The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday struck down a provision of the Texas Open Meetings Act as “unconstitutionally vague.” The provision in question makes it a crime in Texas for public officials to meet in small group for the purpose of having secret deliberations. A local judge Craig Doyal, the appellee in the [...]

The UN expert on foreign debt and human rights Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, is stressing the necessity of treating human rights as a top priority in recent economic reforms. After Bohoslavsky investigated in both Ukraine and Sri Lanka last year, his reports focused on the importance of striking a balance between implementing measures to ensure all [...]

Michael Cohen testified in front of the House Committee of Oversight and Reform on Wednesday regarding his relationship with Donald Trump. “The last time I appeared before Congress, I came to protect Mr. Trump,” said Cohen. “Today, I’m here to tell the truth about Mr. Trump.” Cohen testified that Trump continued the Moscow Tower negotiations “for [...]

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal from the Fraternal Order of Police regarding an arbitration award. The union claimed that the panel neglected to account for competitive compensation in determining the award. After the police union’s collective bargaining agreement with the city of Pittsburgh expired at the end of 2014, the union and the city [...]

The US Supreme Court ended its February session on Wednesday with arguments concerning whether a four-story, cross-shaped war memorial maintained by the government can remain standing at a busy Maryland intersection. The memorial under contention is a 16-ton memorial cross to veterans of the first World War that sits at the entrance to the town [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a new state court hearing to determine whether an Alabama death row inmate battling dementia is incompetent to be executed. The justices ruled 5-3 in favor of inmate Vernon Madison, who was sentenced to death for killing a police officer in 1985. While awaiting execution, Madison suffered a [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an international organization, “absolute immunity” from lawsuits in the US. About 10 years ago, IFC, an IOIA international organization, entered into a loan agreement with an Indian company to finance the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Gujarat. Local farmers, fishermen and [...]

The US Supreme Court held Wednesday that the Sixth Amendment‘s presumption of prejudice of ineffective counsel applies to situations in which an attorney declines to file an appeal because an appeal waiver was signed as part of a plea agreement. The case, Garza v. Idaho, centered on Petitioner Gilberto Garza’s claim that his lawyer offered ineffective [...]

A bill that would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat has been moved for a full house vote in Tennessee. The bill proposes a change to the current Tennessee laws on abortion. In particular, the bill prohibits abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. The bill provides an exception for medical emergencies [...]

Voters in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday approved an amendment to the city charter giving Lake Erie legal rights. This charter amendment would allow any resident of Toledo to sue on behalf of the Lake. Lake Erie is a source of water for an estimated 11 million US and Canadian citizens. As recently as 2014 the [...]