Marissa Zupancic is JURIST’s Washington DC Correspondent, a JURIST Senior Editor and a 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She’s stationed in Washington during her Semester in DC. Today I attended oral arguments at the US Supreme Court for Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The case concerns whether the [...]
Search Results for: right to counsel
New York court issues gag order against Trump in hush money case
New York’s supreme court on Tuesday issued an order restricting former US president Donald Trump from making extrajudicial statements that could sway jurors and witnesses ahead of his upcoming trial for alleged hush money payments made to an adult film star. Set to commence on April 15, 2024, the trial will center on 34 counts [...]
Florida governor signs restrictive social media ban for minors
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed one of the country’s most restrictive social media bans for minors into law on Monday. The law bans social media accounts for children under the age of 14 and requires parental permission for accounts for children between the ages of 14 and 15. The law is set to take effect [...]
As Georgia Prepares to Execute Willie Pye, a Deceased Lawyer’s Incompetence Looms
It is hard to imagine a man much more marginalized than Willie Pye, who Georgia plans to execute on Mar. 20. Undeniably, the 1993 murder that landed him on death row was heinous. But as his death march nears, it bears considering whether the converging histories of poverty and abuse that defined his youth, paired [...]
Hong Kong court gives prison sentences to activists with riot convictions
The Hong Kong District Court jailed 12 activists on Saturday, with sentences ranging from 54 months to 82 months, for their previous riot convictions. Judge Li Zhihao reasoned that the case was particularly serious because the Legislative Council Complex enjoys “a unique constitutional status and symbolizing meaning” and the activists destroyed the complex with the [...]
Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, does not shy away from tough questions. Though many in a position such as his might shy away from argument, Rae seems to relish the opportunity to engage in some intellectual sparring. It was in this context that I requested an interview as Canada grapples with multiple [...]
Civil rights challenge to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law reaches settlement
Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys reached a settlement on Monday over the state law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” The parties came to an agreement after two years of litigation and an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. This agreement paves the way for students and teachers in Florida [...]
Missouri AG accuses Planned Parenthood of assisting minors travel out of state to obtain abortions
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing a Planned Parenthood organization affiliate of violating state laws by helping transport minors into Kansas for abortions. The lawsuit is based on alleged camera footage showing staffers transporting minors across state lines to get an abortion without parental consent. In the filing, Bailey cited [...]
Ghana’s Parliament held the second consideration proceedings for an anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday, amid concerns that the bill would be stalled. The bill, which has received pushback from the LGBTQ+ community, prohibits individuals within the country from instigating, soliciting or encouraging “any activity that undermines proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family values.” Parliament rejected [...]
US Supreme Court declines to hear Missouri case excluding jurors based on religious beliefs
The US Supreme Court denied a petition to hear an appeal Tuesday concerning the exclusion of potential jurors based on the jurors’ religious beliefs in a Missouri sex discrimination case. Jean Finney, a worker for Missouri’s Department of Corrections who is also lesbian, sued her employer alleging sexual discrimination and retaliation after Finney began dating [...]