The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) on Tuesday over a new policy that requires that only photocopies of incoming mail be delivered to inmates instead of the original copies. The ACLU-PA is joined by the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP), Abolitionist Law Center (ALC) [...]

The US Supreme Court continued the November term, hearing oral arguments in one case concerning Indian tribal rights and a second regarding a criminal defendant’s right to appeal after guilty plea. The first case, Washington State Department of Licensing v. Cougar Den Inc., asks the court to determine whether a 2006 state tax imposed on fuel [...]

The South Korean Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal to pay compensation to four Korean workers who were forced to work for the firm during WWII. Each plaintiff will be awarded $87,700 although only one, Lee Choon-Shik (aged 94), is still alive. In a press release, Nippon Steel declared [...]

The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to block the trial over including a “citizenship question” on the 2020 census. The trial is scheduled for November 5. Last month the district court ordered Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore to give depositions on the inclusion of the citizenship question. The [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday in two separate cases regarding the Federal Arbitration Act. At issue in the first case, Henry Schein Inc. v. Archer and White Sales Inc., is whether a court must submit a matter to arbitration if the court determines that the claim is “wholly groundless.” The petitioner argued, “A court does not have [...]

Four individuals filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York District Court on Monday against Trump Corporation and Donald Trump alleging violations of the Racketeering Influenced and Corruption Organizations (RICO) Act. The lawsuit also names Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants made false and [...]

Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia has been sentenced to seven additional years in prison after she was found guilty on Monday of embezzling USD $375,000 that was supposed to go to a charity fund. The petition to extend Zia’s sentence was filed earlier this month, with the prosecution stating that because Zia was not [...]

US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a statement on Monday conveying “deep concern” over an Alabama court’s failure to preserve an original recording of jury instructions for a capital murder case. Sotomayor concurred with the US Supreme Court’s denial of certiorari in the case of Tawuan Townes because without the tape Townes could not show [...]

An Ohio law that expands the definition of distracted driving took effect Monday. The previous law defined distracted driving as driving “using a handheld electronic wireless communications device” targeting traditional mobile phone usage while driving. The new law retains this definition while also expanding distracted to include “Engaging in activity that is not necessary for [...]

The suspect in the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, appeared in court for the first time Monday following the murder of 11 people on Saturday. The US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Scott Brady, announced in a news conference that the suspect, Robert Bowers, was advised by the federal magistrate judge [...]