International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced Wednesday that she had decided to close a preliminary examination into alleged war crimes committed by members of the British Armed Forces in Iraq, despite confirming a “reasonable basis” to find that the crimes did occur. The prosecutor further announced she would not open an investigation. In January 2014 the [...]

The French government Wednesday formally announced its support for a bill aimed at protecting the “principles of the republic.” The new law proposes to strengthen the government’s ability to prosecute extremist religious groups that “present a serious threat to public order.” Critics have expressed concerns that the law is aimed specifically at Muslim groups, but [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 8-0 Thursday in Tanzin v. Tanvir Thursday that federal officials can be personally sued for violating a person’s First Amendment right to religious freedom under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The case concerned two Muslim respondents whom federal agents placed on the no-fly list after the men refused to [...]

The US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions Wednesday on former Kyrgyz Customs Service deputy Raimbek Matraimov for his role in a $700 million money-laundering scheme. The Treasury also announced sanctions on two other individuals and three companies. According to the department, Matraimov was involved in a company’s evasion of custom fees [...]

The Nevada Supreme Court Tuesday confirmed a lower court’s dismissal of US President Donald Trump’s suit to overturn the state’s presidential results. Joe Biden won the presidential election vote in Nevada, which has six votes in the Electoral College, by 33,596 votes in the November 3 election. The president’s legal team challenged the results in [...]

The US Supreme Court heard its final oral arguments of the year on Wednesday in the consolidated case of Collins v. Mnuchin. The issues being assessed in this case are whether the structure of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) violates the separation of power doctrine, and whether “the courts must set aside a final [...]

The UK House of Lords voted to amend the Trade Bill on Monday to include performance of human rights risk assessments in proposed trade agreements, as well as revocation of trade agreements with countries that are found by the High Court of England and Wales to have committed genocide. The bill was first introduced in [...]

US District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday dismissed the criminal case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Sullivan Court was considering a Rule 48 dismissal, which was rendered moot by the presidential pardon conferred upon Flynn by Present Donald Trump. In his 43-page opinion, Sullivan made clear that although he was required by law [...]

The US Department of Labor implemented a new rule Monday that allows federal contractors to discriminate against employees under the guise of religious freedom. This ruling could affect more than four million employees. The rule expands the definition of religious organizations to include for-profit organizations as well as traditional religious charities and churches. It also allows [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law Tuesday giving Russia’s national legislation precedence over international treaties and rulings from international bodies. The bill was initially passed in the lower house, the State Duma, in late October, and then by the Federation Council. The law is one among many constitutional reforms approved by the Russian public between [...]