The state of New York on Wednesday sued 3M Co and five other companies to reimburse for the cost of cleaning up environmentally hazardous firefighting foam manufactured by the companies in question. The lawsuit —the first of its kind—seeks more than $38.8 million plus punitive damages. According to the state, the firefighting foam caused “extensive [...]
The US Supreme Court held in South Dakota v. Wayfair Thursday that the Commerce Clause of the Constitution does not prohibit states from collecting taxes from out-of-state retailers that have no physical presence within the state. Thursday’s decision overturns two precedential cases, National Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Department of Revenue of Illinois and Quill Corp. [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that administrative law judges (ALJs) are “officers of the law” under the Appointments Clause , reversing the lower court decision that ALJs are federal employees. The Appointments Clause dictates that “officers of the law” must be appointed by the president, “Courts of Law,” or “Heads of Departments.” In [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday overturned the contempt conviction of a Marine general. Judge Royce Lamberth overturned the contempt conviction of Marine Brigadier General John Baker, chief defense counsel at the Guantánamo Bay military tribunals. Baker was convicted in November by Air Force Col. Vance Spath [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach for the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, in which weak security measures allegedly allow access to the private, sensitive information of voters. The program compares voter registration lists in multiple participating states for duplicates. The [...]
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order effectively ending his controversial family separation policy resulting from the administration’s “zero tolerance” approach to illegal immigration. The order does not halt the prosecution of those caught crossing the border illegally, but it will allow families to remain together while being held in detention centers [...]
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the news service had uncovered regular instances of rape and other forms of sexual violence against Yemeni detainees by prison officials in secret prisons controlled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The abuse has been reported in at least five prisons. The UAE has arrested “hundreds” of Yemeni [...]
The Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the state of Virginia over the state’s abortion laws, which the plaintiffs deem “burdensome and medically unnecessary.” The lawsuit, brought on behalf of multiple health care organizations, took issue with five Virginia laws regarding [...]
To commemorate World Refugee Day on Wednesday the charity Plan International released a 44-page report detailing the adversity and hardship that adolescent Rohingya girls experience in refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. While the majority of adolescent girls report feeling safer in the refugee camps than in Myanmar, there remains a substantial fear of [...]
Canada’s Senate approved a bill on Tuesday legalizing recreational marijuana. The vote was 52 in favor of the bill, with 29 senators against and two abstaining. Under the act, the federal and provincial governments will regulate cannabis, with the federal government licensing dealers. It will still be illegal for anyone under the age of 18 [...]
