering picture: the United States has fallen six places to rank 43rd globally in measurements of “lawful transition of power,” while polling [...]
At the intersection of medicine and criminal justice, few diagnoses have stirred as much controversy as Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). Once considered a clear-cut indication of child abuse, this diagnosis has become a battleground of conflicting expert testimonies, challenged convictions, and evolving scientific understanding. As courts grapple with cases involving SBS, the stakes couldn’t be [...]
Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced the state will move forward with plans to execute Marcellus Williams at 6 pm local time on Tuesday despite controversy over evidence and racial discrimination in the trial that led to his 2001 capital conviction. Who is Marcellus Williams? The jury that convicted Williams of capital murder knew little about [...]
When the founding fathers signed the US Constitution on September 17, 1787, they laid the foundations for a national government that was strong, but not omnipotent. The federal government was divided into three branches — executive, legislative, and judicial — and a series of checks and balances were created to ensure no single branch of [...]
The trial of four American socialist activists began this week in Florida in a case that echoes the ideological tensions of the Cold War era. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused these individuals of instigating social unrest in the US at the behest of the Kremlin. This case pits allegations of Russian misinformation against [...]
In August 2021, the Taliban regained control of the Afghan capital of Kabul. In the two decades that had passed since their previous rule, a generation of women and girls experienced the gradual but powerful onset of expanded rights and freedoms. After the Taliban’s resurgence, these rights were systematically dismantled vis-a-vis the regime’s strict interpretation [...]
The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a controversial provision in Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy plan that would have shielded members of its former owners from lawsuits related to the opioid crisis. Prior to Purdue’s bankruptcy declaration in 2019, it had been owned by the Sacklers, one of the countries wealthiest families. The Sacklers attempted [...]
Chiquita’s money helped buy weapons and ammunition used to kill innocent victims. —US Government sentencing memo, 2008 In 2007, Chiquita — one of the world’s largest banana producers — admitted that for years it had been knowingly paying a Colombian terrorist organization to protect its operations in the country. The consequence was predictably violent, allegedly [...]
“Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we are recognising the State of Palestine,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris announced Wednesday. Though Palestinian statehood has been a contentious issue for decades, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has pumped renewed urgency into the debate surrounding international recognition. In this explainer, we outline the fraught history of [...]
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its military offensive in the Palestinian city of Rafah — the last major population center in the Gaza Strip following months of violent conflict. In this explainer, we unpack the situation in Gaza, the case against Israel, Israel’s response, and the basics [...]
