Justice Maxwell Wiley of the Supreme Court of New York on Wednesday granted Paul Manafort’s motion to dismiss an indictment from March that charged him with crimes of residential mortgage fraud, falsifying business records and scheming to defraud. Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, had already been charged with the same crimes at the [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee filed a lawsuit against a Nashville suburb on Wednesday to stop a zoning ordinance that effectively bans surgical abortions within the city limits. Two days after the opening of Carafem, the only abortion clinic within the city limits of Mt. Juliet, the Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday added five new cases to be heard this spring. The consolidated cases of Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel cover the breadth of the “ministerial exemption” doctrine, which was created by the court and deals with employee hiring practices regarding church ministers. These cases [...]

After hours of short speeches, the US House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of justice. The historic vote followed party lines with Republicans voting against impeachment and only one independent voting for it. Two Democrats, Representatives Collin Peterson and Jeff Van Drew, opposed the [...]

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović said Tuesday that Albania’s proposed anti-defamation legislation, expected to pass this week, is incompatible with freedom of expression. Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and [...]

Rick Gates III, the former deputy campaign manager for the Trump 2016 presidential campaign, was sentenced Tuesday to 45 days in jail and three years probation for lying to the FBI as part of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Gates will also be required to serve 300 hours of community service and pay a $20,000 fine. [...]

Pope Francis released new papal documents Tuesday that eliminate the application of the “pontifical secrecy” rule in cases of sexual abuse. Catholic clergy in many countries, including the US, have long used “pontifical secrecy” as justification for not cooperating with police or victims in cases of sexual abuse. In February church leaders called for the [...]

The Supreme Court of Poland released a statement Tuesday warning that the country’s drafts of judicial reforms could be in violation of European Union (EU) law. The country’s nationalist government is currently advocating for legislation that punishes Poland judges for questioning judicial nominations. Proponents of the legislation argue that the law is needed for greater [...]

The Nicaraguan National Assembly approved the plans to nationalize the gas station chain Distribuidor Nicaraguense de Petroleo (DNP) on Saturday. President Daniel Ortega sent the initiative as a matter of emergency. The law guarantees the continued supply of fuel and petroleum products. Additionally, all petroleum products owned by DNP are classified as sovereign security and [...]

The Supreme Court of Spain found Monday that workers are entitled to a Christmas hamper as a condition of their employment. The case arose from a labor dispute at Fujitsu Technology Spain, in which the company eliminated gifting the Christmas hamper from the budget back in 2013. A Christmas hamper is a packaged assortment of [...]