The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday allowed the Trump administration’s restrictions on transgender service members. The order lifts an injunction that had been put in place and upheld by the lower court. However, the ruling has no immediate effect, as orders in three other cases still block the [...]

The US Supreme Court agreed Friday once again to take up partisan gerrymandering cases from Maryland and North Carolina. The court postponed further consideration of the question of jurisdiction in Rucho v. Common Cause, the North Carolina case, and Lamone v. Benisek, the Maryland case, and set arguments for March. Both cases have been before [...]

The Russian Federation formally charged US citizen Paul Whelan with espionage Thursday, according to Russian news agency Interfax. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Whelan on December 28. Under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, espionage is punishable by 10-20 years in prison. The family of Whelan, a retired US Marine, [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Thursday rejected an appeal by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge Number 7, blocking them from intervening in the court-ordered reform program aimed at combating the Chicago police’s pattern of unconstitutional use of force. In January 2017 the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released a [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday against New York City’s Local Law 146, which would have required home-sharing sites, like Airbnb and HomeAway, to submit monthly reports detailing short-term rental transactions to the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement. The report would [...]

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil issued a provisional measure on Tuesday and a decree on Wednesday restructuring the responsibilities of the ministry of agriculture, including giving the ministry control over the creation and regulation of indigenous lands and reserves. Bolsonaro took office on January 1 after his victory in the October elections. He is recognized [...]

The Supreme Court of California declined Wednesday to block a law requiring state police departments to publicly disclose reports arising from improper officer use of force. The San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association, a police employee union in San Bernadino county, petitioned the court to block the release of records from before 2019, arguing [...]

The Court of Appeal for Ontario declared on Wednesday that Uber’s arbitration clause for its drivers is invalid both because it violates the Arbitration Act and because the arbitration clause is unconscionable. The lawsuit was filed by an Uber driver who is seeking a class action lawsuit designation that seeks to declare that Uber driver [...]

Effective on Tuesday, Washington state increased the age limit for purchasing semiautomatic assault rifles from 18 to 21 years old. For individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 years old, the law allows the individuals to possess a semiautomatic assault rifle under certain conditions. This includes in the person’s house, business, or on real [...]

As of Tuesday, the US and Israel are no longer part of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Trump administration’s State Department had announced withdrawal in October 2017 to be effective at the end of 2018. At that same time US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, commented with a release implying [...]