The Maine Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would pledge the state’s Electoral College votes for president to the candidate who wins the popular vote across the country. If the House and Governor pass and sign the bill, Maine will becomes the fourteenth state, in addition to Washington, DC, to join the National Popular [...]
San Francisco on Tuesday voted to ban the use of facial recognition software by the police or other agencies, becoming the first US city to do so. The “Stop Secret Surveillance” ordinance, which was passed in an 8-to-1 vote by the Board of Supervisors, will further prevent city agencies from adopting any other type of [...]
The Wisconsin State Assembly approved a package of abortion restrictions Wednesday. The Assembly passed a series of six different bills all aimed at stricter regulation of abortion in the state. AB180 requires doctors in the state to inform women undergoing a chemically induced abortion that they can stop the procedure while the first set of [...]
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted a full pardon to Conrad Black, a disgraced media mogul who recently wrote a wrote a book about Trump’s triumphs. Black was convicted in 2007 on fraud charges, including alleged embezzlement, and obstruction of justice. He served 3.5 years in prison and was deported to Canada after he [...]
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a controversial bill Wednesday that bans nearly all abortions in the state, including in cases of incest and rape. The Alabama Human Life Protection Act is one the most restrictive anti-abortion laws since Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure nationwide in 1973. The act bans performing abortions in the state [...]
The UK Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that decisions by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) are subject to judicial review. Prior to the ruling, IPT decisions could only be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The IPT was established in 2000 to provide an avenue for redress for anyone who feels that they have [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday vacated a previous ruling that had deemed a Virginia law, which required a physician to perform an abortion, unconstitutional. Last week, Judge Henry Hudson granted a motion for summary judgment that held Virginia Code § 18.2-72 posed an undue burden [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Polk County District Court over Iowa’s recent enactment of House File 766. House File 766 prevents entities that provide abortions, or advocate for abortion rights, from receiving grant money earmarked for sex education. According to Erin [...]
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that effectively prohibits US companies from using any telecoms equipment manufactured by China’s Huawei. The executive order, which has been under consideration for a year, cites the International Emergency Economics Power Act, a law enacted in 1977 that gives the president broad power to control trade [...]
Amnesty International said on Tuesday in a new report that abuses by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, including extrajudicial executions and arbitrary detentions, may constitute crimes against humanity. The report indicates that from January 21 to 25, 2019, in a total of 12 of the country’s 23 states, at least 47 people died in the [...]
