This week, President Donald Trump pardoned a man federal prosecutors described as the architect of a “narco-state” who moved 400 tons of cocaine to United States shores. In September, the US military began killing people on Caribbean vessels based on unproven suspicions they were doing the same thing on a far smaller scale. The strikes [...]

Editor’s Note: This explainer is published ahead of the November 12, 2025 Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of Ghana’s deportation agreement with the United States. In mid-2025, Ghana entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Repatriation and Temporary Hosting of West African Nationals with the US, to accept deportees and host certain West [...]

The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday, November 5, in a pair of cases challenging President Donald Trump’s authority to impose broad tariffs on nearly all imported goods. The consolidated cases, Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., ask whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) allows [...]

US President Donald Trump recently claimed he has “unquestioned power” under the Insurrection Act to deploy National Guard troops to San Francisco. The Insurrection Act grants the President authority to deploy military forces domestically to suppress insurrection or rebellion. Dating to 1807, it represents a narrow exception to the Posse Comitatus Act‘s general prohibition against [...]

Ghana’s bodies of water are being poisoned by mercury and cyanide. Babies are being born with severe health conditions. And now a chorus of voices is demanding the president invoke emergency powers to stop it. The culprit is galamsey—a local term for illegal small-scale mining that has transformed fertile farmland and pristine rivers across Ghana [...]

The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais on Wednesday, October 15, a case testing how far states may consider race when redrawing congressional districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act (VRA). In 2024, Louisiana enacted a new map creating a second majority-Black district. A three-judge federal court struck it [...]

Two years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023, the enduring violent aftermath of the attacks has given rise to multiple international legal proceedings, illustrating both the reach of international justice mechanisms and their inherent limitations. The original Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people across Israel and resulted in 251 taken hostage. [...]

The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday, October 7, in Chiles v. Salazar, a case concerning Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy”—treatments that seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity—for minors. A Christian therapist is challenging the law, arguing that it violates her freedom of speech. This case follows a [...]

As Israeli forces launched a major ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, a United Nations investigative commission concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The commission’s determination carries no immediate legal enforcement power, but creates significant obligations for countries around the world under international law. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry [...]

Work and the labor market dominate conversations across Egypt. This year has marked a turning point, with a comprehensive new labor law designed to keep pace with today’s economic realities. Classified under Article 121 of the Egyptian Constitution as a “complementary law to the Constitution,” the Labor Law governs one of the country’s most fundamental [...]